“Calling off the engagement?” Vivian Hartley walked down from the second‑floor staircase, her steps steady, looking down at her so‑called fiancé.
The half‑drawn gauzy curtains let in a streak of warm gold, the light hitting the pricey silver‑blue crystal chandelier and scattering across her face like broken stars. The glow landed on her soft, radiant features, and for a second Adrian Chambers completely zoned out.
To be fair, Vivian’s looks alone were enough to crush half the entertainment industry. Back then, he’d agreed to the engagement mostly because of that face. But now? Things had changed.
The little princess of the Hartley family—turned out she wasn’t even their real daughter.
The girl standing in front of him was the fake.
Meanwhile, the real daughter, Serena Hartley, had grown up in some struggling household outside the city. Mr. and Mrs. Hartley weren’t home today, and everyone knew they’d gone to see their biological child.
Thinking of Serena’s fragile, helpless expression, Adrian clenched his jaw. “Yeah. Calling it off. You stole over ten years of Serena’s life. I don’t want anything to do with someone like you.”
He had expected Vivian to kick up a fuss. Instead, she didn’t even blink. “Sure.”
Adrian froze. As she walked closer, her bright eyes catching the light, something tugged at him—guilt, maybe. “I’ll make it up to you. A house, a car, cash—say whatever you want.”
Vivian tilted her head, looking at him with that calm, almost lazy smile. Her eyes shimmered with unmistakable mockery. “Do I look like I need anything from you?”
It wasn’t wrong. As the pampered Hartley daughter, everything she owned was top‑notch. Even her scarves started at five digits. Adrian’s so‑called “compensation” was basically a joke.
Feeling that her words had slapped him across the face, Adrian gritted out, “You think you’re still the Hartley heiress? Keep dreaming. Mr. and Mrs. Hartley are already bringing Serena home. Just wait until they throw you out. Don’t come crying to me then!”
With that, he tossed the expensive jade bracelet they’d exchanged at the engagement and stormed out.
Mrs. Bennett, who had been preparing lunch in the kitchen, hurried out. “Vivian, don’t be upset. Sir and Madam would never treat you like that. Honestly, it’s good this engagement is over. That Adrian—just one look and you know he’s bad news.”
Vivian’s lips quirked. Adrian? A good person?
Not even a little.
He was Serena’s number‑one simp in the original story, willing to do all kinds of sketchy, borderline‑illegal things for her later on.
Vivian herself had been a top‑tier supporting‑role specialist in the fast‑transmigration system. She’d been taking a vacation after completing her last mission, and somehow ended up in this world out of nowhere.
A classic fake‑vs‑real daughter novel. The heroine Serena, switched at birth, grew up poor and hardworking, gentle and pure. Even after stepping into the messy entertainment industry, she stayed spotless.
The system still hadn’t contacted Vivian yet—but she’d handled enough bugged worlds to guess what her task was this time.
Same as always.
Putting on her most over‑the‑top, drama‑queen act to make the real heroine look naturally charming—once everyone hated her enough, she’d be able to bow out and get back to vacation mode.
Thinking this, she told Mrs. Bennett, “It’s fine. Honestly, he wasn’t wrong. Mrs. Bennett, don’t prep lunch for me today. I’m heading out for a drama audition.”
Mrs. Bennett hesitated, worry flashing across her face. “Vivian, you know Mr. and Mrs. Hartley never wanted you in the entertainment industry. Doing this… it’ll just make them upset…”
Vivian Hartley thought, Perfect. That’s exactly the point. If not for wanting to piss the Hartleys off, she wouldn’t even consider joining the industry. Best-case scenario, they’d kick her out on the spot.
The film base the crew was using was one of Huaguo’s most famous. Every year countless costume dramas and idol shows were shot there. It kept tons of extras fed and was also a pilgrimage site for anyone dreaming of becoming a star.
“Azure Jade Case” had just started production. It was adapted from a well-known webnovel, so the show had come with attention from day one.
Today was the last day of auditions, yet the female lead still wasn’t locked in. The director and screenwriter were practically spinning in circles from the stress.
“What about the girl earlier—Jade Sinclair? She’s a fourth- or fifth-tier actress, but her acting’s decent.”
The bearded director shook his head, stubbornly saying, “Keep looking. We’ve still got a few more.”
Then he tossed out a joke to lighten the mood. “Wouldn’t it be perfect if we could get Miranda Kingsley and Jayden Sterling?”
The editor snorted. “Dream on. I heard Jayden just wrapped shooting next door. You dare go ask him?”
Just then, an intern cracked open the back door and slipped in, lowering her voice. “Director Blackwood, there’s another actress here to audition for the lead. She’s… uh… not like the others.”
Director Blackwood frowned. “Not like how? Causing trouble? Let’s go check.”
One glance outside, and everyone froze.
A pale pink limited-edition Ferrari was parked at the entrance, making the worn stone lion statues look suddenly grand. Three tall bodyguards in black held up umbrellas, shading a girl whose beauty could make flowers feel insecure.
When she noticed people coming out, Vivian casually slid off her limited-edition sunglasses, hooked them onto her pricey bag, handed them to a bodyguard, and lifted her chin with effortless arrogance. “Director Blackwood? I’m here to audition.”
Only after he led her inside did the crew finally dare whisper.
“Who is she? That’s insane. If I didn’t know better, I’d think she was walking a red carpet. But damn… that face. Way prettier than half the top-tier actresses.”
“So over the top. Look at Jade Sinclair—she’s an actual celeb. She just brought one assistant and quietly sat down to wait.”
“Maybe she’s got money backing her? But Director Blackwood’s strict. I’m betting she gets kicked out in five minutes.”
Half an hour later, instead of watching her get shown the door like everyone expected, they saw Director Blackwood and the screenwriter personally walking her out, smiling like old friends and saying, “Looking forward to working together.”
Everyone was stunned. What kind of plot twist was this? Had Director Blackwood also been bought off?
Jade Sinclair had witnessed the whole thing from the side. Even though she was so furious she looked like she could tear Vivian Hartley apart, she still forced herself to keep that fake gentle persona, calmly telling the director something about hoping to work together next time.
Vivian told the bodyguards to wait for her at the entrance while she headed to the restroom to wash off the dust from her hands.
The moment she stepped out, Jade turned the corner and slowly strutted up to her, chin lifted in arrogance. “You’re really nothing special. How did you catch Director Blackwood’s eye?”
Vivian took her time patting her hands dry with a handkerchief. “Nothing special, yet I passed the audition and you didn’t. Doesn’t that sting a little?”
Jade clearly hadn’t expected Vivian to be this sharp-tongued, hitting her right where it hurt. “You—! What are you so proud of?! It’s just because you’re vaguely pretty!”
Vivian brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear, the simple movement somehow full of lazy charm. “Let me fix that for you. Not vaguely. Full score.”
The second the words left her mouth, Jade’s face twisted with rage.
And behind the tall plant tucked into the corner, a man’s low, cool laugh drifted out.
