## Author’s Note
Project: Girl of Fantasy
Cast: Habiba as Qiu Ying.
Lin Sheng as Jiling.
Chen Kai as Shi Yan.
Xiaomei as Lian Xiao.
Setting: A dimly lit, upscale lounge in the heart of the city.
The lie has taken root, and now it is time for the harvest.
In this chapter.
The delicate glass house that Qiu Ying and Shi Yan built comes crashing down, fueled by a single, distorted truth.
## Chapter 19: The Breaking Point
The bar was a labyrinth of velvet shadows and amber light, a place where the city’s elite went to drown their ambition or fuel their obsession.
The music was a low, rhythmic thrum, barely audible over the clinking of crystal glasses.
Shi Yan sat at the mahogany bar, the golden liquid in his glass untouched.
He was staring at his phone, his thumb hovering over the image that had been haunting him for twenty-four hours: the distorted, pixelated photo of Qiu Ying and Jiling.
To anyone else, it might have looked like a simple act of assistance, but to Shi Yan, fueled by sleepless nights and as a man he knew his boss, the CEO, jiling has feelings for her.
But Qiu Ying didn’t know that—for her, was just lǎobǎn, nothing else maybe a little bit of friendship.
The whispering of the office, it was a confirmation of his deepest insecurity.
It felt like a fool—the man who thought he has found a rare, brilliant soul, only to realize he was just another pawn in the CEO’s game.
He didn’t notice Lian Xiao approaching until she slid into the seat beside him.
She was wearing a dress the colour of a midnight sky, her scent—a sharp, expensive perfume—cutting through the stale air of the lounge.
“You look like you’re carrying the weight of the entire Company on your shoulder,” Lian Xiao murmured, her voice smooth as silk.
She signaled the bartender for a drink, her eyes never leaving Shi Yan’s profile.
“It’s nothing,” he snapped, his voice rough.
Her hand brushed against his forearm, a touch that was meant to be comforting but felt electric, calculated.
“They see how you look at her, and they see how she wanders, you-have been there for years, Shi Yan. You’ve built this team. Do you really think you’re the only one deserving to be in her life?”
The bitter in his chest flared hot and uncontrollable.
He turned to her, his eyes clouded by the alcohol he hadn’t even finished.
“Why does it matter to you?”
Lian Xiao didn’t pull away; instead, she leaned into his space, her eyes searching his.
“Because I’ve been watching you for longer that She ever has. And it hurts me to see you settling for someone who doesn’t see your value.”
Before he could answer, the door to the bar opened and a cold breeze swept through the room.
Qiu Ying stepping inside.
She had been searching for him all evening, her heart frantic with the need to fix whatever shadow had fallen between them.
She looked exhausted, her professional composure fraying at the edges, but when her eyes landed on the bar, she froze.
The scene in front of her seemed to play out in slow motion.
She saw Shi Yan, the man who had become her anchor in the chaos of Aura Global.
Then she saw Lian Xiao.
Lian Xiao’s hands were cupping Shi Yan’s face, and as Qiu Ying stood paralyzed in the doorway, Lian Xiao leaned forward.
It wasn’t a tentative kiss; it was a hungry, deliberate act of reclamation.
Qiu Ying felt the breath leave her lungs as if she had been punched.
The world tilted on its axis.
Her vision blurred.
Not from the low light, but from what she saw.
It was a physical pain, sharp and deep.
She didn’t scream.
She didn’t confront them.
She didn’t have the strength to fight for a man who had already chosen a lie.
She simply turned on her heel clinking rapidly against the polished floor, and bolted, out of the lounge, and into the biting cold of the city night.
Her tears were already falling, hot and stinging.
She ran blindly, the neon lights of the city blurring into streaks of colour. You are reading on g.com, the official source.
She was no longer Qiu Ying, the brilliant coordinator;
She was a woman whose heart had been torn out, running through the streets of a city that didn’t care if She lived or died.
She collapsed against a brick wall in a narrow alleyway, her body wracked with deep, agonizing sobs.
She pulled her knees to her chest, trying to make herself smaller, trying to hide from the shame.
“Qiu Ying?”
The voice was low, resonant, and unmistakably grounded.
She looked up, her vision clouded with tears, to see Jiling standing there.
He had been nearby for a business meeting, his suit jacket draped over his arm.
He took one look at her—the ruin of her face, the haul agony in her posture—and rapped his jacket on her, didn’t ask questions.
He moved with a speed that belied his calm demeanor.
He knelt on the cold pavement, ignoring the filth of the alley, and gathered her into his arms.
He didn’t offer empty words; he simply pulled her against his chest.
His hand came up to firmly, rhythmically pat her back, anchoring her to the Earth.
“I have have got you,” he whispered, his voice trembling with a depth that shocked him.
“Just breathe. I’m here.”
## Author’s Note
The betrayal is complete.
Shi Yan has fallen into the trap, and Qiu Ying has been left in the wreckage.
But in her darkest moment, the man she labeled ‘Lǎobǎn’ (boss) is the one holding the pieces.
The stage is set for the final act of this arc—the moment the cameras stop, and the truth begins to surface.
Hey everyone!
First off, thank you so much for reading Chapter 19!
❤️ Quick question for my lovely readers: Do you like having the author’s notes at the very top of the chapter, or would you prefer it if I only put them at the bottom so you can dive straight into the story right away?
Another writer mentioned that readers usually like a clean start, so I’d love to know what YOU prefer!