It had been years since she faced the spotlight, and anyone claiming she was not nervous would be fooling themselves.
Lu Jiaxin, once the nation's sweetheart, was finally making her comeback.
She stood before the mirror in her private waiting room, fingertips lightly brushing the edge of her makeup table. The woman who looked back at her was still recognisable. She still had soft features, a gentle smile and the kind of presence that naturally evoked warmth. Yet there was a new steadiness in her eyes now, something shaped by time rather than youth.
Marriage had changed her. For a while, she had truly believed she was marrying for love.
She had believed in promises spoken softly in the dark, in the warmth of a hand held against hers, in the quiet dreams they once whispered about a future filled with simple happiness.
But reality had been far less gentle.
