The truth

Qi Jianyi's eyes widened in shock, disbelief washing over her like a cold wave. "How…?" she murmured, the word barely escaping her lips. 

Her gaze trembled with a mixture of fear and confusion. How could her mother possibly know that name? It was a name she had never spoken aloud. A name belonging to someone who, as far as the world was concerned, does not exist here. 

A name she had locked away so tightly, to the point that she sometimes doubted its reality herself. 

So how could Mother Qi possibly know?

"What? Are you asking me how I know that name?" her mother asked, her tone shifting into something firmer—more serious. 

"Tell me, Jianyi. Who is this Song Chengfeng?" Her voice lowered, now heavy with concern and insistence.