The Mastermind is Revealed

Zi Yan stood by the window, looking out over the city. The lights twinkled in the distance, and the cool evening air flowed through the open window. Yet, her mind was far from peaceful.

She could still feel the adrenaline from the fight with the intruder. The man had been strong, but not strong enough. She had won.

But now, the questions kept circling in her mind.

Who had sent him? Who was behind this plan to destroy her?

And most importantly, why was she targeted?

The door to her hotel room opened, and Lu Yichen stepped inside, his face serious.

"Did you hear?" he asked.

Zi Yan turned from the window. "About what?" she asked, her voice calm, but there was tension in her eyes.

"The man," Lu Yichen began, "He's a part of a much larger network. A criminal organization involved in underground dealings. But there's something more… he mentioned your name before we took him away."

Zi Yan's breath caught in her throat. "My name?"

Lu Yichen nodded. "Yes. And before he stopped talking, he said it was all because of 'The Heiress.'"

Zi Yan clenched her fists. "The Heiress?" she repeated. "What does that mean?"

Lu Yichen's eyes narrowed. "It means someone knows who you really are. Someone who has been watching you closely."

She felt a cold shiver run down her spine. "But who could it be?"

Lu Yichen stepped closer, his voice soft but firm. "We're going to find out. You've been kept in the dark for too long. It's time to learn the truth."

Zi Yan nodded. She had no choice but to trust him now. He had been there for her when she had no one else. But the pieces of the puzzle were still scattered. She needed answers, and she needed them quickly.

In the underground room of Lu Yichen's mansion, the masked man sat on a cold metal chair. His hands were bound tightly behind him, and his eyes burned with anger.

Lu Yichen stood before him, arms crossed, his gaze unwavering.

"Who sent you?" Lu Yichen asked again, his tone cold and dangerous.

The man spat on the floor. "I won't talk," he muttered, his voice low but defiant.

Lu Yichen stepped forward, his expression still calm. "You will. One way or another, you'll talk."

The man glared at him. "You think you scare me?" he sneered. "You think you're the first person to try and get information out of me? I'm not afraid of you."

Lu Yichen didn't flinch. "You should be. Because the next person who talks to you won't be as kind."

The masked man hesitated, but only for a moment. He clearly knew the situation was dire. If he didn't talk, his life could end at any second. But the person who had hired him—who had set all of this in motion—was powerful, and he feared what would happen if he revealed too much.

He was caught between a rock and a hard place.

The silence stretched on, thick and suffocating. Zi Yan stood outside the room, watching from the hallway. She felt a strange mixture of fear and anticipation. This could be the moment that changed everything.

Finally, the masked man spoke, his voice barely above a whisper.

"The person who hired me… it was Guo Bao."

Zi Yan froze, her heart skipping a beat. "Guo Bao?" she repeated. "The heir of the Guo family?"

The masked man nodded slowly. "Yes. He's been plotting against you for months. He's the one who set you up, made you look like the villain in the eyes of the public. Everything was part of his plan."

Zi Yan's mind reeled. Guo Bao? The man she had once been engaged to? The man who had promised to protect her, to love her?

She had been betrayed by the one person she had trusted the most.

Lu Yichen, hearing the name, clenched his jaw. "I knew it," he muttered, barely audible.

Zi Yan couldn't believe it. How could Guo Bao—someone she had known for so long—be behind this? What had driven him to this point? And why had he wanted her ruined?

"Why?" she asked, stepping into the room. "Why would he want to destroy me?"

The masked man looked at her, his expression cold. "Because you were in his way. You're the key to the Guo family's future. When your true identity comes to light, it'll change everything."

Zi Yan's eyes widened. "My identity? What do you mean?"

"The Guo family has been hiding something," the man continued. "You're not just a model. You're more than that. You're tied to both the Guo family and the Lu family in a way that no one knows. Your true identity, your lineage—it's the reason they want to silence you."

Zi Yan's heart pounded in her chest. The Guo and Lu families? Her real identity? She felt like she was standing on the edge of something huge, something that could either save or destroy her.

Lu Yichen stepped forward, his voice low. "Tell us everything. Now."

The man sighed, his shoulders sagging in defeat. He realized there was no escaping now.

"Your father," he said quietly, "is the missing link. He was once part of the Guo family's inner circle. They had a falling out years ago, but they've never forgotten you. Your mother knew something she shouldn't have. And when she died, they made sure you were forgotten."

Zi Yan's heart raced. "My father? What happened to him?"

The man hesitated, but he could see that the truth was finally coming out. "Your father is still alive. But he's in hiding. The Guo family has been hunting him for years. And they've been using you as bait to get to him."

Zi Yan felt like the world had been ripped from under her feet. Her father was alive? And the Guo family had been hunting him all this time?

But why?

What was her father involved in that made him such a target?

And how was she the key to everything?

As the truth began to sink in, Zi Yan felt like she had been hit by a freight train. She had spent years living under the false belief that she was just an ordinary woman, with an ordinary life. But now, everything had changed.

She wasn't ordinary. She wasn't just a model or an actress.

She was the daughter of a man who had once been tied to the Guo family, and her very existence had been a threat to their power.

The pieces of the puzzle were starting to come together. The scandal with Guo Bao. The mysterious accidents. The people who had tried to destroy her. All of it had been part of a much larger plan.

And now, the stakes were higher than ever.

"Is my father alive?" Zi Yan asked, her voice barely a whisper.

The masked man nodded. "Yes. He's hiding. But if you want to find him, you need to understand one thing—the Guo family won't stop until they have him. And they'll use you as bait to get to him."

Zi Yan felt a cold chill run through her. She wasn't safe. Not anymore.

"But there's a way out," the man continued. "You have to go to the Lu family. They've been protecting you without you even knowing it. They know the truth about your father."

Zi Yan turned to Lu Yichen, her eyes full of questions.

Lu Yichen's gaze softened, and he stepped forward, his voice calm. "I've been protecting you because I know the truth. But now, it's time for you to know it all."

Zi Yan nodded slowly. "Tell me everything."

And with that, her journey into the truth began.