Chapter Six: The Confrontation

The air in the Bai family estate felt suffocating as Bai Lianhua made her way down the long, echoing corridor. Each step seemed to reverberate in the quiet, her heart racing in anticipation of what was to come. Today, she would face the woman who had stolen her life.

Madam Xu.

The name, whispered behind closed doors and in hushed conversations, was one that Lianhua had heard far too many times since her return. The woman responsible for her separation from the Bai family all those years ago, the one who had orchestrated her switch at birth, hiding the truth in the shadows.

Today, Lianhua would bring that shadow into the light.

Her fingers gripped the ornate door handle as she stood before the entrance to Madam Xu's private quarters. The servants had gone quiet upon hearing of her arrival, but no one dared to intervene. The words from her grandfather echoed in her mind.

"Do not trust anyone, especially her."

The door creaked open with a low, almost ominous sound.

Madam Xu was seated at her vanity, her back to the door. She wore a pristine white robe, her hair perfectly styled, but there was something about her that made Lianhua's skin crawl. The coldness in her aura, the air of arrogance—this was the woman who had taken her birthright, and now, the truth would be unveiled.

"Madam Xu," Lianhua's voice rang through the room, firm and full of authority.

The older woman's head snapped toward her, eyes narrowing in surprise. For a brief moment, Lianhua saw the glimmer of fear in her expression before it was quickly masked by a cool, calculating gaze.

"Ah, Lianhua. How rare to see you in my presence. I didn't expect you to come looking for me so soon." Madam Xu's voice was laced with mock sweetness.

Lianhua's jaw tightened, and she stepped further into the room, her presence commanding attention. "I didn't come to exchange pleasantries, Madam Xu. I came to hear the truth."

The older woman's smile faltered, just for a split second. But it was enough.

"You don't need to go digging for things that have already been buried," Madam Xu said, her voice now colder than before. "The past is dead, and you should focus on your new life, Lianhua. That's what really matters now."

Lianhua's eyes narrowed. "You think you can bury the truth, don't you?" she said with a dangerous edge. "You've lived in your little world of lies for far too long, but it's time to expose it. You owe me an explanation."

Madam Xu rose from her seat, her expression turning colder, more menacing. "You've already gotten everything you're entitled to. The Bai family accepted you—embraced you as one of their own. Isn't that enough?"

"No," Lianhua snapped, her voice rising with a mixture of anger and sorrow. "It's never been enough. I'm not your puppet, Madam Xu. And I'm certainly not your replacement for someone else."

Madam Xu's gaze flickered for a moment. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and the facade of calm began to crack. She stepped forward, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper. "You think you know everything? You think you're some kind of princess now that you've been accepted by the Bai family? Do you know how much I've sacrificed to give you this life? To make sure you were never exposed for who you really are?"

Lianhua stood tall, her heart pounding in her chest, but she refused to back down. "I know exactly who I am, Madam Xu. I am the true daughter of the Bai family, and I'm here to claim my birthright."

Madam Xu's eyes flashed with anger, but it was quickly masked by a cold, calculating smile. "Claim your birthright? You think it's that simple? You're a child who doesn't understand the complexities of the world. You have no idea what I had to do to keep the Bai family from finding out who you were."

Lianhua clenched her fists at her sides, the memories of her past life rushing to the surface—how she had been discarded, treated as worthless, and finally left to die in a hospital room. All of that pain, all of that suffering had been caused by this woman.

"You switched me at birth," Lianhua said, her voice low but filled with resolve. "You took me from my family, from my real father. And for what? Power? Control? You thought you could play God, but you were wrong."

Madam Xu's eyes darkened, her facade completely gone. "You think you understand the truth? You think your precious Bai family would have ever accepted you if they knew who you really were? You were nothing but a pawn in a game that was far bigger than you could ever comprehend."

Lianhua's mind reeled. "What do you mean? What game?"

Madam Xu's lips curled into a bitter smile. "You think your precious grandfather, Bai Hengyuan, has always been the benevolent patriarch? Think again. He has secrets, just like the rest of us. Secrets that he doesn't want you to know. But I'll let you in on a little secret, Lianhua."

Lianhua's pulse quickened. "What secret?"

The older woman's gaze grew colder, almost predatory. "Your birth was part of a much bigger plan—a plan involving not only the Bai family, but others. People who would stop at nothing to control everything. Including you."

Lianhua's mind reeled. The Bai family was embroiled in something far darker than she had imagined.

"You're not the only one with a past," Madam Xu continued. "Mo Chen knows more than he's telling you. He's always known more. But he hasn't told you the full truth either. You think he's protecting you? He's just as much a part of this game as I am."

The words hit Lianhua like a slap to the face. Mo Chen… had been involved in this web of deceit? Had he known everything from the start?

Her heart raced, her thoughts a jumbled mess of confusion and anger. "So, Mo Chen… what part does he play in all of this? Was he part of your plan too?"

Madam Xu smirked, taking a step back. "I'm not here to tell you everything. That's something you'll have to figure out for yourself. But let me give you a word of advice—trust no one. Not even your precious Bai family. The game is far from over."

Lianhua stood in the center of the room, her breath coming in shallow bursts as her world tilted on its axis. Betrayal, manipulation, secrets—all of it was surrounding her. But now, she had a choice to make.

Would she stay and continue to play the game by their rules? Or would she break free and take control of her own destiny?

With one final glare at Madam Xu, Lianhua turned and walked out of the room, her mind set on finding the answers she needed. There was more to this story, and she was determined to uncover every secret, no matter the cost.

As she stepped into the hallway, she didn't know what lay ahead. But she knew one thing for sure—this battle was just beginning.

The air in the Bai family estate felt suffocating as Bai Lianhua made her way down the long, echoing corridor. Each step seemed to reverberate in the quiet, her heart racing in anticipation of what was to come. Today, she would face the woman who had stolen her life.

Madam Xu.

The name, whispered behind closed doors and in hushed conversations, was one that Lianhua had heard far too many times since her return. The woman responsible for her separation from the Bai family all those years ago, the one who had orchestrated her switch at birth, hiding the truth in the shadows.

Today, Lianhua would bring that shadow into the light.

Her fingers gripped the ornate door handle as she stood before the entrance to Madam Xu's private quarters. The servants had gone quiet upon hearing of her arrival, but no one dared to intervene. The words from her grandfather echoed in her mind.

"Do not trust anyone, especially her."

The door creaked open with a low, almost ominous sound.

Madam Xu was seated at her vanity, her back to the door. She wore a pristine white robe, her hair perfectly styled, but there was something about her that made Lianhua's skin crawl. The coldness in her aura, the air of arrogance—this was the woman who had taken her birthright, and now, the truth would be unveiled.

"Madam Xu," Lianhua's voice rang through the room, firm and full of authority.

The older woman's head snapped toward her, eyes narrowing in surprise. For a brief moment, Lianhua saw the glimmer of fear in her expression before it was quickly masked by a cool, calculating gaze.

"Ah, Lianhua. How rare to see you in my presence. I didn't expect you to come looking for me so soon." Madam Xu's voice was laced with mock sweetness.

Lianhua's jaw tightened, and she stepped further into the room, her presence commanding attention. "I didn't come to exchange pleasantries, Madam Xu. I came to hear the truth."

The older woman's smile faltered, just for a split second. But it was enough.

"You don't need to go digging for things that have already been buried," Madam Xu said, her voice now colder than before. "The past is dead, and you should focus on your new life, Lianhua. That's what really matters now."

Lianhua's eyes narrowed. "You think you can bury the truth, don't you?" she said with a dangerous edge. "You've lived in your little world of lies for far too long, but it's time to expose it. You owe me an explanation."

Madam Xu rose from her seat, her expression turning colder, more menacing. "You've already gotten everything you're entitled to. The Bai family accepted you—embraced you as one of their own. Isn't that enough?"

"No," Lianhua snapped, her voice rising with a mixture of anger and sorrow. "It's never been enough. I'm not your puppet, Madam Xu. And I'm certainly not your replacement for someone else."

Madam Xu's gaze flickered for a moment. Her lips pressed into a thin line, and the facade of calm began to crack. She stepped forward, her voice dropping to a venomous whisper. "You think you know everything? You think you're some kind of princess now that you've been accepted by the Bai family? Do you know how much I've sacrificed to give you this life? To make sure you were never exposed for who you really are?"

Lianhua stood tall, her heart pounding in her chest, but she refused to back down. "I know exactly who I am, Madam Xu. I am the true daughter of the Bai family, and I'm here to claim my birthright."

Madam Xu's eyes flashed with anger, but it was quickly masked by a cold, calculating smile. "Claim your birthright? You think it's that simple? You're a child who doesn't understand the complexities of the world. You have no idea what I had to do to keep the Bai family from finding out who you were."

Lianhua clenched her fists at her sides, the memories of her past life rushing to the surface—how she had been discarded, treated as worthless, and finally left to die in a hospital room. All of that pain, all of that suffering had been caused by this woman.

"You switched me at birth," Lianhua said, her voice low but filled with resolve. "You took me from my family, from my real father. And for what? Power? Control? You thought you could play God, but you were wrong."

Madam Xu's eyes darkened, her facade completely gone. "You think you understand the truth? You think your precious Bai family would have ever accepted you if they knew who you really were? You were nothing but a pawn in a game that was far bigger than you could ever comprehend."

Lianhua's mind reeled. "What do you mean? What game?"

Madam Xu's lips curled into a bitter smile. "You think your precious grandfather, Bai Hengyuan, has always been the benevolent patriarch? Think again. He has secrets, just like the rest of us. Secrets that he doesn't want you to know. But I'll let you in on a little secret, Lianhua."

Lianhua's pulse quickened. "What secret?"

The older woman's gaze grew colder, almost predatory. "Your birth was part of a much bigger plan—a plan involving not only the Bai family, but others. People who would stop at nothing to control everything. Including you."

Lianhua's mind reeled. The Bai family was embroiled in something far darker than she had imagined.

"You're not the only one with a past," Madam Xu continued. "Mo Chen knows more than he's telling you. He's always known more. But he hasn't told you the full truth either. You think he's protecting you? He's just as much a part of this game as I am."

The words hit Lianhua like a slap to the face. Mo Chen… had been involved in this web of deceit? Had he known everything from the start?

Her heart raced, her thoughts a jumbled mess of confusion and anger. "So, Mo Chen… what part does he play in all of this? Was he part of your plan too?"

Madam Xu smirked, taking a step back. "I'm not here to tell you everything. That's something you'll have to figure out for yourself. But let me give you a word of advice—trust no one. Not even your precious Bai family. The game is far from over."

Lianhua stood in the center of the room, her breath coming in shallow bursts as her world tilted on its axis. Betrayal, manipulation, secrets—all of it was surrounding her. But now, she had a choice to make.

Would she stay and continue to play the game by their rules? Or would she break free and take control of her own destiny?

With one final glare at Madam Xu, Lianhua turned and walked out of the room, her mind set on finding the answers she needed. There was more to this story, and she was determined to uncover every secret, no matter the cost.

As she stepped into the hallway, she didn't know what lay ahead. But she knew one thing for sure—this battle was just beginning.