Chapter Seven: The Beginning of Unraveling

The night air was crisp as Bai Lianhua stepped out onto the garden terrace, the cool breeze brushing against her flushed cheeks. Her thoughts swirled like the wind around her—Madam Xu's confession still rang loud in her ears.

"You think your precious grandfather has always been the benevolent patriarch? Think again."

She clutched the marble railing, the stone cold beneath her fingers. The truth was far more tangled than she'd ever imagined. Madam Xu had only scratched the surface, and already, it felt like the ground was slipping beneath her feet.

Lianhua had returned to the Bai family to reclaim her rightful place. But what if her place was never meant to be peaceful? What if everything—her identity, her protection, even Mo Chen—was part of something much darker?

Footsteps behind her made her whirl around.

"Still reeling from the truth?" Bai Ziyu's voice cut through the silence, his tone unreadable. He leaned against the stone column, arms crossed, eyes sharp.

Lianhua studied him. Her cold, distant eldest brother had been showing up more often lately, watching, guarding… perhaps even protecting. But trust was something she could no longer afford to give easily.

"Were you spying on me?" she asked quietly.

"No." He shrugged. "I followed you. There's a difference."

She gave him a look. "Did you know about Madam Xu's lies? About the switch?"

His gaze darkened. "I had my suspicions. But Grandfather kept things close to his chest. He still does."

"Then why not tell me?"

"Because I needed proof." He stepped closer, the mask slipping from his face for a moment. "Lianhua… this family is a maze of secrets. And if you go charging in without knowing what's at the center, you'll get lost—or worse, destroyed."

Her breath caught. There was something in Ziyu's voice—genuine fear?

"What aren't you telling me?"

Ziyu hesitated, then turned his gaze toward the stars above. "Madam Xu wasn't acting alone. There's someone else. Someone powerful, someone dangerous. And they're not done with you yet."

Lianhua's heart pounded. "Who?"

Before he could answer, a commotion erupted inside the estate.

Shouts.

A loud crash.

Ziyu's expression hardened instantly. "Stay here."

But Lianhua wasn't the type to obey blindly anymore. She followed him through the corridors, barefoot on the cold floor, until they reached the main foyer—where the chaos originated.

A man in a dark suit had been thrown to the ground. He was groaning, blood trailing from his mouth.

Standing above him was Mo Chen, his expression like carved granite.

His bodyguards flanked him, stone-faced, as if they'd just walked out of a war zone.

"What is going on?" Bai Hengyuan's voice thundered from the top of the stairs, commanding the attention of every person present.

Mo Chen looked up. His gaze slid past the Patriarch, landing squarely on Lianhua.

"This man tried to install surveillance inside Miss Bai's room," he said calmly. "I intercepted him before he could finish."

Gasps echoed through the hall.

Lianhua's heart sank.

Spied on? Why?

Her grandfather descended slowly, his face a mixture of fury and calculation. "Who sent him?"

Mo Chen raised a small, black card from the man's pocket, tossing it on the floor. The emblem on it was unmistakable—two entwined dragons.

Lianhua froze.

That symbol… she'd seen it before. In her past life. Just once.

It was tied to a secret society, an underground power that operated behind the scenes in business, politics… and bloodlines.

Mo Chen's eyes met hers.

"They're watching you, Lianhua. And they're not going to stop."

The Return of a Ghost

Later that night, Lianhua sat in her room, unable to rest. The shadows outside seemed darker now, the silence heavier.

A soft knock on her door startled her.

She opened it to find Tang Lei, her bodyguard, standing stiffly with a sealed envelope in hand.

"This arrived anonymously," he said, handing it over. "No fingerprints. No address."

She tore it open. Inside was a photo—grainy but clear.

A younger version of Madam Xu… holding a baby.

And standing beside her?

Mo Chen.

Lianhua's breath left her body.

The back of the photo had a single line scrawled in elegant calligraphy:

"He was there the day you were taken."