Chapter Eight: The Photo That Changed Everything

The room fell into silence, heavy and suffocating.

Bai Lianhua stared at the photograph in her hand. It was slightly crumpled at the edges, the image worn like it had been hidden for years—yet its contents were unmistakable.

She was in it. A toddler in a pink dress, held by an unfamiliar woman.

And standing not far behind… was Mo Chen.

Her breath caught in her throat.

The shadows in the photograph barely concealed the sharp cut of his jawline, the intensity of his gaze—even at a younger age. She'd recognize that face anywhere.

Her mind reeled. Why was Mo Chen there? On the very day she was taken?

She clenched the photo tighter until her knuckles turned white. There was no room for doubt now—he wasn't just a figure from her past life, watching from afar.

He was part of the beginning.

A Storm at Midnight

That night, thunder rumbled in the distance, echoing her turmoil. Rain lashed against the Bai estate's windows as Lianhua paced the corridor outside Mo Chen's temporary room. Every nerve in her body burned with questions. With rage.

She didn't knock.

She burst in.

Mo Chen, in a crisp black shirt, looked up from the folder he was reading, utterly calm despite the storm in her eyes.

"I suppose you've seen it," he said.

The gall. The nerve.

"You were there!" she snapped, tossing the photograph at him. "You knew! You saw me being taken—and you never said a damn thing!"

He didn't even flinch. "I wasn't there for you."

Her heart lurched.

His voice was calm—too calm. It infuriated her.

"I was investigating something else. A trafficking case," he continued. "The woman in that photo was under surveillance. I didn't know who you were then."

"But you found out later," she accused, stepping forward. "You knew who I was eventually. Why didn't you come for me?"

His expression darkened.

"I did," he said. "But I was too late. By the time I pieced it together, you were already 'adopted' by the Bai family. You were in pain, and I couldn't intervene without putting you in more danger."

Lianhua laughed bitterly, eyes shining with unshed tears. "So you let me suffer alone?"

"No," he said sharply, standing now, towering over her. "I protected you from the shadows, cleaned up the messes you didn't know about. But I couldn't let you see me. I couldn't risk tipping off the people who wanted you erased."

Her lip trembled. "And now? Why are you here now?"

His gaze softened, just barely.

"Because you remember. And you're strong enough to face the truth."

A Deeper Secret

Before she could respond, the door flung open.

Bai Ziyu.

His suit was drenched with rain, his eyes blazing with fury. In his hand—another photo. A different angle. Same day. And in it, Mo Chen wasn't just present—he was speaking to the woman who took her.

"You bastard!" Ziyu growled, storming toward him. "You knew who she was all along and kept it from us?!"

Mo Chen stood his ground. "It's not what it looks like."

"You think we'll believe that?" Ziyu roared. "You were negotiating with the woman who stole my sister! And now you come sniffing around like a knight in shining armor?"

Lianhua's head spun. Her heart thundered. She turned to Mo Chen, voice shaking.

"Is that true?"

He didn't answer immediately. And that silence—that silence—felt like a knife in her chest.

"I did speak to her," he said at last. "But it wasn't what you think. I didn't know you were her target. I was working with her as an informant, trying to catch a bigger fish."

Ziyu's fist clenched.

"I should kill you," he hissed.

Lianhua took a step back. Her world was spinning again. Betrayal layered upon betrayal. The man who had danced with her like she was the only girl in the world… had a history soaked in lies.

"I need answers," she whispered.

"You'll get them," Mo Chen said quietly. "But only when you're ready to hear all of it."

He turned away, moving toward the window as lightning forked across the sky.

"You think this is the whole story?" he muttered. "It's just the beginning. The woman who took you… she wasn't acting alone. Someone from the Bai family helped her."

The room went still.

Lianhua's heart dropped.

"What…?"

"She didn't switch you out of hate. She was paid," Mo Chen said, turning back to face her. "And the one who paid her is still very close to you."