Chapter Fourteen: Shadows of the Past

Bai Lianhua stood still in the middle of the grand Bai estate's courtyard, her eyes narrowed at the unfamiliar black car pulling into the driveway. The logo was unmarked, sleek and discreet—dangerously elegant. A luxury vehicle, but not one that bore any of the Bai family emblems.

She hadn't been expecting guests.

Neither had the guards.

The car door opened and a woman stepped out.

Long legs. Blood-red stilettos. A custom-tailored trench coat that screamed power and money. Her sunglasses reflected the bright afternoon sun, but even with them on, Lianhua could feel the heat of the woman's eyes settle directly on her.

"Who are you?" Lianhua asked without hesitation.

The woman smiled—a curve of her crimson lips, confident and deadly. "You don't recognize me? I'm not surprised. You were just a baby the last time I saw you."

She removed her glasses slowly.

Lianhua's eyes widened.

Madam Yu.

A name she had only heard in whispers. A woman from the old generation—ruthless, manipulative, and rumored to have been obsessed with the Bai Patriarch.

"You were supposed to be dead," Lianhua said, her voice low.

Madam Yu chuckled. "Sweetheart, people like me don't die easily. I've been watching you. Watching everything. I must say, you turned out prettier than expected… just like your mother."

Lianhua's blood ran cold.

"You're the one who switched me at birth, aren't you?"

Madam Yu didn't answer immediately. She walked closer, her heels clicking ominously against the stone path. "Let's just say… your mother and I had a disagreement about what was best for the Bai family. I simply corrected a mistake. But it seems fate had other plans."

"You ruined my life."

"No, darling," Madam Yu said with a tilt of her head. "I saved yours. You wouldn't have survived in this world if you had stayed as the Bai heiress back then. You were weak. Soft. Pathetic. Now look at you—back from the ashes. Strong. Resilient. Dangerous."

Lianhua clenched her fists. "You don't get to take credit for my strength."

Madam Yu's eyes glittered. "Oh, but I do. And I'm here to offer you a choice: walk with me, or stand against me. But choose wisely, little lotus. I have allies in places you wouldn't dream."

Before Lianhua could speak, Bai Ziyu stepped out from the main house, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the woman.

"You've got some nerve showing up here," he said coldly. "Leave. Now."

Madam Yu laughed. "Oh, Ziyu. Still playing the dutiful big brother? How precious. I remember when you used to cry in your crib."

Ziyu's jaw tensed, but his hand reached for Lianhua's shoulder protectively.

"Come inside," he said to her without taking his eyes off Madam Yu. "This woman has nothing of value to say."

"Oh, but I do," Madam Yu purred. "Ask your precious brother why he never searched for you when you disappeared. Ask him who stood silently while your engagement was ruined and your reputation destroyed."

Lianhua turned sharply to Ziyu.

"Is that true?"

Ziyu didn't flinch. "Yes. I didn't fight for you then. I didn't have the power. But I do now. And I won't let her or anyone else touch you again."

Madam Yu smiled and turned on her heel. "Then I suppose we'll see who's stronger now."

She got back into the car, the tires kicking up dust as it sped away.

That Night…

Mo Chen stared down at the letter in his hand—delivered anonymously, written in a handwriting he hadn't seen in over a decade.

"The past is catching up to you. Bai Lianhua must not know the truth about her mother. Not yet."

The handwriting belonged to his mother.

And she had been gone for twelve years.

He burned the letter in the fireplace, watching the flames curl around the paper until only ash remained. Then he turned to face Liu Han, his strategist and long-time confidant.

"She's back," Mo Chen said. "Yu Shulan is making her move."

Liu Han nodded grimly. "And she's not alone. I intercepted a message between her and Jiang Zhen. They're planning something… something big."

Mo Chen's expression darkened. "It's time to tell Lianhua everything."

The Truth Unfolds

Lianhua met Mo Chen at the rooftop garden of the Bai estate. She could sense he was tense, more so than usual. His gaze was distant, haunted.

"She came today," Lianhua said. "Yu Shulan. She said things—things I can't ignore."

"I know," he replied quietly. "There's something you need to know, too."

She waited, silent.

Mo Chen took a deep breath. "Your mother… wasn't just a victim. She and Yu Shulan were sisters. Half-sisters. There was a feud over inheritance, over love, over power. Your mother tried to escape it. That's why she gave you up. To protect you."

Lianhua's heart pounded. "What…?"

"She wanted you to grow up away from the chaos. But Shulan found out. And she took her revenge. She was the one who orchestrated the switch… not just out of jealousy, but to erase your bloodline. You're not just a Bai. You're a descendant of one of the most powerful hidden clans in the south."

"And you knew?" she asked, her voice breaking.

"I suspected. But I couldn't act without proof. Until now."

Tears welled in Lianhua's eyes, but she blinked them back. "Then we fight."

Mo Chen looked at her and nodded slowly. "Then we fight."

Elsewhere…

Inside a dark chamber filled with surveillance screens and old scrolls, Yu Shulan sat with Jiang Zhen and a masked man.

"Bai Lianhua is stronger than we anticipated," Jiang Zhen said. "She has the public, the Patriarch's favor, and now Mo Chen's full support."

"She also has a secret weakness," the masked man said, his voice hoarse. "Her adoptive mother."

Yu Shulan smirked. "Perfect. Then we'll remind her that no one rises from the ashes without leaving something behind to burn."