[Location: Chen Yao's Villa — Her Study | Time: 10:30 PM | Weather: Light Drizzle]
The light in Chen Yao's study was dim, warm-toned, almost melancholy. Her hands hovered over the laptop, eyes fixed on the final photograph of Xu Yichen and the woman she now knew too well—Qin Lingxi.
She exhaled slowly and closed the folder, yanking the flash drive free with a sharp twist.
"He really left because of her."
Not the board.Not the scandals.Not even her.
"He chose someone else long before I ever said goodbye."
The bitterness crept up uninvited, curling around her chest like smoke.
She opened the drawer of her desk, pulling out a worn, velvet-lined box. Inside it lay the keepsakes she hadn't touched in years—an engraved cufflink, a plane ticket from their honeymoon... and a sealed envelope.
Her breath caught.
It was addressed in Yichen's handwriting.
To: Chen YaoDate: Five Years Ago
"What is this…?"
The seal was intact. She had never opened it.
She frowned. Had she thrown this aside during the chaos? Or had someone hidden it from her?
Hands trembling, she tore the envelope open and unfolded the letter.
Chen Yao,
I don't know what words will reach you, or if you'll ever care to read them. But I owe you this. Not for closure, but for honesty.
You were the first woman I thought I could love with my eyes open. And maybe I failed to meet your standards. Maybe I became a burden to your world of perfection.
But the truth is... I tried.
Even when you laughed at my dreams. Even when you silenced my voice at your dinner parties. Even when you told me I was not "Chen-worthy."
Still, I tried.
And now, I leave not because I want to punish you—but because staying would destroy me.
I hope one day, you'll understand silence is also a kind of scream.
— Xu Yichen
The words blurred as tears pooled in her eyes.
"Why didn't I see this before?"
It wasn't rage she felt now.
It was grief.
"Why didn't you fight harder? Or maybe… why didn't I?"
[Location: Xu Corporation HQ | Time: 11:00 PM]
The office was mostly dark, save for the soft glow of a standing lamp. Xu Yichen sat alone, eyes locked on a newspaper article spread open on his desk.
A feature piece from five years ago:"Rising Star Xu Yichen Suddenly Resigns. Rumors of Family Dispute Surface."
He stared at it for a long time before flipping it shut.
"They never knew the half of it."
Yuan Fei entered quietly, placing a manila folder on the desk.
"Surveillance shows Du Haoran left his study around ten. Chen Yao returned home shortly after. No direct contact."
Yichen gave a short nod.
"Keep the shadow team on them. Especially if Haoran makes a move toward Lingxi."
"Yes, sir."
Fei paused.
"Sir… I have something else."
He placed a smaller folder on the table—this one marked with red tape.
Yichen raised an eyebrow but said nothing as he opened it.
Inside were images—grainy security stills, old photos, and an official-looking form. A birth record.
Qin Lingxi's real identity.
"So she hid even this from me," Yichen murmured.
But there was no anger in his voice—only hurt.
[Location: Qin Lingxi's Apartment | Time: 11:30 PM]
She sat on the balcony, barefoot, knees tucked to her chest. The rain had stopped, but the air was still heavy with mist.
A soft chime.
[New Message — From Yuan Fei]
Haoran may have accessed your records. Recommend caution.
She replied simply:Understood.
Inside, her sketchbook lay open to a new drawing.
Xu Yichen, under an umbrella. But this time, she hadn't drawn his face.
Just his silhouette.
[Location: Du Haoran's Apartment | Time: 12:00 AM]
He poured himself another drink, letting the amber liquid swirl.
Across from him, his assistant laid out files.
"The name Qin Lingxi used when she disappeared—it wasn't her legal identity."
"She switched records," Haoran noted.
"More than that. She erased the old one. Paid well to bury it under a different hospital's archive."
Haoran leaned back in his chair.
"Interesting."
He studied a torn photograph—Yichen and Lingxi from years ago, taken in the woods, smiling.
"So this is the woman he traded it all for."
He didn't smile this time.
"Let's see how much you're worth when your secrets are spilled."
[Location: Chen Yao's Bedroom | Time: 1:00 AM]
She lay awake, the letter resting on her chest.
She had read it twice. Each time, it scraped something deeper.
"So you did leave a goodbye."
"And I threw it away with the rest of you."
But now… now she wasn't sure if her regret was rooted in losing him, or realizing she never truly saw him.
She rose and crossed to her vanity. Taped the letter to the mirror.
"No more pretending I was innocent."
[Location: City A General Hospital — On-call Lounge | Time: 7:30 AM | The Next Morning]
Qin Lingxi flipped through a patient chart when a nurse stepped in.
"Dr. Qin, someone's waiting for you outside. Says it's urgent."
She walked to the lobby, and froze.
Xu Yichen.
He looked tired, as if sleep hadn't touched him in days. But his eyes held purpose.
"You're early," she said quietly.
"I needed to see you."
She blinked.
"Why?"
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached into his coat pocket and handed her the birth record.
"I know who you really are now."
Lingxi didn't flinch. She took the document, scanned it once, then folded it in half.
"And?"
"You didn't trust me with this?"
"Would it have changed anything?"
"Yes."
A long silence passed.
"Then I'm sorry," she said, voice steady. "But I wasn't ready to be seen."
He looked at her for a long time. Then finally—
"Neither was I."
[End of Chapter 10]