Leilei sat at her vanity, brushing her long hair until it shone like a black silk curtain. In the mirror, her own reflection looked back at her with calm, steady eyes. She had learned to wear that mask well.
The knock at her door was soft, but the voice that followed was sweeter than honey gone bad.
"Leilei, dear," Madam Liu said, her tone dripping with false warmth. "May I come in?"
Leilei set down her brush. "You're already here, aren't you?"
The door opened, and Madam Liu stepped inside, her silk cheongsam clinging elegantly to her slender frame. In her hands was a folded piece of paper. Behind her, Liu Xinyue peeked in with wide, eager eyes before slipping away, no doubt to report later.
"Your father would like to see you in the main hall," Madam Liu said.
Leilei arched a brow. "And you had to deliver the message yourself?"
A small smile curved the woman's lips. "It's an important conversation. I thought it best to… prepare you." She placed the folded paper on the vanity, sliding it toward Leilei with delicate fingers. "You might want to take a look at this first."
Leilei unfolded the paper slowly. Her breath caught.
It was a hospital report — her hospital report — confirming, in neat, clinical terms, that she was eight weeks pregnant.
For a moment, the room tilted. She had suspected, of course. The lingering nausea in the mornings, the way her body felt different. But she had told no one. No one except—
Her mind snapped to Wang Shen.
"How did you get this?" she asked, her voice dangerously calm.
Madam Liu's smile widened just enough to show satisfaction. "A good mother looks after her children's health. Imagine my shock when I learned my dear stepdaughter was… expecting." She leaned closer, her perfume sweet but suffocating. "From a man who, as far as I know, has not expressed any interest in marrying you."
Heat rushed to Leilei's cheeks. "That's between me and Wang Shen—"
"Not anymore," Madam Liu interrupted, her voice like a velvet blade. "Your father is furious. And… well, you know how the Jin family values its reputation."
Leilei's grip tightened on the paper. "So this is what you've been waiting for, isn't it? A reason to push me out completely."
Madam Liu gave a soft, breathy laugh. "Oh, Leilei… I don't have to push. You've walked yourself to the edge."
She turned, her silk skirts whispering over the carpet. "Your father is waiting."
The main hall felt colder than usual. Jin Weisheng stood near the center, his hands clasped behind his back, the heavy crystal chandelier casting sharp light over the hard lines of his face. Liu An lounged against the arm of the sofa, dressed in an immaculate suit though there was no formal event today. His eyes glittered with the quiet satisfaction of someone who already knew the outcome of this meeting.
Leilei stepped inside, her chin high. "You wanted to see me?"
Her father didn't waste time. "Is it true?"
She met his gaze. "If you're asking about the pregnancy, then yes. It's true."
"And the father?"
"Wang Shen." Her voice was steady, though her heart pounded. "We've been together for—"
"You fool." The words landed like a slap, though his tone never rose. "Do you know what this will do to our family name?"
"I'm not ashamed," she said quietly. "We love each other."
Liu An snorted under his breath. "Love? You think Wang Shen loves you? He's been seen with other girls for weeks. Ask him yourself, if you dare."
Her stomach dropped. "You're lying."
"I have no reason to," he said, his smirk deepening. "In fact, why don't we settle this now? I called him before you arrived."
Before she could protest, the sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the hall.
Wang Shen appeared in the doorway.
Relief and dread tangled in her chest. "Wang Shen—"
He wouldn't meet her eyes. "Mr. Jin," he began, his voice flat, "I don't know what Leilei told you, but I'm not the father of her child."
The words slammed into her like ice water. "What?"
He finally looked at her, but there was no warmth, no recognition of the afternoons spent in quiet corners, the laughter, the promises. "We've been… friends. Nothing more. If she's pregnant, it's not my responsibility."
Her knees threatened to buckle. "You told me— You said—"
"I said a lot of things." His jaw tightened. "But this? I'm not taking the blame for a mistake I didn't make."
Madam Liu sighed as though deeply pained. "Such a pity. I had hoped this was just a misunderstanding."
Her father's voice cut through the air like a whip. "You will leave this house tonight. You have brought enough shame on us. I will not have the Jin name dragged into scandal because of your… choices."
Leilei's nails dug into her palms, the only thing keeping her from shaking. She looked at each of them — her stepmother's thinly veiled triumph, Liu An's quiet satisfaction, her father's cold dismissal, and Wang Shen's cowardice.
Something inside her hardened.
"If I walk out now," she said slowly, "I will never come back. Not when you're sick. Not when your businesses fail. Not when you have no one left to trust."
Her father's eyes narrowed. "Do not threaten me, Leilei."
"It's not a threat," she said, her voice like steel. "It's a promise."
And with that, she turned on her heel, the hospital report still crumpled in her fist, and walked out of the Jin estate.
No one followed.