Chapter 4: Echoes of the Past
Bai Xueqing stood at the window of her study, the city's neon glow casting her reflection in a fractured light. The encounter with Mo Chen had left her restless, her thoughts tumbling like water in a storm.
She pressed her fingers to the cool glass, her heart echoing with an ache she couldn't name. His words had pierced her carefully constructed armor, each one a thread pulling at memories she had long buried.
The past. Was he truly from that life? Or was he simply another powerful man, accustomed to bending the world to his will?
"Miss Bai?" Auntie Mei's voice cut through her thoughts. She turned, forcing a calm smile.
"Yes, Auntie Mei?"
"There's a matter with the Bai Group's board. They're insisting on a meeting to discuss the new project's budget." Auntie Mei paused, concern in her eyes. "Should I arrange it for tomorrow?"
Xueqing nodded. "Yes. I'll handle it."
She watched as Auntie Mei left, her thoughts already shifting. The Bai Group was her family's lifeblood, and the vultures circling it would find no easy prey in her.
But even as she steeled herself for battle, her mind kept drifting back to Mo Chen. His face, those eyes that seemed to see through her. She hated that he had such power over her emotions.
She clenched her fists. No. She would not be swayed by a man's intensity, no matter how familiar his soul felt.
---
That night, she sat in bed, the glow of the city soft through the curtains. She traced the jade pendant she always wore—a relic from her past life. It was the only thing that survived the centuries with her, a silent witness to every rebirth.
She closed her eyes and let the memories flow. A battlefield lit by moonlight, a man standing at her side, his sword cutting down those who dared to harm her. A promise whispered in the darkness.
"You are mine, Xueqing. In this life, and the next."
Her breath caught. Could it truly be him? Could Mo Chen be the man who had once fought by her side?
The thought filled her with both longing and fear. If it was true, then fate had given them a second chance. But if it was merely a trick—if he was only using her for his own ends—she would not let him consume her.
---
The next morning, she dressed in a crisp white blouse and a tailored skirt, her hair swept back in a sleek bun. In the mirror, she saw not a fragile woman, but a queen ready for war.
As she left her room, she caught a glimpse of Mo Chen waiting in the hallway. His gaze met hers, and for a moment, the world fell away.
"Xueqing," he said softly. "We have much to discuss."
She lifted her chin. "Indeed we do, Mr. Mo."
The war had begun, and she would fight for her family, for her future—and for the echoes of a love that refused to die.