Outside, the air was cool and dry.
Shi Mu walked slowly, each step measured—not out of hesitation, but to keep herself upright. Her injuries still stung beneath the surface, but she refused to show weakness. Not here. Not after everything they'd done.
Fu Yunshen matched her pace, his expression unreadable.
"You shouldn't have come alone," he said quietly.
Shi Mu exhaled. "If I didn't, I wouldn't have walked out."
They left the Shi residence without resistance.
No one dared follow.
The door closed behind them with a thud that sounded like an ending.
But to Shi Mu, it felt more like a beginning.
Fu Yunshen drove her back.
The car ride was silent for a long time.
Then he asked, "Do you want revenge?"
She shook her head. "No. I want truth. Let them destroy themselves with it."
He glanced at her hand, still bruised from when she'd struck the coffin frame earlier.
"You're bleeding."
"I'm used to it."
When they arrived at her apartment, he helped her out carefully, but she pulled away before he could steady her fully.
"I'm not broken," she said.
He didn't argue.Just nodded.
And followed her inside anyway.
She collapsed on the couch. Only then did her mask slip—just a little.
She leaned her head back and stared at the ceiling.
"I thought the worst thing that could happen was dying," she said.
"But now?"
Fu Yunshen sat on the armrest beside her.
"You learned something worse?"
She nodded.
"Being erased. Having your name used, your face printed on paper, your entire self turned into a lie."
He was quiet for a long time.
Then, softly:
"You wrote your story back in today."
She turned her face toward him.
"It's not finished."
[System Notification]
Identity Reclamation Phase Complete
Personal Strength Tier Upgraded – Stability: Restored
Brotherhood Value +225 (Truth Faced Alone + Emotional Endurance Recognized)
Current Total: 10,670 / 1,000,000
Shi Mu sat up slowly.
She reached into her bag and pulled out the broken funeral program with her name on it.
She held it over the trash bin—then paused.
Instead of throwing it away, she folded it once.
Then slid it into the back of a journal.
"A reminder," she said.
"Of what they tried to bury?"
"No," she replied.
"Of what I refused to let die."