The warehouse incident ended with the thugs scattering like frightened rats under Mo Liancheng's glare. Ji Yunxi walked out beside him, calm as ever, though her pulse hummed with the thrill of victory.
He held her wrist lightly as they left, his grip protective. "Next time, tell me before you run into danger."
Ji Yunxi arched a brow. "Why? You saw for yourself—I had it under control."
His gaze deepened. "Even so. I don't like you being hurt."
Something in his tone made her chest stir, but she quickly suppressed it. There was no room for distractions—not when her ultimate mission loomed beyond this world.
Back at the Lian villa, Madam Lian welcomed them with a fake smile plastered across her face. But Ji Yunxi noticed the faint tremor in her hands when she saw Mo Liancheng.
"Mo Shao, what an unexpected guest," Madam Lian said politely, her voice a little too high-pitched.
Mo Liancheng's lips curved into a faint smile, but his eyes were like cold steel. "Unexpected? I came to warn you. If Yunxi is ever placed in danger again, it won't be me speaking next time—it will be the Mo family."
Madam Lian's expression stiffened, her face paling. Lin Xi, standing at her side, clenched her fists so tightly her nails drew blood.
Ji Yunxi only sipped her tea leisurely. "Mother, you hear that? Some things have consequences."
Later that night, Ji Yunxi sat by her window, watching the moonlight filter through the curtains.
[System Notification: New Task Generated.]
She straightened.
[Main Task: Discover the truth behind your parentage within 10 days. Reward: 500 points. Penalty: Loss of identity in this world.]
Her eyes narrowed. "Parentage?"
The system pulsed. [Hidden clue detected. Search Madam Lian's private study.]
A smile curved her lips. "Finally, the real game begins."
The next day, Ji Yunxi skipped her last class and returned early to the villa. Madam Lian and Lin Xi were out at a social gathering. Perfect.
Silently, she slipped into Madam Lian's locked study. The system displayed a faint golden arrow pointing toward a hidden drawer.
Inside, Ji Yunxi found documents—birth records, photographs, and a single DNA test result. Her fingers tightened as she read the paper.
Her name. Not "Lian Yunxi." Ji Yunxi. Daughter of the Ji family—wealthier, more powerful, but destroyed in a mysterious fire years ago.
Her true identity had been stolen.
She let out a low laugh. "So I was never a fake. They were the impostors all along."
At that moment, the door creaked open.
Madam Lian stood in the doorway, her eyes wide with shock before narrowing into fury.
"You—!"
Ji Yunxi folded the paper neatly and slid it into her pocket, her smile sharp and mocking. "What's the matter, Madam Lian? Afraid the truth is too ugly to see the light?"
Madam Lian's face contorted, but before she could strike, a cold voice came from behind her.
"Explain. Now."
Mo Liancheng had arrived silently, his gaze locked on Madam Lian like a predator who had caught prey.