When Bai Xueyi opened her eyes again, the sound of sparrows filled the courtyard. The smell of osmanthus and fresh tea drifted through the open window. For a heartbeat, she forgot everything — the flames, the betrayal, the pain.
Then the memory returned like a blade.
The explosion.
Her burning dress.
Mo Liuxian's cold voice saying, "You mean nothing to me."
Her breath quickened, but this time, it wasn't fear. It was fury — quiet, poised, alive.
A timid voice broke her thoughts.
"Miss Bai, you're awake? Should I bring your medicine?"
She froze.
That voice… it belonged to Xiao Rou, her maid — the one who had died in the fire trying to save her.
But Xiao Rou stood there now, young and smiling, holding a tray of breakfast porridge.
Bai Xueyi's fingers trembled as she touched the bedsheet. This isn't a dream. I really came back.
"It's all right," she murmured softly. "You can leave it here."
The maid bowed and left, humming a song that used to echo through the Mo Estate every morning — the same song Bai Xueyi used to listen to while believing she was loved.
She rose slowly from the bed.
The mirror reflected a woman she hadn't seen in years — nineteen, pure, gentle, untouched by betrayal.
Her eyes softened for a moment, then hardened again.
"This time," she whispered to the mirror, "I won't be your shadow, Mo Liuxian."
At Mo Financial Headquarters
Mo Liuxian sat behind his black desk, tapping his pen rhythmically against the table. The skyline reflected in the glass wall behind him, painting him in light and shadow. He had built empires with that same precision — calm, ruthless, absolute.
His secretary entered.
"President Mo, Miss Wen Qingmei has confirmed her attendance at tonight's charity gala."
He didn't look up.
"Prepare the documents. I'll attend."
His voice was low, cold — the same tone that once made entire departments shiver.
But when the secretary left, his gaze flickered toward a small, half-burnt photograph hidden beneath a file — a woman in a white dress smiling faintly at him.
He stared at it for a long moment, then shut the drawer with a soft click.
Back at the Mo Estate
Bai Xueyi opened her wardrobe — rows of pale, modest dresses. Clothes chosen for her by the Mo family's butler, meant to keep her "low-key."
She smiled faintly and ran her fingers across the fabric.
"You made me invisible once," she said softly. "Now I'll use that invisibility to destroy you."
She opened a hidden drawer beneath her dresser. Inside was a letter — sealed, yellowed, and signed with the Mo family's crest.
The same letter she never dared to open in her previous life.
She tore the seal.
Her eyes scanned the page, widening with each line.
"Upon the engagement of Mo Liuxian and Wen Qingmei…"
"Bai Xueyi's existence shall remain confidential until further notice."
"All assets transferred to her name will be frozen upon annulment."
Her blood ran cold.
So it had been planned — her erasure, her silence, her death.
She folded the paper slowly, every motion controlled.
"Very well, Mo Liuxian," she whispered. "You want a hidden bride? I'll play the part perfectly… until it's your turn to burn."
Lightning cracked outside though the sky was clear — as if heaven itself had heard her vow.