The sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving the Bai Mansion swathed in the soft orange hue of dusk. Inside the parlor, however, the atmosphere was anything but calm. The aftermath of Bai Lanyue's visit to Ji Lanxue had left a trail of tension that still clung to the walls like smoke.
Bai Lanyue stood before the long glass windows, arms folded, eyes cold.
"She knew," she said for the third time, voice low but sharp. "Ji Lanxue knew who the veiled musician was."
Her father exhaled heavily, seated in his high-backed chair. "And she told you nothing until now?"
"She didn't need to. The moment I saw her reaction to my questions, I knew she was hiding something."
Madam Bai sipped from a porcelain teacup, her expression unreadable. "And you're certain it's her? The veiled musician?"
Lanyue didn't respond immediately. Her jaw tightened.
"She played a song only one person ever knew," she finally said, almost a whisper. "The piece our mother used to hum when we were children. Off-key, broken, but warm."
Her voice caught, then hardened again.
"It's her. No one else could've known that melody. Not like that."
There was silence.
Then Bai Heng spoke, his tone clipped. "So she returns after all this time… not as herself, but behind a veil. With music."
Lanyue turned to her older brother. "She's trying to ruin me."
"Or," he said, "she's just trying to exist again."
Lanyue flinched. "Whose side are you on?"
"I'm on no one's side," he replied. "But if it's really her… then we'll have to decide how to respond carefully. Especially now that the net is eating up this drama like it's a scripted show."
"Then maybe we should write the next act ourselves," she said, eyes narrowing.
Meanwhile, at the Ji family penthouse, the rooftop garden had been turned into a quiet haven beneath fairy lights. Bai Zhiqi sat beneath the pergola, a book on her lap, but her eyes were unfocused, trained instead on the flickering screen of the tablet beside her, still alive with a storm of Weibo activity
"She went to see Lanxue," Ji Yanluo said calmly, hands tucked into his pockets as he leaned against the railing. "Just as expected."
"She's restless," Bai Zhiqi murmured.
"She's desperate," Han Su added, arriving with a tablet in hand. "Bai Lanyue's fanbase has taken a hit. They're fighting tooth and nail online, accusing the veiled musician of stealing her spotlight. It's a full-blown war."
Xiao Lin peeked out from the sliding glass door, arms full of blankets. "It's crazy out there. Even Aunt Ming said someone brought it up at her mahjong table."
Zhiqi said nothing, brushing her finger lightly against the book cover.
"What's next?" Ji Yanluo asked, finally stepping forward, lowering his voice.
Bai Zhiqi closed the book gently.
"She knows now," she said. "Not with words, but in her bones. It was enough."
"So the veil served its purpose?" he asked.
She looked up at him, something unreadable in her gaze. "Not yet. The real purpose is still to come. But now, she'll be watching. Listening. Obsessing."
"She already is," Han Su confirmed. "There's been a spike in tracker keywords related to the veiled musician in Bai Lanyue's circles. Her agency is running digital probes."
Xiao Lin shook her head. "It's almost scary. She used to be untouchable. Now the tables are turning."
Ji Yanluo's eyes didn't leave Zhiqi. "You sure you're ready for the next step?"
A pause.
Zhiqi smiled faintly.
"Let her look. Let her dig," she said. "The more curious she becomes, the closer she walks into the trap."
Ji Yanluo chuckled under his breath. "You've grown darker."
"No," she said, standing slowly, her silk robe billowing softly in the night breeze. "I've simply stopped pretending to be the daughter they buried five years ago."
Han Su looked between the two, lips twitching.
Xiao Lin hugged her blanket to her chest. "Should we start preparing for Act Two?"
Ji Yanluo nodded. "Send the next message. Subtle. Something that will keep the net buzzing, but not give away too much."
"And the gala?" Han Su asked.
Zhiqi's gaze hardened. "We'll let the storm build. She wanted to be the center of it all. Let her feel what it means to be eclipsed."
Ji Yanluo smiled slightly. "Then we begin Act Two… with precision."