The applause had long faded, yet the ringing in Bai Lanyue's ears persisted. She stood amid the swarming guests, the smile on her lips stiff, almost cracking under the weight of confusion.
Her birthday banquet was supposed to be flawless. Exquisite. A statement.
Yet something slipped through her carefully stitched perfection. Something — or rather, someone.
The image of the veiled musician still burned in her mind. Not Bai Zhiqi. Not the girl she once called sister.
But if not her… then why had her stomach churned with that peculiar familiarity when the music played?
She downed a sip of champagne, bitter against her tongue.
"Lanyue?"
Wen Qing's voice came muffled through the din, but Bai Lanyue waved her off. Her eyes had locked on something. No, someone.
Across the room, half-shrouded in shadows just behind the elegant pillars near the banquet's second tier, *stood a woman* — in a deep wine-red gown. Her posture, unmistakable. Her long, obsidian hair fell in gentle waves, partially pinned. No veil. Just her face.
Bai Zhiqi.
Bai Lanyue's breath caught, and her fingers gripped the base of her glass until it trembled.
*It was her.*
Even if the world denied it, even if everyone else was fooled by that decoy — Bai Lanyue would never forget that face. Not the quiet calm that masked steel. Not those eyes that once held trust… and now held distance.
She stepped forward, as if drawn by a spell.
The crowd melted around her, their laughter and chatter dull, warped.
"Zhiqi?" she whispered, unbelieving, unsure whether she was hoping or fearing.
The figure stood still, unmoving.
A single guest passed in front of her line of sight — a man in a grey suit — just for a blink.
And when he passed…
She was gone.
Vanished like mist in morning light.
Bai Lanyue froze mid-step, chest rising and falling, panic clawing its way up her throat.
She turned her head frantically, searching the crowd. But all she saw were polished guests, empty glasses, twinkling chandeliers.
No red gown.
No Bai Zhiqi.
Wen Qing finally caught up, brows furrowed. "What are you looking at?"
"I…" Bai Lanyue faltered. "I thought I saw…"
"You're pale. You need air."
But she didn't move. Her gaze lingered where the woman had stood.
*Was it a hallucination? A ghost?*
Or had Bai Zhiqi truly come… just to watch her unravel?
A whisper, soft and mocking, slithered through her mind like a memory.
*You tried to expose me.*
*Now I'll haunt you with every mirror you look into.*
The laughter resumed around her. The music shifted to something bright and festive.
But Bai Lanyue only felt the shadows closing in — one breath at a time.