The soft click of the door echoed through the quiet penthouse.
Ji Lanxue stepped in, jacket folded neatly over her arm, her other hand gripping a pale ivory envelope—its seal unmistakable: the gold-foiled crest of the Bai family, glinting faintly under the afternoon light.
She didn't announce herself with words. The soft sound of her footsteps on the polished floor did enough. Ji Yanluo looked up from the glass of water in his hand. Across the room, Bai Zhiqi remained still, perched at the edge of the long window bench, her profile bathed in golden light as she stared out at the city skyline.
Lanxue's eyes flicked to her brother, then to the woman the world thought was dead.
"I thought you'd want to see this." Her voice was light, but her gaze held weight. She walked into the center of the room and held out the envelope.
Ji Yanluo took it, his fingers brushing briefly against the expensive paper. "From Lanyue?"
Lanxue nodded. "Arrived at the family gate less than an hour ago."
Bai Zhiqi finally turned her head. "What is it?"
Lanxue didn't answer right away. Instead, she waited as Ji Yanluo broke the seal and unfolded the thick invitation card. His expression shifted only slightly—brows tightening, lips pressing together.
"A banquet," he said. "She's throwing a birthday banquet."
"For you," Lanxue added, voice dipped in dry disbelief. "A public one."
Bai Zhiqi rose from her seat, her movement slow, deliberate. "She's hosting a party for a ghost."
"She's doing more than that," Ji Yanluo muttered. "Look."
He held the invitation toward her. Bai Zhiqi took it, her eyes scanning the elegant cursive: *To commemorate the late Bai Zhiqi. A gathering in remembrance and truth. Attendance requested: The Ji Family… and the Veiled Musician.*
The last line made her pause.
Her fingers tightened slightly on the edge of the card. "She invited the veiled musician?"
Lanxue let out a low breath. "I thought she might. She's turning the banquet into a stage."
"She's always known how to craft a narrative," Ji Yanluo said, folding his arms. "But this… This is her throwing down the gauntlet."
Zhiqi's gaze returned to the window. The billboard was still there, looping its silent declaration: *A Birthday Banquet for Bai Zhiqi – Hosted by Bai Lanyue.*
Lanxue crossed the room and dropped her jacket over a nearby armchair. "People are going to talk. The Ji family showing up to a banquet for a girl we all know is 'dead'... And the veiled musician?" She gave Zhiqi a look. "That's asking for trouble."
"I think that's the point," Zhiqi murmured.
"She's trying to bait you," Yanluo said.
Zhiqi's lips lifted into a small, brittle smile. "No. She's trying to expose me."
Lanxue raised a brow. "So, are we going?"
Zhiqi's gaze didn't shift from the skyline. Her reflection in the window barely looked like herself anymore. Maybe it never had.
"Yes," she said, her voice low. "We'll go."
Lanxue tilted her head, studying her. "Even the veiled musician?"
Silence answered her first. Then Zhiqi turned around fully, the invitation still in her hand.
"Especially her."
Ji Yanluo exhaled. "Lanyue is forcing everything into one moment. Whatever she knows, she's going to reveal it there."
"Then we'll be ready," Zhiqi said simply. "Let her light the fire. But I'll be the one walking out of it."
Lanxue gave a half-smirk. "Well, at least I won't be bored."
Zhiqi didn't smile back.
She stared down at the invitation again—at the carefully crafted words, the elegant design, the illusion of grace.
But beneath it all, she saw the message clearly.
*I'm coming for you.*
And this time, Bai Lanyue wasn't hiding it.