Su Yiren opened her eyes, blinking against the harsh fluorescent light. Panic surged as she realized she was no longer in a hospital; she was somewhere else entirely. The walls were bare, and the air felt stale. She could sense trouble lurking, a palpable unease settling in her stomach.
As she tried to get up, she discovered her wrists were shackled to the chair, the cold metal biting into her skin. Struggling against the chains, a wave of frustration washed over her.
"Don't bother. You can't even leave," a disembodied voice echoed from a speaker overhead, sending a chill down her spine.
"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice shaky but defiant.
"Why bother asking? It won't change anything. Just know that the decision you make now will decide your fate tomorrow," the voice replied, dripping with condescension.
*Fate?* Su Yiren thought, feeling her sanity begin to unravel at the mention of it yet again. She was tired of being a pawn in someone else's game.
"Don't let me seal my fate. Leave me and my fate. Just tell me who the hell you are. Are you Bai Lanyue or Bai Zhiqi? Or are you perhaps working with Ji Yanluo?" Tears streamed down her cheeks, fueled by desperation.
"You keep talking about sealing your fate," the voice continued, unfazed. "Don't bother; let me seal my fate. Leave me and my fate." The speaker fell silent, leaving her alone with her spiraling thoughts.
Bai Zhiqi stared coldly at Su Yiren, who was crying in the chair, chained like a prisoner. She felt little empathy for the woman who had played a part in her suffering. Ji Lanxue, however, watched her closely, sensing the turmoil beneath Zhiqi's hardened exterior.
As Ji Lanxue decided to leave the room, Bai Zhiqi seized the opportunity. She switched on the microphone, her voice steady but laced with tension. "I don't work with any of those people you mentioned," she said, locking her gaze onto the camera.
"But I have a question: why? Why did you agree with Bai Lanyue to frame me and ruin my life for five years?" Bai Zhiqi pressed, holding her breath, desperate for clarity.
Finally, after five long years, she was ready to confront the ghost of her past. The weight of betrayal bore down on her, and she needed answers.
"Bai Zhiqi?" Su Yiren's voice trembled as she spoke. "I don't have anything against her. I never intended to hurt her. We were fine. We were both just trying to navigate our lives without getting in each other's way."
Bai Zhiqi pressed the recording button, her heart racing. "It all started with Bai Lanyue. She came to meet me and said her wanted to end my chapter for good. I went to confront her to ask why, but she assured me she hadn't said it."
Su Yiren's voice quivered as she continued, "After I left her place, I was suddenly attacked. When I finally sought her out again, her remarked, 'Good job, now she knows not to tamper with me anymore.'"
Bai Zhiqi felt a surge of agitation. She never said that. She hadn't threatened anyone.
"I sought out Bai Lanyue, and she said she had a plan to take care of Bai Zhiqi for good. But when I found out she didn't plan any of it and that it was all Bai Lanyue. I wanted to look for Bai Zhiqi. That's when someone pushed me from behind," Su Yiren confessed, her words spilling out like a torrent.
"Then why did you point at Bai Zhiqi before you passed out, claiming Bai Zhiqi pushed you?" Bai Zhiqi asked, her voice rising.
"Because I thought if Bai Zhiqi and Bai Lanyue were gone, I could be the queen of the piano. Everyone would acknowledge me," Su Yiren explained, a mix of desperation and regret in her voice. "I thought within three to four months, when I woke up, I would pursue everything and reclaim my position as the prodigy. I never expected Bai Lanyue to pull strings, and I ended up waking up five years later when it was too late."
"Alright," Bai Zhiqi said, her expression softening slightly. "If you could say anything to me now, what would it be?"
"I'm sorry," Su Yiren replied, tears streaming down her face. "I'm sorry I didn't help clarify things and only added to her pain. I'm so sorry."
Bai Zhiqi ended the recording, her heart heavy with the weight of Su Yiren's words. She turned away, leaving the control room and stepping into the dimly lit hallway.
As she walked, the echoes of Su Yiren's confessions lingered in her mind. The betrayal ran deep, but the truth was beginning to surface. She had been a pawn in a game she didn't want to play, and now it was time to reclaim her narrative.
With each step, her resolve solidified. The past might have chained her, but she was ready to break free and face whatever came next. Tomorrow, at the banquet, she would no longer be defined by the shadows of others. She would step into the light and reclaim what was rightfully hers.