The next morning, the Lin family sat at the dining table, the clinking of silverware echoing faintly in the large hall. Mr. Lin sat stiffly at the head, Su Man by his side, their two children noisily demanding attention.
"Daddy, I really like that butterfly necklace on Lin Hye Ji's neck! I want it, I want it!" Jai Li whined, her voice shrill and spoiled as she pouted dramatically.
Mr. Lin's brow furrowed. Once upon a time, he would have scolded anyone for daring to touch his daughter's belongings. But now, with Su Man watching him expectantly, he only forced a smile and nodded.
"Alright, alright. Daddy will get it for you, my dear."
Su Man's lips curved into a victorious smile.
"Housekeeper Shen!" Mr. Lin barked. "Call Hye Ji down here at once!"
"Yes, Master," Shen replied, but her sigh was heavy as she walked away. Her heart ached. Times have truly changed… she thought bitterly. The man who once cherished his daughter above all else now tosses her aside like unwanted baggage, willing to strip her even of the favourite necklace her mother gave her, just to please his mistress's child.
Shen walked briskly upstairs and knocked at Hye Ji's door. "Young miss, it's time for breakfast," she called softly. Silence.
She knocked again, louder this time. Still no answer. Her pulse quickened. Carefully, she pushed the door open—empty. The bed was untouched. She checked the bathroom—no sound of running water, no one inside. Panic gnawed at her chest. She checked the closet—empty too. Then, like a knife to the heart, she remembered the little girl's words from the night before:
'Aunt Shen… try to retire early.'
Her knees weakened. Was she… bidding me farewell?
Heart racing, Shen darted to the drawers and closet. All the important belongings were gone. Her late Madam's keepsakes—gone. The suitcase—gone. Everything Hye Ji cherished had vanished with her.
She rushed downstairs, trembling.
"Sir! Sir! Young miss—she's gone!" Shen cried, her voice cracking. "Her room is empty, all her important belongings are missing!"
"What!?" Mr. Lin thundered, slamming his palm so hard against the table that dishes rattled. He leapt to his feet, face dark with fury.
Su Man and her children flinched for a moment, but soon resumed eating leisurely, as though nothing had happened. Only a smug glimmer flickered in Su Man's eyes.
"Call the police! Immediately!" Mr. Lin roared.
Within an hour, officers arrived, their stern faces scanning the residence. They questioned the staff and carefully retrieved the surveillance recordings. Over and over they replayed the footage, until finally one inspector turned to Mr. Lin, brows furrowed.
"According to the CCTV, Miss Lin entered her room at 4:07 a.m. and never came out. Only Housekeeper Shen was seen entering her room thrice before leaving for the last time. No one else was recorded leaving. Mr. Lin, is there a secret passage from Miss Lin's room?"
Mr. Lin's voice was sharp. "Impossible. That's the second floor. The only exit is this door here." He jabbed his finger toward the staircase.
Housekeeper Shen, who had been wringing her hands all this time, suddenly stepped forward with tears streaming down her cheeks. In her trembling hands, she clutched a velvet box.
"Inspector… perhaps she planned to leave all along," she whispered brokenly. "I was blind. Too blind. Yesterday evening, when I brought her food, she told me I was old and should retire soon. She gave me this box of jewelry—she said her mother had bought it but never got to wear it, and that by the time she was grown it would be out of fashion. I… I thought she was just being kind. I thought she was finally eating again, so I didn't see it… I didn't see it was a farewell gift…"
Her words dissolved into wailing sobs, her frail shoulders shaking as she clutched the box to her chest.
The lead officer took the jewelry box gently, his expression solemn.
"so she gave this to you as a farewell gift!"
He carefully opened it, and as he lifted the necklace, a small folded piece of paper slipped out, fluttering to the ground.
He bent, picked it up, and unfolded it slowly. His eyes scanned the handwriting, and his face hardened with quiet understanding.
He handed the note to Housekeeper Shen. Her hands shook as she received it, tears blurring her vision as she began to read the farewell words left behind by the girl she had raised like her own child.
Aunt Shen's hands trembled as she unfolded the little slip of paper. Her eyes darted over the childish handwriting, but the words carried a maturity that cut like a knife.
"Aunt Shen, by the time you get this note, I would have been long gone. Don't worry about me, I'll be safe and fine. I promise I'll eat and sleep early too. Remember to retire early—I don't want you to fall down the staircase during an argument."
Her vision blurred as hot tears rolled down her cheeks. She pressed the paper to her chest, her voice breaking in a sob as she thought to herself .'Young miss… you never lost your memory… you only pretended… all this time, you were just trying to survive'. '
Her wail echoed through the dining hall, but it only made Mr. Lin stiffen. The note slipped from Aunt Shen's hand onto the table, and as his eyes scanned the words, his face drained of color. For a brief second, it was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head, freezing him to his bones.
But the shock gave way to fury. His hands clenched into fists so tight that his knuckles cracked. His teeth ground together as his eyes burned with rage. "That damn girl… she remembered everything? And she dared to deceive me all this time? A cunning little fox—just like her mother!"
Across the table, Su Man and her children kept their heads lowered, but in the corners of their eyes, there was no grief—only flickers of satisfaction. The inspector leading the case picked up the note, his expression unreadable, but the slight curve at the corner of his lips betrayed him. His gaze swept to his sister—Su Man—who was standing smugly at Mr. Lin's side, and he gave her the smallest of nods.
The other officers behind him shifted uncomfortably, but none dared to speak. They already understood what this was—an investigation that would never see the light of truth. Mr. Lin's money and power sealed their silence, and the fact that the new Madam's brother stood among them cemented it.
The air in the dining room grew heavy, suffocating. Aunt Shen wiped her tears with trembling hands, clutching the necklace box to her chest as though it were the last piece of her young miss she could protect. Her heart broke, knowing she could not shield Hye Ji anymore—yet in her sorrow, there was also a spark of pride.
The girl had outsmarted them all.