Chapter 9: Threads Begin to Tighten
The next morning arrived quietly, but beneath the calm, everything was shifting.
Hua Yichen barely slept. She sat at the small table in their room, staring at the jade pendant resting in her palm. Memories she had sealed away years ago resurfaced one after another—confusion, fear, and the loneliness of being abandoned with no explanation.
Across the room, Lin Xiao Yan lay curled up under the blanket, eyes closed, breathing steady.
But she wasn't asleep.
Inside her, the two souls were perfectly aligned. She could sense the direction events were taking, like invisible threads tightening around the truth.
Today, pressure would be applied.
At the studio, Liang Zhiwei arrived earlier than scheduled. He stood in the quiet hallway, reviewing documents on his tablet. His assistant hesitated before speaking.
"Mr. Liang, the preliminary DNA results will take another day."
Liang Zhiwei nodded. "That's fine. Just make sure no one interferes."
His gaze lifted toward the filming area, where Xiao Yan was being guided into position. The moment she stepped under the lights, something in his chest softened. He didn't understand it, but instinct told him one thing clearly—this child mattered.
Meanwhile, Chen Zehao was unraveling.
He had tried calling old contacts, trying to suppress rumors before they spread. But it was useless. Online speculation had grown too fast. Words like jade, real father, and hidden past were trending together.
He watched the live feed with clenched fists.
"No," he muttered. "This shouldn't be happening."
During filming, the producers announced a simple interview segment—parents answering questions while their children listened.
Xiao Yan sat obediently beside Hua Yichen, swinging her legs gently.
"Miss Hua," the host asked with a smile, "what is the most important thing in your life right now?"
Hua Yichen froze.
The cameras zoomed in.
She looked down at Xiao Yan. The little girl met her gaze calmly, eyes warm and steady.
"…My daughter," Hua Yichen said softly. "She's everything."
Xiao Yan leaned against her and whispered, just loud enough to be caught by the microphone, "Mommy, families shouldn't be separated, right?"
The studio went silent.
The host blinked, caught off guard. "Well… of course."
From the sidelines, Liang Zhiwei's grip tightened.
Chen Zehao's face went pale.
Xiao Yan smiled faintly, as if satisfied.
That evening, Hua Yichen finally confronted the question she had been avoiding. She sat beside Xiao Yan on the bed, voice unsteady.
"Xiao Yan… if Mommy tells you the truth about the past… will you be scared?"
Xiao Yan shook her head. "I'm not scared. I just want Mommy to be happy."
The words broke something open.
Hua Yichen closed her eyes, tears slipping free for the first time in years.
Elsewhere, Chen Zehao received a message from an unknown number. It contained only one image: the envelope of letters he thought had disappeared.
Beneath it was a single line of text.
The past doesn't stay buried forever.
He stared at the screen, dread settling deep in his chest.
Because now, he understood.
The child wasn't guessing.
She knew.
And the net around him was finally closing.