After finishing his call with Wen Jin, Mo Xiuchen sat on the couch for a while to steady his emotions before rising and heading upstairs.
He pushed open the door to the master bedroom and saw Wen Ran, clad in her nightdress, seated at the vanity, gently combing her hair. The remnants of emotion in his eyes vanished completely, replaced by a soft warmth in his deep, obsidian gaze.
Upon hearing the door open, Wen Ran turned her head toward him.
Their eyes met in the quiet, fragrant air. Wen Ran gave him a gentle smile and said softly, "You must be tired after a long day at work. Go take a shower—I've already laid out your clothes."
A glimmer flashed through Mo Xiuchen's eyes. He strode over, took the hairdryer from the side, and in a calm, soothing voice devoid of discernible emotion, said, "I'll dry your hair before I wash up."
"That's not necessary—I can do it myself."
Wen Ran reached for the hairdryer, believing he had already endured a taxing day and shouldn't have to fuss over such trivial matters for her.
Mo Xiuchen caught her hand, his gaze dark and intense as he looked at her.
Wen Ran blinked in confusion, glanced at herself in the mirror, then asked hesitantly, "What's wrong?"
Mo Xiuchen pressed his lips together and stared at her in silence for a long while. Then, setting down the hairdryer, he cupped the back of her head and suddenly leaned in to kiss her...
By the time their passion had ebbed and they had both showered, Mo Xiuchen had gently dried Wen Ran's hair and carried her, half-asleep, to bed. Night had already fallen deep.
That night, Mo Xiuchen dreamed endlessly.
The fragmented scenes in his dream began with his mother jumping from a building right in front of him, as he screamed in anguish. In the next instant, the scene shifted—he was tied to a cold operating table in a laboratory reeking of chemicals.
Just as he thought he would die there, the door creaked open. A little girl slipped in, too afraid to even turn on the light, and quietly began untying him.
"The guards outside passed out. You need to run—now."
Though the girl's hands were icy, the warmth he felt as she grasped his was unlike anything he had ever known. He asked her how the guards had fallen unconscious.
As they ran into the darkness, she explained breathlessly that she had used a sleeping agent on them.
More than ten years had passed, yet the dream felt as vivid as reality. Not long after they escaped, pursuers appeared. The little girl let go of his hand and pointed out a path, urging him to flee while she stayed behind to hold them off.
He wanted to take her with him, but she refused. She said if they both ran, neither would escape. She assured him they wouldn't hurt her.
Unwilling to abandon her, he hesitated. As their pursuers drew nearer, the girl's eyes brimmed with tears. After several tense minutes, he promised he'd return for her—and disappeared into the night.
Then the dream shifted again.
He stood before a thick white mist. From within it emerged the silhouette of a young woman. Her face was obscured, but she asked if he still remembered the little girl who once saved him—and why he never came back, why he had mistaken someone else for her.
Startled, Mo Xiuchen stepped forward, but she retreated with every step, eventually fading into the fog.
"Don't go!"
He jolted awake, staring at Wen Ran's sleeping face beside him. Her delicate features were serene, and her hair carried the faint, comforting scent of her shower gel. His restless emotions slowly settled.
Outside the window, dawn had begun to break.
Mo Xiuchen no longer felt the slightest trace of sleep. Under the soft light of the bedroom, he gazed at the woman in his arms—her flawless skin like porcelain, her lips pink and tender.
Not a single blemish. Certainly no mole the size of a soybean.
His chest tightened inexplicably. He couldn't recall the face of the girl in his dream, but those sorrowful eyes—they were crystal clear in his mind.
She had accused him, said he mistook someone else for her. She must have meant Cheng Jia...
Mo Xiuchen furrowed his brow, casting off the thoughts swirling in his mind. He gently slid his arm out from beneath Wen Ran's head and got out of bed.
That morning, after dropping Wen Ran off at the factory, Mo Xiuchen didn't go to the company or the construction site. Instead, he drove straight to Kangning Hospital.
Gu Kai was just preparing to check on a patient when he spotted Mo Xiuchen entering at dawn. He narrowed his eyes and asked, "Xiuchen, what brings you here this early? You're not feeling unwell, are you?"
"Are you busy right now?"
Mo Xiuchen looked pale, a quiet exhaustion etched between his brows. It contrasted sharply with his usual composed and noble demeanor.
Gu Kai murmured a few instructions to his assistant before returning to his office. He gestured toward the nearby couch and asked, "What's going on?"
Mo Xiuchen sat down, his brows faintly furrowed, his voice tinged with inner conflict. "I dreamed of my mother again last night... and the little girl."
Gu Kai paused for a moment before sitting across from him. He looked intently at Mo Xiuchen's troubled expression and said calmly, "You've been haunted by those two memories for years. Dreaming of them from time to time is perfectly normal. But I've never seen you this shaken. Is it because of Wen Ran?"
In the past, Mo Xiuchen had occasionally dreamed of his mother and that girl, but never with such intense emotion. Even if dreaming of his mother brought him grief, the girl's presence had always been a comfort.
Mo Xiuchen's eyes flickered before he added, "I saw her grown up—in the dream."
"The girl, grown up? What did she look like? Was it... Cheng Jia?"
Gu Kai stared at him, his gaze sharp.
"No. It wasn't Cheng Jia. I have proof now—she's an imposter."
And that revelation was likely why the girl in his dream had come to question him—why he had mistaken Cheng Jia for her and never gone looking for the real girl.
"You have proof?"
Shock flashed in Gu Kai's eyes. He knew Mo Xiuchen had been investigating, trying to expose Cheng Jia's lies.
Mo Xiuchen nodded, his tone low. "Wen Jin stumbled upon it accidentally. Turns out, Cheng Jia was planted by Xiao Wenqing."
"Wen Jin told you that? How would he know? I'm getting confused," Gu Kai said, leaning forward with curiosity. As far as he remembered, Wen Jin didn't think much of Mo Xiuchen.
Mo Xiuchen's lips curled faintly, though the smile didn't reach his eyes. He explained simply, "He was investigating Zhou Mingfu and happened to overhear a conversation between him and Wu Tian. That's how he learned the truth."
Gu Kai's gaze shifted. "He overheard Zhou Mingfu and Wu Tian? Are you saying he tapped Zhou Mingfu's phone?"
It was no wonder he was surprised. Wen Jin's refined and gentlemanly demeanor hardly suggested he'd resort to such tactics.
Though the method surprised him, the capability didn't.
If not for that car accident, Wen Jin would've already secured enough evidence against Zhou Mingfu.
Though they weren't close with Wen Jin, they had heard plenty about him. After a pause, Gu Kai asked, "So what will you do now? Expose Cheng Jia, or pretend you know nothing?"
Mo Xiuchen mused, "Not yet. Zhou Mingfu already suspects someone's been eavesdropping—he just doesn't know who."
Gu Kai sighed, disappointed. "I was hoping Wen Jin could gather more evidence, since he already had access. But now he's been discovered?"
Mo Xiuchen let out a cold laugh. "If Zhou Mingfu were careless, he wouldn't have climbed so high. He's always been cautious—especially after Wen Hongrui and his wife died in that crash. He wouldn't dare let his guard down now."
Wen Jin had already done exceptionally well to obtain what he did.
"I brought this for you—have it tested."
Mo Xiuchen hesitated, then opened his wallet and took out a small transparent bag. Inside were two strands of black hair.
Gu Kai's expression froze.
His obsidian eyes locked on the bag in Mo Xiuchen's hand. He didn't move. Didn't reach out to take it.
"Ah Kai, I know what you're afraid of," Mo Xiuchen said quietly. "You're afraid that Wen Ran isn't the one you've been searching for—and that you'll be disappointed again."
Exposed, Gu Kai's face paled. His lips tightened into a thin, hard line.
He knew that process all too well. For years, he had obsessively repeated it—testing girls of the right age, orphaned girls, any possibility. He had lost count of the number of times hope turned to despair.
He would never forget his mother's final, faltering plea—Ah Kai… promise me… find your sister…
They were a family of renowned doctors, yet he and his father could not cure the ache in his mother's heart. They had watched helplessly as she faded away.
He tightened his lips and curled his long fingers around the plastic bag.
Mo Xiuchen was right—one of them had to fulfill their wish.
By mid-afternoon, Wen Ran arrived at the airport.
Bai Xiaoxiao emerged from security and pulled her into a warm embrace. "Ranran! I brought you tons of gifts—you'll love them."
Aside from a tan, Bai Xiaoxiao hadn't changed. After her time away, she looked cheerful and rejuvenated.
"You came back so quickly—how'd you manage to shop for gifts?"
"I didn't buy them last minute. Whenever I saw something I liked, I picked it up. And I brought snacks too—all your favorites."
As they chatted on the way to the car, Wen Ran happened to glance across the parking lot and froze. There, standing beside a sleek black Aston Martin, was a familiar figure.
Noticing her sudden halt, Bai Xiaoxiao followed her gaze. When she spotted the man and the stylish woman beside him, she blurted, "Ranran, isn't that Mo Xiuchen? And who's that woman with him?"
Wen Ran pressed her lips together, saying nothing, and watched as Mo Xiuchen and the chic, short-haired woman got into the car. Only then did she turn away. "Let's go."
"Ranran, you don't know that woman either?"
In the car, Bai Xiaoxiao asked with concern. She could tell Wen Ran was upset, even if she said nothing. The woman had smiled brightly at Mo Xiuchen, and while he hadn't smiled quite as openly, there had been a gentle curve to his lips—none of the cold indifference he usually wore.
Wen Ran smiled faintly and said with feigned ease, "I don't know her. Probably just a friend. So, Xiaoxiao, are we going to your place first?"
Bai Xiaoxiao caught the hint and didn't press further. Buckling her seatbelt, she replied, "Let's go home first. I need to grab that bracelet before I head to the Xiao Corporation."
"You're returning it to Xiao Yuting?"
Wen Ran's gaze flickered with concern. She worried Bai Xiaoxiao might be acting on impulse.
Bai Xiaoxiao laughed and teased, "Don't look at me like I've gone mad, okay? I'm not going to let myself be the one who got dumped. If there's a breakup, it'll be because I ended it. I'm the one leaving Xiao Yuting!"
Wen Ran couldn't help but grin and gave her a thumbs-up. "That's the spirit! There are tons of better men out there—Xiao Yuting isn't worth it. Once you return that bracelet and break off the engagement, we'll celebrate tonight. You'll finally be free of that playboy!"
Bai Xiaoxiao beamed. "Yes! We're drinking tonight—no going home sober!"
"Ranran, come with me to Xiao Corporation later, okay?"
Her tone faltered slightly. Though she spoke bravely, it was clear part of her still struggled. After all, she had loved Xiao Yuting for years—feelings like that don't just vanish overnight.
Wen Ran understood perfectly and didn't hesitate. "Of course."
After dropping Bai Xiaoxiao off at home, they found only the housekeeper present. She grabbed the bracelet and they headed for the Xiao Corporation.
"Xiaoxiao, do you want to call your parents first?"
Wen Ran glanced in the rearview mirror at Bai Xiaoxiao, who was staring blankly at the bracelet. She furrowed her brow and asked softly.
Bai Xiaoxiao blinked, her voice distant. "No need. They won't object."
Wen Ran opened her mouth to say more, but seeing Bai Xiaoxiao close her eyes and lean back, she swallowed her words.