Chapter 1

Chapter 1

At my daughter’s hundred-day celebration, a woman I’d never met showed up.

I quietly asked my husband, Qin Jing, “Who is she?”

Qin Jing’s expression was uneasy. He replied, “Just a colleague.”

I was slightly surprised.

I’d never heard Qin Jing mention this colleague before; they couldn’t be very close, could they?

But the gift she brought was striking-a jade pendant, intricately carved with two characters: “Xingyue.”

Xingyue was the nickname Qin Jing had given our daughter. He’d only shared it with family and a few close friends. So how did this woman know?

Before I could ask, the big screen began playing the prepared VCR. A waiter wheeled out the cake, topped with a plaque that read: “Xingyue, my most beloved treasure.”

Every word on the plaque was penned by Qin Jing himself, his handwriting lively and sweeping, brimming with affection.

And then, as if struck by lightning, the girl who’d given the jade pendant broke down the moment she saw those words. She covered her face and burst into tears, her slender shoulders shaking as tears slipped through her fingers.

The sudden outburst drew every gaze in the room to her.

I’d been about to bring my daughter to the center of the stage, but now I was frozen in place.

Qin Jing anxiously spun in place, then beckoned his sister, Qin Lei: “Take her outside for now.”

Qin Lei opened her mouth to say something. “Brother…”

Qin Jing shot her a glare. “Don’t talk.”

With a pout, Qin Lei helped the girl-who could barely stand-out of the hall.

Doubt gnawed at me.

My best friend was at the banquet too, so I handed my daughter to her and went to the lobby near the entrance.

There, the guestbook was laid out.

I recognized most of the names, though there were a few relatives and friends from Qin Jing’s side I wasn’t familiar with.

My gaze lingered over the unfamiliar names, until suddenly, my eyes landed on the page’s last row.

It was as if a hammer struck my skull. Dazed, I stared at those three Chinese characters, checking them over and over.

Chen Xingyue.

I had no proof, but in that instant, I knew that this was the girl who’d broken down in tears.

And the jade pendant engraved with “Xingyue”-I’d thought it was a custom blessing for my daughter, but now, a chill crept up my spine.

Who is she?