Part One: A Familiar Face
“Sometimes, the smallest ripple is enough to change the course of an entire lake.”
That evening…
Yu Mingyue returned to the Lu residence carrying several shopping bags.
Gu Mengmeng happily skipped beside her.
“Today was perfect!”
Yu Mingyue smiled.
“…Mm.”
“It was.”
She looked down at the paper bag in her hand.
Inside…
Carefully wrapped by the shop assistant…
Was the light-blue dress she had chosen herself.
The very first choice she had made…
Simply because she liked it.
Her smile unconsciously became gentler.
…
Meanwhile…
Several kilometers away.
Inside a quiet apartment.
A young woman sat on her sofa.
Her phone rested in her hands.
On the screen…
The photograph she had taken inside the shopping mall.
A young girl.
Holding a strawberry ice cream.
Smiling brightly.
The woman enlarged the picture again.
“…”
“…It really looks like her.”
She opened the private chat once more.
More than thirty unread messages had already piled up.
Friend A
Impossible.
Miss Yu passed away eight years ago.
Friend B
The resemblance is unbelievable.
Friend C
Could she be a relative?
The woman hesitated.
Then typed slowly.
“I saw her with Young Master Lu, Young Master Gu and Young Master Xie.”
The chat immediately became silent.
A few seconds later—
Messages exploded.
Friend D
Impossible!!
Friend E
Those three haven’t appeared together in public for years!
Friend F
If they were protecting her…
Who exactly is she?
The woman looked at the photograph once more.
She suddenly remembered something.
Nine years ago…
She had once attended a charity banquet with her parents.
A delicate young girl had smiled at everyone.
Even though she looked pale…
Her smile had been unforgettable.
The memory slowly overlapped with the photograph.
Exactly the same smile.
The same gentle eyes.
The woman slowly whispered…
“…Miss Yu…”
…
At the same time…
Across X City.
The photograph quietly spread among a very small circle of people.
No headlines.
No news reports.
No social media.
Only private conversations.
Questions.
Speculation.
Disbelief.
Like a tiny spark hidden beneath dry leaves.
Waiting.
…
Back at the Lu residence…
None of this had reached Yu Mingyue.
She sat cross-legged on the carpet in her room.
Shopping bags surrounded her.
Gu Mengmeng proudly held up another dress.
“Try this one too!”
Yu Mingyue laughed helplessly.
“I already tried six.”
“So?”
“I’ve changed clothes more today than I did all last month.”
Gu Mengmeng nodded proudly.
“Excellent progress.”
Xiao Bai floated between the shopping bags.
His tiny notebook was open.
He carefully wrote another line.
Normal Human Experience Checklist
☑ Sleep until nine.
☑ Receive a healthy medical report.
☑ Run until tired.
☑ Choose clothes because I like them.
☑ Go shopping with my best friend.
Yu Mingyue peeked over his shoulder.
“…Little Potato.”
Xiao Bai quickly shut the notebook.
“Confidential!”
“You still haven’t let me read it.”
“It will be revealed upon mission completion.”
“What if I want to read it now?”
“No.”
“What if I bribe you with snacks?”
“…”
He looked conflicted.
“…What snacks?”
Yu Mingyue smiled triumphantly.
“I knew it.”
“You can be bribed.”
“I cannot.”
“You almost asked.”
“I was gathering evidence.”
“…Sure.”
…
Downstairs…
The atmosphere was very different.
Lu Yanxi sat in the study.
His laptop displayed several business reports.
Yet…
He hadn’t read a single page.
A phone rested beside his hand.
The screen remained dark.
He knew.
It was only a matter of time.
Today’s shopping trip had been too public.
Too many people had seen Yu Mingyue.
Too many people remembered the little princess of the three great families.
The silence wouldn’t last forever.
A knock came at the door.
“Come in.”
Xie Chengyi entered.
He walked to the window.
Looking toward the garden outside.
“…It’s begun.”
Lu Yanxi didn’t ask what he meant.
“…Mm.”
“The photograph?”
“…Already circulating.”
“Within the inner circle.”
Lu Yanxi nodded once.
“No public media.”
“Not yet.”
Xie Chengyi folded his arms.
“…Should we stop it?”
The room became quiet.
After a long moment…
Lu Yanxi slowly shook his head.
“…No.”
Xie Chengyi looked at him.
“…Why?”
Lu Yanxi looked toward the second floor.
Toward the room where Yu Mingyue was laughing with Gu Mengmeng.
His voice remained calm.
“…She shouldn’t have to hide anymore.”
Silence.
Xie Chengyi smiled faintly.
“…You’re right.”
For eight years…
They had protected her from the world because she was too fragile.
Now…
If the world wanted to see her again…
Then let it look.
Because this time…
She wasn’t the girl everyone pitied.
She was simply…
Yu Mingyue.
Alive.
Healthy.
Home.