...Xu Jilan smiled calmly. "Not at all, Aunt. You're just early." She glanced at her grandmother, who sat serenely on a intricately carved chair, a warm smile on her face.
Madame Xu, Xu Jilan's grandmother, beckoned her over. "Come, Jilan, sit with me. You're just in time for the family gathering.
Li Hayan's expression turned sour, but she said nothing. She didn't approve of Xu Jilan staying in her maternal home, feeling it was unconventional.
In her view, Xu Jilan should be with her paternal family, not taking refuge in her maternal grandparents' home. This perception fueled her discomfort and disapproval.
In her eyes, Xu Jilan didn't truly belong in the Xu family.
Xu Jilan took her seat beside her grandmother, feeling a sense of comfort and security in her presence. She knew her grandmother loved her unconditionally, and that gave her the strength to face her aunt's disapproval.
As the family gathering continued, several of Xu Jilan's relatives, including her female cousins, arrived after her. It was clear that her aunt's earlier comment about being late was nothing more than a sarcastic remark.
After the meeting, Xu Jilan retired to her chambers.
Night settled quietly over the Xu residence.
Lantern light flickered along the corridors, casting long shadows across the carved wooden walls. The household had grown still, save for the occasional sound of footsteps in the distance.
Xu Jilan sat alone in her chambers.
Her fingers moved slowly through the items on her table, sorting them without much thought. Her expression remained calm, but her mind was elsewhere.
That dream lingered.
The laughter… the tears… the blood.
And that woman.
Her hand paused.
Something felt different.
Frowning slightly, she reached deeper into the stack of belongings.
Then—
her fingers brushed against something unfamiliar.
Cold.
Smooth.
Unusual.
She withdrew her hand.
A necklace lay in her palm.
It did not belong.
Xu Jilan's brows furrowed as she studied it more closely.
The material was unlike anything she had seen. The surface was too refined… too even. The shape, the finish—everything about it felt foreign.
Not from her world.
Not from the Xu family.
Not from the Great Empire.
A faint unease stirred within her.
Carefully, she turned the necklace over.
There was a small clasp.
Her curiosity grew stronger.
After a brief hesitation, she opened it.
Inside—
something was there.
Xu Jilan froze.
It was a small image.
But not like any painting she had ever seen.
There were no brush strokes. No uneven ink. No visible texture of a hand-crafted work.
The surface was smooth… the image sharp beyond belief.
Too sharp.
Too real.
Her breath slowed.
Her gaze sharpened.
The face within the locket was unfamiliar—yet strangely familiar at the same time.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the edges.
A strange thought crept into her mind.
This… did not belong to her world.
Xu Jilan's eyes darkened as she studied it more carefully.
The longer she looked, the more it unsettled her.
It was not just the image.
It was the feeling.
As though… the person inside could see her back.
Her chest tightened slightly.
She closed the locket.
Silence returned to the room.
Xu Jilan stood still for a moment.
Then slowly—
she placed the necklace back onto the table.
But this time…
she did not look away from it.
Something about it bothered her.
Something she could not explain.
And yet—
deep inside, she knew.
This object was not ordinary.
It was connected.
Connected to the dreams.
Connected to the woman she saw.
Connected to something…
she did not yet understand.
Xu Jilan turned away, her expression calm once more.
But behind her calmness—
questions had begun to form.
And once questions began…
they rarely stopped.
Her head throbbed faintly.
Blurry fragments flickered in her mind—images from the past she could not clearly grasp.
Too familiar.
Too close.
Her heart skipped.
She widened her eyes slightly as recognition began to dawn.
"Xu Ningxi…"
Her mother.
And the same woman from her dream.