Christmas approached, but Ye Xia felt no sense of celebration. The world was closing in: the Leng threat, the Jin mystery, the Mo dilemma. She spent the day in the family archives, searching for any clue about her mother's past, any mention of Jin Long.
It was there, amidst dusty boxes of old correspondence, that she found it. A bundle of letters tied with a faded ribbon. They were from her mother, Lijuan, to a university friend—the same friend, Anya, she had met in Paris. The letters were filled with the excitement and fears of a young woman in love.
And then, she found the key passage, written just before her mother abruptly left university:
"…I cannot believe it is over. J.L. was everything—so fierce, so ambitious, like a dragon soaring. But his world is one of such darkness and danger. He says it is for the best, for my safety. He has made… an arrangement with a man named Ye. A good man, he says, but simple. I will have a comfortable life, a safe life. But my heart feels like it is being torn from my chest. I carry a part of J.L. with me now, a secret that will forever bind me to him…"
Ye Xia sank to the floor, the letter trembling in her hand. It was all true. Jin Long was her father. He had ended the affair, citing "danger," and had palmed her mother off on the weak-willed Ye Zhentao to give his child a "safe" life. Her entire existence was the result of a ruthless, pragmatic decision by a man who valued control above all else.
The revelation was a vortex of emotions. Rage at Jin Long for his callousness. Grief for her mother, who had sacrificed her love for her daughter's safety. A strange, hollow pity for Ye Zhentao, who had been nothing but a cuckoo's pawn his whole life.
That evening, a package was delivered to her room. It was from Mo. No return address. Inside, nestled in black velvet, was not a piece of jewelry or a luxury item. It was a data chip.
When she plugged it in, it contained a single file: a comprehensive dossier on Jin Long's most recent business moves, including a secret proposed alliance with none other than the Leng family. The dossier outlined a plan to carve up the Yun family's assets between them.
Attached was a simple message: [The dragon circles. You are not alone. The choice is yours. - M]
It was not a Christmas gift of affection, but one of partnership. He was giving her the weapon she needed to make an informed decision. He was respecting her agency, even if it might lead her away from him.
Tears she didn't know she had left welled in her eyes. In a world of lies and manipulation, Mo's stark honesty was the greatest gift she could have received.