Night fell slowly over the city, wrapping Xiamen's house in heavy silence.
The bodyguards stood like shadows outside—presence without comfort.
Inside, Xiamen sat on the edge of Haoyu's bed, watching him sleep.
His lashes fluttered softly, tiny fingers curled around the blanket.
To anyone else, this would've looked peaceful.
To her, it felt like a ticking bomb.
She picked up her phone with trembling hands.
One contact.
One person she never wanted to call again.
"Aunt Lin."
The woman who once helped her disappear.
The woman who lived in a quiet coastal town, far from Hong Yi's world.
The phone rang.
Once.
Twice.
Finally—
"Xiamen?" A tired voice answered. "Is that really you?"
Xiamen's throat tightened.
"I need your help," she whispered. "Tonight."
There was a long silence.
Then softly, "Is he in danger?"
Xiamen closed her eyes.
"Yes."
The Secret Escape Plan
She moved fast.
No lights. No noise.
She quietly packed:
Haoyu's clothes
His favorite toy (the small, worn-out bunny)
His documents
All the cash she had saved in secret
Every movement felt like betrayal.
To Hong Yi.
To the fragile peace she had just started believing in.
She knelt by Haoyu and gently shook his shoulder.
"Haoyu… sweetheart… wake up."
He blinked, sleepy.
"Mama…?"
She forced a smile.
"We're going on a little trip, okay? Like an adventure."
"Uncle Yi coming?" he asked innocently.
That single sentence cracked her heart wide open.
"No…" she whispered. "Just Mommy."
Hong Yi's Side — The Omen
Back in his car, Hong Yi stared at his phone.
An uneasy feeling twisted his chest.
It felt… wrong.
As if something was slipping through his fingers.
He looked at his men.
"Did they move?"
"Yes, sir. The house is secured."
He clenched his jaw.
"Well? Any movement?"
"No."
He had no reason to distrust them.
But his instinct screamed.
Xiamen wouldn't just… sit still.
Not when it came to her child.
The Escape
A little before dawn.
Xiamen wrapped Haoyu in a jacket and carried him in her arms.
She didn't use the front door.
She slipped through the small back exit, where the fence was just low enough.
Her heart beat so loudly she was afraid the guards could hear it.
Step by step.
Shadow to shadow.
Behind her—
the house that felt like a cage.
Ahead—
uncertainty.
She reached the back alley.
A car was waiting.
Anna Xiamen maid before she leave city her best friend..
"She's waiting her "
Xiamen hesitated. Anna it has been a long time i am sorry to call suddenly but I need help.
She cry ..
It ok madam don't worry i keep him safe.I am here for you...
She looked back at the house.
At the faint outline of shadows she now knew were bodyguards.
She swallowed.
"I'm sorry," she whispered— she was apologizing to Anna because she didn't call in these years
And then she send Anna into the car.
The engine started.
The car disappeared into the early morning fog.
Xiamen returns unnoticed before bodyguard look for her...