The office lights of GG Group's Design Tower glowed softly in the evening air.
Almost everyone had already gone home, leaving the long corridor quiet.
Inside the top floor studio, Xinyi was still hunched over her design tablet, making final adjustments for an upcoming international show.
Yichen was still away on a business trip, so the house felt too empty.
Working late felt better than feeling lonely.
Xinyi stretched, rubbing her eyes.
"Just one more edit…"
But her stomach growled. She chuckled helplessly, switched off the tablet, and packed her sketchboard.
She walked out from the private elevator into the basement parking lot.
That's when she felt it.
A shift in the air.
Soft footsteps.
A strange chill.
Xinyi paused and turned.
Five men stepped out from the shadows.
One smirked, "Miss Designer… we just want to see your face. Take off the mask and we won't hurt you."
Her heartbeat quickened, but she forced her voice steady.
"Who sent you?"
Silence. Only matching grins.
Xinyi's fingers tightened around her keys.
Yichen wasn't here.
She was alone.
But she wasn't helpless.
The first man lunged. She dodged quickly, shoving her bag into his face. Another tried to grab her wrist but she kicked his shin and ran between the pillars.
"Catch her!" someone shouted.
Her breath was sharp, fast.
She darted behind a car—
Only for a hand to grab her mask and yank it off.
Her long hair fell, her face visible.
A camera flashed.
"No—!!"
She grabbed the phone and threw it against the wall with all her strength. It shattered, but the man she never saw in the dark — the sixth man — had already clicked another picture from above the railing.
He had stayed hidden, silent, watching.
The mafia informant stepped into the alley's shadows and sent the photo and final message.
Mission completed.
And the receiver's name appeared:
An Ruo.
Inside a luxurious apartment, An Ruo lounged on her velvet sofa, sipping wine lazily.
Her phone buzzed. She unlocked it, expecting nothing more than a masked woman's face — some ordinary designer from GG Group.
Her boss's voice still echoed in her mind:
"Find out the identity of GG Group's masked designer.
If we can gather any weakness, we can control the collaboration."
So she hired someone to get a photo.
A message popped up on her phone.
She tapped on the images casually—
And froze.
Her breath stopped midway.
The glass nearly slipped from her hand.
Her heart thudded painfully.
Her fingers trembled as she zoomed in.
The woman in the photo…
The eyes…
The face she never expected to see again—
"X–Xinyi…?!"
Her voice cracked.
Her hands turned ice cold.
She stared, unable to blink, unable to breathe.
Her mind spiraled back:
The bride swap
The accident
The guilt she buried
The fear she pretended didn't exist
Her chest tightened. She covered her mouth, shaking.
"The top designer in the country…
The designer wearing a mask…
The one everyone calls a genius…"
Her voice quivered.
"It was you all along…"
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears.
Xinyi.
Alive.
Successful.
Standing strong.
The very girl she wronged.
The real bride.
The one who should have had the life An Ruo stole.
Her vision blurred as panic swallowed her.
If Xinyi's identity comes out—
Zhen Yu will know.
Lu yichen will know.
Her fake marriage will crumble.
Her entire lie will explode.
Her lips trembled.
"Why… why are you still alive…?"
A cold shiver ran down her spine.
She clutched her phone so tightly her knuckles turned white.
Now she had only two choices:
Destroy Xinyi first…
or be destroyed herself.
The decision hung in the air like a blade.