The glow from the computer screen cast eerie shadows on the boy's face.
Nine-year-old Li Zhichen sat cross-legged in his room — disguised behind multiple firewalls, untraceable IP reroutes, and a mimic server rerouting his every keystroke. On the screen was the encryption wall of L.Z. Corporation's Internal Research Division — his target.
Again.
His eyes narrowed, fingers dancing like silk over the keys. Even the most advanced security barely posed a challenge anymore.
A silent alarm blinked red.
A trap.
He smirked. "Nice try, Uncle Zeyan."
He bypassed the alert, dropped a decoy virus into the backend system, and tunneled toward the 'F-Classified' folder — the one protected by Zeyan's personal biometric encryption.
"If I can unlock it, maybe I can prove it…"
His voice was soft, like a whisper to the dark.
Then he paused. There, buried beneath data logs and signatures, was an anomaly — a record erased six years ago. The same day as her "death."
He clicked. The screen blinked.
"ACCESS DENIED – CODE: C.S. — LEVEL 9 CLEARANCE ONLY."
C.S. again.
Who was this ghost behind the curtain?
Before he could attempt a bypass, a voice rang from the doorway.
"Zhichen?"
He startled, slamming the laptop lid shut and sliding it under the bed in one smooth motion.
Feng Yuxi stood at the threshold of his room, wearing a long silk robe, her hair slightly disheveled — not from sleep, but from stress.
"You're awake?" she asked, stepping in.
He nodded, eyes wide and innocent.
Yuxi approached slowly. She crouched beside him.
"Nightmares again?"
He didn't answer.
She tucked a strand of hair behind his ear and kissed his forehead.
"I'm sorry you're caught in all of this," she whispered. "You should be in a world of crayons, not codes."
He tilted his head. "You're sad again."
She forced a smile. "Only when I see how much you've grown up too early."
Scene Shift: Li Zeyan's Penthouse
Zeyan stood at the balcony, holding a glass of aged whiskey. His jaw clenched as he stared at the file in his hand — a still frame of the surveillance footage from the Feng estate six years ago.
Feng Yuxi had always insisted her brother died in the fire.
But the footage suggested otherwise.
A boy — about Zhichen's age — was seen running from the estate minutes before the flames erupted.
The timestamp was exact.
Yet… Feng Yu'an had supposedly died inside.
What if that boy had survived?
He took another sip. Could Zhichen be him? No… the resemblance between Zhichen and himself was undeniable. That boy couldn't be Zhichen. But what if Yuxi had a twin brother? A child hidden even from the official registry?
He turned toward the hallway where Yuxi's scent still lingered.
Something wasn't adding up.
And she wasn't telling him everything.
Scene Shift: The Hidden Recording
Meanwhile, back at her secret apartment, Yuxi plugged the recovered footage into a secured player. Her hands trembled as the images rolled across the screen — flickering flames, the screech of tires, and… a child's scream.
Then came the most unexpected frame.
Her brother wasn't alone.
A man had entered the estate moments before the explosion.
And he wasn't from the Feng family.
She zoomed in.
Dark tailored suit. Silver cufflink. A scar across his neck.
Her eyes widened.
She had seen that man once before — standing beside Zeyan at a military charity gala two years ago. He was rumored to be Zeyan's silent business partner. A man called only by one name in the underground circles:
Cheng Shao.
C.S.
Scene Shift: The School Encounter
The next day, Yuxi took Zhichen to an elite private school — a rare appearance in public for her and the boy. Paparazzi whispers flared like wildfire as soon as she stepped out of the car.
"Is that Mrs. Li?"
"She's never brought the child out before."
"Wait — that boy looks like President Li!"
Yuxi ignored them.
Zhichen, unfazed by the stares, scanned the campus. His eyes were sharp — too sharp for a child.
They walked past the assembly hall when a voice stopped them.
"Feng Yuxi?"
She turned slowly.
A woman in a blood-red dress approached — elegant, with calculating eyes. She held the hand of a young girl.
"You're looking well. I heard rumors, but didn't believe them until I saw you."
Yuxi's lips curled in a polite, deadly smile. "And you are?"
The woman's voice was smooth. "Zhao Rulan. Cheng Shao's wife."
Yuxi's entire body tensed.
The girl beside her blinked innocently.
"This is my daughter, Qingyu," Rulan added. "She just transferred in. Perhaps your son and mine will be classmates."
Zhichen stepped slightly in front of Yuxi, a protective move that did not go unnoticed.
Rulan chuckled. "So he takes after his father after all."
Yuxi's smile remained fixed, but inside, rage rippled beneath her calm.
So it begins, she thought.
Final Scene: An Unseen Threat
That night, a black car parked across from the Li estate. Inside sat Zhao Rulan, her phone in hand.
"I met her," she said.
A voice crackled on the other end. "And?"
"She's hiding something. But the boy… he's dangerous."
Silence.
Then:
"Monitor them. And if she remembers who really set that fire—kill her."
Rulan hung up and looked at the photo on her phone: a candid shot of Yuxi and Zhichen in front of the school.
Behind her, in the backseat, the little girl stared silently at the same photo.
"I know him," she whispered.
Rulan turned sharply. "Who?"
The girl pointed at Zhichen.
"I've seen him in the secret room. Daddy says he's important."
Rulan froze.
"What room?"
But the girl simply smiled, humming a lullaby that sent a chill down Rulan's spine.