"Xue Lian, have you remembered something?" Old Madam Gong asked gently.

  Xue Lian had no idea how to respond. She had always been an orphan, adopted by a kind elderly couple. Now, out of nowhere, she was faced with a mother—who had previously been her mother-in-w. Her legs went weak, and she began to colpse.

  Xiao Dun'er caught her just in time and steadied her. "She really is your mother. She's been searching for you for a very long time. Do you remember anything your father ever told you?" His tone carried an unusual urgency.

  "Father?" Yet another figure emerged in this tangled web, and Xue Lian felt her mind nearing the breaking point.

  "He spoke to you in this very room. You were very young then, only six years old," Xiao Dun'er reminded her.

  "Six years old... Father." Xue Lian crouched down, lowering her head as she sank into her memories. Suddenly, she looked up at Xiao Dun'er and asked, "How do you know my father said anything to me?"

  "Uh... well..." Xiao Dun'er forced a smile. "I'm part of the Gong family, so of course, I would know these things."

  "Gong family? You seem awfully interested in what my father said to me," Xue Lian said with suspicion. "Weren't you investigating the cause of the Gong family's young dy's death? Why are you so suddenly invested in my affairs?"

  Her sharp tone carried doubt, and for the first time, Xue Lian began to realize that Xiao Dun'er might not be as simple as he seemed.

  Xiao Dun'er avoided her gaze.

  "How do you know that I'm the Miss of the Gong family? Didn't you say the person lying in the coffin was the real Miss of the Gong family?" Xue Lian asked sharply.

  "Xue Lian, I'm just trying to help you. Why are you suddenly doubting me?" Xiao Dun'er forced a strained smile. "I overheard it earlier while I was outside in the courtyard."

  Xue Lian continued to eye him suspiciously, her face full of doubt.

  "Enough, Xue Lian, don't ask him any more questions. He's only trying to help. Now that you've reunited with your mother, I'm truly happy. If your father hadn't passed away so early, I'm sure he would be just as happy to see you now!" Old Madam Gong's voice wavered with emotion as she spoke.

  "Do you know he's not 'Little Dun'er'?" Xue Lian suddenly asked.

  "Ah..." Old Madam Gong was at a loss for words, unsure of how to respond.

  "I'm here to help Old Madam Gong," Xiao Dun'er quickly interjected. "I'm helping her find the true Miss of the Gong family."

  Xue Lian didn't believe a word he said. Slowly, she began to piece things together. 'Xiao Dun'er' and Madam Gong were working together, which meant... She suddenly had a realization, as if something had just clicked in her mind.

  "You are not my mother!" Xue Lian suddenly shouted.

  Xiao Dun'er froze, and Old Madam Gong remained silent for a long time.

  "I remember my mother..." Xue Lian suddenly recalled, standing up as she spoke. "My father had three wives. I was born to the third wife!"

  There was a long, tense silence. Then, unexpectedly, 'Xiao Dun'er' burst into wild ughter. "You rotten girl, you've remembered! Looks like you really are the Gong family's young dy. Finally, we've found the right person, hahahaha!"

  "You killed her! It was you who killed her!" Xue Lian shouted loudly.

  "Looks like she's fully regained her memory," 'Xiao Dun'er' said with a sneer.

  Xue Lian suddenly ran toward the door, but 'Xiao Dun'er' grabbed her arm, yanking her back. "Trying to run? You won't leave this room alive unless you tell us what the old man said."

  "Five of them—Xue Lian, you killed them," Xue Lian said, her voice shaking with anger.

  "They weren't the real Misses of the Gong family, so of course, they had to die!" 'Xiao Dun'er' ughed cruelly, his expression sinister.

  "What about the body in the secret passage?" Xue Lian asked, her eyes narrowing.

  "Didn't Shen Ma already tell you? Haha!" 'Xiao Dun'er kicked Shen Ma, smirking.

  "So Shen Ma was telling the truth after all. That person really was A-Xiu," Xue Lian muttered, her eyes filled with realization. She didn’t question Shen Ma anymore and instead knelt before her, sobbing. "Shen Ma, it's my fault! My fault!"

  "Save your tears for ter," 'Xiao Dun'er said coldly. "If you tell us what the old man told you, we'll spare your life."

  Ignoring him, Xue Lian asked, "Were the people in the well all from the Gong family? Did you kill them too?"

  "They had to die, or they would have discovered everything. They were a threat, so they all had to die," 'Xiao Dun'er replied coldly.

  "Why didn't you kill Shen Ma?" Xue Lian asked.

  "Shen Ma watched you grow up. She knows you very well, so we needed to keep her around to help us find you," 'Xiao Dun'er expined.

  "But you've killed so many people. Weren't you worried Shen Ma might start suspecting something?" Xue Lian pressed.

  "We were worried, but Shen Ma is very loyal to Madam Gong. Besides, she's killed before," 'Xiao Dun'er said, his voice calm.

  Xue Lian was stunned. "Who did she kill?" she asked, her voice trembling.

  "A-Xiu... She was the one Shen Ma killed with her own hands," 'Xiao Dun'er said proudly. "A-Xiu fell in love with the young master, but Old Madam Gong ordered Shen Ma to deal with her. When Shen Ma and A-Xiu argued, she accidentally killed her. By the way, you must've seen the blood on the coffin in the secret passage. That was from when Shen Ma was moving the body—she got blood on it."