The Heiress No One Expected

Chapter 9: The First Step Home

The rain had cleared by Monday morning, leaving the streets of Beijing washed clean beneath a pale autumn sky.

Ruoyin stood before the mirror in her room, fastening the final button of her white shirt.

Her black trousers were neatly pressed, her hair tied back simply, and a thin folder containing her university documents rested on the desk behind her.

She glanced at the transfer letter again.

Imperial Capital University.

She still hadn't completely gotten used to the idea.

The university was one of the most prestigious in the capital, and transferring there in the middle of her undergraduate studies was hardly a small decision.

Yet Qinghe had encouraged her to consider it.

And the explanation about the business sale made sense.

At least enough.

Ruoyin picked up her bag and walked into the living room.

"Mother, I'm leaving."

Qinghe looked up from the kitchen.

"Have you eaten?"

"Yes."

"Documents?"

"In my bag."

"Phone?"

Ruoyin held it up.

"Here."

Qinghe smiled, but the expression seemed strained at the edges.

"Then go."

Ruoyin slipped on her shoes.

"I'll be back early."

"Don't rush."

Ruoyin nodded before opening the door.

She paused.

"Mother."

"Hm?"

"Thank you again."

Qinghe's smile softened, though her fingers tightened around the dishcloth in her hand.

"Go to class."

Ruoyin laughed and finally left.

The moment the door closed, Qinghe's expression collapsed.

Her eyes moved toward the transfer letter lying on the table.

For a moment, she couldn't breathe.

The call from last night still echoed in her mind.

Have you told her?

She knew this was only the beginning.

---

Across the city, Bai International was already busy.

Bai Zhenghua sat at the head of the conference table, listening to his assistant's report.

"The university has completed the preliminary transfer procedures."

Zhenghua nodded.

"And Ruoyin?"

"She has accepted the transfer."

A faint silence followed.

Zhenghua's fingers rested against the table, pressing hard enough for his knuckles to pale.

For nineteen years, he had never been able to do anything for his daughter.

Now he had arranged one small thing.

It wasn't enough.

It was nowhere near enough.

But it was a beginning.

"Don't interfere with her life at the university," he said.

His assistant looked at him.

"Understood."

"She shouldn't know about the Bai family yet."

"Yes, Chairman."

Zhenghua turned toward the window.

"Continue investigating the hospital records."

His assistant hesitated.

"We found something else."

Zhenghua looked back.

"What?"

"The payments connected to Cheng'an Foundation weren't made only to the hospital."

He placed several documents on the table.

"There were payments to another organization as well."

Zhenghua's eyes narrowed.

"Which organization?"

"We're still tracing it."

"Find it."

"Yes."

Zhenghua looked down at the documents.

One payment had been made three days before Ruoyin's birth.

Another had been made the night she disappeared from the hospital.

The past was becoming more complicated by the day, and every answer seemed to conceal a more dangerous question.

---

At Ruoyin's current university, Lin Xiaoyu immediately noticed something different.

She hurried over as soon as Ruoyin entered the building.

"You're smiling."

Ruoyin looked at her.

"Am I?"

"Yes."

Xiaoyu narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"Something happened."

Ruoyin laughed.

"Why do you always assume something happened when I smile?"

"Because you're usually too serious in the morning."

Ruoyin shook her head.

"Mother told me something yesterday."

"What?"

"I might be transferring universities."

Xiaoyu's eyes widened.

"What?"

"Imperial Capital University."

For several seconds, Xiaoyu simply stared at her.

Then she grabbed Ruoyin's arm.

"You're joking."

"I'm not."

"Imperial Capital University?"

Ruoyin nodded.

Xiaoyu's excitement slowly faded into a thoughtful silence.

"So you're really leaving."

"It's still Beijing."

"That's not the point."

Ruoyin smiled.

"I know."

Xiaoyu looked toward the classroom.

"We've spent almost two years sitting in the same places, eating terrible cafeteria food, and pretending we understood half our lectures."

Ruoyin laughed.

"You understood less than half."

"Exactly. And who am I supposed to bother now?"

"You'll survive."

"Unfortunately."

They both laughed.

The moment passed, and Xiaoyu's expression softened.

"I'm happy for you."

Ruoyin looked at her.

"Really?"

"Of course."

Xiaoyu adjusted the strap of her bag.

"You've always wanted more opportunities. If this university gives you one, you should take it."

Ruoyin was quiet for a moment.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet."

"Why?"

"Because I'm still going to make you meet me for lunch."

Ruoyin smiled.

"Every weekend."

"Good."

Xiaoyu held out her little finger.

Ruoyin stared at it before hooking hers around it.

"Deal."

Xiaoyu smiled.

"Then go become impressive."

"I already am."

"You're impossible."

They walked into the classroom together.

For the rest of the morning, they fell into their usual rhythm—sharing notes, whispering over a difficult point in class, and arguing quietly about where to eat afterward.

Nothing about the day felt like a farewell.

Perhaps that was what made it easier.

Their friendship wasn't ending.

Only their routine was changing.

---

That afternoon, Zhenghua received an unexpected visitor.

The door to his office opened.

A young man stepped inside.

He was neatly dressed, composed, and carried himself with the quiet confidence of someone accustomed to his family's position.

Zhenghua looked at him.

"Su Mingxuan."

Mingxuan inclined his head.

"Chairman Bai."

Zhenghua gestured toward the chair opposite him.

"Sit."

Mingxuan did.

For a moment, neither spoke.

The relationship between the Bai and Su families had always been complicated by old history and long-standing connections.

But today, Mingxuan had come for something specific.

"I heard you've been investigating the hospital records from nineteen years ago."

Zhenghua's expression remained calm.

"Where did you hear that?"

"My grandmother."

Zhenghua's eyes sharpened slightly.

"Su Yulan?"

Mingxuan nodded.

"She remembers more than she has told anyone."

Zhenghua leaned back.

"What does she remember?"

Mingxuan hesitated.

"Not everything."

"Then tell me what she does remember."

Mingxuan's expression became serious.

"She remembers that my aunt Qinglan was extremely frightened after Ruoyin was born."

Zhenghua went still.

"Frightened of what?"

"We don't know."

Mingxuan looked directly at him.

"But my grandmother believes someone was putting pressure on her."

Zhenghua's jaw tightened.

"Who?"

"She doesn't know."

Mingxuan paused.

"Or perhaps she doesn't want to say."

The room became silent.

Zhenghua studied him.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I think the answer concerns my family too."

Mingxuan reached into his coat and placed a photocopy on the table.

At the bottom of the page was a hospital stamp, half-faded but still legible.

One line had been blacked out.

"Where did you get this?" Zhenghua asked.

"My grandmother kept it hidden."

Zhenghua stared at the missing line.

For the first time, his composure cracked.

"Who removed that name?"

Mingxuan's voice lowered.

"That's what I'm trying to find out."

---

That evening, Qinghe received another call.

She answered quietly.

"Hello?"

There was silence on the other end.

Not ordinary silence.

She could hear faint breathing, slow and deliberate, as if the caller wanted her to know they were still there.

Then a woman's voice spoke.

"Have you told her?"

Qinghe's expression changed.

"Who is this?"

"You know who I am."

Qinghe stood slowly.

Her hand tightened around the phone until her fingers trembled.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing."

The voice sounded calm.

"I only wanted to know whether Ruoyin knows."

Qinghe's eyes darkened.

"She knows about the transfer."

A pause.

"Good."

Qinghe swallowed.

"Stay away from her."

A soft, almost amused breath came through the receiver.

"You should have said that nineteen years ago."

The call ended.

Qinghe stared at the phone.

She didn't recognize the number.

But she recognized the voice.

Someone from the past was still watching.

And now they knew exactly where Ruoyin was going.

---

Later that night, Ruoyin sat at the dining table with Qinghe.

The transfer letter lay between them.

"I've decided," Ruoyin said.

Qinghe looked at her.

"I'm going."

Qinghe nodded.

"I knew you would."

Ruoyin smiled.

"I'm nervous."

"That's normal."

"What if I don't fit in?"

"You'll be fine."

Ruoyin looked down at the letter.

"I've spent so long at my current university. Starting again feels strange."

Qinghe reached across the table.

"You're not starting your life again."

Ruoyin looked at her.

"You're simply taking another step."

Ruoyin smiled.

"You're right."

Qinghe squeezed her hand, but her grip was tighter than usual.

"Just remember who you are."

Ruoyin nodded.

She had no idea how important those words would become.

Because soon, she would enter Imperial Capital University carrying nothing more than her books, her ambitions, and the name she had always known.

Bai Ruoyin.

A name that had been hidden for nineteen years.

A name that someone had finally begun bringing home.

And somewhere in the city, someone who knew the truth was already waiting for her to arrive.