"She is doing it purely because I told her that we are going on a secret picnic without her."
She didn’t need to finish the sentence.
Mrs. Xia looked unsure. "Even if Xia Wei is angry about the outing, she wouldn’t kill you over such a small thing... would she?"
Gu Jin gave a soft chuckle, but her eyes were sharp.
"That’s the problem. You all still believe she wouldn’t go that far. You think she might scheme or lie, but you don’t believe she would kill. I’m telling you... she would. And I’ll show you."
The family didn’t speak for a while. Then Mrs. Xia finally nodded.
"...Alright. We’ll come tonight. Just tell us where to hide."
Back in the present, the Xia family looked at Xia Wei with clearer eyes.
So it had all been a trap. A test.
And Xia Wei had failed completely.
Xia Wei’s voice trembled as she spoke, "Mother... Father... I didn’t mean it! I was just... scared! I didn’t want to be replaced by her! I made a mistake, that’s all!"
But General Xia shook his head slowly. "No, Xia Wei. This wasn’t just a mistake. It was a choice. Your heart... It’s too dark."
Mrs. Xia’s eyes were filled with tears now. "We would’ve never known the truth if Lian Rou hadn’t shown us. We were blind."
Xia Wei felt cold all over. Her legs gave out and she fell to her knees.
"No... no, this isn’t fair..." she whispered.
The moment Xia Wei finished speaking, the police moved in.
They grabbed her arms tightly, locking her hands behind her back.
She started struggling, shouting, "Let me go! I said I was sorry! I’ll change! Please, someone listen to me!"
But no one looked at her.
General Xia and Mrs. Xia didn’t even glance her way. With heavy steps, they walked toward Gu Jin. Their faces were filled with guilt and shame.
Mrs. Xia stopped in front of Gu Jin and lowered her head.
"We were wrong. We gave Xia Wei too many chances... We trusted the wrong person. I promise, from now on, we will never let her come back again."
General Xia nodded slowly. "She won’t step into our house again. That’s a promise."
Gu Jin looked at them for a second, then raised an eyebrow.
She didn’t speak. She didn’t even nod.
"I just want to rest," she said softly. Then she turned and left.
Her footsteps were calm, but her silence was sharp.
To the Xia family, it felt like she had forgiven them... but that silence hurt more than any words could. It was as if she didn’t care anymore, as if she had given up on them completely.
And that thought made their hearts panic.
Mrs. Xia and the others quickly followed her, afraid she would disappear from their lives for good.
None of them looked at Xia Wei.
Xia Wei screamed after them, "Please! I didn’t mean it! I’ll be better! Just one more chance!"
But no one answered her.
They had all seen through her.
They knew her words were fake, just another act.
When she saw that even Xia Lan didn’t look back, Xia Wei snapped. She shouted angrily, "You’re all heartless! You raised me for years, and now you throw me away?!"
Xia Lan finally turned around, her face filled with rage.
"You’re the heartless one!" she shouted. "We treated you like family. We gave you love, a home, and everything you ever wanted! And this is how you repay us? By trying to kill your own real sister?!"
Xia Wei froze, then... she laughed.
She laughed loudly, her eyes wild.
"The Xia Family is truly blind! You never even noticed how I messed with the blood tests! Not once! You acted like you cared about your children, but you never even realized I wasn’t your real daughter!"
Everyone stood still, shocked.
"You all kept ignoring the clues. Even after Lian Rou came back, you kept doubting her. You made her feel like an outsider in her own home! And now, you act like you care? Don’t make me laugh!"
Her voice became cold.
"I’m glad I’m not your real daughter. I’m proud I belong to my real parents. They loved me enough to do anything for me, even swap a baby in the hospital. That’s more love than you ever gave Lian Rou."
Those words pierced the Xia family like sharp knives.
They realized she was right.
They had protected Xia Wei again and again, even more than their real daughter.
Now they couldn’t even look at each other.
Ashamed and lost, they followed Gu Jin silently, while Xia Wei was dragged away by the police, still screaming.
Gu Jin reached home and closed the door behind her. She didn’t cry. She didn’t scream.
She simply walked to her desk and pulled out a piece of paper.
Her face was calm, but her heart was tired.
Then, she opened her hidden space and gently brought out Lian Rou. The girl was still asleep.
Gu Jin also brought out the two policewomen who had chased Lian Rou earlier. She used a rope and tied them up tightly, without mercy.
Then she opened the front door and tossed the two policewomen onto the steps of the mansion.
She didn’t care who saw.
She closed the door again, returned to her room, and knelt beside the bed.
She gently touched Lian Rou’s shoulder. "Lian Rou," she said softly, "wake up."
The girl blinked. Her eyes slowly opened. She looked around, confused.
Seeing the confusion in her eyes, Gu Jin calmly called out, "Lian Rou."
The girl looked at her, still dazed, and backed away a little. Her voice trembled. "W-Who are you...?"
"I’m an outsider," Gu Jin said simply.
Lian Rou’s eyes widened. The word "outsider" rang loudly in her head.
She remembered the stories her parents had told her, that outsiders came from another world and often brought danger. Some had even killed people.
The more she thought about it, the more her fear grew. Her knees trembled as she shook her head quickly.
"Please... please don’t hurt me..." she begged.
Gu Jin raised an eyebrow.
"You don’t need to back away. I’m not here to hurt you. I’m leaving anyway. I only came to tell you something important."
Lian Rou blinked, still scared, but curious.
"I borrowed your identity while you were away," Gu Jin said.
Lian Rou’s mouth fell open. "What? Why? Did you... Did you do something bad in my name?!"
She glared at Gu Jin now, her fear replaced by anger.
But Gu Jin shook her head calmly. "I haven’t done anything wrong. I only borrowed your name to find the real outsider hiding in your world."
Then, for the next five minutes, Gu Jin explained everything, how she found out the truth, protected Lian Rou’s family, exposed Xia Wei, and how she made sure Lian Rou’s name wouldn’t be ruined.
Lian Rou sat there stunned, her eyes wide as she listened. At the end, she looked at Gu Jin with a soft, strange expression.
"...Why would you do so much for me?" she asked quietly.
Gu Jin raised an eyebrow. "Because I had to. I used your name, so I needed to make things right."
"At first, I thought I’d just leave a letter with all the information for you. But I realized if you suddenly acted too friendly with the Xia family, they’d get suspicious. So I had to explain everything myself."
She looked at Lian Rou seriously.
"Now that I’ve done that, I’ll knock you out and leave. You’ll wake up later, and everything will be yours again. You just have to endure being unconscious for a little while."
Lian Rou paused, then nodded slowly.
Gu Jin stared at her in surprise. "You’re okay with this?"
Lian Rou’s expression turned complicated.
"In my world, we’re told that outsiders are evil and dangerous. But... you were different. You helped me. You protected my family, fixed so many problems, and didn’t even ask for anything in return."
Her voice shook a little. "You were like a light to me, Gu Jin. I didn’t know what I would do before... but you gave me a second chance."
Gu Jin was quiet for a moment, then gave a small nod. "Just remember: be calm, act confident, and always record evidence. That will help you win most battles."
"Can I get to know your name?" Lian Rou asked in a soft voice.
"Gu Jin." Gu Jin uttered, it wasn’t like Lian Rou would cross worlds and try to arrest Gu Jin for entering their world.
Lian Rou smiled a little and nodded.
Then, without another word, she moved her hair aside and showed her neck.
Gu Jin looked at her for a moment, then, with a complicated heart, knocked her out gently.
Lian Rou collapsed back onto the bed, peaceful.
Gu Jin stood up, changed back to her real face, and walked out silently.