"Wow, what a move! Lily is playing this like she’s exposing a scheming 'white lotus'—forcing Han Ziyu into a corner where she has no choice but to declare her intentions."

That was precisely Lily’s plan.

She was convinced Han Ziyu was infatuated with Qi Li. After all, how could someone of her status tolerate being a stand-in for so long unless she was deeply in love?

By framing her question this way, Lily believed she had cornered Han Ziyu:

1. If Han Ziyu denied wanting Qi Li back, her words would only deepen the perceived rift between them, which Lily …