The city sparkled beneath them, a sea of glass and light, but in Zhao Luchen's penthouse, the world felt still.
Lin Yuyan stood barefoot on the marble floor, her crimson gown pooled at her feet. She'd shed it like a skin—tonight's performance over. The silence between them was no longer hollow; it hummed with something deeper. Tender. Unspoken.
Luchen watched her from the doorway of the bedroom. His tie was loose, shirt half-unbuttoned, a drink untouched in his hand.
"You've been quiet," she said, brushing her hair free from its pins.
"You've been avoiding the question."
She turned, brows lifting. "What question?"
He took a slow step closer. "Why didn't you tell me?"
She blinked. "Tell you what?"
"That someone's been watching you. Messaging you."
Yuyan stilled.
She hadn't told anyone. Not even him. But of course—he knew. He always knew.
She didn't lie. "Because it would change things."
"It already has."
He reached her, placing the glass on a side table without looking away.
Her voice dropped. "Do you think it's him?"
"I don't want to think that."
She met his gaze. "But you do."
Luchen's jaw clenched. "I don't want the past dragging you back. Not when you're finally starting to live forward."
Yuyan looked down at her bare feet, then slowly stepped into his space. Close enough to feel his warmth, to smell the faint trace of sandalwood and tension.
"I'm not afraid of the past," she whispered.
"But I am," he replied, voice low. "Because it cost me you once."
Her fingers found the edge of his undone collar. "You didn't lose me, Luchen. I walked away because I didn't know who you were."
"And now?"
She hesitated—just a breath.
"Now, I'm starting to believe you're the one who stayed."
That undid him.
He cupped her face with both hands, tentative at first, like she might fade. Her skin was warm beneath his touch. She didn't flinch.
His lips brushed her forehead, then her cheek, then hovered just above her mouth.
"You don't have to be brave tonight," he whispered.
She kissed him.
Soft at first, then deeper—like something buried and burning was finally being exhaled. Her hands slid under his shirt, fingers splayed across his back.
Luchen walked them slowly to the bed. She let him.
But just as he leaned in to claim more, she stilled.
"Not yet," she murmured against his lips. "I want this... but not when there's still someone in the shadows."
He rested his forehead against hers. "I'll find out who it is."
Yuyan looked away. "And if it's him?"
"I'll still be here."
She swallowed, heart pounding. "Promise?"
His thumb traced the edge of her jaw. "I've broken a lot of things. Not this."
**
Later, she fell asleep beside him, wrapped in his arms, the city lights blinking through the window like stars trying to reach her.
But in her dream, a voice whispered her name from a distance.
She turned toward it.
And woke with a shiver.
**
Across the city, in a dim hotel room, someone watched their photos on a tablet—Luchen and Yuyan smiling, holding hands, wrapped in glittering illusion.
He touched the screen, eyes narrowing.
"So that's how it is, brother?"
Then, he laughed softly.
"I wonder how long she'll smile once she learns what you've done."
**