The words Elder Yang spoke lingered in the air, echoing in Lian's chest with each step she took. But she didn't look back. Her feet carried her steadily forward, even as a faint wave of dizziness washed over her. She ignored it, forcing herself to keep walking until she reached the gardens outside the banquet hall.
Cool air kissed her cheeks as she sank quietly onto the grass, heels discarded beside her. She tilted her head to the sky, searching for answers in the stars, but none came. Her chest ached. Her throat burned. But no tears fell.
"…My cousin was very cruel to you, wasn't he?"
Lian blinked and turned her head slightly to see Zhao Meilin, dressed in a pale lilac evening gown, quietly sitting beside her.
She didn't respond, just gave a glance. Not cold, but distant.
Meilin folded her hands in her lap. "He reopened your family's case. He wants to find out what really happened all those years ago." She exhaled. "I've never seen Yifan beg anyone before, Li Lian. He's prideful, cold… but for you, he's different. Please… don't make him lose his mind."
Lian smiled faintly, but it didn't reach her eyes. "It's not that simple, Miss Guan."
"Then explain it to me."
She looked forward again. "His father looks at me like I'm dirt beneath his shoes. His mother she doesn't even have to speak to make me feel unwelcome. That world of yours? It's a chessboard I stopped playing on a long time ago. Everyone's a player. Everyone has a motive. If I stay… I'll be the target of every hidden agenda in this city."
Her fingers gripped the grass beneath her.
"Yifan is a weight I can't seem to lift."
Meilin stared at her for a long moment, her voice dropping lower, almost pleading.
"…But isn't it better to carry the weight together… than to hurt alone till the very end?"
Lian didn't answer.
"…Think about it, Lian… please." Meilin's voice lingered for a second longer before she stood and turned, heels quietly clicking back into the glow of the banquet hall.
Lian remained still for a beat, chest rising and falling slowly, before finally pushing herself up. Her heels brushed against the trimmed grass as she walked toward the gates. Yixi was waiting just a few paces behind.
"Wanna call it a night? Brother Liwei will be joining us later," Yixi said softly, her voice unusually careful.
"Okay," Lian replied, voice distant.
The car ride home was long and drenched in silence. No music, no small talk. Only the quiet hum of the engine and the occasional flicker of streetlights across Lian's face. Yixi didn't push her. She could tell something had shifted something deeper than a casual fight.
When the car finally pulled up to her building, Lian stepped out, murmured a faint "Thanks," and disappeared without even a wave. Yixi watched her go in silence, letting the door close with a soft click before telling the driver to leave.
Lian walked into her apartment like a ghost, stripped off the glitter of the evening, and stood under the hot spray of the shower for what felt like forever. When she emerged, skin pink and mind numb, she slipped into her sleepwear and crawled onto her bed, the events of the night circling her head like vultures.
She picked up her phone.
Her fingers hovered, hesitating. Then, finally, with a deep breath, she typed:
> I love you, Zhao Yifan. I'm sorry.
Her thumb hovered, trembling over the send button.
But then—
She pressed it.
The message went through.
> I love you, Zhao Yifan. I'm sorry.
Lian dropped her phone onto the bed, rolling onto her side with a frustrated sigh. Sleep refused to come. The silence in the room only made the beating of her heart louder, more restless.
Then, A knock.
She sat up slowly, brows furrowed. Who would knock at this hour?
Throwing on a robe, she padded to the door and cracked it open. She gasped against the familiar warmth, her back hitting the door as it closed behind her with a soft thud. Her heart raced, her hands pressed flat against a firm chest.
Zhao Yifan.
He kissed her like a man starved, like he had read every word in her message and had no plans of letting her take it back.
He pulled back just slightly, foreheads touching, both breathless.
"You shouldn't say things like that and expect me to stay away," he whispered, voice raw and low, emotion threading every word.
Her lashes trembled. "How did you...?"
"I was already halfway here when I got your message."
Silence fell between them. Then softly, she asked, "What if I take it back?"
"Then I'll kiss you again," he murmured, brushing his nose against hers. "Until you forget how to push me away."
And then his lips found hers again, deeper this time, more desperate. Not just passion but apology, longing, and a promise.
...
After their steamy moments, she pulled back slightly, catching her breath. Her eyes trailed over his appearance, no tailored suit, no cold corporate armor. Just him, in simple sleepwear, looking more vulnerable than she'd ever seen him.
"Can I sleep here?" he asked softly. "Please… I won't do anything to you, I promise."
He paused, reading the uncertainty in her eyes.
"...I just, don't sleep well without you anymore."
She hesitated, lips parting with a silent breath. Then slowly, she nodded.
"...Okay."
She turned and locked the door behind them before leading him up the narrow staircase. Yifan looked around as they ascended, small living space, clean, modest. It wasn't what he was used to, but there was a warmth in its simplicity that tugged at him.
When they entered her room, he stifled a chuckle. "This is your room?"
She shot him a glare. "If you're going to complain, you can leave."
"I'm not complaining," he said, smile still lingering. "I just wasn't sure your bed would fit both of us."
"It won't if you take up half of it being dramatic."
He raised his hands in surrender and climbed in carefully, turning to face her. She turned off the light and slipped under the covers beside him. For a moment, there was silence, just the shared breath of two hearts still unsure but undeniably drawn.
His hand gently found hers under the duvet. "Good night, Lian."
"…Good night, Yifan."
And for once in a long time, he really did sleep well.
The warm rays of morning sun seeped through the curtains, falling across the tangled sheets. Lian stirred, her eyes fluttering open slowly. Then they shot wide as realization hit.
"Work!" she gasped, jolting upright and tumbling out of bed in a flurry. The movement stirred Yifan awake.
Still groggy, he sat up, back against the headboard, watching her silently as she rushed about, pulling open drawers, brushing her hair, muttering to herself about being late.
Only after she'd slipped into her blouse and stood in front of the mirror to do her makeup did he speak, voice husky with sleep.
"Good morning."
She blinked, startled. Her eyes met his in the mirror.
"Oh, good morning," she said, suddenly remembering he'd spent the night.
Yifan smiled softly, arms folded as he watched her flustered state. "You forgot I was here."
She turned back to the mirror quickly, cheeks warm. "…A little."
He chuckled under his breath. "I kind of like this version of you."
She shot him a glare through the mirror. "Keep talking and I'll be rushing you out of here next."
He raised a brow, feigning innocence. "I didn't even say anything inappropriate."
"You're doing it with your eyes."
Yifan laughed. "Then I better stay seated… or you'll be late and flustered."