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Chapter 2 - 2)FIRST LOVE

The late summer sun spilled into the Jin estate's library, the golden light drifting lazily over the long rows of polished shelves. Dust motes swirled in the air like tiny stars, dancing in the warm glow. Sixteen-year-old Jin Leilei sat curled in the farthest corner, her knees drawn up, a book resting unopened on her lap. The soft murmur of conversation drifted in from the garden below — her stepmother's bright, melodic laughter, her stepsister's practiced giggles, and the false warmth in her father's voice as he entertained the afternoon guests.

Somewhere above, Liu An's voice carried through the corridors, cold and commanding as he ordered a servant to "clean properly." Even in the moments when she was left alone, this house found a way to remind her she didn't belong.

A sharp, almost impatient tap at the window pulled her from her thoughts.

She turned.

There, framed by sunlight and the greenery outside, stood Wang Shen. One arm braced against the window frame, his school jacket slung over a single shoulder, he looked as if he'd stepped straight out of a careless summer day. His hair was tousled from the breeze, his eyes glinting with a mischief that seemed to defy the stiffness of the world they both lived in.

"What are you doing in there, princess?" he asked, his voice a low tease. "Hiding from the dragons again?"

She couldn't help it — a smile tugged at the corners of her lips. "If by dragons you mean my stepmother and her little court, then yes."

He grinned, and in one smooth motion, swung himself over the sill. His feet landed soundlessly on the thick carpet, and with a small flourish, he pulled a paper bag from behind his back.

"For you," he said.

The familiar scent hit her before she even opened it — red bean pastries, warm and sweet, from the little bakery three streets over.

"You didn't have to—"

"I wanted to." His tone was light, but his gaze lingered on her, more serious than his words. "You've been looking tired lately."

She didn't tell him that she'd been teaching herself late into the night because Madam Liu had "forgotten" to arrange her tutoring for the upcoming exams. She didn't tell him how her father barely looked at her anymore, or how the servants' quick glances held pity they didn't dare voice.

With Wang Shen, she didn't have to explain.

They'd first met years ago, at a charity banquet her father had insisted she attend. She had been fifteen, silent in a sea of glittering gowns and sharp smiles, when a boy with an untucked shirt and an unpolished grin had found her in the corner. He'd made her laugh — a real, unguarded laugh — by mimicking the pompous speeches of the older businessmen until she nearly dropped her drink. From that night on, he had been her escape.

Now, sitting side by side in the dusty quiet of the library, they spoke of everything and nothing. He told her about the stray dog that had chased him halfway down the street, about a movie he wanted to take her to see, about his dream of one day getting a little place where she could be free from this suffocating house.

"Just you and me," he said, leaning back against the wall, "no dragons, no cages."

For the first time all week, Leilei felt… seen.

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