The first rule of the Lu residence was simple.
No one questioned Lu Shen.
The second rule was even simpler.
No one waited for him.
Yet for reasons Xiaoyu refused to admit, she found herself glancing at the front entrance every few minutes.
It was nearly eight in the evening.
Dinner had been prepared an hour ago.
The dishes remained untouched.
Madam Chen noticed immediately.
"Mrs. Lu, would you like the kitchen to serve your meal?"
Xiaoyu closed the book resting on her lap.
"I'm not waiting for anyone."
"Of course."
Madam Chen smiled gently, though the expression suggested she didn't believe a word.
"I'll ask them to keep everything warm."
---
The mansion became quieter after sunset.
The servants moved like shadows through endless corridors, their footsteps almost impossible to hear.
Xiaoyu wandered into the library again.
It had quickly become her favorite place.
Unlike the rest of the house, it felt lived in.
Some books carried folded corners.
Others contained handwritten notes in the margins.
She selected one at random and settled into a leather chair beside the window.
Outside, rain began falling.
Soft at first.
Then heavier.
The sound reminded her of another night.
Another house.
Another family.
Fragments appeared inside her mind.
Her father standing beside a piano.
Her mother laughing as she arranged flowers.
Someone knocking at the front door.
Then...
nothing.
The memory disappeared before she could reach it.
She pressed her fingers against her temples.
The headaches were becoming more frequent.
"You should stop forcing yourself."
She looked up.
Lu Shen stood near the entrance of the library.
His suit jacket rested over one arm, his tie slightly loosened.
For the first time since meeting him, he looked tired.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
"I wasn't forcing anything."
"You were."
"You seem very confident."
"I've seen it before."
The words slipped out naturally.
Too naturally.
Silence filled the room.
Xiaoyu slowly lowered her hands.
"What does that mean?"
Lu Shen realized his mistake.
"It means headaches get worse when you refuse to rest."
"You almost said something else."
"I didn't."
"You did."
He walked toward the bookshelf instead of answering.
His fingers brushed across familiar titles until they stopped on a thick hardcover novel.
He pulled it free and placed it on the table between them.
"Read this."
She glanced at the cover.
"The Art of Letting Go."
Xiaoyu looked back at him.
"Is this your way of giving advice?"
"No."
"What is it then?"
"A recommendation."
She laughed quietly.
"I didn't know billionaires recommended books."
"I don't."
"So why now?"
His answer came after several seconds.
"Because you look lonely."
The smile disappeared from her face.
No one had said those words aloud in years.
Everyone assumed she was strong.
Independent.
Resilient.
No one noticed loneliness.
She looked away first.
"I prefer being alone."
"I know."
"But preference and reality aren't always the same."
The room became silent again.
Only the rain continued speaking.
---
Dinner was served at nine.
For the first time since the marriage contract was signed, they sat beside each other instead of across from one another.
Not intentionally.
Madam Chen had quietly arranged only two places at the smaller table overlooking the garden.
The atmosphere felt less formal.
Almost normal.
Xiaoyu picked up her tea.
"Madam Chen is trying very hard."
"At what?"
"Making us look like a married couple."
Lu Shen calmly cut his food.
"She's optimistic."
"And you're not?"
"I prefer facts."
"What fact?"
"You're counting the days until the contract ends."
She stopped moving.
He wasn't wrong.
Every morning she woke up reminding herself this marriage was temporary.
Every night she repeated the same promise.
Don't become comfortable.
Don't trust him.
Don't forget.
Yet somehow...
the mansion no longer felt completely unfamiliar.
That realization unsettled her.
---
After dinner, Madam Chen appeared carrying several garment bags.
She placed them carefully on the sofa.
"The tailor delivered these."
Xiaoyu frowned.
"What are they?"
"Evening gowns."
"So many?"
"There were twelve."
"I selected four."
Before Xiaoyu could respond, Lu Shen looked up from the documents in his hands.
"Show her the blue one."
Madam Chen smiled knowingly and unzipped the bag.
Deep midnight blue silk caught the light like water beneath a full moon.
It was elegant without being extravagant.
Beautiful without demanding attention.
Xiaoyu reached out carefully.
The fabric felt impossibly soft.
"It's expensive."
"Yes."
"I can't accept it."
"You can."
"I'm returning it."
"It's already yours."
She looked at Lu Shen.
"Do you always solve arguments by buying things?"
"No."
"Then what do you usually do?"
"I wait."
"For what?"
"For people to realize they're arguing with themselves."
She stared at him.
Then unexpectedly...
she laughed.
A real laugh this time.
Not forced.
Not polite.
Madam Chen quietly hid her smile and excused herself.
The sound lingered in the room long after it ended.
Lu Shen continued reading his documents.
But the page hadn't changed for several minutes.
---
Near midnight, Xiaoyu stepped onto the balcony.
The rain had stopped.
The city stretched endlessly beneath the stars.
She wrapped her arms around herself.
Without warning, a jacket settled gently across her shoulders.
She turned.
Lu Shen was already stepping back.
"You'll catch a cold."
"I'm fine."
"So you always say."
She touched the sleeve.
It was still warm.
"Thank you."
He nodded once.
No unnecessary words.
No awkward silence.
Just two people standing beneath the same night sky.
Far beyond the mansion gates, hidden inside a parked sedan, a camera lens focused on the balcony.
Click.
Another photograph.
Click.
Another.
The man lowered the camera and smiled.
He opened a secure messaging application and attached the images.
Subject: Observation Report
The distance between them is decreasing faster than expected.
A reply arrived almost instantly.
Continue watching.
Do not interfere.
The man looked back toward the illuminated balcony.
Two figures stood quietly side by side.
Neither noticed they were being watched.
Neither realized that every step bringing them closer...
was leading them toward a truth neither was prepared to face.