"Miss Chi, please follow me."
An older woman in a immaculate black-and-white uniform broke the heavy silence in the foyer. She had a kind but strictly professional face. "I am Auntie Lin, the head housekeeper of Jingyuan. I will show you to the master bedroom."
Shuyi stood frozen at the bottom of the grand staircase, her wet clothes clinging uncomfortably to her skin. She looked at the massive front doors, guarded by two men in black suits.
There was no running away.
Swallowing the lump of despair in her throat, she clutched the damp towel around her shoulders and followed Auntie Lin up the winding marble stairs.
The second floor was breathtakingly large, but it felt empty and cold. They stopped in front of heavy double doors made of dark oak. Auntie Lin opened them, stepping aside to let Shuyi enter.
Shuyi walked in and immediately held her breath.
The master bedroom was enormous, designed in strict shades of charcoal, slate gray, and dark wood. A massive king-sized bed dominated the center of the room. There were no bright colors, no soft decorations, and no flowers. It was completely masculine. It looked exactly like Lu Tingzhou—cold, intimidating, and flawlessly put together.
It didn't look like a room that belonged to a woman. It certainly didn't look like a room prepared for Chi Shuran.
Shuran loved light pinks, creamy whites, and soft lace. If Lu Tingzhou was really planning to marry Shuran and move her in, why hadn't he changed a single thing about this room?
"The bathroom is through that door, Miss Chi," Auntie Lin said, interrupting her thoughts. "The water is already drawn. Please take your time. If you need anything, there is a bell by the sink."
"Thank you, Auntie Lin," Shuyi whispered politely.
The housekeeper bowed slightly and closed the bedroom doors, leaving Shuyi completely alone in the silent, imposing space.
Shuyi walked into the bathroom and almost gasped. The bathtub was the size of a small swimming pool, filled with steaming hot water and smelling faintly of expensive cedarwood body wash.
She peeled off her wet, ruined clothes and stepped into the water. The heat instantly surrounded her freezing body, causing her to let out a long, shuddering breath. She sank down until the water reached her chin, wrapping her arms around her knees.
Finally, in the privacy of the warm bathroom, the tears she had been holding back finally broke free.
She cried silently, her shoulders shaking. She cried for the awful funeral. She cried for her parents' cruel words. But most of all, she cried because of the terrifying reality she was now trapped in.
Lu Tingzhou's cold order echoed in her mind.
What did he mean by that? He was a healthy, powerful man in his late twenties. He had just lost his fiancé, and he had kidnapped her sister—a woman who shared the exact same face.
Shuyi bit her lip hard enough to taste blood. If he tried to touch her tonight… could she fight him off?
Her inner voice answered bitterly. If you make him angry, he will destroy the Chi family. And then your parents will really kill you.
After scrubbing her skin until it was pink, Shuyi stepped out of the tub. She dried off and walked over to the marble counter.
Sitting neatly folded on the counter were the clothes he had prepared.
Shuyi hesitated, slowly reaching out to unfold the fabric. It was a silk nightgown.
She blinked in confusion. It wasn't white. It wasn't innocent or laced with frills, the way Shuran always dressed.
It was a deep, rich emerald green.
Shuyi held it up against her body, looking at her reflection in the giant mirror. Shuran hated the color green. She always said it made people look too mature. But against Shuyi's pale skin and dark hair, the emerald silk looked stunning. It brought out a quiet, elegant beauty that she usually tried to hide under oversized sweaters and cheap jeans.
She slipped the nightgown over her head.
Her breath caught again. It fit perfectly. It wasn't too tight, but it hugged her waist and flowed down to her mid-calf in a way that felt entirely custom-made.
How did he know her size? Shuran was an inch taller and visibly thinner than Shuyi, possessing a delicate, sickly kind of beauty. Shuyi had a softer, curvier figure.
He probably just guessed, she told herself, trying to calm her racing heart. Or he told his assistant to buy a generic size.
Taking a deep breath, she tied the matching silk robe around her waist, grabbed a towel to dry her wet hair, and slowly opened the bathroom door.
The moment she stepped into the bedroom, she froze.
Lu Tingzhou was already there.
He was sitting casually on the dark leather sofa near the floor-to-ceiling windows. He had showered in another room. He was wearing loose black silk trousers and a matching black shirt that was unbuttoned at the top, revealing the strong lines of his chest. His usually slicked-back hair was falling slightly into his eyes, making him look less like a rigid CEO and more like a dangerous, sleeping predator.
He was holding a crystal glass of amber liquid, but he wasn't drinking. He was just watching her.
His dark eyes slowly swept over her, from her damp hair down to her bare feet on the carpet. When his gaze lingered on the way the emerald silk hugged her waist, a dark, heavy heat flashed in his eyes.
Shuyi's instincts screamed at her to run back into the bathroom and lock the door.
"Come here," his deep voice broke the silence.
Her feet felt glued to the floor. She clutched the towel tighter around her wet hair. "President Lu… I… I can sleep on the sofa."
"Chi Shuyi." He didn't raise his voice, but the warning was clear. He set his whiskey glass down on the glass table with a sharp clink. "I won't say it again."
Trembling, Shuyi forced her legs to move. She walked slowly across the thick carpet, stopping a few feet away from him. She kept her eyes glued to the floor, unable to look at his intense face.
"Sit." He pointed to the empty space on the sofa right beside him.
She awkwardly perched on the very edge of the cushion, trying to keep as much distance between them as possible.
Suddenly, Lu Tingzhou reached out and snatched the towel from her hands.
Shuyi flinched, expecting him to grab her wrist or pull her closer. Instead, he simply draped the towel over her wet head.
Before she could process what was happening, his large, warm hands were gently rubbing her hair through the towel.
Shuyi's eyes widened in pure shock. She stiffened, her whole body going rigid. The most powerful, ruthless man in the corporate world was sitting on a sofa, drying her hair like it was the most natural thing in the world.
"You didn't use the hairdryer," he noted calmly, his deep voice rumbling right above her ear.
"I… I didn't want to keep you waiting," she stammered, her heart doing backflips in her chest.
Lu Tingzhou's hands paused for a fraction of a second. Then, he continued drying the long strands, his touch surprisingly gentle.
"You are too tense," he said softly.
"How can I not be?" she burst out, her frustration momentarily overcoming her fear. She finally looked up, meeting his dark gaze. "I'm in your bedroom. Wearing clothes you bought. You won't let me go home. What do you want from me, President Lu? If you want me to act like her, just tell me. Tell me what to say so you'll be satisfied!"
The air in the room instantly dropped to freezing.
Lu Tingzhou slowly pulled the towel away from her hair, tossing it onto the table. The strange, gentle atmosphere vanished, replaced by a suffocating pressure.
He leaned in, his large hand wrapping around the back of her neck. He didn't squeeze, but his grip was unyielding, forcing her to look directly into his eyes.
"Listen to me very carefully, Chi Shuyi," he said, his voice dropping to a dangerous whisper. "I have never asked you to act like anyone else. If I hear you compare yourself to Shuran one more time in this house, I will punish you. Do you understand?"
Shuyi's breath hitched. He's angry because I'm ruining the illusion, she thought bitterly. He wants to pretend I'm her without me pointing out that it's a lie.
"I understand," she whispered softly, lowering her eyes so he wouldn't see the fresh tears gathering there.
He stared at her for a long moment, his thumb lightly stroking the sensitive skin at the nape of her neck. His dark eyes were complicated, filled with an emotion she couldn't read.
"Go to bed," he finally ordered, releasing her and standing up.
Shuyi quickly stood up too, her heart pounding. "Where… where are you going to sleep?"
Lu Tingzhou turned to look at her, his eyebrow raising slightly. "This is my room. Where do you think I am going to sleep?"
Panic flared in her chest. "But... but we can't! We're not married! You were supposed to marry my sister!"
"Get in the bed, Shuyi."
There was no room for negotiation in his tone. Defeated, Shuyi slowly walked over to the massive king-sized bed and climbed in, pulling the heavy silk duvet all the way up to her chin. She pressed herself onto the very edge of the right side, leaving a massive gap of empty space.
A moment later, the lights in the room clicked off, leaving only the dim glow of the city lights filtering through the windows.
The mattress dipped heavily.
Shuyi held her breath, squeezing her eyes shut as Lu Tingzhou got into the bed beside her. She felt the heat radiating from his large body. She waited for him to reach for her. She waited for the nightmare to begin.
But he didn't move. He simply lay on his back, staring at the ceiling.
"Go to sleep," his voice floated through the dark room, calm and steady. "I won't touch you tonight."
Shuyi let out a tiny, shaky breath of relief.
Just tonight, she thought fearfully. What about tomorrow?
Exhausted from the funeral, the rain, and the emotional whiplash, her tired body eventually betrayed her anxiety. Despite the terrifying man lying just inches away, her eyes grew heavy, and she slowly drifted into an uneasy sleep.
Hours later, in the middle of the night, the temperature in the room dropped. Shuyi shivered in her sleep, unconsciously seeking warmth.
A strong, muscular arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her flush against a solid, scorching chest.
Shuyi mumbled softly in her sleep, burying her face into his neck, intoxicated by the scent of pine and tobacco.
In the dark, Lu Tingzhou opened his eyes. He tightened his hold on the girl in his arms, pressing his lips to the crown of her hair.
"You're finally here," he whispered into the quiet night, his voice filled with a desperate, hidden obsession. "My Shuyi."