---
The car moved steadily through the quiet streets, the soft patter of the rain against the windshield providing a gentle rhythm to the silence inside.
Lin Yue sat quietly on the passenger side, her eyes cast outside the window.
Her lips were pale, her expression unreadable, and her fingers played absentmindedly with the hem of the coat.
Liang Yexuan, who had just finished a call, shifted slightly and gave her a side glance.
His sharp eyes caught the subtle tremble in her body and the paleness of her lips.
"Where are you going?" he asked, his voice cold, devoid of emotion. "Or do you want to come with me?"
Lin Yue blinked, pulled out of her daze by his voice.
She turned to look at him, startled for a moment by the directness of the question.
Her cheeks flushed the moment her eyes met his.
She bit her bottom lip and then looked down at her fingers nervously clasped together on her lap.
"Yunhe Garden... I'm going to Yunhe Garden."
He nodded once, without a word, and began typing something on his phone as the driver said, "Yes."
—
The rest of the drive was steeped in silence.
The only sound came from the soft clacks of his fingers flying over his phone screen.
Lin Yue stole glances at him from time to time, her gaze lingering longer than necessary.
His face was composed, his brows drawn together slightly as he worked.
He looked so calm and in control—as if nothing in the world could shake him.
But it was this very calmness that tugged at something deep inside her.
Her Ah Yan, who used to sit beside her on the rooftop, their backs against the wall, eyes on the endless sky.
He rarely spoke, but the silence between them had been comforting, warm even.
She closed her eyes briefly, pressing her fingers into her lap.
Back then, the silence was warm.
But now...
Now, it was ice-cold.
But even so, being next to him like this gave her a strange sense of peace.
He wasn't yelling. He wasn't pushing her away. He wasn't accusing her, filled with cold words and accusations.
And she... she could pretend.
She could pretend for a while that nothing had changed.
He was the loving Ah Yan.
—
The car soon pulled up in front of Yunhe Garden. The gate loomed before them, the rain now coming down in steady sheets.
Lin Yue moved to take off the black trench coat draped over her shoulders.
She hesitated for a moment—just one moment—before removing it and gently placing it over the console between them.
"Thank you," she said quietly, without looking at him.
Liang Yexuan didn't respond. He merely stared at her, his eyes unreadable.
She reached for the door, but a gust of wind sent a chill through her body.
Before she could open it, Liang Yexuan made a slight gesture.
Jin Shu, sitting in the front passenger seat, immediately stepped out of the car and opened the back door.
He addressed her, "Miss Lin, please take this."
He handed her a black umbrella.
She took it with both hands, her eyes flicking toward Liang Yexuan.
He wasn't looking at her.
His gaze was fixed on his phone, his expression cold.
Her fingers curled around the umbrella's handle, her throat tightening.
"Thank you... again," she whispered, then stepped out into the rain.
The umbrella shielded her from the downpour, but the cold still found its way to her skin.
She wrapped her arms around herself as she walked slowly toward the entrance.
—
Inside the car, Liang Yexuan finally looked at the rear-view mirror.
For just a second, he watched her slim figure disappear behind the gate, her silhouette bathed in shadows and rain.
Then he turned away.
"Drive," he said curtly.
The driver nodded.
The car engine started, and within moments, the sleek black vehicle drove away, tires splashing through puddles as it disappeared into the stormy night.
---
Not far from the Liang Conglomerate building, standing near a lamppost partially sheltered by the overhang of a closed café, was Liang Qianyu.
She was dressed immaculately despite the weather—her beige heels splashed by shallow puddles, her designer handbag protected by the umbrella she held with delicate fingers.
She had just returned from a high-end afternoon tea nearby with her socialite friends.
She'd then remembered—Liang Yexuan would be done with work around this time.
And instead of calling the family driver, she decided to wait near the building. It was pouring, but she didn't mind.
She wanted to go home with him.
Be with him.
Maybe even suggest dinner.
A cozy evening.
After all, they were practically family.
He treated her like family.
Besides, she'd missed him.
She spotted his car—sleek, dark, familiar—approaching from the corner of the street.
A radiant smile bloomed across her lips.
'He's coming', she thought, raising her phone to call him so he'd stop for her.
But before she could press dial, the car sped past her.
Her smile faltered. Her hand froze.
Her fingers paused over her phone as she stood frozen for a moment.
She turned her head, watching the car roll a few meters down the road.
Then it happened.
The car slowed then reversed driving back.
Her heart leaped.
Was he turning around for her?
A shy smile crept onto her lips, and she lowered the phone.
That was her brother. Cold on the outside, but he always noticed her.
Always cared.
The car came to a stop.
But not in front of her.
It stopped at the bus stop... up ahead.
Her eyes widened.
Under the streetlight, a young woman stood alone, drenched, her long hair plastered to her shoulders, clinging to her soaked dress.
The rain had not been kind to her, but instead of looking like a mess, she looked ethereal—fragile and hauntingly beautiful even though she couldn't see her face clearly.
Like a scene from a painting.
Then—without hesitation—that woman got into the car.
Liang Qianyu felt something crack.
Her perfectly manicured nails dug into the handle of her umbrella.
Her breathing quickened.
Who the hell was that?
Who was that woman?
Why did she get into Liang Yexuan's car?
She however knew that whoever that woman was… she wasn't just anyone.
Her brother didn't let just anyone into his car.
She couldn't see the girl's face clearly through the misted windows, but there was something infuriatingly graceful about her presence.
It made Liang Qianyu feel... threatened.
Her jaw tightened.
She stared at the spot where the car had stopped, watching the taillights vanish into the storm.
She picked up her phone and dialed the family driver.
The driver answered quickly.
"Young Miss?"
"Pick me up now. I'll send my location," she said icily.
As she hung up, her eyes remained on the path the car had taken.
Whoever that girl was… she'd better not have ideas about Liang Yexuan.
Or she'd regret ever crossing Liang Qianyu.
Because Liang Yexuan was hers.
And no one—absolutely no one—was going to take him away.
Liang Qianyu's eyes narrowed, her heart thudding with fury.
She had fought too hard, waited too long.
She would not lose him.
Not to some nobody or whoever she was.
Not ever.
---