The silence between them was thick—not the awkward kind, but the heavy, weighted hush of words unsaid. Gu Chenyan stepped into Lin Nian'an's apartment like he belonged there, but his eyes searched the space as if unsure whether he still did.
It was a cozy, minimalist place. Pale wooden floors, sheer curtains that softened the city's light, books stacked neatly in one corner. He spotted the small porcelain mug with a chip at the rim—he remembered that mug. She'd once threatened to throw it at him. He'd kept it in the cabinet for months after she left, untouched.
"You live here alone?" he asked, pulling his hands out of his coat pockets and resting them at his sides, like he didn't know what to do with them.
"I do," she said, arms crossed over her chest. "It's quiet. I like it."
He didn't respond. Just looked at her for a moment—really looked at her. Her red hair was loose tonight, waves cascading over her shoulders. The crimson in her strands looked darker under the soft lights, like garnet under glass. She looked tired. But even exhausted, she looked like fire made flesh.
"Nian'an." Her name fell from his lips softer than he'd intended.
"I said I needed time," she said before he could say more. "I'm not ready to jump into something with you."
"I didn't come to demand anything," he said.
She raised a brow, skeptical.
He offered a tight smile. "Not tonight, at least."
She let out a breath that might have been a laugh—or just relief. Then she turned and walked to the couch, curling up with the familiarity of someone who had done it a thousand times. "Why are you here, really?"
He didn't answer right away. He shrugged off his coat and folded it over the armrest, sitting beside her but not too close. The space between them was charged. Electric. Decades of history wrapped up in the single glance they exchanged.
"There's someone trying to push you out of the collaboration," he said quietly.
Lin Nian'an stiffened. "What do you mean?"
"The board of LanTech. Someone there—possibly Zhou Ming—is working with external investors. They want to remove your decision-making rights before the Q3 deal is finalized."
She stared at him. "You hacked into their board meetings?"
"No," he said, deadpan. "I had lunch with their legal consultant and let's just say… she talks more than she should."
Nian'an exhaled, rubbing her temples. "Of course they'd try to get rid of me. I'm the last reminder of the old leadership."
"You're more than a reminder," he said.
She looked at him again. "So what do you want me to do? Fight?"
"No. I want you to be ready." He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "This isn't about proving anything to them. This is about you remembering who you are. You didn't come back to this city to hide."
She was quiet for a long moment. Then: "It's exhausting."
"I know."
"You always act like you're unbreakable."
He let out a dry chuckle. "And you always see right through me."
Another pause. Then she asked, "Why did you really come tonight?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Finally, he said, "Because I needed to see you. Because I couldn't stop thinking about how you looked that night on the terrace. Like you were about to disappear again."
She closed her eyes, tilting her head back. "Do you want to save me again, Gu Chenyan?"
He shook his head. "No. I just want to stand next to you this time."
Meanwhile, at LanTech headquarters, Zhou Ming sat at his desk flipping through confidential strategy documents. His phone buzzed—an anonymous message.
Gu Chenyan was at Lin Nian'an's apartment tonight.
He smirked.
"Perfect," he muttered.
To him, this was more than business. It was a power play. Gu Chenyan had always been a shadow he couldn't outrun—richer, more refined, born with every advantage. And now? Now he had Lin Nian'an too.
That wouldn't last.
He picked up the phone and dialed a number.
"Activate the fallback plan," he said. "We're leaking the merger documents tomorrow."
"You'll be exposed."
"So will she," he said coldly. "And when that happens, the board will have no choice but to remove her."
The next morning, Lin Nian'an stepped into her office to find chaos.
"Ma'am," her assistant stammered. "These documents… they were posted online early this morning."
Lin Nian'an scanned the files on the tablet. Her heart sank.
They were merger documents—edited, skewed, and presented to make it seem like she had been colluding with Gu Chenyan for her own benefit. The narrative was clear: she was abusing her role for personal gain.
"I need the PR team," she said immediately. "Now."
Within thirty minutes, the office was a war room. Lawyers, spokespersons, board members—all scrambling.
Her phone buzzed.
Gu Chenyan: I saw it. I'm coming over.
She texted back: No. I'll handle this.
He didn't reply.
By 11 a.m., she was standing in front of a dozen board members, her voice calm despite the adrenaline in her veins.
"I didn't orchestrate this merger with Gu Group. The documents posted online are fabricated. But even if they weren't, my record speaks for itself. I have doubled our quarterly profits. I've brought in three international deals. I revived this company from near death."
There was silence.
Zhou Ming leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "And yet, the optics are damaging. Perception matters."
She met his eyes. "You wouldn't know truth if it hit you in the face."
The tension was thick. Until the door burst open.
Gu Chenyan.
He strode in like he owned the building.
"I'll clarify," he said, walking straight to the center of the room. "These documents were edited. I have the originals—and full chain-of-custody metadata proving it. Zhou Ming's assistant leaked them. She's already in custody."
Gasps erupted.
"You're bluffing," Zhou Ming barked.
"No," Gu Chenyan replied, deadly calm. "You are."
He tossed a flash drive onto the table. "Play it."
The boardroom fell into silence as video footage played—a recorded conversation between Zhou Ming and an investor, discussing the leak. Discussing Lin Nian'an's removal.
When the video ended, the chair of the board stood up. "Mr. Zhou, you are hereby suspended pending investigation."
Zhou Ming stood, furious. "This is a setup!"
"You set yourself up," Nian'an said.
He stormed out.
She turned to Gu Chenyan. "You really didn't wait."
He offered a ghost of a smile. "I said I wouldn't demand anything. I never said I wouldn't protect you."
That night, they stood again on her rooftop.
"What now?" she asked, arms around herself.
He looked at her with something vulnerable in his usually guarded eyes. "Now… we take it one step at a time."
She leaned into him. Just a little.
And this time, she didn't pull away when his fingers brushed hers.