The upscale mall buzzed with soft background music and the distant murmur of polished heels against marble floors. Jiaxuan strolled through the wide corridors with an effortless grace, dressed in a soft cream blouse and flowing beige trousers. Her delicate earrings caught the light as she walked, pushing the stroller where little Yichen sat, his wide, curious eyes taking in the colorful displays around him.
They'd already passed through the children's section of a luxury department store, where Jiaxuan had purchased a mix of organic baby formula, a variety of fruit snacks, and a miniature designer outfit she couldn't resist. She had asked the clerk to double-bag the milk cartons—Yichen had started getting picky lately, and she wanted to stock up on the brand he liked.
"Do you like the panda snacks, Yichen?" she cooed softly, handing him a small rice puff. The toddler giggled in response, his cheeks round with delight.
She continued moving leisurely through the mall, entering a high-end boutique she used to only window-shop. Today felt different. She had Shenzhi's black card in her purse, but it wasn't just the money that gave her confidence—it was the quiet satisfaction of being able to walk into these places not as a bystander, but as someone who now belonged.
She bought herself two dresses, a lightweight summer coat, and a matching pair of designer flats. The staff, already familiar with her face, greeted her warmly and offered complimentary refreshments. Jiaxuan accepted a glass of iced jasmine tea as she browsed the accessories section.
That was when her eyes caught something.
It was simple, elegant,a navy-blue silk tie with a subtle pattern of fine silver threads woven through. Nothing too flashy, but refined and expensive. The kind of tie that said power without needing to raise its voice.
She hesitated for only a second.
It reminded her of him. The exact kind of tie Shenzhi' would wear to a board meeting. Or to a quiet dinner where he wouldn't say much, but his presence alone could silence a room.
"I'll take that one too," she said softly to the attendant, pointing to the tie.
The shop assistant smiled, carefully placing the tie in a velvet box. "Would you like us to wrap it as a gift?"
Jiaxuan paused, then nodded. "Yes, please."
As they moved to the counter, her eyes lingered on the tie for a moment longer. She didn't know if he'd even wear it. He still barely looked at her some days, as though unsure of where she truly belonged. And yet… part of her wanted to give it to him. Not to win him over, not this time but because in the smallest way, it made her feel like a wife.
She glanced down at Yichen, who was now dozing peacefully in his stroller.
"I hope you like it," she whispered to herself, clutching the small gift bag as she stepped out into the sunlight pouring through the glass dome above the atrium. The day was far from over, but for now, she felt steady. Grounded. In control.
And somewhere deep inside her heart, she hoped the tie would be more than just silk and thread,maybe it would be a thread between them. However thin, it was a start.Jiaxuan continued down the polished halls of the luxury mall, pushing Yichen's stroller with one hand while adjusting the soft leather handles of the boutique bags in the other. Her steps were light, her smile effortless an image of quiet contentment.
After purchasing the tie, she made her way to the gourmet food section. It was her first time buying groceries at such an upscale market, where the fruits gleamed as if polished by hand and the seafood displays looked like curated art pieces. She selected fresh strawberries, organic vegetables, and a few premium cuts of beef and salmon—things she planned to cook that week. A small part of her, admittedly, hoped that a well-cooked meal might draw Shenzhi' into sitting at the dinner table with her more often.
At the dairy section, she picked out imported baby yogurt and milk for Yichen, recalling his recent tantrums whenever she tried to feed him anything remotely bland. She grabbed a new brand of oat-based puffs too, smiling at the cartoon lion on the packaging. Maybe this one would make him laugh.
When she turned into a corner of the store reserved for seasonal gifts and novelty items, she spotted a plush teddy bear big, soft, and wearing a golden crown. Without hesitation, she added it to her cart. It wasn't just for Yichen. It was for the little warmth that was slowly growing in their home, despite the coldness that lingered in Shenzhi's eyes.
Her phone buzzed. A reminder she had set the night before: Pick something you like, Jiaxuan. You deserve it.
She smiled faintly and entered a final boutique on impulse a perfume house with shelves lined in mirrored glass and gold trim. The air smelled of gardenias and expensive promises.
"Would you like to try our newest scent?" the clerk asked politely, gesturing toward a slim glass bottle.
Jiaxuan lifted her wrist, letting the clerk spritz a small amount. She inhaled deeply. It was floral at first, then musky,mature, sensual, confident.
"I'll take it," she said.
As she walked back to her car, Yichen sleeping soundly, her hands full of thoughtful purchases and her heart filled with a quiet kind of pride, Jiaxuan knew she hadn't just been shopping. She was carving out pieces of her identity again. Not the Jiaxuan who was constantly belittled, accused, or made invisible. But the Jiaxuan who could give, care, create, and live on her own terms.
She opened the car door and placed the tie carefully in the passenger seat beside her, resting it atop the shopping bags. It was wrapped, yes, but not just in velvet and ribbon.
It was wrapped in hope.
The sky had turned a shade of burnished gold by the time Jiaxuan returned home. Sunlight filtered through the vast windows of the estate as the maids opened the gates to let the black SUV in. Her driver parked carefully, and she stepped out, adjusting her coat and gathering the shopping bags in one arm while carefully lifting the sleeping Yichen in the other.
Inside, the house was quiet—eerily so. The sort of silence that settled only in large homes, where too many rooms were left untouched and conversations hung like ghosts in the air. She thanked the housekeeper softly as she helped carry the bags into the kitchen.
"Madam, should I wake the Master?" the maid asked hesitantly.
Jiaxuan shook her head. "No, let him rest. I'll take care of it."
She changed Yichen's diaper gently and laid him in his crib, kissing his forehead. Then she returned to the kitchen and began unpacking the groceries. The meal she planned would take time, but she didn't rush. She peeled, chopped, simmered her movements filled with quiet grace, her mind focused. Tonight would be different. She would not cry. She would not beg. She would simply be... present. Visible.
The scent of garlic, rosemary, and butter began to spread through the mansion.
Upstairs, Shenzhi' had been reading through a contract in his study, the same paragraph for over fifteen minutes. Something was gnawing at him, something he couldn't name. Eventually, curiosity or perhaps the subtle pull of comfort led him to the second floor hallway where the scent of food teased him toward the stairs.
He descended slowly, one hand in the pocket of his grey slacks. His sharp gaze swept across the living room to the kitchen where he saw her.
Jiaxuan.
She wore a soft beige apron over a flowing white dress, her hair tied back. Her movements were light, purposeful. Not desperate. Not cold. She didn't even notice him watching at first. When she turned, their eyes met.
"Ah, you're here," she said with a gentle smile, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. "I thought you might be hungry. Dinner is almost ready."
He didn't speak. His expression was unreadable, but he stepped into the room.
"I got some fresh seafood. And I found this new cut of wagyu beef—Yichen is still asleep, but I thought you and I could eat first."
She turned back to the counter and reached into a paper bag. "Also…"
She held out a rectangular box, neatly wrapped in silver and tied with a navy ribbon. "I saw this and thought of you."
He didn't take it immediately. "What is it?"
"A tie," she said, still smiling. "Blue—your favorite shade. I remember you used to wear one like it when we first met."
There was something warm and vulnerable in her voice, like a familiar tune played quietly in the background of a storm.
Shenzhi' stared at the gift. Then he finally took it.
"Why are you doing all this?" he asked, voice low, as he set the box on the table.
Her smile faltered for a second, but then she met his eyes steady, not wavering. "Because I want to," she replied. "Because I still want this marriage to work. Not for appearances, or family, or even for Yichen but for us. I want you to remember I was always here, even when I felt invisible."
He looked at her, still silent. Then he opened the box. The silk tie shimmered under the soft kitchen lights simple, elegant, unmistakably his style.
"I don't expect this to change anything," she added. "I just wanted to do something for you… something I used to love doing."
The food finished cooking. Jiaxuan served it, setting two plates at the table. "Come sit," she said, voice bright again. "Eat while it's warm."
And he did.
For the first time in a long while, Shenzhi' sat at the table with his wife. He ate the meal she prepared with care. The silence between them wasn't empty it was full of tension, yes, but also possibility. And maybe, just maybe, a flicker of something lost but not extinguished.
Shenzhi' chewed slowly, his gaze occasionally drifting toward Jiaxuan, who was sitting across from him with her eyes lowered, carefully slicing a piece of her steak. She hadn't said anything else since inviting him to eat. No prodding. No pleading. Just silence—and that damned smile of hers. Sweet, soft, and persistent.
It wasn't like her. Or maybe it was. Maybe this was the version of her he had forgotten.
He looked down at the food on his plate. Perfectly cooked. She still remembered his preferences—the seasoning, the temperature of the steak, even how he liked his wine slightly chilled.
She hadn't cried. Hadn't raised her voice. Even after the storm of that morning, even after being humiliated in front of his family, she simply cleaned herself up and moved forward, like none of it ever happened.
Was she pretending? Trying to manipulate him again?
But then his eyes flicked to her hands. There was a tiny burn on her wrist, pink and raw. Her fingers were red from peeling, probably from rushing too much. She wasn't faking the effort.
He hated this.
He hated the way she acted like she didn't care, while making it obvious that she did. The way she offered him a tie, called him "honey," asked him to help her choose outfits—as if she didn't remember all the wounds between them.
He hated that a small part of him… didn't hate it at all.
She wasn't begging. She wasn't clinging.
She was fighting, in her own way—soft and smiling, cooking and buying, using warmth instead of words. Not once had she mentioned the accusation, the slap, or Rouluan's lie.
He looked at her again, and their eyes met for a moment. She smiled. That same calm smile.
It unsettled him more than tears ever could.
Shenzhi' clenched his jaw and reached for his wine. He had to remind himself why he couldn't forgive her. Why he had to stay cold. Why he needed to keep the distance between them.
But the tie sat on the table like a quiet reminder that she remembered him. That somewhere along the way, even if she had followed another man in the past, she once loved him enough to learn the little things.
Maybe… she still did.
And for the first time in weeks, he didn't get up and leave the table early.
After dinner, Shenzhi' returned to his study, the navy-blue tie neatly placed beside his files. He hadn't touched it since she handed it to him, but he hadn't moved it either. It stayed there—like her presence—lingering.
A knock sounded on the door before it slowly creaked open.
Jiaxuan peeked in, holding a glass of warm milk in both hands. "You didn't say if you liked the tie," she said softly, stepping in with quiet grace.
He glanced up briefly, his expression unreadable. "It's just a tie."
Her lips twitched into a smirk as she closed the door behind her and walked in. "A very expensive one," she replied, placing the glass on his desk before leaning against it. "Silk. Hand-stitched. Limited edition. I thought of you the moment I saw it."
He said nothing, his eyes dropping to his laptop screen again.
Jiaxuan let out a light breath, her tone turning teasing. "Or… maybe you didn't like it? Should I have gotten you something else? Socks? A matching handkerchief? Or perhaps—" she leaned down slightly, tilting her head to meet his gaze "—a kiss to go with it?"
That made his fingers still over the keyboard.
He didn't look at her right away. She could tell he was trying to stay unmoved. Cold. Distant. But she also noticed the slight tension in his shoulders, the subtle shift in his breathing.
"You're trying too hard," he said finally, voice low.
Jiaxuan smiled sweetly. "Maybe," she admitted, brushing imaginary lint off his shoulder. "But if I don't try… how will you ever look at me again the way you used to?"
His eyes snapped up to hers, and for a fleeting second, something flickered there—surprise, confusion… warmth?
But then he stood, putting a sliver of space between them.
"Go to bed," he said, voice flat. "It's late."
Her smile didn't falter. She stepped back obediently, then paused at the door. "You didn't answer me, though."
He raised an eyebrow.
She pointed to the tie. "Did you like it?"
Shenzhi' hesitated. "It's decent."
Jiaxuan grinned and left without another word, her heart racing. It wasn't much—but in a house where silence had grown louder than words, "decent" was a beginning