Wen Yifan followed her out of the restaurant with a predator's arrogance, his steps light, steady, practiced. The city had thinned out past midnight—just enough cars, just enough people, to keep the air alive without drawing attention.
Lin Xie turned the corner, slipping between two buildings, her posture neither rushed nor cautious.
He smirked.
She was alone. She was walking. No camera crew. No bodyguard. No CEO Shen Rui in sight. Just her.
Perfect.
He slipped in after her, his footsteps silent across cracked pavement. He didn't notice that the alley twisted oddly, that the end was blocked by rusted metal gates. No exits.
He didn't care.
"Lin Xie," he said, his voice low, smooth with the kind of poison he used on lesser girls. "You've been hard to approach. I thought we should talk."
She didn't turn around. Her hands remained by her sides. Still.
"You know, I didn't mean anything bad earlier," he continued, stepping closer. "I just wanted to get to know you better. You're... different."
Two steps closer.
No response.
Wen Yifan reached out and brushed her shoulder.
A mistake.
She moved before he could blink.
His wrist bent backwards at an unnatural angle with a sickening crunch. The crack echoed off the narrow walls like a gunshot.
"AAHH—!"
Before he could scream again, her hand slammed into his throat, cutting off the sound. His back hit the brick wall so hard it knocked the air out of him.
She stared into his eyes.
Blank. Emotionless.
A face like glass.
"You shouldn't have touched me," she said, tone flat.
He choked. "Y-you—y-you're crazy—"
She didn't answer. Her fist drove into his ribs like a piston.
Once. Twice.
He dropped to his knees. Vomited.
She waited until he looked up again—barely able to breathe—before she struck his cheek with the back of her hand, the blow loud and sharp. His head snapped sideways, blood blooming from his split lip.
"You thought I was prey," she said. "That I would be easy to handle."
Wen Yifan tried to crawl backward.
She grabbed him by the collar and dragged him upright, slamming him against the wall again.
"You poisoned my drink," she continued, voice still even, without hate. "You followed me here with intent. That qualifies as a threat."
She gripped his dislocated wrist.
He screamed.
Then she twisted.
The scream cut short as he passed out for a second.
He woke to the cold sting of dirty water being poured on his head.
She stood over him, crouched, studying him like a science project. "Do you feel fear now?"
He trembled. "P-please—stop—"
"Stop?" she echoed. "Because you regret it?"
He sobbed, shoulders shaking. "I—I won't do it again, I swear—"
Her hand closed around his throat, not choking—just holding. Steady. Unflinching.
"You will not speak of this," she said quietly. "You will not approach me again. You will not exist within my radius. Do you understand?"
He nodded rapidly.
She leaned in closer, so close he could see how empty her eyes were. "If you do not vanish, I will take your name, your spine, and your ability to ever be touched again. You will not recover."
Then she let go.
He collapsed into a heap on the pavement, gasping like a man freshly revived.
But she wasn't finished.
She pressed her heel into his hand—slowly, deliberately—until his bones began to bend beneath the pressure.
Wen Yifan screamed again, louder this time.
"Next time," she said, "I will not leave you breathing."
The sound of sirens wailed far in the distance, but Lin Xie didn't even glance up.
She simply stood, adjusted her sleeve, and looked down at him one last time.
There was no malice in her expression.
Just indifference.
Then, she stepped back.
And waited.
Because she wasn't done yet.
He wasn't going to leave this alley until she let him.
And right now, she wasn't feeling generous.
----
Lin Xie's footsteps echoed softly against the cracked pavement as she turned to leave the grim alley, her movements precise, controlled. The damp air clung to her coat, the faint scent of rain lingering on the breeze. But then, just ahead in the dim light, a figure stepped out of the shadows—Shen Rui. His presence was sudden but commanding, and his gaze pinned her in place.
For the first time in what felt like forever, Lin Xie's expression faltered. Her perfectly neutral mask slipped, if only for a heartbeat. She froze, an unfamiliar tension threading through her core. She didn't understand why the sight of him unsettled her—not because of fear or disgust, emotions she long dismissed—but because she didn't want him to be afraid or repulsed by what she'd just done.
Shen Rui's eyes were intense, searching, yet calm. He closed the distance between them with silent steps, his every movement deliberate and measured. When he reached her, he didn't say a word at first. Instead, he gently took her hand in his, his fingers warm and steady.
Leaning in, he pressed a soft kiss to the back of her hand. His breath brushed over her skin, carrying a faint warmth that made her pulse flicker beneath the surface.
"Does it hurt?" he asked quietly, his voice low but filled with genuine concern.
Lin Xie blinked, caught off guard by the tenderness. She remained silent, her face unreadable.
"I arrived at your hotel earlier," Shen Rui continued, "but you weren't there."
He hesitated, searching her face for any sign of how to proceed.
"When I found out you were having dinner with the filming crew and staff," he said, "I planned to wait outside."
His eyes darkened slightly. "But then I saw you—walking with a boy trailing behind, sneaking around like a shadow."
Lin Xie's gaze sharpened. She made no move to explain or deny.
Shen Rui's jaw tightened, his expression hardening. "I followed him."
He spoke slowly, each word weighted with suppressed anger. "I saw exactly what he tried to do."
His eyes flickered to hers, unwavering.
"He reached out, invading your space like you were his to touch."
His voice dropped, cold as steel. "No one gets to do that."
"I'm not scared or disgusted," Shen Rui said quietly but firmly. "I'm furious."
Without breaking eye contact, he signaled sharply to the large figure standing discreetly nearby—his most trusted bodyguard. The man stepped forward immediately, understanding the silent command.
"Take him," Shen Rui ordered. "Put him in the secret dungeon. No questions."
Lin Xie's eyes tracked the bodyguard as he moved silently to apprehend the boy, who looked stunned and helpless.
Then, Shen Rui's gaze returned fully to her. His grip on her hand tightened—not harshly, but with undeniable protection.
"Come with me," he said softly. "You don't have to face this alone."
Lin Xie hesitated only a brief moment—her mind racing yet her face composed. Then she allowed herself to be led away from the suffocating shadows of the alley.
As they walked side by side through the quiet streets, the city lights flickered around them, but inside her chest, an unfamiliar flicker of something like warmth stirred. For the first time, the absence of emotion wasn't emptiness—it was something she couldn't name yet.