The words on the screen blurred, but the meaning burned into Qin Yue's mind.
> "Lin Jia was only the beginning."
Her pulse quickened, thudding so loudly in her ears she could barely hear the murmur of the city below. She reread the message once, twice, hoping she had imagined it. But the letters didn't change.
Her fingers itched to delete it, to pretend it was nothing more than a cruel prank. Yet something deep inside her whispered that this wasn't random. Someone was watching. Someone was waiting.
"Qin Yue."
Han Jin's voice pulled her back to reality. He had finished his call and was standing in the doorway, his sharp gaze instantly locking onto her pale face.
She fumbled to lock her phone, forcing a small smile. "It's nothing. Just… spam."
But Han Jin wasn't fooled. He strode forward, his eyes narrowing. "Show me."
Her instinct screamed to hide it, to protect him from another storm, but his commanding presence left no room for lies. With trembling hands, she handed him the phone.
His eyes scanned the message once, and his jaw clenched. The calm mask he always wore slipped just enough for her to see the storm brewing underneath.
"Who sent this?" His voice was low, dangerous.
"I-I don't know. There's no number."
He turned sharply, already pulling out his own phone. "I'll have it traced."
"Han Jin—" she reached for his arm. "What if it's just someone trying to scare me? If you act too strongly—"
He cut her off, his eyes flashing. "Scaring you is already too much."
The intensity of his words stole her breath.
---
Under His Wing
The following days blurred together.
Han Jin doubled her security without asking her opinion. Men in dark suits shadowed her discreetly whenever she left the building. Her phone was monitored by the company's tech team. And anyone caught whispering in the office was quietly removed — no explanation, no return.
At first, Qin Yue bristled at the suffocating control. She hated being treated like glass. But at the same time, she couldn't deny the flicker of safety that came with it.
Yet safety didn't erase the whispers outside the walls of Han Corporation.
On the subway, she heard passengers gossiping. On social media, her face was dissected by strangers — some praising her courage, others calling her a gold-digger. Her inbox filled with both encouragement and venom.
One night, as she sat on her bed staring blankly at the glowing screen, she asked herself the question she had avoided for weeks:
Do I belong in this world?
---
A Visit from Qing Feng
"Yueyue!"
Her best friend burst into her small rented apartment one weekend, arms full of snacks and her voice brimming with worry.
"I swear, you nearly gave me a heart attack with all these headlines! Do you know how hard it is to explain to my coworkers that my best friend is suddenly in every news article?"
Qin Yue let out a tired laugh. "I didn't ask for it."
Qing Feng plopped down on the couch beside her, eyes scanning her pale face. "You look exhausted. Has he been working you to death?"
Qin Yue hesitated. "No… actually, he's been protecting me. Too much, maybe."
Her friend raised an eyebrow. "Too much? Protection from a rich, handsome man? Sounds like a dream to me."
Qin Yue shook her head. "It's not like that, Feng. This world of his… it doesn't belong to me. The more I stay in it, the more I feel like I'm drowning."
Qing Feng's expression softened. She reached out, squeezing Qin Yue's hand. "Then don't drown. Learn to swim."
Qin Yue blinked at her, startled.
"Maybe you were thrown into deep water," her friend continued, "but that doesn't mean you can't adapt. You've survived worse, haven't you? You're stronger than you think."
The words echoed in Qin Yue's chest long after her friend had gone home.
---
Balcony Confession
That night, Qin Yue found herself once again on the balcony of Han Jin's penthouse. The city lights below seemed less hostile, more like silent witnesses.
Han Jin joined her quietly, offering her a cup of tea. She accepted it, fingers brushing his for a brief moment that sent warmth through her chest.
After a long silence, she spoke. "Do you ever wonder why you protect me so much?"
His gaze turned to her, sharp and unreadable. "Why do you ask?"
"Because…" She bit her lip. "It feels like I'm just a burden. You fight for me, you shield me, you silence anyone who insults me… But I haven't done anything to deserve it."
Han Jin studied her for a long moment before answering. "You think protection needs to be earned?"
She faltered. "Doesn't it?"
He set his cup down and stepped closer, the night air suddenly heavier between them. "Qin Yue. The day you stood in that boardroom and faced them all… you stopped being someone who needed protection. You became someone who could stand beside me."
Her breath caught. His words wrapped around her like fire, too warm, too dangerous.
"I…" She tried to speak, but her voice shook. "I don't know if I can stand beside someone like you. You're… untouchable. And I'm just—"
He cut her off, his tone brooking no argument. "You are not 'just' anything."
Her eyes stung with unshed tears.
For the first time, she realized his gaze wasn't looking down at her. It was looking at her. Equal. Steady.
---
The Threat Returns
The fragile warmth of that night didn't last.
A week later, another message arrived.
This time, it wasn't on her phone but slipped under her apartment door, a stark white envelope with no return address.
Her hands trembled as she opened it. Inside was a single piece of paper with four words scrawled in jagged handwriting:
> "We are watching you."
Her knees nearly gave way.
Before she could even decide what to do, her phone buzzed. Han Jin.
"Where are you?" His voice was sharp, urgent.
"At… at my apartment," she whispered.
"I'm coming."
Within minutes, he was there. When she showed him the note, his eyes turned glacial.
"That's it," he said coldly. "You're moving in with me."
Qin Yue's eyes widened. "What? No, I can't—"
"You can, and you will. I won't allow them to touch you."
"But—"
"Qin Yue." His voice softened slightly, but the steel underneath remained. "I can't protect you if you keep running back to places they can reach you. Stay where I can see you. Please."
The last word — rare, quiet — silenced her protests.
She nodded, her heart pounding.
---
A New Resolve
That night, as she unpacked her few belongings into the vast emptiness of Han Jin's guest room, Qin Yue stared at her reflection in the mirror.
Her eyes looked different. Not just tired, not just afraid.
There was something else there now — something Qing Feng had named for her.
Strength.
She whispered to her reflection, as though testing the words for the first time:
"I won't run anymore."
The reflection didn't waver.
And for the first time since the storm began, she believed herself.
---
Closing Scene
On the balcony later, Han Jin joined her again. This time, he didn't speak right away. He simply stood beside her, their shoulders almost touching, the silence between them warm instead of heavy.
Finally, she turned to him. "Han Jin."
He glanced at her, one eyebrow raised.
She swallowed hard, then lifted her chin. "If danger keeps coming… I don't want to just hide behind you. I want to face it with you."
For a heartbeat, silence stretched. Then, slowly, the corner of his lips curved — not quite a smile, but something dangerously close.
"Good," he said softly. "That's exactly where I want you."
Her heart thundered, but this time it wasn't from fear. It was from something else entirely — something that felt like stepping into fire and realizing it could warm instead of burn.
And though the city below still whispered her name with both scorn and admiration, Qin Yue finally understood:
She wasn't just a shadow in Han Jin's world.
She was becoming part of its fire.
---
❓️❓️❓️❓️❓️
What do you think will happen next????