Jiaxuan slammed the door to the mansion, her heels echoing against the marble floor like a war drum. Her chest heaved as she stood in the entrance, fists clenched, the fury in her veins threatening to set her ablaze.
Her father.
Her own blood.
Had the audacity to look her in the eyes and ask her—ask her to marry her abuser. As if she was some pawn to be moved, traded, and thrown away when no longer useful. As if her scars were invisible. As if her pain was negotiable.
The memory of her father's composed voice replayed in her mind like a cruel joke.
"Lin Shixuan has changed, Jiaxuan. You're not a child. This is a good match. Don't be ungrateful."
Ungrateful? She almost laughed.
No...she did laugh. Bitterly.
She stormed upstairs like a hurricane dressed in designer heels, burst into the master bedroom, and with a strangled cry, threw her designer bag across the room. It slammed against the wall and fell with a thud, scattering its contents. She didn't even flinch. Her breath came out hard and fast, tears threatening but not yet falling. Her chest burned—not with grief, but betrayal.
"Was I born just to be bartered away?" she whispered to herself. "Was my worth just a bargaining chip in his endless game of power?"
The irony? The woman he cheated with her mother's best friend. The same woman who brought her cookies as a child and said, "Your mom is the best woman I know."
Her hands curled into fists.
How dare he?
Her chest rose and fell rapidly, every step fueled by rage and heartbreak. Her hands trembled as she clutched her designer bag,her father's words still burning like venom in her ears.
"You will marry Li Shixuan. This is the only way to seal the deal. Your marriage with Huo Shenzhi has run its course it's useless now."
Her nails dug into her palms, the sting of the memory making her eyes blur. That man. That beast who almost ruined her once… her own father wants to hand her over to him again?
A bitter laugh escaped her throat, sharp and broken. So this was her worth in the eyes of her father? Nothing but a pawn, a bargaining chip to be traded, just like her mother had been all those years ago.
She pushed the door open with a force that rattled the hinges. The maids, startled, quickly stood up from their chores, bowing nervously, but Jiaxuan paid them no mind. With a sudden, violent movement, she hurled her bag against the wall, the sound of it slamming hard echoing in the silent hall.
Her breath came in ragged bursts. Her eyes, bloodshot from unshed tears, swept across the luxurious sitting room the very symbol of her father's arrogance, his endless greed. The walls were lined with paintings worth millions, jade vases displayed like trophies, every corner gleaming with wealth… yet none of it felt like home.
Her fingers curled into fists.
"All of this… all of this was built on betrayal!" she screamed, her voice cracking.
The rage consumed her. She grabbed the nearest vase and hurled it to the ground. It shattered into glittering fragments, the sound ringing like sharp knives. Another followed—then another. Paintings were ripped from the wall, their golden frames clattering to the floor. She slammed her fists against the wall, again and again, the sting of pain grounding her in her madness. Blood smeared across the ivory paint, but she didn't care.
The maids rushed forward, horrified.
"Miss! Please—stop, you'll hurt yourself!"
"Head keeper! Quickly—!"
But Jiaxuan was beyond reason. Each crash of broken porcelain felt like a scream released from her chest. Her mother… her gentle, kind mother who had smiled even through tears… how had she endured it? How had she borne the humiliation of being betrayed by her husband and her so-called friend?
"Why?!" Jiaxuan screamed, her voice hoarse. "Why was she never enough? Why am I not enough?!"
Her chest heaved violently. Her knees trembled.
"Mama…"
The small, fragile voice pierced through the storm.
Huo Yichen stood by the stairs, clutching his toy bear, his big round eyes wide and trembling. He had never seen his mother like this her face twisted with anger, her hands bleeding, her body shaking as if the world had betrayed her. His lips quivered, and before he knew it, fat tears rolled down his cheeks.
"Mommy… don't cry…" he whimpered, his small voice breaking. He rushed forward, reaching out with his little hands, but the maids quickly held him back.
"Take him upstairs!" the head keeper whispered urgently.
But Yichen cried louder, his sobs echoing through the house. "Mama! Mama!"
The noise finally reached the east wing, where Huo Shenzhi was still in his study, going through documents. A maid ran in, panicked, breathless.
"Master Huo! Please—you must come! Madam is—she's—"
Huo Shenzhi's brows furrowed, his hand pausing over the papers. "What is it?"
The maid stammered, too frightened to explain fully. "Madam, she...she's destroying the hall..her hands are bleeding...Young Master is crying—"
For a moment, Shenzhi's expression hardened, but instead of rushing out immediately, he set his pen down carefully, adjusted his cuffs, and rose with deliberate slowness. His steps were unhurried, his expression unreadable.
When he finally descended the stairs, the sight before him stopped him cold.
Jiaxuan stood amidst the ruins of shattered porcelain and glass, her dress stained with blood from her own hands. Her shoulders shook violently, her hair falling messily over her tear-streaked face. She looked like a woman on the edge of breaking completely.
The maids hovered anxiously, too afraid to restrain her, while little Yichen sobbed uncontrollably in the arms of the head keeper.
Shenzhi's voice cut through the chaos, deep and sharp.
"Enough!"
Everyone froze. Even Jiaxuan's movements stilled, her fist halfway to the wall again.
He strode forward, his expression grim, and caught her wrist before she could harm herself further. His grip was firm, his tone laced with both anger and restrained concern.
"Are you insane, Lin Jiaxuan? Do you want to cripple yourself?"
Her breath hitched, and for a moment she stood frozen, her eyes locked on him. Tears streamed down her face silently now, but her lips trembled as though she wanted to scream again.
Shenzhi glanced at the head keeper. "Take Yichen upstairs. Now."
The boy cried harder, reaching out. "Daddy..don't hurt mama —"
Shenzhi's jaw clenched, but he did not release her. He waited until the child was carried away, his cries fading up the stairs, before turning back to his wife.
Her body sagged in his hold, trembling with exhaustion and grief. Her lips parted, but no words came how could she tell him? How could she say that her own father had just tried to sell her off like merchandise to the very man who once tried to ruin her?
Shenzhi studied her face, the raw anguish in her eyes, and something inside his chest tightened. His voice dropped, quieter now, but no less commanding.
"Lin Jiaxuan. Tell me. What happened?"
But she only shook her head, choking back another sob. She couldn't. Not yet.
Shenzhi's gaze darkened, and without another word, he pulled her into his arms, holding her trembling figure firmly against his chest as if to shield her from everything..even when he had no idea what storm she was hiding.
"Jiaxuan?" he asked cautiously, voice low and gentle, careful not to wake her emotions "Are you okay?"
She turned to face him slowly. Her lips twitched into a shaky smile, her eyes glassy.
"I'm fine," she murmured, a laugh bubbling in her throat. "I was just practicing… a scene. For a drama. You know, method acting."
Shenzhi's brows furrowed. "You've never done method acting in your life."
She walked toward him, swaying slightly. "That's because I haven't had this much to drink in my life either."
Her words slurred just enough. She giggled. Not the fake society-girl kind, but the type that came from messy sadness.
He reached out instinctively to catch her when she stumbled slightly. His hand caught her waist, the towel now forgotten in his other.
"Jiaxuan," he whispered, inhaling the scent of alcohol—and something deeper. Despair.
She looked up at him, her eyes wide. "Do you know why fishes don't drown?"
He blinked. "...What?"
"Because…" she frowned, like she was solving a global crisis. "Because they live in water. That's cheating. Water should drown everything, but it doesn't drown them. Isn't that unfair?"
He stared at her, confused but captivated. "Are you... drunk ranting about fish rights?"
She giggled again and leaned into his chest. "Yes. And you... you smell like shampoo and sadness."
Shenzhi' let out a soft laugh, the corners of his lips twitching. "I wasn't aware sadness had a scent."
"It does," she whispered. "It smells like betrayal. Like being told to marry the monster who broke you, because your father thinks it's convenient."
His arms stiffened around her.
"What did you just say?" he asked, voice suddenly darker.
She shook her head quickly, burying her face in his shirt. "Forget it. Don't be angry. You're the only man who ever loved me without trying to… to own me."
Shenzhi' swallowed hard, jaw tightening. His fingers brushed gently through her hair.
Lin Shixuan had tried to force himself on Jiaxuan?
That man dared call it love?
He clenched his fists but said nothing. Not now. Not when she was this fragile.
"I'm tired," she muttered against his chest, voice small. "So tired, Shenzhi'. My past life haunts me, my father treats me like... like a pawn, and the world just keeps asking me to keep smiling."
She hiccuped.
"I can't smile anymore."
He pulled her closer, his hands resting on the small of her back, pressing his lips softly to the top of her head.
"I know," he murmured. "You don't have to smile tonight."
She looked up at him again, her eyes glazed with drunken sadness. "Why do you keep looking at me like you're in love with me?"
He didn't answer.
Because he was.
And maybe... just maybe, she still hadn't noticed.
The silence in the master bedroom was only broken by the muffled sounds of the night outside and the occasional soft whimper escaping Jiaxuan's lips. Her back was against the wall, knees drawn to her chest, face buried between them like she was trying to fold herself into nothingness. Her fingers gripped the edge of her silk skirt tightly, knuckles white with frustration and despair.
Shenzhi' stood still for a long time, towel forgotten in his hands, water still dripping slowly from the ends of his hair onto the hardwood floor. He had never seen her like this before not even during their fights, not even when she tried to act strong. There was a strange, fragile silence clinging to her, like if he so much as breathed too loudly, she might shatter completely.
He didn't speak right away.
He slowly walked over, every step careful, deliberate. Kneeling beside her, he reached out, but hesitated just inches from her shoulder. "Jiaxuan…" he said softly.
Her head snapped up, cheeks flushed from alcohol, eyes glassy but still hauntingly expressive. She looked at him for a long second before breaking into a crooked, heartbreaking smile.
"Oh…" she said, blinking slowly, voice slurred and thick with emotion. "Honey, what are you doing here?,Wanna spend the night together baby?"
He frowned. "You're drunk."
Jiaxuan laughed suddenly, and it echoed strangely in the still room. She stood up in a wobble, then stumbled into his chest like gravity itself had conspired against her. Shenzhi's arms instinctively wrapped around her waist to steady her, but she didn't move back.
Instead, she rested her head on his chest, letting her hair press against his now-damp shirt. "Do you know what hurts more than heartbreak?" she murmured. "Being given away like leftover food. As if I'm just a convenient piece on the chessboard he gets to move."
She chuckled bitterly, but her hands fisted the fabric of his shirt as if holding on for dear life.
"My father…" she choked, " He's... He's so mean" Her voice cracked.
Shenzhi' stiffened, his eyes darkening.
"What happened today?" he asked sharply, his grip tightening unconsciously.
Jiaxuan didn't answer directly. Her body sagged against him, exhausted and broken. Her fingers loosened their grip, her lips brushing the collar of his shirt as she whispered, "I'm tired… I'm so tired, Shenzhi'. I feel like I'm drowning. Everyone's making decisions for me, and I'm just… sinking."
He gently tucked her hair behind her ear. "You don't have to do anything you don't want to."
She lifted her head again and blinked at him, her expression changing into something softer, almost childlike. "Do fishes get tired too?" she asked out of nowhere.
He blinked, taken aback. "What?"
"Fishes," she repeated, nodding sagely. "They swim and swim and never stop. Don't they ever get tired? Do they ever wish to fly like birds? Or… or sit on the couch and eat ice cream?"
Shenzhi' laughed. He couldn't help it. His cold exterior cracked for a brief moment, and a soft, genuine sound escaped his throat.
"You're drunk," he said again, his voice low, amused.
"I'm adorably drunk," Jiaxuan corrected with a dramatic pout, jabbing a finger into his chest. "And you—you're actually… cute when you laugh."
That made him pause.
She leaned in closer, her breath warm against his neck. "I always thought you were too cold, like one of those sculptures rich people keep in their gardens. Pretty but lifeless."
He tried not to react, but something flickered in his eyes.
"But right now… you're warm," she whispered. "I think I like warm."
He stared at her for a long, heavy second. The woman in his arms fragile, furious, completely unguarded was not the Jiaxuan who pushed him away with bitter words. This Jiaxuan was vulnerable, soft, and unknowingly baring the wounds she tried so hard to hide. And even though he knew it was the alcohol talking… his heart clenched.
Without a word, he led her to the bed gently, helping her lie down without letting go. She didn't protest, curling up like a child beneath the sheets. He sat on the edge, brushing hair out of her face.
"I'm not letting them take you away," he said quietly. "No one gets to use you again. Not even your father."
She didn't respond.
But then, just as he stood to leave, she reached out, grabbing the hem of his shirt. "Don't go," she mumbled sleepily.
His breath hitched.
"Just stay like this… until I forget."
And so he did.
He lay down beside her, careful not to touch her too much, just close enough for her to feel him there. As the minutes stretched into silence, her breathing evened out, and her hand remained resting against his chest.
Shenzhi' stared at the ceiling, heart racing for the first time in a long time.
She didn't love him.
She didn't even like him at least not yet.
But for now… she wanted him close.
And that was enough.