The morning air had barely lifted the fog outside, but inside the car, the tension was already suffocating.
Xu Meilin sat quietly in the backseat, dressed in a soft beige blouse and fitted skirt, her hair pinned back with delicate care. Her hands rested in her lap, calm on the surface, but her fingers twisted nervously in silence.
Across from her, Li Zeyan remained unmoved, one arm resting on the leather seat, the other holding his phone. His eyes were unreadable, fixed on the passing scenery, but she knew he hadn't missed a single shift in her breathing.
She wasn't supposed to be in this car. Shen Rui had always taken her to work. But today, he'd left early to deal with the threats from the Pai K Clan.
So now, she was alone with the man who haunted her thoughts, not with romance, but with questions. Who was he underneath that stormy silence? Why did he give her that jacket? Why did he look at her sometimes like she was a puzzle he didn't want to solve?
"Thank you," she said softly, not turning to him.
"For what?" His voice was ice.
She hesitated. "The jacket. Yesterday."
He didn't answer.
Of course.
The silence was too loud after that.
She shifted slightly. The hem of her skirt brushed her knee. He hadn't once looked at her.
Then—
A sudden turn. A pothole. The car jolted.
Meilin, not wearing her seatbelt, instinctively reached out.
She stumbled forward and collided with him.
Her lips brushed against his.
Only a second. A fleeting second. But enough.
His phone slipped from his hand, landing on the floor with a soft thud.
She froze, horrified.
"I—" Her breath hitched. "I didn't mean to—"
He didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Didn't speak.
Just sat there, jaw tight, gaze fixed straight ahead like a soldier facing the sun.
She scrambled back to her seat, cheeks burning, her fingers trembling in her lap.
The driver said nothing.
Nobody did.
The car rolled on.
And the silence changed.
It wasn't empty anymore.
It was heavy.
It was loaded.
It held that one second like a secret they weren't allowed to talk about.
Finally, after what felt like a lifetime, Li Zeyan spoke.
"Next time," he said, voice dangerously low, "wear your seatbelt."
Meilin blinked, nodding quickly. "Y-Yes."
But before she could turn away, he added:
"And don't make that face."
She looked up, confused. "What face?"
He didn't answer.
Because he didn't