Chapter 12 – The Hidden Side of Li Yanzhou
Meilin Xue sat stiffly on the leather seat of the luxury car, her fingers clutching her bag tighter than necessary. The engine purred softly beneath her, but the silence between her and Li Yanzhou was deafening. He didn't look at her as he drove, his expression calm, composed—dangerously unreadable.
Rain tapped against the windshield again, as if fate enjoyed mirroring the night she died. But this time, she was alive. Reborn. And sitting beside the man who, in her past life, was a mere ghost in her world.
"Where are we going?" she asked, her voice steady despite the anxiety simmering beneath her skin.
"Somewhere safe," he replied, eyes fixed on the road ahead. "You don't need to worry."
"Easy for you to say," she muttered. "I barely know you."
He spared her a glance, one brow raised. "And yet, you followed me."
Meilin's cheeks warmed. "I didn't exactly have a choice."
His lips twitched in something close to a smirk, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Trust is a strange thing, Miss Xue. Sometimes, it's instinctive. Other times, it's earned."
Before she could respond, the system chimed softly in her mind.
[ System Notification ]
> Favorability with Li Yanzhou has increased. Current Affection Level: 9% Li Yanzhou is curious about you.
> New Sub-Quest Unlocked:
Make Li Yanzhou smile from the heart (0/1) Reward: +20 Emotional Resonance Points
Bonus: Unlock Hidden Memory Fragment
She blinked.
That again.
Even the system seemed to want her to form a bond with him. But Li Yanzhou was not someone you just "won over." He wasn't like Lin Haoxuan, who had hidden cruelty behind a mask of charm. Li Yanzhou was all sharp edges and shadows.
And still… somehow… she didn't feel afraid.
---
They arrived at a secluded mansion nestled deep within the forested outskirts of Huajin City. The gates opened automatically, revealing a vast estate with elegant stone walls, ivy-covered pillars, and a sleek black exterior that spoke of wealth—but not vanity.
She stepped out, staring up at the structure. "This is your house?"
"One of them," he replied casually.
She followed him inside. The interior was surprisingly warm—dark wood, soft lighting, minimalist décor. No photos. No personal items. Just silence, like a fortress built to keep the world out.
"I'll have a room prepared for you upstairs," he said, removing his coat. "You'll be safe here. Whatever's happening at the university—whatever your enemies are plotting—they won't touch you."
"You talk like you know everything about me," she said carefully, studying him.
He turned to face her fully then. "I know enough."
She stiffened. "What do you mean?"
Li Yanzhou stepped closer, his voice dropping to a low murmur. "I know Lin Haoxuan is watching you. I know your family is in quiet danger. And I know… you're hiding something important. Something new."
Meilin's blood ran cold.
How?
No one was supposed to know about her rebirth. Or the Celestial Marriage System. Yet Li Yanzhou was far too perceptive to brush off.
"What do you want from me?" she asked, heart thudding.
He studied her for a moment longer, then said something that surprised her.
"Nothing. At least, not yet."
Before she could press him further, a sharp tone echoed from her wrist—the system's sound again.
[ Emergency Quest Alert! ]
> Danger Approaching! A spy from the Lin Corporation is within 1km radius. Evade detection. Trust your instincts.
Reward: +50 System Favor
Bonus: Unlock Combat Skill – Shadow Step
Meilin's eyes widened.
She turned sharply toward the window. A black car had parked a few houses down the road. Someone in a dark suit stepped out and surveyed the street before disappearing into the shadows.
Her breath quickened. "Someone's followed me."
Li Yanzhou didn't even blink. "Let them come."
With a flick of his hand, hidden cameras lit up on the wall display. The estate was protected by high-grade surveillance and magical wards—something she hadn't noticed before. A shimmering barrier surrounded the perimeter.
"You're not the only one with secrets, Meilin," he said, as though reading her thoughts. "You're in my world now. And in my world… I don't lose."
Something about the way he said it sent a thrill down her spine.
Not fear.
But something else entirely.
---
Later that night, Meilin stood on the balcony of the guest room. The wind was cold against her face, the moonlight casting shadows across the woods. Her mind was a whirlwind of questions.
Who exactly was Li Yanzhou?
Why did the system recognize him as a potential partner?
What was his connection to the hidden magical world?
The door creaked open behind her.
She turned.
Li Yanzhou stood there with two cups of tea. He offered her one wordlessly.
She accepted.
They stood in silence, sipping tea under the stars. Then, quietly, she asked, "Do you ever wish you could go back and do things differently?"
He didn't answer right away.
Then, in a voice so low it was nearly a whisper, he said, "Every day."
Her heart ached.
She didn't know what pain he carried. But in that moment, she felt it.
And she realized something else.
Li Yanzhou was not just a cold CEO.
He was a man scarred by the past—just like her.
[ System Notification ]
> Sub-Quest Complete: Make Li Yanzhou smile from the heart Result: Success
Reward: +20 Emotional Resonance Points
Hidden Memory Fragment Unlocked…
> Memory Fragment: "A boy crying alone in the rain… calling for someone who never came."
Meilin gasped.
Her head spun as a flash of memory not her own shot through her mind.
A child—drenched and shivering—looking up at a towering gate. No one answered. The loneliness, the betrayal… it echoed her own.
"Are you alright?" Li Yanzhou asked, watching her carefully.
She blinked rapidly and nodded. "Yeah. Just… tired."
He didn't press.
But something shifted between them that night.
The beginning of understanding.
The stirrings of something deeper.