----
Han Yan's anger burned quietly inside him, like a fire waiting for the right moment to flare up. On the outside, he looked calm and spoke in a steady voice, but the hard edge in his eyes gave away the truth.
Madam Wei… a disaster of a woman. A storm wrapped in flesh and silk. And poor Lin Xin still chained under her shadow, still living like a servant in the very household he had been forced to marry into.
In the original script of this world, Han Yan was supposed to already be dead. That was his "fate" the wasted son of the Han family, gone too soon, leaving Lin Xin to be trampled, abused, and finally "rescued" by the oh-so-perfect male lead who believed the heavens revolved around him.
But Han Yan had transmigrated into this body. And he had no intention of playing along with someone else's story.
He turned his head, studying Lin Xin. The young man looked worn thin, his green eyes dulled from years of endurance, his fingers twisting the edge of his sleeve without pause. A quiet ache stirred in Han Yan's chest. Lin Xin had bowed his head for so long, he probably couldn't even imagine what it felt like to stand tall anymore.
Han Yan's voice was calm but steady when he finally spoke.
"Xin'er, what do you think about us having our own home?"
The question was simple, but its weight filled the air between them.
Lin Xin froze. His lashes trembled as he blinked at Han Yan, as if afraid he'd misheard. His lips parted, his voice a whisper.
"Are we… really leaving here?"
The hope buried in that whisper nearly undid him.
Han Yan leaned forward slightly, his gaze unwavering. "Why not? Do you truly wish to stay here forever?"
Lin Xin's throat bobbed as he swallowed. His pale fingers gripped his sleeve tighter, the knuckles turning white. Of course he wanted to leave. Who wouldn't? Since marrying into the Han family, he had lived worse than a servant laboring from dawn till dusk, scrubbing floors, carrying water, mending clothes until his fingers ached. All of it only earned Madam Wei's curses, her threats, her stick raised high at the smallest mistake.
And when Han Yan had been at his weakest, with no strength in his body, that wretched woman had even muttered about selling Lin Xin off to a brothel discarding him like unwanted baggage.
The memory alone drained every trace of color from Lin Xin's delicate face.
His lips trembled as he whispered, "Yan-ge… are you serious? Truly? But… Father"
Han Yan cut him off before the fear could take root. He reached out and caught Lin Xin's wrist, his grip firm but not harsh. Lin Xin startled, eyes widening, and instinctively tried to pull back but Han Yan only smiled faintly and held him steady.
For a heartbeat, Han Yan thought Lin Xin would snatch his hand away, but the younger man hesitated, caught in the warmth of that quiet smile.
"Listen to me," Han Yan said, low and deliberate. "I'm not the same as before."
Because I'm not him, Han Yan thought. The one who was supposed to die quietly and leave you behind… that's not me. Not anymore.
His thumb brushed gently against Lin Xin's wrist, a grounding touch.
"You've carried enough chains. Don't you want to know what it feels like to live without them?"
Lin Xin's breath caught. His eyes glimmered with something fragile hope, fear, or both tangled together. His lips parted, but before he could speak, the world shattered.
The door burst open with a thunderous crash, the frame rattling as though it might split apart.
Madam Wei stormed in like a brewing stormcloud, her heavy steps making the floorboards groan. She filled the doorway with her bulk, arms planted firmly on her hips, her glare sharp enough to cut through bone.
Her voice lashed out before she even stepped fully inside.
"That good-for-nothing Han Yan! Can't even hunt properly, and instead of dying quietly like a decent person, you've drained the family's silver for your treatment! Do you know how much trouble you've caused this household?!"
Her shrill tone screeched through the room like iron scraping against glass, each word stabbing at the air.
Lin Xin flinched instantly. His shoulders curled inward, his gaze dropped to the floor, and his hands twisted his sleeves so tightly the fabric wrinkled. He looked like he wanted to vanish into the shadows.
But Han Yan… Han Yan didn't move. His back was straight, his gaze steady, his expression calm as still water. He no longer wore the faint, careless smiles that once covered his fury. Instead, his silence was sharper than any blade, his eyes cold and unyielding.
When Madam Wei's beady gaze finally fell on him sitting upright, alive, and utterly unshaken her tirade faltered. For a heartbeat, she froze, her words choking in her throat.
The silence lasted only a breath.
Then, like a snake shedding its skin, her expression twisted. The venom drained from her face, replaced by an exaggerated sweetness that dripped with false concern. Her lips curved into a smile so practiced and brittle, it looked ready to crack.
"Oh… you're awake," she said, her voice suddenly soft, sugar-laced, and cloying.
Han Yan's lips pressed into a thin line. He didn't laugh. He didn't smile. He only watched her, his gaze cutting through the pitiful performance.
To him, her act was less than amusing it was pathetic.
----