The morning began like any other. Sunlight streamed through the curtains, the faint hum of traffic drifting in from the city below. Yuexi sat at the breakfast table, a delicate pastry untouched on her plate. She was scrolling through her phone, half-distracted, when her breath caught.
The headline blazed across every major news site:
"Mrs. Lu in Secret Rendezvous with Gu Yichen? Balcony Encounter Raises Questions About the Lu Marriage."
Beneath it were a dozen photos—her on the balcony at the gala, Gu Yichen leaning close, her lips curved in a faint smile. The angle, the timing… it painted a picture far different from the truth.
Her heart pounded.
Before she could process, Liu Mei stormed into the dining room, tablet in hand. "Mrs. Lu, don't read the comments. The articles are bad enough. President Lu has already seen it."
As if on cue, Chenxuan entered, his phone pressed to his ear. His expression was as unreadable as stone, but his clipped words carried steel.
"No. The company issues no statement yet. Schedule a press conference for this afternoon."
He hung up, eyes landing on Yuexi.
She rose quickly. "Chenxuan, I—"
"Don't explain." His voice was calm, but beneath the surface was tension like a drawn bow. "We don't feed rumors with panic. What happened was nothing, and that's exactly how we'll treat it."
Her lips parted, but she swallowed the words. He wasn't accusing her. He wasn't even asking for her side. He was… containing the fire.
Still, the tightness in her chest didn't ease.
By afternoon, the press conference hall was a storm of flashing cameras and eager reporters. Rows of journalists filled the seats, microphones angled forward like weapons.
Chenxuan and Yuexi entered side by side, their appearance alone silencing the chaos for a moment. He wore his usual dark suit, exuding control. She wore a pale blue dress, elegant but understated, her hand lightly resting on his arm.
They sat at the table facing the crowd. A barrage of questions erupted instantly.
"President Lu, is your marriage already facing trouble?""Mrs. Lu, what is your relationship with actor Gu Yichen?""Is the Lu family image at risk because of this scandal?"
Chenxuan raised a hand, silencing the room with nothing more than presence. His voice, when he spoke, was cool and authoritative.
"There seems to be a misunderstanding. The photographs circulating are being misinterpreted. My wife exchanged a brief conversation with Mr. Gu, nothing more. She is Mrs. Lu, and anyone suggesting otherwise is insulting not only her but me as well."
The finality in his tone left no room for doubt.
Cameras flashed wildly, but the room was momentarily hushed.
Then, a reporter called out, "Mrs. Lu, would you care to comment? Were you uncomfortable with Mr. Gu's approach?"
All eyes turned to Yuexi. Her heart raced, palms damp against the table. For a moment, she faltered. She wasn't used to speaking under such scrutiny.
But then she felt Chenxuan's hand, steady against hers under the table. A silent anchor.
She drew in a breath. "Mr. Gu was polite. He was simply offering words of encouragement. The media chose to frame it differently, but that's all there was to it." Her voice steadied as she added, "As for my marriage, I am proud to be Mrs. Lu."
The room buzzed. Reporters scribbled furiously, flashes sparking like lightning.
Chenxuan nodded once, satisfied, and rose from his seat. "That concludes the conference."
Back in the car, silence hung thick between them. Yuexi stared out the window, the city rushing past. Finally, she whispered, "You defended me."
His gaze flicked toward her. "Of course."
"You didn't have to," she murmured. "It would've been easier to ignore it. To… let me take the blame."
His jaw tightened. "Do you think I would allow my wife to be humiliated?"
Her chest tightened at the fierceness in his tone. Yet it confused her more than it comforted. Wife. The word carried weight when he said it, even though their marriage was built on paper, not love.
Yuexi lowered her gaze. "Thank you."
The silence returned, but it was different now—charged, almost fragile.
That night, lying in her room, Yuexi couldn't sleep. The press conference replayed in her mind—the way he had spoken, the way his hand had steadied hers without anyone noticing.
It wasn't affection. She told herself that. It was strategy, control, protecting the Lu name.
And yet, for the first time, she wondered if there was something more beneath his impenetrable facade.
Somewhere deep inside, she feared the most dangerous truth of all.
That she was beginning to care.