She couldn't make sense of it.
Her eyes drifted to the ornate ceiling, but before her thoughts could spiral further, the sound of the door creaking open snapped her out of her haze.
Shen Ruyi sat up sharply, her gaze locked on the door. prepared to take on the uninvited intruder.
A young man, tall and broad-shouldered with an almost reckless charm, strolled into the room as if he owned it. He had a grin tugging at his lips, his hair slightly disheveled, his clothes casual to the point of rebellion.
Without asking for permission, he threw himself onto her bed, sprawling beside her with the ease of someone who belonged there.
Shen Ruyi blinked once, twice. Then, slowly, her lips curved.
"Shen Ruiyang."
Her twin brother.
Outside, if Shen Ruyi was the definition of chaos in human form, then Shen Ruiyang was the definition of elegance and composure. They shared the same sharp features, the same eyes that held a quiet defiance. But where she was restless, he was graceful. Where she was untamed, he was composed. To the point that her parents thought whether their souls were swapped during their birth.
They had grown up together like shadows of each other, inseparable in a way that often confused outsiders. If she cried, he was the first to fight whoever made her cry. If he bled, she was the first to bandage his wounds. Two souls in two bodies, but one heart, one bond.
Now, seeing her sprawled on the bed with a heaviness in her gaze, he frowned.
"What's with the long face, sis?" His tone was casual and teasing, but beneath it was a sharp concern that she never tasted.
Shen Ruyi hesitated. How could she explain the impossible truth... that she wasn't his real sister, that she was someone else entirely, wearing Shen Ruyi's skin?
She swallowed the confession back.
It wasn't time yet.
She sighed as she shook her head. "It's nothing."
He turned his head on the pillow, staring at her. "Nothing? Then why do you look like someone stole your soul?"
Her lips twitched.
'If only you knew, Ruiyang.'
Finally, she relented, offering a carefully edited version of the day's events. She told him about the conspiracies that were being plotted against her behind her back, and how they tried to use her, how she was attacked by a group of thugs on the street.
But she didn't say the most important part: that she wasn't really Shen Ruyi anymore.
The words tasted bitter even in their half-truth.
Ruiyang listened, his brows furrowing deeper with every sentence. By the time she finished, he sat up, anger blazing in his eyes.
"Those bastards." His voice was sharp with fury. "Who do they think they are, plotting against you like that? Just because they thought they could use you? My, Shen Ruiyang's sister? You wait here for me, I'll go find them right now and—"
She caught his wrist before he could storm out. "Don't."
He froze, glaring down at her. "Why not? They were trying to use you and humiliate you. Can't you see their obvious ill intentions?"
Her lips pressed into a thin line. Then, quietly, she said:
"It's my fault too."
Ruiyang stared at her like she'd gone mad. "Your fault? How the hell is it your fault?"
She let out a weary sigh, lying back on the bed. "Because I'm Jiang Yuanzhi's fiancée. And everyone knows what that means. To the world, I'm the woman keeping him chained. To him, I'm probably just an obstacle he can't get rid of. It's only right that they think that they can take advantage of things like that."
"Maybe… maybe it's time I set him free."
The words felt strange on her tongue, half resignation, half determination. But they were true. She had adored Jiang Yuanzhi for so long, but that adoration had always been one-sided. To him, she was nothing more than a burden. And she refused to cling to someone who hated her.
Ruiyang's jaw tightened. He stared at her for a long time, as if trying to decide whether to argue. Then, at last, he exhaled sharply.
"You're wrong, but… fine. If that's what you want."
He leaned closer, his voice gentler now than ever. "Just remember this, Ruyi. It's not your fault. Never your fault. And no matter what you decide, I'm with you."
Her throat tightened, eyes stinging with unshed tears.
This was why she loved him. Not romantically, but in the deepest, most sacred bond two people could share. Shen Ruiyang was her other half in this world, her anchor.
Even though they grew distant because of the atmosphere around them, even if she poured out all her affection and love for Jiang Yuanzhi, her eyes were only looking at that person. Deep down, it was true that she loved her family deeply.
She smiled faintly, whispering, "Thank you."
He smirked, ruffling her hair with rough affection. "Don't thank me. Just don't look so pathetic again, or I'll really beat that Jiang guy up."
A laugh escaped her then, soft and trembling, but real.
For the first time since waking in this strange new life, the heaviness in her chest eased.
She wasn't alone.
Even if Jiang Yuanzhi despised her. Even if the world turned against her. She still had Shen Ruiyang and her family.
And maybe… just maybe… that was enough to begin again.
***
The corridors of the Shen estate were quiet, only faint candlelight trailing along the carved pillars and the scent of sandalwood drifting through the night. Shen Ruyi pushed the door to her chamber open and, for the first time in what felt like years, she did not walk in alone. Her twin brother followed behind her, his steps light but quick, as though he were afraid she might change her mind and send him away at the last moment.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Ruyi teased lightly, setting aside the outer robe draped on her shoulders.