His jaw tightened. His grip on the tray hardened until his knuckles went white.
But he didn't confront them.
He kept walking.
His mind, though? His mind was at war with itself.
Who started the rumor? Where did it come from? And more importantly, why now?
He knew what they were saying wasn't true. He knew it. Deep down, in a way that had nothing to do with trust or faith, he knew. Because he remembered. Vividly.
That night at the hotel. The unfortunate, messy, complicated night they'd first met. He remembered how different it had been with her. How he'd had to be careful, slower than usual, because she wasn't like the others. She'd been tense, inexperienced, and he'd known immediately.
And when she left the next morning, when he'd woken up alone in that cold hotel room, he'd seen the blood on the sheets.
She'd been a virgin.
He'd been her first.
So no. Whatever those maids were whispering about, it couldn't be true.
But then why did his chest feel tight? Why did their words keep echoing in his head, twisting around like a knife he couldn't pull out?
The baby isn't Master Wei's baby. I'm sure of it.
He shook his head, forcing the thought away. No. He wasn't going to let baseless gossip get into his head. She was a virgin. He was her first. The timeline didn't even make sense.
But still.
What if?
He clenched his jaw harder, pushing the doubt down deep where it couldn't touch him. He wasn't going to spiral. He wasn't going to act like some jealous fool who let rumors control him.
No. He was going to handle this intelligently, Strategically. He was going to find out who started this, why they started it, and he was going to deal with it in a way that made sure it never happened again.
But first, he had to deliver this damn congee.
He continued down the hallway, his footsteps steady, controlled. But inside, his thoughts were still churning. His hands, despite his best efforts, trembled just slightly as he gripped the tray.
A maid passed by, carrying fresh linens. When she saw him, her eyes widened and she quickly bowed her head, stepping aside to let him pass.
"Good morning, Master Wei," she murmured.
He didn't respond. Just kept walking.
But he caught the way her eyes darted to the tray in his hands, the way her expression shifted, confusion, curiosity, maybe even fear. She'd probably heard the whispers too. Maybe she was one of the ones spreading them.
He made a mental note. He'd deal with it later. Quietly, Efficiently. The way he dealt with everything.
When he finally reached Mei's door, he stopped, shifted the tray to one hand, and knocked.
A voice came from the other side. "Yes, I'm coming!"
Not Mei's voice. Xiaolan's.
The door opened a second later, and Xiaolan stood there, still in her nightgown, hair messy from sleep, eyes half-open. When she saw who it was, her entire body jolted like she'd just been electrocuted.
"M…Master Wei!" she stammered, eyes going wide.
She immediately clutched the front of her nightgown, suddenly aware of how underdressed she was. Her face flushed red as she fumbled for words.
Zhang Wei kept his expression neutral, averting his eyes politely. "Calm down. It's just me."
"Just you?" she repeated, like that made it any less shocking.
Then her eyes dropped to the tray in his hands.
Her mouth fell open.
"Is that…did you…are you…" She couldn't even finish a sentence. She just stood there, staring at him like he'd grown a second head.
Zhang Wei raised an eyebrow. "If you're done freaking out, may I come in?"
Xiaolan blinked. Once, Twice. Then she snapped out of it, stepping aside quickly and grabbing a robe from the hook behind the door, wrapping it around herself. "Yes! Yes, of course, Master Wei. Please, come in."
He walked past her into the room, his footsteps quiet on the plush carpet. The room was dim, curtains still drawn, the only light coming from a small bedside lamp. And there, in the middle of the bed, buried under a mountain of blankets, was Mei.
She was still asleep.
Zhang Wei walked over to the bedside and set the tray down on the nightstand, careful not to make any noise. Then he stood there for a moment, just looking at her.
Her dark hair was spread across the pillow, a few strands falling over her face. Her long lashes rested against her cheeks, and her lips were slightly parted as she breathed. She looked… peaceful, Innocent, Delicate.
Why would anyone try to hurt her?
The thought came unbidden, and with it, the maids' words echoed again in his mind.
The baby isn't Master Wei's baby.
His chest tightened. He stared at her sleeping face, searching for answers he knew he wouldn't find there.
She looked so fragile. So pure.
But people could hide things, couldn't they? People could lie.
No. He pushed the thought away, his jaw clenching. He wasn't going to do this. He wasn't going to let doubt poison what little they'd built.
He reached out, carefully brushing the hair away from her face. His fingers lingered against her skin, warm and soft. He'd never been the type to do things like this. Tender gestures, gentle touches, that wasn't him. But looking at her now, sleeping so peacefully, something in his chest tightened.
He didn't have a name for it. Didn't want to.
Damn. Jun was right. She really is very pretty.
Too pretty to belong to the trenches.
She flinched slightly, her nose scrunching up, and she mumbled something he couldn't quite make out.
Zhang Wei pulled his hand back quickly, standing up straight. He didn't want to wake her. Not yet.
He turned and walked back toward Xiaolan, who was still standing near the door, eyes wide, looking like she'd just witnessed a miracle.
"I made this specifically for her," he said quietly, gesturing to the tray. "Make sure she eats it when she wakes up. If she needs anything else, her personal maid, Qiao Qiao will handle it."
Xiaolan stared at him, mouth slightly open. She whispered under her breath, "Am I tripping?"
Zhang Wei frowned. "What did you say?"
"Nothing!" she said quickly, shaking her head. "Nothing at all."
He continued, ignoring her. "And one more thing. Her clothing will be delivered today. I've already made arrangements with my personal stylist team. They'll be here later this afternoon to take her measurements and discuss options. If she needs anything, don't hesitate to ask."
Xiaolan just nodded, still looking like she was trying to process whether or not this was real life.
Zhang Wei gave her one last look, then turned and walked toward the door. "I'm off to work."
And just like that, he was gone.
The door clicked shut behind him, and Xiaolan stood there for a long moment, frozen in place. Then she exhaled deeply, her breath shaking.
She looked over at the tray of food sitting on the nightstand.
"I made this specifically for her. Make sure she eats it."
She whispered to herself, "No way. No freaking way."