There were no emotional goodbyes or plans for a honeymoon.
When the last guest left the ceremony venue and the families dispersed, the day simply ended. As if the wedding had been just another long and exhausting commitment on a carefully organized schedule.
Lin Yue and Shen Yichen got into the car together for the first time as husband and wife.
The silence that settled in wasn't awkward. It was heavy only with accumulated fatigue. Lin Yue rested her head on the back of the seat, closing her eyes for a few seconds. The wedding dress, which had previously seemed light, now weighed on her shoulders like a constant reminder of how many hours she spends smiling, greeting, existing for others.
When they arrived at their new home—spacious, quiet, yet still impersonal—there was no ceremony. Just the door closing behind them and the strange feeling of being in a space that now belonged to the two of them.
"I'm going to take a shower," Lin Yue said after a few seconds. Her voice was neutral, without expectation.
Shen Yichen nodded.
She walked to the master bedroom, observing the details for the first time without haste. Everything was impeccable, organized by teams that would never know the wear and tear of that day. Yet, nothing there truly felt like hers.
The mirror reflected a woman who looked elegantly exhausted.
Lin Yue sighed.
The wedding dress was beautiful—and completely impossible to remove by herself. The discreet clasp in the back required hands other than her own.
For a moment, she considered calling one of the employees. She quickly dismissed the idea.
Lin Yue returned to the room where Shen Yichen was, already loosening his tie.
"Can you help me?" she asked casually. "The dress... won't open by itself."
There was no shyness.
There was no intention.
It was simply a practical request.
Shen Yichen observed her for a brief second, assessing the situation, and then replied with the same naturalness:
Sure.
In the room, Lin Yue positioned herself with her back to him. She felt Shen Yichen's fingers working carefully, without haste, without unnecessary curiosity. He maintained a respectful distance, focused only on the task at hand.
The closure finally gave way.
"Ready," he said.
- Thanks.
She held her dress so it wouldn't slip before he walked away. There was no awkwardness, nor that tension laden with expectations that so many wedding nights seemed to demand.
"I'll use the bathroom next door," Shen Yichen added. "That way I won't be in the way."
Lin Yue nodded.
When the door closed behind him, she was left alone.
The silence in the room was absolute.
Lin Yue let the dress fall carefully onto the armchair, as if she were shedding not just the heavy fabric, but an entire function. She walked to the bathroom and turned on the bathtub faucet, watching the hot water slowly fill the space.
He went in, submerging his body in the water, and closed his eyes.
For the first time in a long time, there were no maids around. No judging eyes. No instructions on how to please, how to behave, how to win the favor of a man who would share his bed with dozens of other women.
There were no concubines.
There was no competition.
That man... was simply her husband. And as long as he remained married, no other woman would occupy that space.
The realization caught her by surprise.
She relaxed her shoulders, feeling the physical fatigue finally subside. She didn't need to be ready. She didn't need to plan. She didn't need to anticipate unseen movements.
There, in that silence, Lin Yue was neither an investment nor a gamble.
She was just a woman in a hot tub, breathing without fear of being discarded the next day.
When she got out of the shower and put on light clothes, she felt something she couldn't immediately identify:
Relief.
On the other side of the wall, Shen Yichen was also getting ready, equally oblivious to the weight that moment held for her.
When they lay down that first night as husband and wife—in separate rooms, by mutual choice—there was no ceremony or grand thoughts.
Just resting.
And perhaps, the silent beginning of something neither of them had planned to feel.
---