Warmth.
That was the first thing I felt.
Not the light.
Not the voices.
Warmth.
Strong.
Steady.
Arms wrapped around me—
holding me close.
Too close.
Like I had been pulled into something solid… something that wouldn't let me fall.
"…Shu Lin."
His voice.
Low.
Closer than it should be.
A hand moved gently through my hair—
slow.
Careful.
Like I might break.
"Stay with me."
Not an order.
Not control.
Something softer.
Something real.
My head rested against his chest.
I could hear it—
his heartbeat.
Fast.
Uneven.
Nothing like the calm he always showed.
"…idiot," he muttered under his breath, tightening his hold just slightly. "You push yourself like this and expect to be fine?"
But he didn't let go.
Not even for a second.
Like he didn't trust the world to hold me—
only himself.
"…he's waking up," my brother's voice came softly from somewhere nearby.
The warmth shifted.
But the arms didn't.
I forced my eyes open.
Slowly.
Everything blurred—
then focused.
And the first thing I saw—
was him.
Cheng Mo.
Too close.
Closer than I had ever seen him.
His arm still around me.
Holding me against him.
Like that was the only place I was meant to be.
"You're awake," my brother said, relieved.
I didn't answer.
Because I was still looking at him.
And he—
was still looking at me.
Something flickered in his eyes.
Gone too fast to name.
Idiot," he said again, quieter now. "Don't do that again."
"I'm fine," I murmured.
A weak lie.
"I can see that."
Flat.
Controlled.
Like nothing had happened.
Like he hadn't just held me like that.
My brother exhaled, shaking his head. "…I'll get some medicines."
I frowned. "You don't have to—"
"I do," he said, already moving.
Then, pausing at the door—
he glanced back at Cheng Mo.
Not suspicious.
Not angry.
Just… knowing.
"Take care of him."
And then—
he left.
The door closed.
Silence filled the room.
Different now.
He didn't move away immediately.
Didn't let go.
His arm still around me.
His hand still at my back.
I could feel it—
the hesitation.
The restraint.
"Cheng Mo—"
I didn't get to finish.
Because suddenly—
he moved.
Fast.
One hand came up—
gripping my jaw lightly—
not rough.
But firm enough to stop me.
And then—
he kissed me.
Hard.
Deep.
Like something he had been holding back for too long—
finally breaking free.
My breath caught.
Everything—
stopped.
There was no hesitation in it.
No doubt.
Just intensity.
Heat.
And something dangerously close to desperation.
His grip tightened slightly—
pulling me closer.
Like distance itself offended him.
Like letting go wasn't an option.
For a moment—
nothing else existed.
Not the past.
Not the lies.
Not the revenge.
Just this.
Just him.
Then—
just as suddenly—
he pulled back.
Breathing uneven.
Eyes darker than before.
And just like that—
it was gone.
Buried.
Hidden.
Like it never happened.
"Don't misunderstand," he said quietly.
Cold again.
Controlled again.
But his voice—
wasn't steady.
Not completely.
"You just fainted."
A pause.
Then—
lower—
"And I don't like losing things before I'm done with them."
The words were harsh.
Deliberate.
A mask.
But his hand—
lingered.
Just for a second longer—
before finally letting go.
And that—
said more than anything else.
Because no matter what he said—
or how much he tried to hide it—
I had already felt it.
That moment.
That crack.
That something he refused to admit.
And now—
there was no going back.