The distance between them had barely disappeared—
his breath still warm against mine—
when the door opened.
A slow clap echoed through the room.
"…Impressive."
The voice dripped with amusement—
and something darker.
Cheng Mo stilled.
I turned—
and there he was.
Li Shen.
Leaning against the door, eyes locked on us—not casual this time.
Sharp.
Watching too closely.
Taking in everything.
His gaze lingered a second too long—on the space between us, on Cheng Mo's hand that had only just withdrawn—
and something in his expression tightened.
Gone in an instant.
Replaced with a smirk.
"Well," he said lightly, stepping in, "I leave for a while and come back to this?"
Cheng Mo didn't answer.
Didn't move.
But the air around him—
shifted.
Colder.
"Get out," he said flatly.
Li Shen ignored him.
His eyes were still on me now.
Too intent.Too focused.
"…You always did move fast, Shu Lin," he murmured, voice softer—but edged.
"Though I didn't expect you to pick him."
A pause.
Then, quieter—
almost to himself—
"Taste really does change."
For a moment, no one moved.
The silence stretched—thin, fragile—before it snapped.
Cheng Mo shifted, just enough to place himself half a step in front of me. Not obvious.
But deliberate.
A barrier.
Li Shen noticed.
Of course he did.
His smirk deepened, though it no longer reached his eyes.
"Protective now?" he drawled, tilting his head. "That's new."
Cheng Mo's voice didn't rise.
Didn't need to.
"I said—get out."
There was something dangerous in how calm he sounded.
But Li Shen only laughed softly, pushing himself off the door and stepping further inside, uninvited.
"You've changed," he said, gaze flicking between us. "Both of you."
His eyes settled on me again—sharper this time, searching.
"And here I thought some things stayed predictable."
My chest tightened, but before I could speak—
Cheng Mo's hand brushed mine.
Brief.Firm.Grounding.
It wasn't a gesture meant to be seen.
But Li Shen saw it anyway.
And that was when it happened.
That flicker.
Gone almost instantly—
but unmistakable.
Jealousy.
His smile thinned.
"So this is how it is," he murmured, quieter now. "You stand behind him… like that?"
I pulled my hand away—not out of rejection, but instinct, tension coiling too tight in the air.
"I'm not standing behind anyone," I said, meeting his gaze.
For the first time, Li Shen paused.
Really paused.
Something unreadable crossed his face.
Then he exhaled a soft, almost amused breath.
"Right," he said. "Of course you wouldn't."
But his eyes betrayed him again—
lingering on Cheng Mo.
Assessing.Challenging.
As if measuring the distance he'd already lost.
Cheng Mo didn't look away.
Didn't yield an inch.
And suddenly, it wasn't just a confrontation anymore.
It was a line drawn.
Clear.Unspoken.