The city lights flickered in the distance, stretching like a river of gold beneath the night sky. Su Nian stood by the wide windows of her apartment, her reflection mingling with the view outside. The past few days had been a whirlwind of creativity and conflict, but tonight, there was a strange stillness in the air, as though the universe itself was holding its breath.
Su Nian's mind raced as she stared out into the sprawling city below. It had been weeks since the gala incident, and though the tension between her and Lu Cheng had momentarily quieted, the storm within her heart still roared.
The truth was, every time she thought about Lu Cheng's words, a little piece of her wavered. She wanted to stand on her own two feet, wanted to prove that she wasn't just the "CEO's wife" but a designer in her own right, worthy of respect and admiration.
But every time she saw Lu Cheng's dark eyes, filled with both adoration and something fiercer—something protective—her resolve softened, and doubt crept in. Was she just playing into the roles others had assigned her? Was she really the strong woman she thought herself to be, or just someone living in the shadow of a man who held all the power?
The next morning, as Su Nian walked into the academy, she was greeted with an unexpected sight. Zhang Lei was standing near the entrance, talking to none other than Chen Yilin. Their conversation seemed friendly enough, but something about the way Zhang Lei was looking at Su Nian—too intensely, too persistently—made her feel uncomfortable.
Yilin caught her gaze and smiled slyly, almost as though she were daring Su Nian to come closer. But instead of engaging, Su Nian simply turned away and walked in the opposite direction, her thoughts swirling.
Her phone buzzed in her pocket. It was a message from Lu Cheng.
"Dinner tonight? Let's talk about everything. I need you to listen to me, NianNian."
The words sent a flutter through her chest, but something in the way he phrased it made her hesitate. She wasn't sure if it was his possessiveness or the mounting pressure of everything she was juggling, but she wasn't ready to confront the things she couldn't voice just yet.
That evening, Su Nian had planned to meet Lu Cheng at their usual restaurant—a quiet, intimate place that had become their refuge from the chaos of their lives. But as she arrived, she was greeted with a shock.
A woman was sitting at their usual table—an elegant figure in a sleek red dress, her dark hair cascading over her shoulders like silk. Su Nian's heart skipped a beat. She recognized her instantly.
It was Mei Ling, a former girlfriend of Lu Cheng's—a woman from a time before Su Nian had come into his life.
Mei Ling looked up and smiled politely when she saw Su Nian. "Ah, Su Nian, it's been so long. I didn't expect to see you here."
Su Nian froze, her pulse quickening as she tried to mask the hurt that flashed through her chest. Mei Ling's presence was like a shadow over everything she had worked so hard to build with Lu Cheng.
Before Su Nian could say anything, Lu Cheng entered the restaurant, his expression unreadable. He looked between the two women, then walked toward Su Nian with an apologetic smile.
"I didn't expect you to be here tonight," he said softly, his eyes meeting hers, laden with unspoken words.
Su Nian's stomach twisted with confusion, jealousy, and something deeper she couldn't quite name. "I didn't know you two were still in contact," she said, her voice a little sharper than she intended.
Lu Cheng hesitated, looking between them. Mei Ling, ever the poised woman, stood up and offered a polite smile. "I just wanted to catch up with him. Old friends and all that." Her tone was cool, collected—but the undercurrent of something more lingered in her gaze.
Su Nian nodded stiffly, feeling the weight of the room press down on her. She had always known that Lu Cheng's past was not one easily erased. But seeing Mei Ling here, with her quiet confidence and history with Lu Cheng, sparked a dangerous ember of doubt.
Later that night, after dinner was awkwardly cut short, Su Nian and Lu Cheng were in the privacy of their shared space, tension hanging thick between them.
She couldn't hold it in any longer. "Why was she here, Cheng?" Her voice was barely a whisper, but it carried the weight of everything she had been bottling up.
Lu Cheng sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as though the answer was already wearing him down. "I didn't plan it, NianNian. Mei Ling just wanted to meet up. We used to be close, and she's been trying to reach out lately."
"I don't care about your past, Cheng," Su Nian snapped, the words coming out more harshly than she intended. "But I do care about the way she looks at you. The way you seem… comfortable with her. Don't I deserve a little more consideration?"
Lu Cheng took a step toward her, his expression softer now. "I didn't invite her for you, I didn't want to hurt you. You're everything to me, NianNian. But I need you to trust me."
She shook her head, unable to meet his gaze. "Trust you? Trust that you won't let me be just another footnote in your life? You told me once that you wanted to be part of my world. Well, I need to be part of yours too. No secrets. No shadows."
His hand found hers, pulling her gently toward him. "I know. I'm sorry. I should have communicated better."
But Su Nian could feel the distance growing, the space between them widening despite their closeness. She needed more than just words. She needed him to prove that she wasn't just a part of his life he could put aside when it was convenient.
That night, as they lay in bed, their bodies close but their minds miles apart, Su Nian couldn't shake the feeling that something had shifted. She could feel the weight of unspoken truths pressing on her chest. Lu Cheng was no longer the untouchable, infallible man he once seemed. He was human—prone to mistakes, prone to misjudgments, just like anyone else.
And her own heart? It was no longer certain. Was she truly ready to give everything to him, to trust him with her dreams, her future? Or was she just trying to prove something—both to him and to herself?
As the night deepened and the city quieted, the unspoken words between them remained, hanging in the silence like a thread waiting to be cut.