*Chapter 5: Cracks in the Silence*
The evening settled in with a chill, the city lights flickering to life beyond the glass walls of the penthouse. Li Xue sat at the dining table, untouched food before her, listening to the low hum of voices from the living room.
Zhao Liang's two friends had made themselves comfortable, arguing over which of them had worse taste in women. Their banter filled the space with an energy that felt almost alien to her — light, mocking, familiar.
"You're one to talk," the sharp-tongued one laughed. "At least my dates don't end in a scandal on social media."
"Scandal?" his friend shot back. "That was called charm. You wouldn't know it if it bit you."
Li Xue almost smiled. Almost. But then her eyes drifted to Zhao Liang. He wasn't laughing. He wasn't even listening. He sat apart, a glass in his hand, staring into the dark liquid as though it held all the answers he couldn't find in his broken memory.
Her chest ached. How could he be surrounded by life and still choose silence?
"Li Xue," one of the friends suddenly called out, startling her. "How do you even put up with him? Cold as ice, grumpy as a storm — if it were me, I'd have thrown him out already."
She froze under their teasing smiles, unsure how to answer. Zhao Liang's head lifted then, his eyes sharp and unreadable. The air shifted, heavy, pressing down on her.
"I don't need her to put up with me," he said flatly, setting his glass down with a quiet thud. "She's here because of a contract. Nothing more."
The words struck like a blade, and though she tried to hold her composure, Li Xue felt her heart splinter just a little more.
Yet somewhere deep inside, she told herself: this was just the beginning.