"Ksenia, I've left your mail on the nightstand," Henry said, his eyes inadvertently flickering toward the envelope. "Hmm? ...The Manor?"
Ksenia reacted as if she'd been scorched. She bolted out from under the covers, snatching the letter away.
"Don't look at my mail."
"I'm sorry!" Henry looked awkward; he wasn't the type to pry into others' privacy, it had just been a passing remark. Seeing Ksenia's sharp display of morning vitriol, Henry felt at a loss. He grabbed his bag and retreated from the room.
She wasn't fully awake yet, her mind still hazy. The envelope bore only one word—Manor—sealed with heavy wax. Careless of damaging the stationery, she tore it open.
"Next Saturday, 8:00 PM."
She collapsed back into her duvet, utterly overwhelmed.
The doorbell rang.
Who is it now?
Ksenia cautiously gripped the fruit knife from the desk. Peering through the peephole, she saw Lu Jiting.
"What are you doing here?" Ksenia stood at the door, her attitude as impatient as ever.
Lu Jiting spoke with genuine concern. "How is your foot? I saw you fall; how did it happen so suddenly?"
"That was ages ago. You were there?"
Lu Jiting nodded. "Yes. I saw the people attacking you online. I was worried about your situation, so I went to speak with your manager."
So, it hadn't been a hallucination. Ksenia felt a brief surge of relief.
"Can't I come in to talk?"
"No."
"Then can we go out for a meal?" Lu Jiting pressed.
"No. And why are you hanging around with that agent?" Ksenia leaned against the door, eyeing Lu Jiting with suspicion. To be honest, she was worried the agent had tracked her connection to "the Beard" through him last night.
"I'll tell you if you come to dinner with me."
"You really... give me ten minutes." Realizing she couldn't shake him, Ksenia turned to change her clothes.
They chose a Western restaurant not far from Ksenia's home. Ksenia ordered only a cocktail, while Lu Jiting ordered a Margherita pizza and a fish dish, both meant for sharing. However, Ksenia hardly spared a glance at the food.
"Why are you so close with that agent?"
"It was just a chance encounter. I was asking her about the case. Father is gravely ill; I want you to come back home with me."
He wasn't fidgeting with his fingers. Ksenia believed him. "The case won't be settled in a day or two. Once it's over, I'll go see him."
Over the years, Lu Xiao had visited Ksenia two or three times a year, and he had, in his own way, provided her with real love. She remembered the day she had sat gnawing on dry bread, waiting for him. Back then, she had been desperate to leave the orphanage, thinking any family would do. Then Lu Xiao had arrived, buying her dolls and new clothes.
He had said, "I was good friends with your parents. From now on, I will take care of you for the rest of your life."
Ksenia had no appetite. "When are you going back?"
"The case isn't resolved yet. How can we leave?"
Ksenia had momentarily forgotten that Lu Jiting had also been at the theater.
"You'd better head back soon," she warned. "Your sister isn't exactly a pushover."
To her surprise, Lu Jiting was remarkably nonchalant. "I know she wants the company. She knows I want you. It's a win-win."
"Tsk. You're forgetting the most important point," Ksenia said, shaking her head. "I won't agree to it. You don't even like me. You just hate me—it's an obsession. Lu Jiting, wake up."
"Maybe," Lu Jiting couldn't argue. His resentment for Ksenia had likely long since eclipsed his love. "Do you like that Henry guy?"
"I do."
"Liar. You never look me in the eye when you lie."
"I have nothing more to say to you." Ksenia rose to leave, and Lu Jiting followed immediately.
Lu Jiting knew Ksenia's temperament all too well—she never cooperated. He caught up to her, caught her off guard, and drugged her into unconsciousness before shoving her into his car.
She seemed so much more "lovable" when she was asleep; when she was awake, she was nothing but thorns.
Ksenia opened her eyes to dim lighting and the pungent, stinging smell of chemicals. Lu Jiting's face was startlingly clear, and startlingly close.
"What are you doing?" she snapped.
Lu Jiting stood before her, holding a device and scanning her face. She tried to struggle, but she was completely bound. He remained silent until the scan was complete. Then, he spoke.
"Open your eyes."
He needed her irises. But Ksenia refused to look at him.
"Look at me."
"I don't want to."
"Look at me! Do you see this? I was in a fight yesterday; my eyes are still swollen, and my body is covered in bruises. If this were before, you'd be asking me if it hurts."
Ksenia had no memory of ever being that way. She suspected this was merely Lu Jiting's delusion.
"I never did that."
"You did. Every time Mother punished me, you would cry. I remember it."
I was acting, she thought. If I didn't cry, I would have been the next one beaten.
"I only did that to drive a wedge between you and your mother," Ksenia said venomously.
"I don't believe you."
The sound of something crashing to the floor echoed through the room. Lu Jiting was losing his mind.
"Open your eyes."
"No."
"I'm going to kiss you."
Ksenia broke. Her mind was a torrent of profanities. "NO!!!!"
She snapped her eyes open. Lu Jiting looked half-dead himself.
"To keep me from looking for you, Mother told me you were dead. She even had a complete set of records forged," he said as he continued the scan. His eyes were dull. "She said you were the one who told her to say it. Because you wanted to focus on your dancing."
"Ksenia, no one in this world loves you more than I do. Do you know how I survived the news of your death?" He cupped her flawless face. "I'm doing this to save you this time. You can't die a second time."
His face drew closer, so close that Ksenia could see the tears trembling on his lashes. It was only then that she realized he was kissing her. She was speechless. The pain she had locked away for so long surged back because of this kiss.
"It was me. I worked with your mother to deceive both of you. And to be honest, I don't regret a single thing."
"It was you, remember? You never replied to my messages. You always said you were busy. When I needed you most, you were on the other side of the planet. You said you were busy—why should I have been the one always accommodating you?" she continued, her emotions becoming increasingly volatile. Usually, she was restrained with others, but with Lu Jiting, she wanted to release all her malice and agony.
"You said you'd come for Christmas—you didn't. You said you'd see me for Easter—you didn't. I permed my hair and did my nails just for your arrival; I even turned down performance opportunities. But you dismissed me with a simple 'I'm busy.' You constantly dragged me from excitement to utter disappointment. We never went to an amusement park together as a couple, never saw a movie. You never followed through on going bowling. Your promises are worth less than scrap paper. How could I ever forgive you? I've hated you for years, Lu Jiting. I will hate you for the rest of my life."
Lu Jiting gave a desperate, hollow laugh. "You care."
"I didn't ignore you on purpose! Father promised me that if my proposal passed, he would let me move to the UK branch so we wouldn't have to be long-distance. It was my goddamn uncle; he caused trouble. I am a Lu—I had to stand by the family, and I was standing by our future. I was thinking of our future, Ksenia!"
Ksenia let out a bitter laugh. "Future? So I had your mother tell you I was dead. Maybe that was one of the futures."
"Besides, I have Henry now."
At the mention of Henry, Lu Jiting lashed out, kicking a nearby cabinet. The bottles and jars inside shattered into a mess on the floor.
"Lu Jiting, calm down." Christine stepped out from the shadows. If he kept this up, the chemicals in the warehouse would spill everywhere, and the consequences would be disastrous.
But Lu Jiting was in no state to listen to a stranger.
"I have to say, your taste in men is terrible." Christine, worried about the situation escalating, began untying Ksenia's ropes.
"Why are you letting her go?" Lu Jiting roared.
Christine was an officer of the law; she wouldn't permit Lu Jiting to carry on this way. Once free, Ksenia stepped forward and delivered a sharp slap to his face.
This time, Lu Jiting went quiet. Or perhaps, he finally gave up.
"What do you want my face for?" Ksenia had long since grown accustomed to Lu Jiting's mania. Her emotions had leveled out into a cold curiosity regarding Christine's plan.
Of course, Christine couldn't tell her. In her view, Ksenia was likely a product of the Manor, and the chances of successfully recruiting her were slim. Furthermore, without her M-6 support, it would be difficult to control her. Christine struggled to find the right words.
"Are you asking because you still care about me?" Lu Jiting asked.
Ksenia lost all interest in the conversation.
Ksenia sat in the taxi, her mind a storm. Part of her knew Christine was onto her connection with the Manor or the organization. The other part couldn't stop thinking about those years with Lu Jiting—the happiness, the grief, and the partings that had made her a regular at the therapist's office.
She remembered a period when she cried constantly, never sleeping until 5:00 AM. Her hands had broken out in rashes, and her face was covered in acne. Many performances had rejected her, citing her poor state of mind. She had been on the verge of a breakdown, never receiving even a "goodnight" or "good morning" from Lu Jiting.
She had no parents and few friends. If the man she loved only saw her as a distraction or a tool for procreation, wasn't that a tragedy?
She realized that this worldview had likely been instilled in her by Lu Jiting's parents—a miserable couple who despised each other.
She touched the scar on her arm as she recalled her tenth birthday. Lu Xiao had hosted a celebration in a private room at the city's most prestigious hotel.
Mrs. Lu hadn't attended, and the atmosphere was relatively peaceful. Lu Xiao gave her a dance studio as a gift; Lu Jiting bought her ballet shoes; Lu Chu gave her a tutu. It was a fragile, superficial harmony that felt unsettling. That feeling of being in a bubble that could burst at any second haunted Ksenia until Mrs. Lu arrived.
"Lu Xiao!" The door burst open. Mrs. Lu threw down a stack of documents. "You conspired with the hospital to deceive me!"
Ksenia picked up a paper that had fluttered in front of her. Back then, her Chinese wasn't great, but she heard Lu Ming read it: "No biological relationship."
"Mom, she's not Dad's," Lu Jiting had added.
But Mrs. Lu wouldn't let it go. "Lu Xiao, you dare say you didn't tamper with this?"
"I didn't." Lu Xiao's icy gaze cut straight through his wife.
Ksenia had always been confused—why was Mrs. Lu so determined to prove her husband had been unfaithful? When Mrs. Lu caught Ksenia's look of pity, she snapped. Sensing the mockery and resentment from everyone in the room, she flipped the table, drenching Ksenia in scalding hot soup.
The result was Lu Xiao slapping Mrs. Lu across the face.
From that moment on, Ksenia knew the agonizing price of marrying someone who didn't love you. In her future, she vowed to find someone who would love her completely.
Lu Jiting was not that person. She knew that work and the Lu family would always be more important to him. He wasn't wrong, but she couldn't live with it.
Does Henry love me completely? she wondered. Good God, am I actually seriously considering a relationship with Henry?
This isn't a relationship; it's a mission! she reminded herself once again.