Rain continued throughout the night.
The melody lingered inside the music room long after the final note had faded, filling the silence between Xiaoyu and Lu Shen with something neither of them knew how to name.
Xiaoyu didn't move.
Her fingers still rested lightly against the piano keys.
She looked directly at him.
"You said I used to play it."
Lu Shen's expression had already returned to its familiar calm.
"I misspoke."
"No."
"I did."
"You knew that melody."
"I've heard many songs."
She stood slowly.
"So have I."
Her voice remained quiet.
"But this one felt like a memory."
Neither of them looked away.
For a brief moment, the room seemed impossibly small.
Only the sound of rain against the windows remained.
Finally Lu Shen walked toward the piano.
He gently closed the lid.
"The past doesn't always deserve to be reopened."
Xiaoyu crossed her arms.
"That's convenient."
"It isn't."
"You expect me to accept answers that explain nothing."
"I expect you to sleep."
"I expect honesty."
Silence.
Long enough for disappointment to settle between them.
Without another word, Lu Shen turned and left the room.
The door closed softly behind him.
Somehow that was worse than slamming it.
---
Xiaoyu didn't sleep.
She spent half the night staring at the ceiling, replaying every conversation since signing the contract.
Every time she asked about the past...
Lu Shen changed the subject.
Every time she mentioned her family...
he became quieter.
Every time she remembered something...
he already seemed to know more than he admitted.
She hated mysteries.
Especially when she was standing at the center of one.
---
The next morning arrived bright and unexpectedly warm.
For the first time in days, sunlight filled the eastern garden.
Madam Chen was arranging flowers when Xiaoyu entered the dining room.
"Good morning, Mrs. Lu."
"Morning."
"You didn't sleep well."
"Is it that obvious?"
Madam Chen smiled.
"You put sugar in your tea."
Xiaoyu looked down.
She always drank it without sugar.
She hadn't even noticed.
Before she could answer, Lu Shen entered.
Perfectly dressed.
Perfectly composed.
As if the conversation in the music room had never happened.
He sat opposite her.
Picked up the newspaper.
And began reading.
Xiaoyu watched him for almost a minute.
Finally she spoke.
"Did you sleep well?"
"Yes."
"Liar."
The newspaper lowered slightly.
"I wasn't aware this was an interrogation."
"It isn't."
"Good."
"Because you're losing."
Madam Chen quietly excused herself.
She had worked in the mansion long enough to recognize the beginning of an argument.
---
After breakfast, Lu Shen left for the Shen Group headquarters.
The mansion suddenly felt larger than usual.
Xiaoyu wandered through the library before stopping in front of a locked wooden cabinet she had never noticed before.
Unlike the modern shelves surrounding it, the cabinet looked old.
Handcrafted.
Its brass handle had faded with time.
She gently touched it.
Locked.
Curiosity immediately replaced reason.
She searched nearby drawers.
Nothing.
Looked beneath stacked books.
Nothing.
Just as she was about to leave, Madam Chen appeared carrying fresh towels.
She followed Xiaoyu's gaze.
"That cabinet has been locked for many years."
"What's inside?"
"I don't know."
"You've never opened it?"
"No."
"Not even once?"
Madam Chen shook her head.
"Some things belong only to their owners."
Xiaoyu smiled faintly.
"I'm beginning to think everyone in this house speaks in riddles."
Madam Chen's expression softened.
"Sometimes people stay silent because words are dangerous."
---
Meanwhile...
Thirty floors above the city.
The executive meeting room of Shen Group was unusually tense.
Directors exchanged nervous glances while financial reports covered the table.
One elderly shareholder cleared his throat.
"President Lu."
Lu Shen looked up.
"The media attention regarding your marriage..."
"What about it?"
"...investors are curious."
"They're free to remain curious."
Another director adjusted his glasses.
"The photograph has improved public sentiment."
"And?"
"We believe a joint interview would strengthen the company's image."
"No."
"It could increase market confidence."
"No."
"President Lu—"
His voice remained calm.
"No."
The discussion ended immediately.
No one argued further.
Outside the meeting room, his assistant sighed quietly.
Mr. Lu never changed his decisions.
Except...
recently.
---
That afternoon, Xiaoyu decided to leave the mansion.
Not to shop.
Not to attend an event.
Simply to walk.
Two security vehicles followed at a respectful distance.
She noticed them after five minutes.
Turning around, she folded her arms.
"Are they following me?"
The driver nodded.
"Mr. Lu's instructions."
"I'm walking."
"Yes, Mrs. Lu."
"I'm not crossing a battlefield."
"Yes, Mrs. Lu."
She almost laughed.
Arguing was clearly useless.
She continued through a quiet park nearby.
Children chased pigeons.
Couples shared ice cream.
An old man played chess with strangers.
For the first time in weeks, life felt ordinary.
Then she heard it.
A familiar melody.
Someone nearby was playing a violin.
The tune was identical to the one she had unconsciously played on the piano.
Xiaoyu stopped walking.
Her heartbeat quickened.
Without thinking, she followed the sound.
One step.
Then another.
The melody grew clearer.
An elderly street musician stood beneath a large tree.
Eyes closed.
Completely absorbed in the music.
She waited until he finished.
"Excuse me..."
The old man smiled.
"Beautiful song, isn't it?"
"Do you know where it comes from?"
His expression changed.
"I haven't heard anyone ask about it in years."
"You know it?"
He nodded slowly.
"My wife used to play it."
"Where did she learn it?"
Before he could answer—
two security guards suddenly approached.
"Mrs. Lu."
"It's time to return."
She ignored them.
"Please..."
she asked the violinist,
"tell me."
The old man looked carefully at her face.
His smile slowly disappeared.
For several long seconds he said nothing.
Then, almost in a whisper—
"You look exactly like the little girl who used to come here."
Xiaoyu froze.
"I've never been here before."
The violinist shook his head gently.
"No..."
His eyes filled with confusion.
"...I'm certain I remember you."
At that exact moment, a black sedan parked across the street.
Inside, someone lowered a camera after taking another photograph.
A message was typed and immediately sent.
Her memories are returning faster than expected.
The reply arrived less than ten seconds later.
Then we no longer have much time.
Xiaoyu stood beneath the afternoon sun, unaware that her search for answers had already begun pulling hidden enemies out of the shadows.
And somewhere high above the city, behind the glass walls of his office, Lu Shen suddenly looked up from his meeting.
For reasons he couldn't explain,
an overwhelming sense of unease settled quietly in his chest.
He reached for his phone.
And called home.