Chapter 6: Cracks in the Mask
1306 Words
I couldn’t get the words out of my mind.
“If you don’t want to do this anymore, Li Xue… it’s your choice.”
But it wasn’t really a choice, was it?
Not when I could still feel the weight of the Wú family’s judgment. Not when my own reputation, my family’s name, and maybe even my future were all tied to this arrangement.
The truth was, I was trapped.
And worse—part of me didn’t want to escape.
The next morning, I barely recognized myself in the mirror.
There were shadows under my eyes, my skin looked too pale, and my shoulders were tense as if I had been bracing for a storm that hadn’t yet arrived.
In a way, maybe it already had.
I chose a soft blue dress, something simple but elegant. I pinned my hair back neatly, applying makeup with careful precision.
If nothing else, I could control how the world saw me—even if everything inside me was spinning out of control.
When I arrived at the office, everything seemed… normal.
The receptionist smiled. Colleagues nodded. Papers shuffled. Phones rang.
Normal.
Fake.
I made my way to my office, but before I could even sit down, my phone buzzed sharply in my bag.
A message from Zihan.
Come to my office. Now.
No explanation. No emoji. Just those three commanding words.
I sighed, grabbing my planner and phone, then made my way upstairs.
As I reached his floor, the atmosphere changed.
The air was heavier.
The employees here spoke in hushed voices, and everyone’s movements were quicker, sharper—like they could sense something was about to break.
I knocked once, then pushed open the door.
Zihan was standing behind his desk, jacket off, shirt sleeves rolled up, his face even more serious than usual. His tie was loosened slightly at the collar, a rare sign of stress.
When his eyes met mine, I almost forgot to breathe.
There was something raw there. Something… almost human beneath the layers of cold.
“Close the door,” he said.
I obeyed without question, shutting it firmly behind me.
“What’s going on?” I asked, keeping my voice steady.
Zihan didn’t speak immediately. Instead, he picked up a file from his desk and tossed it toward me. It landed with a soft thud at my feet.
I bent down, heart pounding, and opened it.
Inside were photos—dozens of them.
Photos of me.
Leaving my apartment. Walking to work. Eating lunch at a café. Meeting friends.
Someone had been following me.
For weeks.
I felt my stomach twist into a hard knot.
“Who—?” I started, my voice catching.
“We’re trying to find out,” Zihan said, crossing his arms over his chest. “But I have my suspicions.”
I looked up at him, anger rising to the surface. “You knew someone was stalking me and you didn’t tell me?”
“I didn’t know for sure until last night,” he said. His jaw tightened. “I wasn’t going to risk tipping them off before I had more information.”
“And now?”
“Now,” he said, stepping closer, “you’re moving in with me.”
I blinked. “What?”
“You heard me.” His voice left no room for argument. “It’s not safe for you to be alone anymore.”
“But we’re just pretending to be engaged,” I protested. “Living together—”
“Is the only way to protect you,” he cut me off.
His eyes were burning, fierce and unwavering. “This isn’t about pretending anymore, Li Xue. This is about survival.”
The room spun slightly.
How had everything spiraled so far out of my control?
An hour later, after a whirlwind of arrangements, I found myself standing in the penthouse apartment Zihan called home.
It was massive. Sleek. Impeccably designed.
Cold.
Just like him.
“This is your room,” he said, opening a door to a spacious guest suite.
The bed was large, the furniture tasteful. Everything was perfectly arranged, as if no one had ever actually lived here.
“Thank you,” I said stiffly, feeling awkward.
He studied me for a moment, then said, “You don’t have to thank me. I’m the reason you’re in danger in the first place.”
I opened my mouth to argue, but stopped.
Maybe he was right.
Maybe pretending to be engaged to a man like Wú Zǐhán came with more risks than I ever imagined.
That night, after unpacking a few essentials, I found myself standing out on the penthouse balcony, staring out at the glittering city lights.
I wrapped my arms around myself, feeling the chill of the night seep into my bones.
“You shouldn’t be out here alone,” came Zihan’s voice behind me.
I turned to find him leaning casually against the doorframe, hands in his pockets.
“I needed some air,” I said.
He stepped onto the balcony, coming to stand beside me.
For a few moments, neither of us spoke.
“You’re scared,” he said quietly.
It wasn’t a question.
I laughed bitterly. “Wouldn’t you be?”
He didn’t respond right away.
When he finally spoke, his voice was low. “I’ve been scared for a long time.”
I turned to look at him, startled by the admission.
“You don’t seem like the type to be scared of anything,” I said.
He smiled grimly. “Everyone’s afraid of something, Li Xue. Even me.”
I searched his face, trying to find the man beneath the cold mask.
And for the first time, I caught a glimpse of it.
The loneliness.
The pain.
The vulnerability he kept hidden from the world.
“Why did you agree to this?” I whispered. “The engagement. The fake marriage. Why me?”
Zihan looked away, staring out over the city.
When he spoke, his voice was barely audible.
“My family… they’ve been trying to control my future for years. Marry this heiress, invest in that company. All for the sake of appearances. For power.”
He paused, then added, “Lin Yunmei… my family wanted me to choose her.”
I stiffened at the mention of her name.
“But I couldn’t,” he said simply. “I didn’t love her. I didn’t trust her. And when they started pushing harder, I realized I needed a way out.”
“And I was… convenient,” I said, bitterness creeping into my tone.
He turned to face me then, his eyes dark and intense.
“No,” he said. “You were different.”
I swallowed hard, my heart pounding.
“You didn’t want anything from me,” he continued. “You weren’t chasing my name or my money. You didn’t see me as some prize to be won.”
I looked down at my hands, struggling to process his words.
“I saw you,” he said softly. “And for the first time in a long time, I thought… maybe I could have something real.”
The confession shattered something inside me.
And before I could stop myself, I whispered, “I’m scared, too.”
Zihan reached out, gently brushing a strand of hair from my face.
“I know,” he said. “But you’re not alone anymore.”
The words were a promise.
A dangerous one.
Because deep down, I knew that if I let myself fall for him—if I let my heart believe even for a second that this could be real—I wouldn’t survive the fall.
But standing there, with the city lights shimmering around us, his hand warm against my skin…
I realized it was already too late.
- Writer
