The anonymous messages haunted Yuexi long after the screen went dark. She double-checked the hotel door, drew the curtains, and sat on the edge of the bed with her heart pounding.
She had dealt with gossip, hate comments, and paparazzi before. But this was different. This felt personal.
Who could it be?
Her mind spiraled through possibilities—an old rival from her acting days, a disgruntled fan, or worse, someone linked to Chenxuan's world of ruthless business.
Either way, she was alone.
At Lu Corporation headquarters, Chenxuan's day dragged with meetings he barely remembered. His phone buzzed with a notification from his private security firm—an alert flagged to his personal email.
Subject: Potential Threat – Lin Yuexi
Chenxuan's stomach tightened as he read. The hotel Yuexi had checked into had reported suspicious activity: a man loitering near the elevators, asking for her room number, leaving when denied.
The message ended with a chilling note: Guest safety not guaranteed.
Without a second thought, Chenxuan abandoned the meeting mid-sentence. His executives stared, confused, but no one dared question him.
He was already dialing his head of security."Find that man. And don't let Yuexi out of your sight."
That night, Yuexi left the hotel quietly, her cap pulled low. She needed air, needed to remind herself she wasn't going to live in fear.
She walked two blocks to a convenience store, bought a bottle of water, and turned down a side street toward the hotel.
That's when she heard footsteps.
Heavy. Following.
Her heart raced. She sped up. So did the footsteps.
"Yuexi," a low voice called from the shadows.
She froze, every nerve screaming.
The man stepped closer. His hood concealed most of his face, but his grin was unmistakable. "Leaving your husband makes you vulnerable. Didn't anyone tell you that?"
Panic surged through her. She backed away, clutching her phone. But before she could dial emergency services, headlights flooded the alley.
A sleek black car screeched to a stop. The door swung open, and a tall figure strode out.
"Get away from her."
Chenxuan's voice was ice.
The man bolted, vanishing into the darkness. Security guards spilled out of another vehicle, chasing after him.
Yuexi stood frozen, breath shallow, as Chenxuan reached her. His hands grasped her shoulders, firm but trembling.
"Are you hurt?"
"I—" Her voice cracked. "No. I'm fine."
His jaw was set tight, but his eyes betrayed something raw, something she hadn't seen in a long time—fear.
"You shouldn't be here," she whispered, though the words sounded weak even to her own ears.
"You shouldn't be alone." His grip tightened. "Do you understand what could've happened if I was one minute late?"
Yuexi tried to pull back, but his presence overwhelmed her. For once, it wasn't dominance or control she felt radiating from him—it was desperation.
"Come home," he said, almost pleading. "At least until I deal with this."
Her lips parted, ready to refuse. But the memory of the man's grin sent a shiver down her spine.
And for the first time, Yuexi realized: as much as she hated the cage Chenxuan represented, outside of it… the world might be far more dangerous.
Later, in the car ride back, silence stretched between them. The city lights reflected in the tinted windows, flickering like ghosts.
Chenxuan sat beside her, his hand resting near hers but not quite touching.
For once, he didn't command her, didn't demand. He simply said:
"Until this is over, Yuexi, stay by my side. Not as my wife under contract. But as the woman I refuse to lose."
Her chest tightened, caught between fury, longing, and a fragile, unspoken hope.