The flight touched down late at night.
Gu Ze Yan walked out of the airport surrounded by colleagues and assistants, yet his heart wasn't in their chatter. The neon lights of Liangcheng flickered against the car windows as they drove through the city, but he barely noticed.
Another successful deal signed, another step forward for Luminar System. Normally, this would have been reason enough to relax, even celebrate. Yet instead, he felt a strange hollowness pressing down on his chest.
His thoughts drifted, inevitably, to her.
Lin Qing Yun.
Her soft smile, the way she reminded him to eat, the way her laughter always seemed to brighten the dullest day.
And that day, when she returned from the park and told him with such an easy, bright smile—"Everything is good."
For a brief moment, he believed it. His chest had loosened, relief washing over him.
But then those gossip photos came. Wei Ran hugging her. Stroking her hair. Kissing her forehead.
It felt like someone had poured cold water over his relief, leaving only jealousy and doubt to gnaw at him.
He sulked like a child, and even now, he hated himself for it.
The Apartment
The elevator doors opened, and Gu Ze Yan stepped into his apartment. He was expecting stillness, darkness, that faint emptiness he had long grown used to.
But the moment he stepped inside, he froze.
The lights were soft, not harsh. There was a faint fragrance of detergent and green tea lingering in the air. His books, which he always left in a half-chaotic pile, were neatly stacked on the coffee table. A new small plant sat by the window, its leaves glossy, thriving. A bag of groceries peeked out from the kitchen counter—fresh vegetables, fruit, even a box of his favorite biscuits.
He felt his heart tremble.
And then he saw her.
Lin Qing Yun lay curled up on the sofa, her breathing gentle, her face softened in sleep. Her dark hair spilled like silk over the cushion, strands fluttering slightly with each breath. One hand rested against her stomach, the other still loosely holding a cup she hadn't even finished.
He couldn't move. He couldn't breathe.
For three long weeks, she had been wearing herself thin—running around for Luminar's expo, still keeping her bookstore shifts, tutoring, translation, her endless responsibilities. He had seen the exhaustion in her eyes, though she always smiled and told him she was fine.
And yet, even now, instead of resting at her own apartment, she had come here. To his apartment. To make sure his plants were watered, his fish fed, his space spotless.
His chest tightened. All those little things—groceries, notes, new utensils, small pieces of decor—every single one of them carried her care, her quiet, invisible love.
He suddenly felt foolish for every sulking thought he had harbored.
Even if Xu Wei Ran had held her in that park. Even if the world whispered that she belonged to someone else.
None of that mattered.
Because right here, in the place he once thought was cold and empty, she was sleeping peacefully.
Because without her, this home would go back to lifeless silence.
Because he only wanted her.
Watching Her Sleep
Gu Ze Yan set his suitcase aside and walked slowly to the sofa. He crouched down, his tall frame folding awkwardly, but he didn't care. He safely put down the tea cup from her hand and put it on the coffee table.
He leaned close, studying her features as though committing them to memory. Her lashes were long and curled, trembling slightly as if she were dreaming. Her lips were parted just a little, her cheeks faintly flushed from the warmth of the room.
Without realizing it, his hand rose.
He brushed a stray lock of hair away from her cheek. His fingertips lingered, tracing the curve of her jaw, feather-light, terrified of waking her yet unable to stop. His touch was reverent, trembling.
How many nights had he dreamed of this? Waking up to her face, watching her sleep without a mask of smiles, just pure peace?
How many mornings had he secretly wished that when he opened his eyes, she would be there beside him?
He closed his own eyes, forehead resting lightly against the sofa cushion near her shoulder. His voice was hoarse, breaking the silence.
"Sunny…"
The name was half a prayer.
"I love you."
It came out soft, but steady. As though it had been sitting in his chest for years, waiting for this moment to escape.
His eyes opened again, and he leaned down. Slowly, carefully. A kiss.
His lips brushed against hers—a kiss so light it was like breathing. A fleeting touch, a confession written in warmth.
For a heartbeat, he didn't even dare to move.
Then, her lashes fluttered.
Her eyes opened slowly, hazy with sleep, pupils dark and unfocused at first. She blinked once, twice, and then the world sharpened.
She saw him.
Gu Ze Yan froze, caught between fear and longing. His hand was still on her hair, his lips just a breath away from hers.
Lin Qing Yun looked at him quietly. There was no scream, no shock. Instead, her lips curved ever so slightly, as though she had expected this all along.
"Gu Ze Yan…" she whispered, her voice hoarse from sleep, but carrying a softness that melted through his chest.
For a moment, the world was silent.
His heart pounded like thunder. Her eyes—still hazy, still glowing softly—were on him, and he knew this was the moment that would decide everything.
He could pull back, apologize, pretend it never happened.
Or he could hold on, and never let go.
Gu Ze Yan's hand tightened in her hair, his breath unsteady, his gaze burning.
This was his only answer.