The night after the little revelation by the river, I barely slept.
The city outside had gone quiet, ushering in a peaceful night, but my mind just wouldn't stop spinning.
I had just heard my mother's name.
Lin Yue.
A name that I had buried in my memory with grief, was suddenly pulling out like loose thread.
She had passed away when I was turning seventeen, leaving behind nothing but an old sewing machine, a sketchbook and a whore of a father who remarried two months later.
That too, to a woman who would make my life hell.
Throughout her existence,I never got to interact with my maternal family, I don't even know if they exist.
This explains why my father had such guts to remarry just after burying his legal wife.
And now there is this system, with a miraculous maddening Nova, claiming he is part of it.
'Correction host. I am part of the creator of the system.'
My hand froze at the sides of my table.
"How...What did you just say?"
'Your mother, Lin Yue, is identified as my creator. For you to access full records of this space, you require permission.'
I blinked, slightly shocked."So you are telling me that my mother built consciousness and left it inside...me?"
'Affirmative. Technically, she built me inside her first.'
I swallowed. "...What? So should I call you my brother or what?"
'Pfft. You are funny... sisterrrrrrr...'
The way he dragged that sister word, coupled with his high pitched voice made me cringe. Nova was really out here to finish me.
"Stop with that annoying voice. You'll burst my brains."
'Hehe...but you do love me.'
"That's Debatable."
By morning, I had distracted myself through the only way I knew, through work.
Countless designs lay on my draft table, with my studio smelling of fabric dye, ambition and coffee.
I was still actively working on my Rebirth collection, alongside some orders from high end clients.
Each sketch I came up with seemed to pulse faintly under my pen, with Nova quietly assisting me behind the scenes.
When I stepped back to admire the design I've been struggling to pull off, a gown with beautiful glass beadwork, a knock came.
"Come in," I answered absentmindedly, trying to figure out how I wanted the final gown to look like.
The door opened, and in stepped none other than Lu Jinghao.
Of course.
He was dressed in an ash grey trench coat over a high quality black turtleneck.
This man was in my premises looking like the kind of man editors drooled over, the kind that owned not just a fashion empire, but the silence in a room too.
"Are you Busy?" he asked, voice coming out smoother than I expected.
"As always," I answered back without looking up.
His walk was slow and deliberate, as he scanned the sketches pinned on the board.
"You really work fast."
"I just think fast."
"Meaning you don't sleep?"
"That only happens when I run out of my favorite coffee or reasons to live. I lean more on the first reason though."
'Host your sarcasm levels are optimal...and you just made him stare at you longer than any average admirer should stare.'
I ignored Nova as I focused on Lu Jinghao.
"And you? What are you doing here?"
He faced me, with an unreadable smile tugging at his lips.
"You are my personal designer and I have some few inspirations for you."
" And you couldn't call or email?"
"I prefer one on one conversations...none of your opinions would have had impact via email."
"Plus...how are you going to update my measurements over the phone?"
Tsk!
"Well, you should have sent an email or text informing me.As you can see, I am currently busy."
He leaned against a table, arms folded, face full of amusement.
"You're really going to make me wait?"
"Mr Lu, patience builds character."
"Or kills inspiration."
That made me glance up. Our gazes met, steady, unyielding and none ready to back down.
We weren't flirting, at least not yet. It was interest. The kind that knew how to grab my attention, irregardless of the topic or person.
I cleared my throat. "If I give you my attention now, do I get extra pay?"
"Of course. I know how to treat my people well."
"Tempting...and if I say no?"
"Then I'll probably keep asking."
I exhaled. "You know...you sometimes act like a bastard. You really don't take rejection well."
"I barely get rejected sweetheart."
'Ouu! Sweetheart! He is flirting with you host. Please proceed with caution, lest you fall into his honey trap.'
I turned back to my design. "Fine. Where's the inspiration?"
He didn't move but opened his mouth. "Can I... ask you something?"
"Depends. Will it make or ruin my morning?"
He smiled faintly. "What is really driving you to work this hard?"
I hesitated. "My answer will make you laugh."
"I promise I won't."
I glanced at my glass beaded gown, shimmering as if it is alive, before responding.
"Art," I said. "And Vengeance."
He nodded slowly. "That's honest of you. And dangerous."
"But...I like danger."
For a second, golden silence stretched between us again.
'Oh host. Shall I dim the lights for you two?'
Lu Jinghao's next words distracted me from Nova's teasing.
"This looks… familiar," he said quietly, tracing one of my sketches on the board, careful not to touch it, as if touching it might break it.
"This pattern...Jiang Rui...it's like something I've seen before. Perhaps from an old collection?"
I stepped beside him, just close enough to catch the scent of his cologne.
"This is an original sketch. But I suppose real art always echoes something."
He looked at me then, his grey eyes glistering under sunlight. "...or someone."
For a second, recognition was visible in his gaze. I just didn't know whether he was seeing me, my past as a slave or my future as a designer.
I bit the inside of my cheek to prevent a smile.
"Mr Lu, you are staring."
He blinked, unbothered and unashamed.
"Am I?"
"Yes."
"Then I suppose I am."
And then, in a calm manner that scared me, he added. "You are distracting. You have the kind of focus that many people pretend to have..."
I arched a brow. " Are you implying that I am a distraction to you Mr Lu?"
"A Professional distraction," he said, the corners of his mouth tilting. "Partly."
'Oh host, he is really flirting. Are you not going to defend your heart and walls?'
"Shut up Nova."
'But I... never mind!'
"Good to know my professionalism can be seen through Mr Lu," I replied dryly, opening the inspiration sketches he had brought along.
He laughed softly, the sound tickling me as it brushed down my spine.
"You really don't let anyone in, do you?"
I kept my hands busy, catching him off guard by taking his measurements.
"Letting people in means dealing with the messes they make and I already have enough of those."
"But sometimes the right people can help you clean them up," he said, his tone softening, as if he was coaxing a baby.
My hands paused mid work, and I lifted my head, meeting his gaze.
It was curious, steady, but too soft to my liking.
"You sound like someone who is volunteering for a job he knows nothing about."
"Have you considered that maybe I like a challenge?"
'Host, he is really flirting with you. Should I perhaps initiate the sarcasm counter measure?'
"No," I murmured to Nova, "don't mind him."
"Hmm?" Lu Jinghao asked.
"Well, too bad for you buddy. I already have thousands of thoughts flooding my mind. Now turn around."
Thankfully, he didn't say anything and cooperated, allowing me to successfully take his measurements.
Afterwards, we started reviewing the inspos, working in companionable silence for a while, with him leaning all the way anytime I explained a design to him, and why I felt it was either good or bad.
By the time it was noon, the draft table was littered with coffee cups, sketches, fabric samples, and various pattern sheets.
"Perhaps you should cut on your coffee intake. You consume too much caffeine."
"Says the man who runs on black coffee and stock prices."
He chuckled and then laughed. "Touché. So, Lunch?"
I blinked, as if I had not heard him well. "You're asking me out for lunch?"
"I'm asking my designer out for lunch," he corrected, perhaps quicker than he intended to. "Strictly business."
"Fine," I said aloud, picking up my coat. "Strictly business it is."
We ended up in a quiet rooftop restaurant. From here ,the sky looked so blue that everything felt cinematic.
He ordered for both of us without asking, not that I knew what I wanted to eat.
The waiter came with our food and left, and for a while, the atmosphere was strangely peaceful.
"So, your ex hasn't resurfaced?"
I sipped my water. "Well,he tried. But the block button is truly a one of a kind invention."
His eyes glinted with something I couldn't really name. Perhaps approval, or maybe anger on my behalf, but whatever it was, I didn't want to know.
"Good. Because he doesn't deserve even a microsecond of your time."
'Host he is turning into an ally. A good one at that.'
"You seem to be defending me too much, except, I don't need anyone's defense," I suddenly spoke, my voice softening more than I intended it to.
"But defense isn't weakness," He replied, maintaining eye contact.
I looked at him, really looked at him. For someone the world knew as a literal ice block, he carried some warmth.
And for the first time, I wondered what was really behind all that armor.
'Host are you perhaps falling for your CEO knight?'
"Absolutely not," I muttered inwardly.
'liar.'