CHAPTER 4 — The Cold Line Between Fate
The next morning arrived quietly, but the silence did little to soothe Shi Yunxi's heart. She woke before dawn, though she barely slept at all. Her mind remained tangled in the previous night's humiliation—her father's harsh words, Roulan's sweetly poison-coated voice, the shifting of Qin Yuchan's gaze as he stood beside her sister in front of her.
Everything felt like a dream she couldn't escape from.
She sat up slowly, staring at the faint sunlight spilling through her curtains. It painted her room with soft golden light, but even that warmth could not reach the cold settling in her chest.
Downstairs, she could hear voices—servants preparing for the day, Roulan's excited laughter drifting faintly from the living room.
Of course Roulan would be delighted.
Today was likely already filled with preparations for her new engagement, a celebration that was supposed to belong to Yunxi… if things had been different.
If her life weren't so easily disposable.
If she mattered to anyone in this house.
She pressed both hands to her face and inhaled deeply, trying to steady her emotions. She needed to stay calm. She needed to survive quietly, unnoticed. Father had already ordered her to remain inside, unseen, unheard—like a blemish they were desperate to hide.
She could not afford to give them any excuse to make her life worse.
Slowly, she got out of bed and prepared for the day even though she had nowhere to go. Her movements were slow, mechanical, almost lifeless. By the time she stepped downstairs, the living room was already filled with noise.
Shi Roulan sat beautifully dressed on the couch, holding Qin Yuchan's arm as if she had always belonged there. She looked up when Yunxi appeared at the foot of the stairs.
"Oh, sister," Roulan said with a sympathetic expression that didn't reach her eyes, "you look pale. Did you sleep at all?"
Yunxi didn't answer. She walked past them silently, heading toward the kitchen.
But Roulan's voice followed her like a hook.
"You should rest more. With so much… happening last night, your body must be exhausted."
Qin Yuchan flinched slightly at her words. His eyes lifted toward Yunxi, guilt flickering across his face—but he didn't speak.
He didn't defend her.
He didn't even look at her for more than a second.
Shi Yunxi stopped for a moment, her hands tightening at her sides, but she didn't respond. Responding would only make Roulan play the victim again.
And Father would always believe Roulan over her.
She continued walking, ignoring the ache growing in her chest, when Roulan added softly to Qin Yuchan:
"Poor Yunxi… she really brought so much trouble to the family."
This time, Yunxi sharply inhaled—even if she kept her face stoic.
She entered the kitchen and closed the door behind her.
For a moment, she stood there silently, gripping the countertop with trembling fingers. Her throat burned, but she forced herself to breathe slowly until the sharp sting in her chest eased.
She needed to endure.
She needed to keep her dignity intact.
Just because the world was trying to break her didn't mean she had to fall apart in front of them.
Let them think they won.
She would survive quietly.
Across the city, inside Mu Corporation's towering headquarters, the atmosphere was nothing like the chaotic warmth of the Shi household. The top floor was silent, spacious, and cold—much like the man who owned it.
Mu Lingchen stood in his office, reviewing documents with that same unreadable expression that made his subordinates fear even breathing too loudly.
He was tall, sharply built, with an aura so intense and imposing that people instinctively lowered their gaze when he passed. The room seemed to fold around him, as if afraid to disturb his focus.
Reports were stacked on his desk, and he flipped through them with calm precision. Nothing in his demeanor showed even a hint of the chaos his assistant had been dealing with since morning.
"President Mu," Lu Shan said quietly as he entered, holding a tablet, "there was another attempt to investigate last night's incident. It came from an unknown sender."
Mu Lingchen continued signing a document.
"I am not interested."
"But, sir—"
He lifted his gaze, and that alone was enough to freeze Lu Shan in place.
Mu Lingchen's voice was soft, yet carried a weight that could crush bones.
"Lu Shan. You are misunderstanding something."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"What happened last night has nothing to do with me. I have no intention of knowing who the woman was. And I do not want anyone else to know either."
Lu Shan swallowed tightly.
"I… I understand, President."
Mu Lingchen returned to his documents without hesitation, but there was a faint look in his eyes—something almost like annoyance, or perhaps something deeper.
He didn't like the memory of losing control.
He didn't like the scent that had lingered too vividly in his mind.
He didn't like the softness of the touch he vaguely remembered.
He wanted it erased.
Forgotten.
Buried.
It meant nothing.
The woman meant nothing.
And yet—for the briefest moment—an image flashed in his mind:
A faint warmth beside him.
A trembling breath.
Softness against his skin.
The gentle, almost fragile scent of someone who felt entirely out of place in his world.
He dismissed it instantly.
Women like that were weak.
Trouble.
Distractions he had no patience for.
Lu Shan risked speaking again.
"President, should we at least compensate her? Whoever she was… she might cause problems if—"
Mu Lingchen's expression turned glacial.
"If she knows what is best for her, she will stay silent. If she does not…"
His voice became even colder,
"…then I will deal with it accordingly."
Lu Shan shivered.
There was no room for negotiation.
President Mu did not tolerate chaos.
He did not tolerate accidents.
And he certainly did not tolerate anyone interfering with his life.
Even if that woman were to appear before him now, he would look at her with the same cold indifference he had for every stranger.
She was nothing to him.
A shadow of the night.
A mistake.
One he intended to erase completely.
But fate was often cruel.
And destiny had already tied a red thread between Mu Lingchen and the woman he was determined to forget… though neither of them knew just how tightly it had been knotted.