CHAPTER 112 — After the Storm
Peace did not return suddenly.
It came slowly — quietly — like sunlight creeping through curtains after a long night of thunder. The world outside continued to move in its usual rhythm: cars on the distant road, the rustle of leaves, neighbors waking to start their morning routines.
But inside the Mu estate, the world was still holding its breath.
Rui lay on the large master bed, tucked beneath a soft quilt, his little chest rising and falling in small, delicate breaths. His arm was wrapped in bandages from the fall, and faint bruises dotted his knees and elbows. But he was alive — warm, breathing, safe.
Yunxi hadn't left his side since he'd been brought home.
She sat beside him now, gently stroking his hair with trembling fingers. Her eyes were red from crying, not heavily, but in the fragile way that came from too much fear and too much relief colliding in the same heart.
She didn't look away from him.
Not even for a second.
Every blink, every shift in his breath made her chest tighten. She was terrified he might vanish again, that this was all some cruel dream she would wake from.
Lingchen stood quietly at the door.
He didn't interrupt her.
He didn't dare.
His eyes traveled from Rui — sleeping peacefully — to Yunxi, curled protectively at the child's side. Something deep and fierce swelled in his chest, something he hadn't been able to fully name before.
Family.
His family.
He exhaled softly and stepped inside. The room was warm with the soft glow of morning light, giving everything a golden haze. He sat down on the other side of the bed and placed a gentle hand on Rui's foot, barely touching.
Yunxi looked up.
Their eyes met.
Not as strangers.
Not as co-parents forced together by fate.
But as two people who had almost lost everything — and somehow survived.
Lingchen spoke first, voice low. "He'll heal. Children are stronger than they look."
Yunxi nodded, but the motion was slow, stiff. "I know. But… Lingchen, when I saw him fall—" Her breath hitched. "I felt like my heart stopped forever."
Lingchen leaned closer, resting an elbow against his knee. "I know. I felt it too."
They sat in silence for a moment.
Rui shifted slightly under the blankets, cheeks flushed with warmth. Yunxi instantly bent forward, smoothing his hair again, checking his temperature, adjusting his quilt.
Lingchen watched her — not with worry, but with something soft and aching.
"Yunxi," he said quietly, "you haven't closed your eyes since last night. You need rest."
"I can't," she whispered.
"You must," he insisted gently. "Your body is exhausted."
"No," she said, shaking her head. "What if he cries? What if he wakes up scared and I'm not here?"
"Then I will be here," Lingchen said, placing a steadying hand between her shoulder blades. "He won't be alone."
Yunxi flinched — her instinctive reaction after living years with no one to rely on. But she didn't pull away.
Instead, she whispered, "I should have protected him."
Lingchen's brows drew together. "Yunxi—"
"He's only three," she said softly, eyes filling again. "Three. He shouldn't have had to be brave. He shouldn't have been pulled into our pasts."
Her fingers curled tightly around the quilt.
"I hate that he was hurt because of me."
Lingchen reached out, slowly turning her chin so she faced him.
"It was not your fault," he said firmly. "Roulan is responsible for what happened. The Shi family is responsible. Not you."
Yunxi closed her eyes.
Tears clung to her lashes, falling silently.
Lingchen brushed them away with his thumb.
"You protected him the moment you realized he was missing. You tore the world apart to find him. Don't blame yourself for what monsters did."
Yunxi cried harder — but quietly, silently, like someone who had carried too much for too long.
Lingchen moved closer and wrapped a strong arm around her shoulder.
And this time… she didn't resist.
She let her forehead fall against his shoulder, burying her face there, trembling as she breathed in his warmth. It wasn't romantic. It wasn't passionate.
It was human.
Broken.
Healing.
He held her, rested his chin on her hair, and whispered, "Rui is alive because of you."
She clung to him, fingers gripping the fabric of his shirt.
"Thank you," she whispered. "For going down there. For bringing him back."
"I would do it a thousand times," Lingchen answered. "For him. For you. For our children."
A small sound interrupted them.
A soft whimper.
Both of them froze.
Rui stirred beneath the quilt, his little hand reaching blindly.
"M-Mama…?"
Yunxi bolted upright, her heart racing. "Baby—I'm here!"
Rui's eyes blinked open, dazed and unfocused from sleep. When he saw her, his lip trembled.
"Mama…" He burst into tears, reaching for her with both arms.
Yunxi scooped him into her embrace instantly, holding him tight, tears running down her cheeks again. "I'm here, sweetheart. Mommy's here. You're safe."
Rui buried his face in her neck, trembling. "I was scared…"
"I know, baby. I know," she whispered, kissing his forehead, stroking his back.
Lingchen's throat tightened.
Then Rui's small voice broke through, soft and shaky.
"Daddy saved me…"
Yunxi froze.
Lingchen froze.
The child turned his teary eyes toward Lingchen and reached a tiny hand toward him.
Lingchen inhaled sharply — as if that fragile, reaching gesture pierced straight through his ribs.
He took Rui's hand gently, his large fingers curling around the trembling little one.
"You're safe now," Lingchen said, voice low and thick. "Daddy won't ever let anything happen to you again."
Rui leaned into Yunxi's chest and whispered, "Don't leave me…"
Yunxi held him closer. "I won't. I promise."
But Rui shook his head and reached his free hand toward Lingchen too.
"Don't… leave Mommy either," he whispered.
Yunxi's breath caught.
Lingchen's heart stuttered.
He met her eyes over Rui's small head.
And in that charged, fragile moment — with Rui clinging to both of them — something inside both their hearts shifted.
Not fully healed.
Not completely mended.
But beginning.
The three of them held onto each other quietly, the storm of fear and pain slowly giving way to something gentle, warm…
Hope.
For the first time in three years, Yunxi didn't feel like she was facing the world alone.
And for the first time in his life, Lingchen realized—
He didn't want to let go.