The study had grown dim over the past hour, lit only by the glow of Felix Valentine's live stream. Anqi leaned forward with her chin in her hands, absorbed in the quiet rhythm of his voice.
Felix spoke softly into his microphone. "Today was heavy. If you made it through in one piece, you did well."
Something in his tone felt like an exhausted sigh stitched into words.
Anqi whispered, "He must be really tired tonight."
Shen Zhi stood silently at the doorway again, watching her expression more than the stream. He didn't know why he kept returning, why he kept checking the room, why he couldn't seem to walk away.
Lin Xu lounged on the sofa like an overly dramatic watchdog. "Felix is always tired. It is his entire brand."
Anqi ignored him. Her eyes stayed glued to the screen.
She typed into the chat without thinking.
[GuAnqi_: Sending you strength, Felix. Your voice helped me through a rough day too.]
It was simple. Honest. Soft.
What she didn't expect was Felix noticing it.
The chat exploded with scrolling messages, but he paused mid-sentence as if something had caught his attention. He glanced at his chat window, eyes narrowing slightly, then softening.
"GuAnqi…" he murmured.
Anqi sat upright instantly. "He said my name."
Lin Xu screamed into a pillow. "WE ARE ALL GOING TO DIE FROM EXCITEMENT."
Felix continued, voice quieter than before. "Thank you. Really. I hope your day gets lighter tomorrow."
The tone was gentle. Too gentle. As if her message had touched something fragile in him.
Anqi felt her heartbeat flutter. Not romantically, but sympathetically. He sounded lonely. More lonely than usual.
Shen Zhi's fingers curled slightly at his side. He didn't like the way her face softened for another man, even if it was admiration rather than affection. He couldn't name the feeling but it settled uncomfortably in his chest.
Lin Xu whispered, noticing the subtle shift in expression, "Oh no… the CEO is jealous."
Shen Zhi didn't react, but he also didn't deny it.
Anqi continued watching Felix, unaware of the tension building behind her. "He noticed me. I have been watching him for years, and this is the first time he responded."
Her joy was pure, bright, unfiltered.
And somehow, that made the jealousy sharper.
News Spreads Like Fire
Shen Zhi's phone buzzed.
Then again.
Then again.
He ignored the first few notifications, but the constant vibration finally made him check the screen.
A banner headline from a gossip page flashed boldly.
[CEO SHEN ZHI SPOTTED ENTERING FEMALE STREAMER'S BUILDING]
Another notification.
[Who is the girl Shen Zhi visited? Netizens speculate possible romantic link.]
Another.
[#ShenZhiMysteryGirl trending nationwide]
His jaw tightened.
Lin Xu noticed the shift immediately. "What now?"
"The media," Shen Zhi replied. "They are connecting me to her again."
Anqi turned around, her eyes widening when she saw the headline. "Oh no. Not again."
She pressed her hands to her cheeks. "I didn't even do anything this time. What am I supposed to do?"
"Nothing," Shen Zhi said. "I will handle it."
"But the comments are already horrible." She scrolled through them, her expression crumpling. "They are calling me a gold-digger. A clout-chaser. Someone said I leaked my own address to get attention."
Shen Zhi moved toward her, slow but steady. "Anqi, look at me."
She looked up.
"You do not need to justify your existence to people who do not know your name beyond a rumor."
Her breathing steadied a little, but her shoulders remained tense.
Lin Xu hovered behind her like a protective mother hen. "We should delete the internet."
Anqi laughed weakly. "I wish."
Shen Zhi's phone buzzed again. This time, the message came from an unknown number with a thumbnail of a social media post attached.
He opened it.
A long, elegant message written by none other than Xu Ruyan.
It read:
"Shen Zhi is a man of honor. Please do not misunderstand his actions. We are resolving matters privately as a family.
Kindly give him space.False rumors only hurt innocent parties."
Below it, the comments multiplied like wildfire.
[So they are engaged]
[Then who is the streamer girl?]
[Is she the reason they are resolving things privately?]
[CEO cheating scandal?]
[Poor fiancée…]
Anqi felt the blood drain from her face. "She used her status to control the narrative."
"She always does," Shen Zhi said quietly.
Lin Xu scowled. "She is acting like you belong to her."
Anqi hugged her blanket on instinct, but not because she was scared — because the situation was suffocating.
"Shen Zhi…" she whispered. "Am I ruining everything for you?"
His answer came immediately.
"No."
"But—"
"No," he repeated, firmer this time.
She fell silent, unsure how to handle the unwavering certainty in his tone.
An Intimate Conversation Begins
Felix's stream ended with a soft, tired farewell. When the window closed, the room felt quieter, almost too quiet.
Anqi stood up and stretched. "I need water."
She walked into the kitchen, leaving her laptop on the desk. Shen Zhi followed a moment later, not close enough to crowd her, but close enough to be present.
She filled a glass at the sink. Only after she took a sip did she speak again, her voice softer than usual.
"Do you ever get tired of being watched?"
"All the time," he replied.
"Does it ever stop?"
"No."
She lowered her gaze. "I don't think I'm strong enough for your world."
He walked closer, stopping just a breath away.
"Strength does not mean comfort. It means choosing to stand even when it hurts."
She lifted her eyes slowly. "And what if I break in the middle?"
"Then I will hold you together."
Her breath caught. The answer was too gentle. Too direct. Too warm for a man who lived with walls around his heart.
She swallowed hard. "Shen Zhi… you can't say things like that."
"I am not saying them lightly."
Her fingers tightened around her glass.His presence felt different tonight — not cold, not distant, but quietly intense.
"Do you regret coming here?" he asked.
"No," she said. "But I'm scared of the consequences."
"You are not the cause," he said. "You are just the first person worth fighting the consequences for."
She stared at him, stunned.Emotion rose to her throat too quickly to hide.
"Why me?" she whispered.
He held her gaze, calm and honest.
"Because when I step closer," he said, "you don't step back."
The silence that followed was soft and heavy, thick with meaning neither of them dared name yet.
Anqi breathed out slowly. In that moment, she wasn't a burden. She wasn't a scandal. She wasn't a mistake.
She was someone he saw.
Deeply.
And she had no idea how to handle that.
"Shen Zhi…" she murmured.
He lowered his head just slightly, close enough that she felt his breath brush her forehead. He didn't touch her. He didn't cross the line.
But the world around them went still.
Then—
Lin Xu walked in wearing Shen Zhi's expensive robe like a dragon cape.
"I have decided to live here forever."
The moment shattered like glass.
Anqi sputtered into laughter. Shen Zhi straightened, expression returning to icy neutrality. Lin Xu blinked at them both.
"…Did I interrupt something?"
Anqi threw a kitchen towel at him. "Go away."
Shen Zhi's eyes lingered on her a moment longer before he stepped aside.
But something had changed.
Something subtle.
Something warm.
Something they would never be able to undo.