After returning to the hotel, Zihan barely remembered how he got to his room.
He showered, changed, lay down for a while—but rest never truly came. His mind kept drifting back to the river, to the way Meilin had stood there with the breeze lifting her hair, to how close she had been and yet how little he had said.
Dinner passed mechanically. The food tasted like nothing.
Why didn't I talk to her more?
Why didn't I even ask for her number?
The regret crept in late, heavy and persistent. By the time he realized it, his body had already moved. He grabbed his jacket and stepped out, walking without much thought, letting instinct guide his feet.
Before he knew it, he was standing at the far corner near the old Liu residence—the quieter side, where lamps were sparse and shadows pooled thickly against the walls. He didn't know what he expected. Maybe just to see the lights on. Maybe just to confirm she was there.
He stood there, hands in his pockets, staring ahead.
—
On the first floor of the old Liu residence, Meilin had just finished showering.
Her hair was still damp, dark strands clinging softly to her neck. She wore light pajamas, loose and pale, with a thin jacket thrown over her shoulders against the night chill. She hadn't planned on going out again.
But when she moved to the window—just a habit, nothing more—her gaze froze.
That silhouette.
Tall. Still. Familiar in a way that made her chest tighten.
Zihan.
Her heart skipped so hard it almost hurt.
He came.
Before reason could catch up with emotion, she was already moving. Slippers slipped onto her feet. She didn't even dry her hair properly. She slipped out quietly, descending the stairs and crossing the courtyard as if drawn by something inevitable.
Zihan barely had time to react.
One moment, he was alone in the shadows.
The next—
Meilin stood before him.
And then she stepped forward and hugged him.
Just like that.
No warning. No words.
Her arms wrapped around him, her forehead resting briefly against his chest. The faint scent of shampoo and night air surrounded him. It lasted only a few seconds—but to her, it felt like a release she had been holding in since her rebirth.
After her rebirth… this is the first time I'm hugging him like this.
After two days of not seeing him.
After forcing myself to stay calm, to stay distant.
She had missed him more than she wanted to admit. Seeing him standing there alone—unguarded, quiet—something inside her simply gave way. For that brief moment, she allowed herself to be weak, to be relieved.
Then reality rushed back.
She pulled away abruptly.
"I—sorry," she said quickly, her voice low, almost breathless.
And she stepped back.
—
For a second, his mind went blank.
He stood frozen, shock rippling through him as he registered her warmth, her weight, the very real fact that she was in his arms—had been in his arms.
His body reacted before thought.
He lifted his hand, instinctively reaching for her waist, wanting—needing—to return that embrace.
But she was already gone.
Standing just in front of him. Close, but not touching.
The emptiness hit harder than he expected.
"…Meilin," he started, unsure what he even wanted to say.
She looked up at him, eyes steady now, the earlier vulnerability neatly tucked away.
"Walk with me?" she asked lightly, as if nothing had happened.
He nodded.
They walked toward the back garden of the Liu residence, where the path narrowed and gradually merged with the forest edge. The lamps grew fewer, the darkness deeper. Leaves rustled softly underfoot.
She walked beside him in her pajamas and jacket, hair still damp. He walked in jeans and a plain white T-shirt, the night air cool against his skin.
Neither mentioned the hug.
But both felt its echo.
They didn't know that deeper within the forest, five figures were already there.
Shadows among shadows.
Armed men stood hidden behind thick tree trunks, eyes fixed on the two silhouettes moving together along the path.
One of them raised a phone to his ear.
"Boss," Cheng whispered. "We're following him. There's a girl beside him. Do we attack now?"
A pause.
Then the reply came, cold and decisive.
"Yes. The girl won't be a problem. It's best to bring them alive."
The call ended.
In the darkness, the men shifted their grips on their weapons, eyes glinting as they began to close in—unaware that the girl they had dismissed so casually was anything but a problem.