The parking lot felt colder than before.
Mei Lin stood frozen, staring at Liang Zhen as if she were seeing him for the first time.
A werewolf.
The word kept repeating in her mind, refusing to make sense.
Her boss. The powerful CEO of Zhen Group. The man who controlled one of the biggest companies in Shanghai.
He had just told her he was a werewolf.
Her first instinct was to run.
But her feet refused to move.
Liang Zhen noticed the fear in her eyes and stopped walking forward. He didn't want to scare her more than he already had.
"Mei Lin," he said calmly. "You should listen first."
She shook her head slowly.
"This… this is crazy."
Her voice trembled.
"You're telling me that monsters are real?"
Liang Zhen didn't react to the word monster.
He simply said, "We're not monsters."
Silence stretched between them.
The city lights flickered around the parking lot, and distant car horns echoed from the busy streets nearby.
Everything felt normal.
Except for the unbelievable truth standing in front of her.
Mei Lin took a deep breath.
"If what you're saying is real…" she said slowly, "then why are you telling me this?"
Liang Zhen hesitated for a moment.
Because the truth was complicated.
He couldn't tell her everything yet.
Not about the DNA test.
Not about their son.
Not about the mate bond.
Not tonight.
But he also knew that keeping her in the dark was dangerous.
"There are things happening around you," he said quietly. "Things you don't understand yet."
Mei Lin frowned.
"What things?"
Liang Zhen looked around the empty parking lot before answering.
"Someone is watching you."
Her eyes widened.
"What?"
"Not you specifically," Liang Zhen corrected. "But someone connected to you."
Fear crept into her chest.
Her first thought was her son.
"Liang Rui?" she whispered.
Liang Zhen's expression softened slightly when he heard the boy's name.
"Yes."
Mei Lin's hands clenched.
"Why would anyone watch my child?"
Liang Zhen's wolf stirred inside him again. Protectiveness flooded his instincts.
"That's exactly what I'm trying to figure out."
Mei Lin studied his face carefully.
He didn't look like he was lying.
In fact, he looked unusually serious.
The fear inside her slowly mixed with confusion.
"If you're telling the truth…" she said quietly, "then prove it."
Liang Zhen raised an eyebrow.
"Prove what?"
"That you're really… what you said."
For a moment he didn't move.
Transforming again would definitely remove all doubts.
But doing it here might scare her even more.
Still, Liang Zhen understood something important.
Trust had to start somewhere.
Without warning, his eyes suddenly shifted.
The dark pupils turned bright gold.
Mei Lin gasped slightly.
Even without a full transformation, the change was clearly unnatural.
Liang Zhen let the wolf appear just enough for her to see the truth.
Then his eyes returned to normal.
Mei Lin stared at him silently.
Her heart was beating wildly, but the fear from earlier had softened slightly.
Because one thing had become clear.
If Liang Zhen wanted to hurt her…
He could have done it already.
Instead, he was standing there patiently, waiting for her to understand.
Finally she asked the question that had been sitting in her mind.
"Why are you helping me?"
Liang Zhen didn't answer immediately.
Because the real answer was something she wasn't ready to hear yet.
Instead he said something simpler.
"Because you're important."
Mei Lin frowned slightly.
"Important to who?"
Liang Zhen looked directly into her eyes.
"To me."
The words surprised both of them.
For a moment neither spoke.
The quiet night wrapped around them, filled with unspoken tension.
Mei Lin didn't know if she could trust him yet.
But strangely… she didn't feel the urge to run anymore.
And Liang Zhen realized something important as well.
Telling her the truth about werewolves had been the easy part.
Soon he would have to reveal the real secret.
That the little boy she loved more than anything in the world…
Was also his son.