Chapter 3: Her Reassurance
Xue Lan returned some time later, her skin flushed and faintly dewy from the steam of the bathing chamber. She had tied her robe more loosely than before, and though she looked calm, there was a hesitance in her step now—an invisible weight in the way her eyes lowered as she approached the bed.
Lin Mu sat upright, robe loosely draped across his lap. He hadn't moved since she left. His body felt numb. Cold, despite the warm air.
She slipped beside him quietly, sitting close but not quite touching.
Neither of them spoke for a while.
The silence between them wasn't hostile—it wasn't even awkward. It was just... fragile. Like a piece of paper stretched too thin over fire.
Finally, she reached out and took his hand.
"Mu'er," she said softly.
He didn't look at her. He couldn't. His eyes remained fixed on the floorboards, his lips pressed into a tight line.
"You don't have to apologize," she continued. "I meant what I said. You make me feel loved. That's what matters most."