Past midnight in Beijing, the streets were nearly empty, save for the soft hum of distant traffic and the uneven footsteps of a lone girl swaying down the pavement. Her heels clicked messily, betraying her lack of coordination. Her breath was soaked in alcohol, and her vision blurred under dim, flickering streetlights.
"…I wish… Yixi was here…" she slurred, pausing to lean against the glass of a darkened storefront. After a beat, she slid down slowly, landing on the cold ground with a sigh. She hugged her bag like a child clinging to a toy. "...Lian, let's rest here for a minute," she murmured to herself, speaking as if she were two people instead of one broken, lonely girl.
A sports car zoomed past, making her gasp.
"Wow! That car goes vroom!" she yelped with a laugh, clapping her hands softly like a child delighted by fireworks.
Then something small caught her attention, soft footsteps, the flick of a tail. A white cat padded by, uninterested in the human mess slumped on the ground.
But Li Lian reached out, scooping the startled cat into her arms. It gave a frustrated purr of protest, ears flattening.
"You are… so soft," she cooed, hugging it against her cheek. "Like Snow Bean… remember Snow Bean? My little bunny… You're just like her."
The cat gave one last disgruntled meow before scrambling out of her arms and darting away into the shadows. But Li Lian barely noticed. Her dazed eyes widened as the sound of footsteps neared and then she saw him.
A tall silhouette against the streetlights, sharp jaw, broad shoulders, and a familiar intensity in his gaze.
"Lian."
His voice was low, urgent, filled with concern as he stretched a hand toward her.
"What are you doing here?"
She blinked up at him. First confused, then suddenly, as if a memory had clicked, her entire expression shifted. Her eyes sparkled and her lips parted with joy. "Yifan!"
The man barely had time to react before she jumped up like a child spotting her favorite toy, clapping her hands. "Yifan! Yifan!"
He caught her effortlessly as she stumbled into his arms, her body light and unsteady.
"Alright, alright, I'm here," he muttered, pulling her close and carrying her to the waiting car.
"Yifan!" she called again, nuzzling into his chest.
"Mm," he hummed in acknowledgment, tucking her gently into the back seat with him as the driver took off.
She turned to him, her eyes glassy but suddenly filled with a heartbreaking sadness.
"I had a bad dream…"
He stiffened a little but reached out, patting her hair softly, like calming a fragile thing.
"…About what?" he asked gently.
She hesitated, lips trembling.
"That you were mean to me…"
The words hit deeper than he expected. He looked at her, heart throbbing in pain as he saw the vulnerable girl behind the slurred speech. A version of her he hadn't seen in years.
"…I'm sorry if I ever was," he said, his voice quieter now, almost hesitant. He wrapped an arm around her, drawing her closer. "Sleep. I'm here". And for the first time in a long while, Li Lian closed her eyes in someone's arms and felt safe.
The car rolled to a gentle stop in front of Zhaoyue Pavilion, its headlights flickering against the grand architecture cloaked in night. Without wasting a second, Yifan stepped out, the crisp night air doing little to cool the heat in his veins. He turned and carefully scooped Lian into his arms, she was feather-light, her breath slow and warm against his neck.
He carried her straight into his bedroom, past curious gazes of night staff and maids. "Change her into something comfortable," he instructed in a low tone. "Don't wake her." His eyes lingered on her face before he finally let her go into their hands, a hint of softness tucked behind his stoic expression.
Later, after she had been cleaned up and changed into a soft ivory silk pajama set, she lay soundly asleep beneath the thick covers, her hair fanned across the pillow like black ink spilled on snow.
Yifan returned from his shower, his hair still damp and shirt clinging slightly to his torso. He stood beside the bed for a long moment, watching her.
He climbed in slowly, careful not to wake her, but sleep refused to take him. The woman beside him seemed to have other plans. Lian stirred, her body inching toward him instinctively, arms curling around his torso as if he were a giant teddy bear she couldn't live without.
He held his breath. What is she doing? he thought, tense and wide-eyed.
The warmth, her scent, the soft sound of her breath, everything made his composure crack. With a groan, he slipped out of bed and headed to the bathroom again.
Ice cold shower. Now.
By the time he returned, the edge of temptation had dulled, and he slid back beneath the sheets. This time, when Lian turned into him again, he didn't move. He let her tuck her head under his chin, let her leg wrap around his.
Eventually, sleep found them both, tangled in each other's arms, the night no longer lonely, but warm.
And in the silence of Zhaoyue Pavilion, their soft snores became the gentle rhythm of a bond reawakening.
------
Lian blinked groggily, her face half-buried in a sea of pillows, the heavy duvet cocooning her limbs and the distinct warmth of something, or rather, someone, beside her. Her brows knit slowly as her thoughts struggled through the remnants of last night's haze.
Her eyes trailed to the steady rise and fall of a chest beside her.
Teddy bear? No. Zhao Yifan.
Her mind screamed as memories started piecing together, the bar, Yixi, the streets, the cat, the car ride… Oh no.
In a flash, she sat bolt upright, the sudden motion rousing Yifan from his sleep. His eyes fluttered open, meeting the panicked expression of the woman beside him.
"…Oh gosh!" she gasped. "What am I doing here? Who changed my clothes? What happened between us?! How dare you—"
Her flurry of questions was silenced.
Yifan sat up and kissed her.
It was soft. Gentle. Disarming.
Her breath caught as he pulled back slightly, his eyes lazily tracing the blush that had bloomed across her face. A subtle smirk danced at the corner of his mouth. "Stop me if you don't like it."
He didn't wait.
His lips descended again, deeper this time, his hand lightly cupping her cheek. His tongue traced along the seam of her lips and found its way in slow, explorative, possessive.
Lian was frozen for a second… then moved.
Her lips responded before her mind could protest, returning the kiss in a quiet storm of confusion and longing, until clarity slapped her. She jerked back violently, eyes wide, heart racing.
Without a word, she shoved him away, stumbled out of bed, grabbed her bag and heels in one messy sweep, and bolted out of the room, her cheeks still on fire, not even caring to wash her face or look back.
The bedroom door slammed.
Silence returned to Zhaoyue Pavilion.
Yifan remained on the bed, breathing heavily, a hand running through his dark hair. Then, he lay back, her scent still warm in the sheets. A strange softness lingered in his eyes, only to harden into quiet determination.
"Seems I'm not the only one with these feelings, Lian," he murmured to himself, a small smile tugging at the edge of his lips.
He pulled the blanket over himself, inhaling the scent she left behind like it was the only oxygen he knew.
"Starting today…" his voice was a whisper, a vow.
"I'll do anything to make you mine." His eyes darkened with resolve as he closed them again. "…You are mine, Lian."