A Place in the House
The yard remained silent long after the officials disappeared.
No one knew what to say first.
The threat they left behind still hung over the house like storm clouds waiting to break.
Finally, Zhao Jun spoke.
“…They’re going to come back.”
His voice sounded angry, but underneath it was fear.
Real fear.
Zhao Mei pulled Zhao An closer instinctively.
Lin Shu noticed the little boy trembling slightly.
Zhao Cheng closed the gate as best he could before turning back toward them.
“Yes,” he said simply.
“They will.”
No false reassurance.
No empty comfort.
Just truth.
And somehow, that steadiness made the panic ease slightly instead of worsening.
Because if Zhao Cheng could face the situation calmly…
then maybe it could still be survived.
Inside the house, dinner happened late.
Nobody had much appetite.
Even Zhao Jun stayed unusually quiet.
Lin Shu prepared the food silently while Zhao Mei helped beside him.
At one point, their hands accidentally brushed while reaching for the same bowl.
The girl stiffened automatically.
Then paused.
Because Lin Shu immediately pulled back and apologized softly instead of snapping.
“…Sorry.”
Zhao Mei looked startled again.
She had clearly not gotten used to this version of him either.
After a moment, she quietly handed him the bowl.
“…It’s fine.”
Small words.
Tiny.
But they mattered.
When everyone finally sat down to eat, the atmosphere was heavy.
Zhao An poked at his rice silently.
Zhao Jun kept glancing toward Zhao Cheng like he wanted to ask something but couldn’t.
Eventually, he blurted it out anyway.
“Father.”
Zhao Cheng looked up.
“Why did you say that?”
Lin Shu immediately understood what he meant.
Because he is mine.
The room grew tense again.
Zhao Cheng didn’t answer immediately.
He calmly placed down his chopsticks first.
Then spoke.
“Because it’s true.”
Zhao Jun frowned harder.
“But after everything he did-”
“He is still part of this household,” Zhao Cheng interrupted calmly.
The boy opened his mouth again.
Then stopped.
Because he realized Zhao Cheng wasn’t defending the past.
He was stating a fact.
Lin Shu lowered his eyes quietly.
Something complicated twisted inside him again.
This family didn’t trust him yet.
But Zhao Cheng kept refusing to let others strip him away from the household completely.
Even now.
Even after humiliation.
Even after betrayal.
That realization felt heavier every day.
Later that night, Zhao Mei and Zhao Jun cleaned the dishes while Zhao Cheng repaired one of the damaged walls.
Lin Shu moved automatically to help.
This time, nobody stopped him.
No suspicious glances.
No sharp comments.
Just space beside Zhao Cheng at the wall.
Lin Shu knelt quietly and handed him tools when needed.
For a while, only the sounds of wood and hammering filled the room.
Then Zhao Cheng suddenly spoke.
“You shouldn’t have admitted it.”
Lin Shu blinked slightly.
“…The affair?”
“Yes.”
Lin Shu looked down at the nails in his hands.
“If I lied,” he said quietly, “they would’ve found out eventually.”
“And?”
Lin Shu hesitated.
Then answered honestly.
“I’m tired of hiding from things I already know were wrong.”
The hammer paused briefly in Zhao Cheng’s hand.
Not long.
Just enough to notice.
Then work resumed.
After several moments, Zhao Cheng asked:
“Do you regret him?”
Lin Shu understood immediately.
Liu Wen.
The original owner’s lover.
The answer came easily.
“No.”
A pause.
“I regret hurting this family for him.”
Silence settled again.
But it no longer felt sharp.
Only thoughtful.
Much later, after the children had fallen asleep, Lin Shu stepped outside to get fresh air.
The night was cold.
Clouds covered most of the sky.
He leaned lightly against the repaired gate and exhaled slowly.
Footsteps approached behind him.
He already knew who it was.
Zhao Cheng stopped beside him.
Neither spoke at first.
Then Zhao Cheng suddenly asked:
“Are you afraid?”
Lin Shu laughed weakly under his breath.
“Honestly? Very.”
The corner of Zhao Cheng’s mouth moved slightly again.
Barely.
“You hide it well.”
“I’m trying not to panic in front of the children.”
“That’s good.”
The conversation faded into silence once more.
Then Lin Shu quietly asked something he had been wondering for days.
“…Why did you marry me originally?”
Zhao Cheng’s gaze stayed on the dark road ahead.
“The children needed someone at home.”
Lin Shu nodded slowly.
Practical.
That sounded like Zhao Cheng.
But after a moment, Zhao Cheng added:
“And you weren’t like this at first.”
Lin Shu looked over in surprise.
Zhao Cheng continued calmly.
“When you first entered this house, you smiled often.”
A pause.
“You played with An’er.”
Lin Shu froze.
“What changed?” he asked softly.
Zhao Cheng’s expression darkened slightly.
“…I don’t know.”
But something in his eyes suggested he had spent a long time wondering about it already.
The wind moved quietly around them.
Then Zhao Cheng spoke again.
Low.
Steady.
“But whoever you are now…”
His gaze shifted briefly toward Lin Shu.
“…stay.”
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