Ji Tan behaved exceptionally well throughout the meal. He sat quietly, only eating what was placed in front of him and rarely speaking, adhering perfectly to Zhou She’s whispered instructions.
Zhong Peiyi watched him from across the table, a smile playing on her lips. “Tuan Tuan is much quieter today. Is he tired from the haunted house?”
Ji Tan looked up, his amber eyes clear and innocent. “I am just listening to Zhou She.”
The table went silent. Zhou She remained expressionless, continuing to cut the steak on Ji Tan’s plate into small, manageable pieces.
Zhong Peiyi’s smile deepened, though it did not reach her eyes. “You two are truly inseparable. It reminds me of when Wenbai and Xiao She were younger, always doing everything together.”
Ji Tan tilted his head, watching the way Zhou She’s fingers moved. He felt the familiar warmth of Zhou She’s hand beneath the table, gently squeezing his knee—a silent command to keep still.
“Zhou She is very good to me,” Ji Tan said softly, his voice clear and devoid of any hidden meaning.
Zhong Peiyi set down her wine glass with a delicate clink. “He should be. After all, the Zhou family has great expectations for the two of you.”
The tension in the room thickened. Ji Tan felt Zhou She’s grip on his knee tighten, but he did not flinch. He simply turned his head to look at Zhou She, his expression one of guileless curiosity. “What expectations?”
Before Zhou She could intervene, Zhong Peiyi spoke with a grace that masked the coldness in her tone. “Expectations of a happy future. A family union that will last a lifetime.”
Ji Tan blinked, his gaze shifting between Zhong Peiyi and Zhou She. “That sounds like getting married. Zhou She said we would talk about it later.”
Zhou She finally looked up, his gaze meeting his mother’s head-on. “Mother, let us focus on dinner.”
Zhong Peiyi’s eyes flickered, but she conceded with a nod. “Of course. Let us not rush these things.”
The remainder of the dinner passed in a suffocating quiet. Ji Tan felt like a puppet in a play he did not fully understand, but he remembered Zhou She’s warning: “Behave yourself, and I will take you away.”
As soon as the meal ended, Zhou She stood up, his hand firmly on the small of Ji Tan’s back. “Mother, we have things to attend to. We will take our leave.”
Zhong Peiyi did not try to stop them. She watched them walk toward the door, her voice trailing after them. “Do not forget, Xiao She, some paths, once taken, cannot be walked back.”
Zhou She’s back stiffened for a fraction of a second, but he did not look back. He guided Ji Tan out of the house and into the cool night air.
Only when they were safely inside the car did the tension break. Ji Tan let out a long, quiet breath and looked at Zhou She, who was staring fixedly at the steering wheel.
“Are you angry?” Ji Tan asked, reaching out to poke Zhou She’s arm.
Zhou She turned his head. The car’s interior lights illuminated the sharp, cold lines of his face. He looked at Ji Tan for a long time, his gaze intense and unreadable.
“Did you understand what she meant?” Zhou She asked, his voice low.
Ji Tan thought about it. “She wants us to get married. She wants to use me to control you, or use you to control me.”
Zhou She was surprised by the bluntness of the answer. “And you are not afraid?”
Ji Tan leaned back, his eyes drooping slightly as the adrenaline faded. “I am just a character in your game, Zhou She. What is there to fear?”
Zhou She felt a sudden, sharp pain in his chest at the mention of the game. He reached out, his hand hovering over Ji Tan’s head before finally resting on his hair, his fingers tangling in the soft curls.
“You are not just a character,” Zhou She whispered, his voice tinged with a raw, unfamiliar desperation.
Ji Tan looked at him, his amber eyes reflecting the city lights passing outside. He did not respond, simply closing his eyes and leaning his head against the window.
“Wake me up when we get home,” Ji Tan murmured.
Zhou She watched him fall asleep, his grip on the steering wheel white-knuckled. He felt the weight of the secrets he was keeping, the shadows of the past, and the uncertainty of the future. He had wanted to use Ji Tan, but now, he realized with a sinking heart, he was the one being trapped not by his mother, and not by the game, but by the beauty who sat beside him, oblivious to the storm he was trying to keep at bay.