Chen Yue woke with a start, as though an invisible force had torn her from sleep.
Her breathing came in uneven bursts.
Her fingers clenched tightly around the blanket, as if her body refused to let go of a dream that had felt far too real.
For several seconds, she lay motionless, staring at the carved ceiling of the room that had now become hers.
Trying to understand what had shaken her so deeply.
Then the memory returned.
Clear.
Painfully clear.
Wei Ran leaning over her.
So close she could feel the warmth of his presence.
The shadow of his long lashes brushing against his cheeks.
And most of all…
The almost unreal touch of his lips against her forehead.
It had not been a passionate kiss.
Not an uncontrollable impulse.
No.
It had been something infinitely gentle.
Tender, even.
A gesture that seemed completely at odds with the cold and distant man she knew.
Her trembling hand rose to her forehead.
Her skin felt strangely warm.
“It was…
a dream,” she whispered to herself.
As though saying it aloud would make it true.
It had to be a dream.
Wei Ran would never do something like that.
He would never lean so close.
Never look at her with that strange light she thought she had seen in his eyes.
Shaking her head, she tried to banish the image.
But the unease remained.
So she got up quickly and dressed faster than usual.
Almost frantically.
She needed air.
Light.
Food.
Anything that would pull her back into reality.
She pushed open the terrace doors.
And nearly stopped breathing.
Wei Ran was already there.
Standing.
Then slowly sitting down as soon as he noticed her.
As though he had been waiting.
Morning light outlined the sharp contours of his face.
His high cheekbones.
The cold perfection of his features.
His long black hair, so glossy it seemed to drink in the sunlight, cascaded over his shoulders.
Then he looked at her.
A gaze devoid of visible emotion.
Yet so intense it pierced straight through her.
Chen Yue immediately looked away.
Heat flooded her neck.
“Ah!
Miss Chen!
You’re awake!
Wonderful!
Wonderful!” Madam Yang suddenly appeared carrying several steaming bowls.
The housekeeper hurried to place dish after dish upon the table.
Savory pastries.
Clear soup.
Seasoned vegetables.
Sweet rice porridge.
Crispy pancakes.
Her excitement seemed so great that it spilled over onto the entire breakfast spread.
Still unsettled by Wei Ran’s presence, Chen Yue sat down.
He remained silent.
Watching her.
As though trying to uncover something hidden within her.
Determined to ignore him, she focused on the meal.
She was about to take her first bite when a loud knock echoed through the manor.
A single strike.
Sharp.
Authoritative.
Imperial.
Madam Yang jumped.
Setting down her tray, she hurried toward the entrance.
Voices followed.
A brief exchange.
Whispers.
Then hurried footsteps returning.
She held something in her hands.
A thick envelope.
Sealed with the crimson crest of the Imperial Palace.
“This is…” Her voice trembled.
“A decree from the palace.” Silence instantly descended.
Even the birds seemed to stop singing.
Wei Ran stiffened.
Chen Yue blinked.
Madam Yang broke the seal and read aloud with all the solemnity of a divine messenger.
“The Celestial Palace invites the greatest warriors of the realm to participate in the Tournament of Seven Days.” “Each participant must attend alongside their life partner.” “All trials shall be completed in pairs, and only a harmonious and united couple will be capable of achieving victory.” “The winners shall be granted a single wish.” “Those who are not officially united may still participate if they successfully pass the Compatibility Trial.” She lowered the letter.
Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
“Young Master!
Miss Chen!” “I truly think you should go together!” “You would win without difficulty!” “Oh, this is perfect!” Chen Yue felt her soul leave her body.
“What?!” “No!” “No, no, no, no, absolutely not!” She waved both hands wildly as though physically pushing the idea away.
“We’re not even a couple!” “We aren’t married!” “This is ridiculous!” “We can’t pretend to be…” She nearly choked on the words.
“…that!” “It’s completely absurd!” Jumping to her feet, she fled toward Wei Ran’s study where her copying work awaited.
The door slammed shut behind her.
Cutting her off from the chaos.
Silence returned.
Wei Ran stared at the place where she had disappeared.
Something dark flickered across his expression.
When Madam Yang approached him again, his voice dropped unusually low.
Almost uncertain.
“Is it really wise…
for us to go?” Madam Yang studied him carefully.
“Are you afraid?” she asked softly.
Wei Ran clenched his jaw.
“This tournament is merely an excuse.” “Everyone wants her.” “Her blood.” “Her power.” “And at the palace, they’ll finally have the perfect opportunity.” His eyes darkened.
“It’s a trap.” “I know it.” Madam Yang gently rested a hand on his arm.
“Young Master.” “I have known you since the day you were born.” “For more than five hundred years.” “And never…” “Never have I seen you look at someone the way you look at that child.” “I don’t look at her.” His reply came too quickly.
“You’re imagining things.” “Oh?” Madam Yang folded her arms.
“Then why are you hesitating?” “Why have you changed so much?” “She changed you.” Wei Ran abruptly looked away.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” “She doesn’t interest me.” “She’s noisy.” “Stubborn.” “Messy.” “Worse than any human I’ve ever met.” “She embodies everything I dislike.” Madam Yang’s expression softened.
“Or perhaps…” “You still think about her?” Wei Ran froze.
Every muscle in his body locked instantly.
Madam Yang lowered her voice.
“Your fiancée.” “The one who died two hundred years ago.” A storm passed through Wei Ran’s eyes.
Silent.
Violent.
He stood there without speaking.
Unable to answer.
Then suddenly— “Bring us some tea.” He rose and walked away.
Like a man fleeing a wound that had never healed.
Inside the study, Chen Yue buried herself in her work.
Trying desperately to forget the invitation.
The strange dream.
And especially Wei Ran’s gaze.
The door slid open.
She immediately tensed.
Wei Ran entered.
Silent.
Almost unnaturally calm.
Without speaking, he sat down.
His presence filled the room.
It seemed to electrify and torment him at the same time.
He tried not to look at her.
Yet his eyes kept returning.
Drawn toward her by a force he could not resist.
Uncomfortable, Chen Yue continued writing.
Eventually, her inkstone ran dry.
She stood to retrieve more ink.
At the same moment, Wei Ran rose as well.
Claiming he needed a book.
They moved toward one another.
Focused on separate tasks.
Yet somehow drawn toward the exact same place.
And when their paths crossed— An ink bottle slipped from Chen Yue’s hand.
She lunged to catch it.
Her foot struck a manuscript lying on the floor.
She stumbled.
“Ah!” She was about to crash into the bookshelf— When a strong arm caught her.
Wei Ran.
The momentum carried both of them backward.
Wei Ran lost his footing.
His back struck the shelves.
And Chen Yue fell directly on top of him.
Her hand landed instinctively against his chest.
Warm.
Firm.
Tense beneath her fingertips.
Her hair spilled around them like a dark veil.
Wei Ran’s long silky strands tangled with hers.
Their faces were separated by only inches.
Their breaths mingled.
Neither moved.
Neither spoke.
Only their hearts.
Beating.
Pressed so close together it felt as though they were trying to synchronize.
Chen Yue’s cheeks turned scarlet.
Wei Ran’s eyes trembled almost imperceptibly.
Then— The door opened.
Both of them sprang apart instantly.
Madam Yang entered carrying a tray of tea.
She looked at them.
Then smiled.
A very knowing smile.
“I see everything is going well in here.” She set down the tea with barely concealed delight and immediately left.
Chen Yue wished the floor would swallow her whole.
Wei Ran looked away.
But the redness creeping along his ears betrayed him completely.
The day slowly drifted toward evening.
As though even the sun hesitated to leave.
The manor settled into a peculiar silence.
One filled with invisible tension.
Chen Yue sat at her desk once more.
Her shoulders remained stiff.
Every time she remembered how she had literally fallen on top of Wei Ran, her face grew hot again.
Her fingers trembled around the brush.
Twice she nearly spilled the ink.
Taking a deep breath, she tried to focus.
But her heart refused to cooperate.
Why, of all people, did this man possess such an absurd ability to unsettle her?
She bit her lip.
No answer came.
Then suddenly she felt a presence approaching.
A long shadow stretched across her parchment.
Wei Ran.
Walking toward her.
Slowly.
Silently.
His expression was unreadable.
A mixture of coldness and hesitation.
Hesitation.
From him.
The very idea seemed impossible.
And yet it was there.
Visible in the rigidity of his shoulders.
In the tension hidden within his clasped hands.
He crouched beside her.
Without speaking.
Chen Yue nearly jumped.
“Do…
do you need something?” Her voice emerged higher than intended.
Wei Ran remained silent for several moments.
As though searching for the right words.
An unusual struggle for someone like him.
Finally, he spoke.
Low.
Controlled.
“Prepare yourself tomorrow.” She blinked.
“For what?” He handed her the palace invitation.
The crimson ink seemed even brighter beneath the lamplight.
“We are going to the tournament.” Her eyes widened.
“You’re joking.” “No.” “Wait, Wei Ran, you can’t just decide that on your own!” “We’re not even a couple!” “We can’t go together!” “I refuse!
I—” But he had already turned away.
As though the discussion were finished.
Anger surged inside her.
He couldn’t simply decide her future without giving her a choice.
Determined, she chased after him as he crossed the manor toward the inner garden.
Night was beginning to fall.
Lanterns flickered to life.
Golden light danced across the walls.
“Wei Ran!
Wait!” He did not slow down.
So she quickened her pace.
“I’M NOT COMING!” He stopped.
Instantly.
The silence became heavy.
Oppressive.
Chen Yue hurried ahead and stepped directly in front of him.
Blocking his path.
“We…” Her voice trembled.
“We’re not a couple.” “I can’t pretend.” “I’m not…” She struggled to find the words.
“I’m nothing to you.” “And you’re not…” Her hands shook.
Humiliation.
Fear.
Frustration.
Everything tangled together.
For several seconds, Wei Ran said nothing.
Then calmly: “You will accompany me.” “Whether you want to or not.” The words struck her like ice.
Anger exploded inside her.
“ARE YOU INSANE?!” “I’m not your possession!” “I’m not your shadow!” “You can’t just—” She never finished.
Wei Ran stepped forward.
Only one step.
Yet it stole the breath from her lungs.
His hands rose.
And landed firmly on her waist.
Chen Yue gasped.
Before she could react, he pulled her against him.
Her body collided with his chest.
The warmth radiating from him engulfed her.
Powerful.
Unexpected.
Her hands froze against his robes.
Unable to push him away.
Her heart pounded so violently she thought it might shatter her ribs.
Slowly.
Very slowly.
Wei Ran lowered his head.
His breath brushed her neck.
Then her ear.
A tremor ran through her entire body.
When he finally spoke— His voice was no longer cold.
It was dangerously soft.
Burningly intimate.
“In that case…” He paused.
His lips nearly grazed her skin.
Then, barely above a whisper— “Marry me.” New chapters every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday 🖤