The door creaked open, and Jiang Lifen stood frozen, her eyes wide, her face pale with disbelief. Her purse slipped from her trembling hands and hit the marble floor with a heavy thud that echoed through the room.
Xiao Yu jolted back from Long Shan's kiss like she'd touched fire, her eyes blown wide with horror. Flushed crimson, she spun around without a word and fled down the hallway, her bare feet silent on the polished tiles. The moment she disappeared into her room, the door slammed shut with a bang.
Long Shan remained standing in the living room, blinking, mildly stunned by the abrupt chaos. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, and turned slowly toward the shocked woman still rooted in the doorway.
Moments later, the two of them sat on opposite ends of the plush couch. Jiang Lifen was sobbing quietly into her hands, shoulders shaking, while Long Shan leaned forward, elbows on his knees, his face unreadable but tinged with guilt.
"Is there something you want to tell me?" Jiang Lifen finally choked out, her voice hoarse. "What is going on between you and… your daughter?"
Long Shan inhaled slowly, letting the words hang in the air for a beat before replying, "She's not my daughter."
Jiang Lifen's teary eyes widened. "Huh? What did you just say?"
"She's not my daughter," Long Shan repeated more firmly. "And she never was."
Lifen stared at him in silence, her breath caught. "Then… who is she to you?"
Long Shan looked away, his expression unreadable. "It's complicated."
The following morning, Jiang Lifen's eyes were red and puffy. Her family gathered in the sitting room, trying to comfort her as she recounted what she had seen and heard. Her voice trembled as she told them about Long Shan's kiss with Xiao Yu — and more importantly, his admission.
"He told me himself," Jiang Lifen insisted, her voice barely holding together. "Xiao Yu isn't his daughter."
Jiang Meili blinked at her sister in disbelief. "Wait… what?"
Their father, Jiang Wei, folded his arms, his expression serious. "I've always suspected something didn't add up. Shan never married. I've never heard of any child, let alone a daughter."
Jiang Liu Zhihao, their mother, nodded thoughtfully. "So if she isn't his daughter… then who is she to him?"
Jiang Yuze, their brother, leaned against the wall with a crooked smirk. "His secret lover?" he teased.
"Yuze!" Liu Zhihao snapped, shooting him a sharp look. "Not now."
"But it makes sense," Jiang Lifen said bitterly. "Why else would he kiss her like that? She isn't a sibling. She isn't a ward. She's his… fiancée. Maybe even his wife."
Everyone fell silent at that. The room chilled with tension.
"Lifen, calm down," Jiang Wei said softly. "You don't know the full story yet."
"I know what I saw!" she cried. "And I know what he told me!"
Meili rubbed her sister's shoulder gently. "Let's not jump to conclusions, Fen. Maybe there's more to this than we know."
"Stop filling her with false hope," Yuze muttered. "Shan's clearly not interested in any of this family nonsense."
"Enough!" Liu Zhihao snapped again. "We support each other. Whether you like it or not."
Back at the villa, Long Shan sat quietly at the breakfast table, methodically working through his meal. He looked calm and collected, as though nothing had happened the night before.
Xiao Yu entered the room, dragging her feet, her expression stormy. She dropped into the seat beside him with a sulk. One of the maids served her breakfast, but she didn't touch the food. Instead, she glared at Long Shan, waiting.
Noticing her stare, Long Shan raised his head slowly. "Is there something on my face?" he asked, expression flat.
Xiao Yu scoffed and looked away.
Long Shan resumed eating.
Moments later, she blurted, "Aren't you going to apologize?"
"For what?" he asked without looking up.
Her face twisted with frustration. "For last night."
He blinked. "What happened last night?"
Xiao Yu gawked at him. "Are you serious right now?!"
"If it makes you feel better," he said mildly, "then say it out loud. Remind me."
"You kissed me!" she yelled, banging her spoon against the table.
Long Shan finally looked up, amused. "Oh, that."
He huffed. "You remember that part but not the fact that I rescued you from Lu Yiren?"
"You haven't even said thank you," he replied coolly.
"Because you kissed me!"Xiao You yelled.
He leaned back, arms crossed. "You talk too much sometimes. It was the only way to shut you up."
Her cheeks burned. "You stole another kiss!"
"When was the first?"
"When I was sick. You kissed me then too."
Long Shan shrugged. "That wasn't a kiss. That was checking your temperature with my lips. Very effective method."
Xiao Yu glared. "And last night?"
"Also not a kiss. Just tactical silence enforcement."
"Long Shan!"
He raised an eyebrow. "You're very noisy for someone who owes me so much."
Her expression hardened. "You should be thinking about how to fix things with Jiang Lifen. She misunderstood what she saw."
"She's not my fiancée."
Xiao Yu blinked. "She's not? Wait—was it because of last night?"
Long Shan didn't answer. He stood, wiping his mouth with a napkin, and walked off toward his room.
Xiao Yu watched him go, stunned.
---
Two days passed.
Xiao Yu sat in the wide hall, her eyes trained on the floor. Her assigned bodyguard stood quietly near the door. This time, she didn't mind the presence. Not after what had happened.
She didn't notice when Jiang Meili walked in until she plopped beside her.
"Hey," Meili said softly.
Xiao Yu jumped slightly. "Oh… hey."
Meili smiled gently. "I see your bodyguard's back."
Xiao Yu sighed. "Yeah. It's fine. I feel safer now."
"You look pale. What's wrong?"
Xiao Yu looked at her with guilt pooling in her eyes. "You can yell at me if you want. I know Jiang Lifen must hate me. You probably do too."
Meili blinked. "Of course not! I could never hate you. I don't know what happened, but I know you must've had your reasons."
"Is your sister okay?" Xiao Yu asked softly.
Meili's smile faded. "She's… coping."
Xiao Yu hugged her arms to her chest. "I'm sorry."
Meili tilted her head. "But why did you tell us he was your dad?"
Xiao Yu cringed. "I panicked. The age gap between us was huge… and I couldn't explain our connection properly. It just came out."
"Then what is he to you?" Meili asked with curiosity twinkling in her eyes. "Boyfriend? Husband?"
Xiao Yu laughed bitterly. "Neither. Let's just say I'm his… debtor."
"Debtor?" Meili raised a brow.
"It's a long story. I'll tell you everything someday."
"Okay," Meili said with a knowing smile. "When you're ready."
They shared a quiet moment of understanding, the beginnings of healing settling between them.