The city lights cast a soft golden glow against the night sky, painting the towering skyscrapers in shades of warmth and power. Beneath that luminous canopy, Gu Chenyan stood tall and aloof, his silver hair catching the light like spun frost. His tailored high-end suit hugged his broad shoulders, the sharp line of his tie drawing attention to the strong pulse at his neck. He looked like a king reigning over his empire, every inch of him exuding an intimidating, cold dominance.
Opposite him, Lin Nian'an was a stark contrast. Her flowing red hair cascaded over her slender shoulders, matching the fiery hue of her sultry yet elegant dress. Her lips were slightly parted, her eyes cool yet carrying a trace of hidden vulnerability. She looked like a forbidden flower blooming under the icy moonlight—stunning, distant, and painfully untouchable.
"Running away again, Nian'an?" Gu Chenyan's voice was low, almost lazy, but every word struck like a whip.
She tightened her grip on her clutch, heart pounding despite her composed exterior. "I'm not running," she replied coolly. "I'm simply choosing not to stay."
The man took a slow step forward. The distance between them shrank, and with it, her breathing grew shallower.
"You've been choosing 'not to stay' for years," he said, voice dripping with mocking amusement. "Yet here you are, again standing in front of me."
Lin Nian'an felt the pressure of his gaze—an invisible weight she couldn't shrug off. She hated how easily he could unravel her calm with just a few words. Hated how her heart raced when he drew closer, how her body betrayed her with every thud of her pulse.
"I have my own life, Gu Chenyan," she forced out, struggling to steady her voice. "Not everything revolves around you."
"Your life?" He tilted his head slightly, an action that should've been playful, yet in him appeared predatory. "Is that what you tell yourself when you run from me?"
Lin Nian'an took a step back. But he followed—one slow, deliberate step after another—until her back hit the cold marble wall of the building. She stiffened.
"No more running," he murmured, lowering his head until their breaths mingled.
Her hand rose between them, palm pressed lightly against his chest. She could feel the steady thud of his heart through the fabric. Solid. Overwhelming.
"I'm not yours to trap," she said, though even she could hear the weakness in her own voice.
Gu Chenyan chuckled—a low, dark sound that vibrated through her fingertips. "You're right," he said, and for a moment she thought he would relent. "But you're mine to protect. Whether you like it or not."
The words stunned her. Before she could react, he reached out, fingers curling gently around a lock of her red hair, lifting it as if it were something precious.
"I let you go once," he said quietly, voice nearly drowned by the hum of the city. "I'm not making that mistake again."
Lin Nian'an's throat tightened. Memories surged up—the nights she cried alone abroad, the letters she wrote but never sent, the silent longing she buried deep.
"You don't get to decide for me," she whispered.
"No," Gu Chenyan agreed, surprising her. He dropped the strand of hair, and it slid against her skin like a caress. "But I can fight for you. And I will."
The fierce certainty in his voice shattered the last of her defenses. She closed her eyes, fighting the sting of tears she refused to shed in front of him.
For a long moment, neither moved. The world around them blurred—the honk of distant cars, the murmur of passing crowds—until it felt like they were the only two people left in the city.
Finally, Lin Nian'an opened her eyes and met his gaze head-on. "Then you better be ready," she said, voice steady. "Because I won't make it easy for you."
A slow, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corners of Gu Chenyan's mouth—a crack in his cold façade. "Good," he murmured. "I never wanted easy."
Then, without warning, he leaned in and pressed a kiss to her forehead—brief, searing, filled with a possessive tenderness that made her heart ache.
He stepped back just as suddenly, slipping his hands into his pockets, his expression once again inscrutable.
"I'll be seeing you, Lin Nian'an," he said lightly, before turning and walking into the golden night, leaving her breathless against the marble wall, heart pounding out a rhythm she could no longer ignore.
And for the first time in years, Lin Nian'an realized—
She didn't really want to run anymore.