The sun rose gently the next day, spilling warmth across the city like it was trying to kiss away the bruises of yesterday. Xu Meilin walked to work in silence, her thin coat fluttering behind her like wings she had long forgotten how to use.
The weather was perfect. The sky was clear. The air smelled of hope.
She closed her eyes and tilted her head toward the sun.
"This is the only warmth I've ever truly known," she whispered.
And she smiled, the soft, clean kind of smile that didn't beg for attention. The kind that hid every scar beneath it like buried snow.
---
When she arrived at the Note Hotel, she went straight to her desk. She greeted everyone she passed, the bellboy, the cleaner, the girl from the front desk who always tried too hard. Meilin never forced conversation. But her calm aura made people look at her twice.
It was her smile. Always there. Quiet. Kind.
A few minutes later, Manager Liu appeared beside her desk, looking out of breath. His voice trembled slightly.
"Xu Meilin," he said, lowering his voice, "A guest in Room 3402 wants to see you. Now."
Meilin looked up. "Room… 3402?" she repeated, eyes narrowing slightly.
If you looked closely, you would've noticed something odd, Manager Liu was nervous. A thin layer of sweat was on his forehead. His fingers were twitching.
"Are the other girls not available?" she asked quietly. "Why would he want to see me?"
Liu flinched. "Are you questioning a direct request from the top floor?" His voice snapped louder than necessary. "You think you're special now? You don't want the job anymore?"
The ceiling almost shuddered with the echo.
Meilin stood slowly, brushed off her skirt, and bowed her head.
"No, sir. I'll go right away."
She picked up her notepad and walked toward the elevator, her smile still soft, but unreadable.
---
Room 3402
Shen Rui stepped into the penthouse-style suite. It was colder than usual. Minimal light. Marble floors. Curtains drawn tight.
"President Li," he greeted carefully.
Zeyan didn't look up from the study room. His long fingers flipped through the file on the table with calculated stillness.
"Speak," he said.
"I completed the background investigation on the Kang family deal, as you ordered. The terms were manipulated to favor Kang Holdings. Your grandfather approved it weeks ago without consulting your office. The girl's family—"
"I'm not interested in her family," Zeyan interrupted, his voice sharper than broken glass. "Tell me about her."
Shen Rui adjusted his glasses. "Her name is Xu Meilin. Twenty. Raised in the Xu household but treated as little more than a servant. Lived most of her life in isolation. No scandal, no trouble. Currently working quietly here… where she caught your attention the other day."
Zeyan closed the file.
He stared ahead, expression unreadable.
"I didn't ask for a bride," he said coldly. "I don't want one. Especially not a girl used as a pawn to leash me."
Shen Rui nodded silently.
"Has she been called?"
"Yes, sir. Manager Liu informed her just now. She should arrive shortly."
---
A few minutes later…
There was a knock.
"Come in," Zeyan said, eyes already turned away.
The door opened gently.
Xu Meilin stepped inside, her steps soft but unafraid. She bowed slightly.
"You asked for me, President Li?"
Zeyan slowly looked up, and their eyes met for the first time since that night. The one where fate had drawn a thin, unspoken line between them.
His gaze swept over her like a scanner. Calm. Icy. Judging every breath she took.
She stood still, her posture graceful.
And that smile, soft, clean, and untouchably calm, was still on her lips.
"Do you know who I am?" he asked, leaning back in the chair.
"Yes," she said. "You're Li Zeyan. CEO of Li Corporation and heir to the Li family estate."
"And yet you still walked in here alone," he said. "Impressive."
Her smile didn't change.
"You called for me, sir. I came."
Zeyan studied her like a puzzle he didn't ask for.
"You're the girl they've thrown at my feet," he said flatly. "Do you expect me to welcome you with flowers?"
"No," she replied, still smiling. "I expect nothing. That's how I survive."
The answer made him pause.
Most people stuttered in his presence. Most begged. Most tried to gain favor.
But this girl? She didn't want anything from him.
And somehow… that was more unsettling than tears.
"Why didn't you refuse the marriage?" he asked.
She blinked. "Would that have changed anything?"
"…No," he admitted.
"Then why waste my voice?"
Zeyan's jaw clenched.
"You're either foolish," he said slowly, "or you're dangerous."
"I'm neither," Meilin said calmly. "I'm just tired."
A silence stretched between them.
Zeyan stood slowly and walked toward her. His presence was overwhelming, tall, sharp, powerful.
He stopped just a step away from her.
But Meilin didn't flinch.
That smile still stayed.
"I will not love you," Zeyan said.
"I didn't ask you to."
"I may not even look at you."
"That's fine."
"I might hurt you."
Meilin paused, her eyes lowering for the first time, not from fear, but from something heavier.
"You can't hurt what's already been broken," she said gently.
Then she looked up again, with that same smile.
Zeyan stared at her.
Then he turned away, as if disgusted.
"Get out."
Meilin bowed slightly. "Yes, sir."
As she turned to leave, she added one more line without looking back.
"But thank you… for speaking to me like a person."
And then, she was gone.
Zeyan remained still.
That smile haunted him, clean, calm, and unshakable. Like someone who had learned long ago that no one would come save her… so she decided to wear grace like armor.
He walked to the window and stared at the city.
The chains of duty were tightening around him.
But somewhere below, that girl was walking through life with scars hidden under the sun.
And for the first time in years… Zeyan didn't know who was colder him, or her.