The Lu estate was quieter than usual. The preparations for Damien and Liyana's wedding had filled the space with buzzing excitement for weeks, but tonight—a lull. The calm before a storm of celebration.
Zhen Lu wandered out onto the balcony attached to one of the guest rooms. The garden below shimmered under the moonlight, still adorned with lights and flowers from the pre-wedding events. But his gaze wasn't fixed on the view.
It was on her.
Ruoxi stood at the far end, her hands resting on the stone railing. Her long dark hair flowed with the breeze, her elegant silk robe barely making a sound as she moved. She hadn't noticed him yet.
He didn't know why he followed her out here. Maybe it was the silence, maybe it was the way she'd smiled during dinner when Meilin had teased her about her dress coordination with him.
Maybe it was the fact that she always knew when to stay in the background—always supporting, never demanding.
Just like now.
"I knew you'd come," she said softly, without turning.
Zhen blinked. "How did you—?"
"You always come when you think no one's watching." She finally turned to face him, a slight smirk on her lips. "Except I'm always watching."
He chuckled and crossed the space between them, leaning beside her. "You always do talk like you're in control of everything."
"Only when you let me be," she shot back.
The teasing was gentle, but the air between them was thick. Not with tension—but something warmer. Something that had been building quietly for weeks.
"You've been quiet since the engagement announcement," she said, voice softer now. "Is everything okay?"
Zhen hesitated. "I guess... watching my brother prepare to marry the woman he's been obsessed with since forever made me wonder where I stand. Who I am—beyond being the 'Lu heir who doesn't care.'"
Ruoxi looked up at him. "You're more than that."
"I'm not like Damien," he admitted. "I don't plan. I don't chase power the same way. But with you... I find myself wondering what it would be like to chase something. To hold on to something."
Her expression flickered—surprise, then something more vulnerable. "You don't have to chase me, Zhen. I'm already here."
Silence stretched between them, and then she took a half-step closer, her gaze lifting to his.
"I never thought I'd fall for someone like you," she whispered. "But then again... I never thought you'd look at me like this either."
Zhen brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "How am I looking at you?"
"Like I matter."
"You do," he said. "You always have."
And then—without grand gestures or urgent heat—he kissed her.
It was slow. Tender. A quiet acknowledgment of all the times they hadn't said what they felt. A promise, still unspoken.
When they pulled away, Ruoxi smiled, slightly breathless. "You know, we're still at your family's estate. Someone might see."
"I don't care," Zhen murmured. "Let them."
"Bold."
He chuckled. "It's the least Lu thing I've done in years."
She rested her forehead against his. "Good. Keep doing that."
The garden lights shimmered around them, and from the house, faint laughter floated—Mira and Meilin, probably plotting some last-minute decoration chaos. Liyana's bachelorette night was ending, and tomorrow would be the wedding.
But tonight—this moment—it was theirs.
Not loud. Not rushed.
Just a whisper between them, sealed with a kiss.