Qin Lan's pulse raced as she gripped her phone, Lu Yan's voice still echoing in her ear. The silence that followed her words stretched on, thick and uncomfortable, as if even the air around her was holding its breath. She could feel the weight of his indifference through the line, and it only made the knot in her chest tighten.
"Lu Yan, are you there?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. The tension that had been building since the moment she found that note on her pillow was now threatening to boil over.
"I'm listening," came his calm, measured response. "What is it?"
The detachment in his voice grated against her raw nerves. She had expected coldness, but now that she was in the moment, it hurt more than she wanted to admit. For a second, she almost faltered, wondering if this was all just a waste of time. But then the image of the note flashed in her mind, reigniting the fear and anger that had driven her to make the call in the first place.
"I found something in the house tonight," she began, trying to keep her voice steady. "A note. Someone left it on my bed while I was out."
There was a pause on the other end of the line, long enough that Qin Lan began to wonder if he had hung up. But then Lu Yan's voice came through, still cold but now laced with something else—concern? Curiosity?
"What kind of note?"
Qin Lan swallowed hard. She could feel the weight of his question pressing down on her, as if it demanded more than just a simple answer. "It said, 'You'll never escape her shadow. Give up now.'"
Another silence. This time, though, it felt different. He wasn't ignoring her; he was thinking, calculating. Qin Lan could practically hear the gears turning in his mind, and the thought sent a chill down her spine. Who was Lu Yan in moments like this? A businessman? A strategist? Or just a man with a heart so buried beneath his past that it no longer existed?
"That's it?" he finally asked, his voice still unnervingly calm. "A simple threat?"
"Simple?" Qin Lan's voice rose before she could stop herself. "Someone broke into our house, left a note on my bed, and you think it's simple?"
She hadn't meant to snap, but the fear and frustration that had been simmering inside her all day finally spilled over. "This isn't the first time, either! I got a message on my phone this morning. Someone's watching me, Lu Yan. And it's not just anyone—it's someone who knows about Ji Yi."
The name hung in the air like a ghost, cold and haunting. It was the first time she had spoken Ji Yi's name out loud in front of him, and now that she had, the reality of it crashed down on her. She was confronting not just the mysterious threats, but also the unspoken truth of her marriage—that Lu Yan's heart had never been hers to begin with.
There was a long, heavy silence on the other end of the line. Qin Lan could feel her hands shaking, her breath coming in short, uneven bursts. Why wasn't he saying anything?
Finally, Lu Yan spoke, but when he did, his voice was colder than ever. "You don't need to worry about Ji Yi."
The casual dismissal in his tone stung. How could he brush it off so easily? "Don't I? Everything in this house reminds me of her! You won't talk about her, but she's everywhere. And now someone's trying to scare me, make me feel like I'm just a stand-in for her. How can you act like it's nothing?"
"I said, you don't need to worry," Lu Yan repeated, more firmly this time. "I'll handle it."
But that wasn't enough. Qin Lan wanted more than his cold reassurances. She needed answers—real ones. "Handle it how? You won't even talk to me about her. How do I know what's really going on? What if this person comes back? What if—"
"I said I'll handle it," Lu Yan cut in, his voice sharp now, like a blade slicing through the tension. "There's no need for you to get involved."
The finality in his tone sent a shiver down Qin Lan's spine. There was no room for argument, no space for further questions. He wasn't going to share anything with her, not now, maybe not ever. Whatever it was that connected him to Ji Yi, it was a part of him that Qin Lan wasn't allowed to touch.
Her heart sank, and for a moment, she felt utterly defeated. What had she expected? That he would suddenly open up, confess everything? That he would finally treat her like a real partner in this twisted arrangement?
"I see," Qin Lan whispered, her voice hollow. She had nothing more to say. Not to him.
She hung up the phone before he could respond, her chest aching with a mix of frustration, fear, and sadness. For a moment, she just sat there on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the floor.
The truth was, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't escape Ji Yi's shadow. Not in this house, not in this marriage, and apparently, not even in Lu Yan's mind.
---
The next morning, Qin Lan woke up early, her mind still clouded with the events of the night before. She hadn't slept well, haunted by the note and Lu Yan's icy dismissal. She needed a distraction, something to clear her head and pull her out of this suffocating fog.
After a quick breakfast, she decided to visit her father's nursing home. It had been a while since she'd last seen him, and though the circumstances of her marriage were less than ideal, the one good thing that had come out of it was the financial security for her father's care.
As she drove through the city, the familiar streets passing by in a blur, Qin Lan couldn't help but think about how different her life had become. A year ago, she had been living in a small apartment, working tirelessly to pay off her family's debts and support her father. Now, she was the wife of a wealthy CEO, living in a mansion that felt more like a gilded cage than a home.
When she arrived at the nursing home, the sight of her father brought a wave of bittersweet emotion crashing over her. He was sitting in his favorite chair by the window, his frail hands resting on his lap, a soft smile on his face as he watched the birds outside. He looked peaceful, content. For a moment, the weight on Qin Lan's shoulders lifted, replaced by a sense of warmth and comfort.
"Dad," she greeted softly, walking over to him and placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "How are you feeling today?"
Her father's smile widened as he turned to look at her. His eyes, though clouded with age, still held the same kindness she had always known. "Lan Lan," he murmured, his voice weak but filled with affection. "It's so good to see you."
They talked for a while, about simple things—his health, the care he was receiving, the weather outside. For a brief moment, Qin Lan allowed herself to forget about the mess of her marriage, the mysterious threats, and the ghost of Ji Yi. Here, with her father, everything felt normal.
But as much as she wanted to hold onto that feeling, reality soon crept back in. When her father asked about her married life, Qin Lan hesitated, not sure how much to reveal.
"Is he treating you well, this husband of yours?" her father asked, his tone gentle but curious.
Qin Lan forced a smile, though it didn't reach her eyes. "He's... taking care of things," she replied, carefully choosing her words. "He's very busy, so we don't see each other much, but everything's fine."
Her father's expression softened, and he reached out to take her hand in his. "Lan Lan, I know you married for the sake of the family. You've always been so responsible, always putting others before yourself. But you deserve to be happy, too. Don't forget that."
Qin Lan's chest tightened at his words, a lump forming in her throat. How could she explain to him that happiness felt like a distant dream now? That she had traded her own heart for the security of their future, and now she wasn't sure if she'd ever get it back?
She squeezed his hand, her voice barely above a whisper. "I know, Dad. I'll try."
But even as she said the words, a part of her wondered if happiness was something she'd ever be able to reach. Not as long as Ji Yi's shadow loomed over her, and not as long as Lu Yan remained a closed-off mystery she could never truly understand.
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End of Chapter 5
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