Chapter 5: Quiet Resolve
Chapter 5: Quiet Resolve
Lin Yue stirred awake, her body still aching from the exhaustion of childbirth but her mind sharper than it had been in days. The soft evening light from the space streamed into the room, illuminating the serene faces of her newborn twins resting beside her.
The time in her residential area corelate with the outside world.
Her other children, Qin Ze, Ren An, Ling Xue, and Jian Yu, were gathered on the far side of the room, whispering to each other. Their small robes were wrinkled, and their hair tousled, but their giggles brought warmth to the air.
The door creaked open. Li Wei stepped in, carrying a tray. The smell of chicken soup and freshly cooked rice wafted toward her. His face was calm, but Lin Yue caught the shadow behind his eyes—something unspoken is bothering him
"I made something for you," he said quietly, placing the tray on a nearby table.
Lin Yue sat up with care, cradling one of the twins while glancing at the bowl. The chicken soup was simple yet aromatic, steam curling up in soft tendrils. Beside it was a small plate of stir-fried vegetables, an attempt at balance despite the simplicity of the dish.
"You cooked?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Li Wei's lips quirked in what might have been a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Fei Feng helped. Slightly."
From somewhere behind him, the little phoenix chirped indignantly. "Slightly? I guided you every step of the way! If it weren't for me, you would've burnt everything to ash."
Li Wei didn't respond, instead pulling a chair closer to the bed. He busied himself arranging the tray, avoiding her gaze.
Lin Yue's voice softened. "Thank you."
For a moment, they sat in silence, the quiet hum of the space surrounding them. Lin Yue sipped the soup, the warmth spreading through her. She glanced at Li Wei, whose shoulders were tense despite the stillness of the moment.
she began, her voice cautious, "what's troubling you?"
He didn't answer immediately. Instead, his gaze fixed on the twins, their tiny chests rising and falling in unison. His expression softened, but the tightness in his jaw remained.
"When I cooked," he said at last, his voice low, "I thought of… someone I trusted once. Someone who betrayed me."
Lin Yue studied him, waiting. He rarely spoke about his past, but something about the space, the quiet, seemed to draw the truth from him.
"My brother," he continued, his hands clenched into fists. "He was the one who handed me over to those monsters. I trusted him more than anyone else, and he—he sold me."
The venom in his voice startled her, but she didn't interrupt.
"I was young and stupid," Li Wei admitted, his eyes distant. "I thought loyalty meant something. That blood meant something. But he used that trust to lure me into a trap."
He paused, his voice dropping to a whisper. "He left me in chains."
Lin Yue felt a pang of sympathy, but she also recognized the cold wall Li Wei had built around himself. It was the same wall she had spent years resenting, the one that had made him seem distant and unreachable.
"I understand," she said softly.
His eyes flicked to her, sharp and searching.
"I've lost people too," she continued, her tone steady. "People I thought would stand by me, protect me. But betrayal... it teaches us who we can truly count on."
Li Wei's gaze softened, and for a moment, the distance between them seemed to shrink.