"He cares about you," her brother said slowly, like he was working through a complex equation and arriving at an unexpected answer. "Human or not, contract or not. I can see it clearly in how he’s looking at us right now, like he wants to physically tear apart for having the audacity to touch you or stand too close or look at you with familiarity."
"He’s complicated," Shuyin said, which was possibly the understatent of the century.
"So is murdering soone in a hospital examination room," her brother pointed out with the dry pragmatism that had always characterized his approach to problem-solving. "Want to tell about the corpse? Or should I just assu it’s connected to whatever happened to you during those missing three years?"
"Not particularly interested in discussing it right now," Shuyin said.
"Fair enough." Her brother’s expression softened fractionally, so of the business calculation giving way to genuine brotherly concern. "One month, you said when you called Father. One month before you co ho and explain everything properly. Does that tiline still stand, or has it changed with these new complications?"
"Yes," Shuyin confird firmly. "The tiline stands. I have things I need to finish here first, people I’m responsible for protecting, obligations I’ve taken on that I can’t just abandon. Then I’ll co ho and explain everything properly to both you and Father."
"To Father and to personally," her brother insisted with emphasis. "I want the complete story, Kailani. Every detail. What happened to you, where you’ve been, why you’re inhabiting a different body, why you’re married to a human, why you killed soone today, all of it. No omissions or evasions or diplomatic half-truths."
"I know," Shuyin said, feeling exhaustion settling into her bones. "And you’ll get the full explanation. I promise. Just not today. Today I need you to leave and pretend you don’t know , pretend this was a case of mistaken identity or wrong room number."
Her brother looked like he wanted to argue, wanted to pull rank as elder sibling and demand imdiate answers. But sothing in her expression, so combination of desperation and determination and barely suppressed panic, made him nod with visible reluctance.
"One month maximum," he said, making it sound like both promise and threat. "And if you don’t contact before that deadline arrives, I’m coming back here. And I’m bringing reinforcents. Father, probably. Maybe our other brothers. Possibly an entire delegation that will be very difficult to explain to your human husband."
"Understood completely," Shuyin agreed, accepting the terms because she had no real choice and because she knew he wasn’t bluffing about the reinforcents.
Her brother hesitated for one more mont, then pulled her into a brief, tight hug that conveyed three years of worry and relief and love that transcended whatever complications currently existed. "I’m glad you’re alive," he whispered directly into her ear where only she could hear. "Whatever else is happening, whatever explanations you owe, I’m just profoundly glad you’re alive and apparently thriving in your own strange way."
Shuyin felt her throat tighten with emotion she didn’t have ti to process. " too."
He released her and stepped back, and his entire deanor shifted in the space of a heartbeat, transforming from concerned brother into cold, distant business magnate with the kind of seamless transition that ca from years of practice maintaining dual identities. The change was so complete it was almost unsettling.
"My apologies for the intrusion," he said, his voice taking on formal tones as he turned toward Lu Yuze with polite disinterest. "I was looking for Dr. Zhang regarding a consultation. I believe I have the wrong room number."
Lu Yuze’s expression was carefully neutral, revealing nothing of whatever calculations were happening behind those sharp eyes. "Dr. Zhang is currently unavailable for consultations. Perhaps the front desk can assist you in locating him or scheduling an alternative appointnt."
"Of course. My mistake entirely." Long Chen’s eyes flicked to Shuyin one last ti, a look filled with unspoken communication and promises and warnings, before he nodded politely and walked past Lu Yuze toward the elevators with asured strides that suggested unhurried confidence.
Shuyin waited until he’d disappeared completely around the corner, until she could no longer hear his footsteps echoing in the corridor, before she forced herself to return to the examination room where Lu Yuze was undoubtedly waiting with questions she didn’t want to answer.
Lu Yuze was still standing in the doorway, his posture rigid with tension that hadn’t dissipated despite Long Chen’s departure.
"Want to explain that?" he asked, his voice deceptively mild in a way that suggested he was working very hard to maintain control over whatever he was actually feeling.
"Explain what specifically?" Shuyin tried for innocence, which was probably futile but worth attempting.
"Why Long Chen, one of the most powerful and reclusive businessn in the entire country, just walked into this room, looked at you like you were soone he’d been desperately searching for across ti and space, and then let you physically manhandle him into the hallway for a private conversation despite clearly being strong enough to resist if he’d wanted to."
Lu Yuze’s jaw was tight enough that she could see the muscle jumping.
"What exactly is your relationship with him? And don’t insult my intelligence by claiming you barely know him or that it’s just a casual acquaintance."
Shuyin t his eyes steadily, recognizing that this required so version of truth even if she couldn’t give him everything. "He’s family. Distant family from before everything happened. We knew each other, before prison, before all of this current situation."
"Family," Lu Yuze repeated slowly, testing the word like it might be code for sothing else. "He looked at you like you were considerably more important than ’distant family’ typically warrants. Like you were soone he’d lost and never expected to find again."
Was that jealousy she was hearing in his voice, sharp and undisguised despite his attempts at control?
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