Wang Yibo had always believed that emotions were a weakness. Born into the world were power was everything, he had learned to wield his wealth like a weapon, leaving no room for attachments. So when his father, Qiren Wang, announced that he was to be married to a boy he had never met, his first reaction was ice-cold resistance.

"It's not a request, yibo" his father's voice was firm, his steely gaze unwavering "This marriage will ensure the merger with Xiao Industries, you understand the stakes"

Yibo clenched his jaw. He had built his empire with ruthless efficiency, carving his path without needing anyone's approval. And yet, here he was, shackled by duty, bound to a marriage that was nothing more than a business transaction.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, Xiao Zhan stuggled to balance a tray of steeming coffee cups as he rustled through the bustling cafe. His hands ached from the double shifts he had been pulling, but quitting wasn't an option not when his family depended on him.

"Zhan, table three is still waiting! " her manager barked, and he bit back a sharp reply, forcing a smile instead. He had no room for complaints, no time for dreams. He had learned early on that the rich controlled the world, and people like him were nothing more than pawns in their game.

So when he arrived home that evening to find his mother in tears and a man in a tailored suit waiting in a contract in hand.

"You want me to marry him? " zhan's voice shook with disbelief as he read through the contract. "Wang Yibo? The Billionaire? "

"Zhan, please, " her mother pleaded "your father left us  in debt. This is the only way. They'd say they cleared everything, pay for your brother's medical bills".

Zhan's heart pounded. He had spent his entire life resenting the wealthy, blaming them for every hardship his family had endured. And now, he was expected to marry one of them?

He gritted his teeth. "Fine, but don't expect me to fall in love with him".

As the ink dried on the contract, two lives intertwined, bound by obligations neither had chosen. Little did they know fate had other plans.

##########

The day of the engagement arrived faster than zhan would have liked. Dressed in an elegant baby pink suit, he stood in front of the massive Wang estate, his heart pounding in his chest.

The grand mansion loomed before him, its towering presence is a reminder of the world he was being forced into. He straightened his back, refusing to let them see his intimidation.

The butler led him inside, where yibo waited with an unreadable expression. Clad in a tailored black suit his cold hazel eyes assessed him with detachment, as if he were merely another business transaction.

"So, you're the boy they chose for me" he mused, his tone devoid of warmth.

Zhan crossed his arms. "Trust me, this isn't my dream wedding either, Mr. Wang"

A flicker of amusement passed through yibo's gaze before he masked it. "Good. As long as we're on the same page. This is nothing more than a contract. Don't expect any fairytale romance".

"That makes two of us, " he shot back, lifting his chin defiantly.

Qiren Wang entered then, his presence commanding the room. "The engagement party starts in an hour. I expect both of you to play your rules well. No scandals. No drama".

Yibo barely acknowledged his father's words before turning back to zhan. "You should get ready. We don't want to keep our guest waiting".

Zhan clenched his fist, feeling trapped in a world where he didn't belong. But he made a promise to her mother, to her brother. He wouldn't back down now.

As the first guest arrived, yibo offered his hand to zhan, yibo's touch cold against zhan's skin. "Let's get this over with"

With a deep breath, zhan stepped forward, unknowingly taking the first step into their fate neither of them had expected.

The engagement party was a grand affair, the kind zhan had only seen in movies. Crystals chandeliers bath the ballroom in golden light, and the air is filled with the murmur of elite guests exchanging pleasantries. Every detail screamed extravagant-something. Zhan had always despised.

He kept his expression neutral, ignoring the stares and whispers as he walked beside yibo. He knew what they were thinking: 'who is this nobody? why him?'

Yibo, on the other hand, exuded his usual cold confidence, nodding politely but never lingering in conversation. Zhan noticed how effortlessly he played his role, how used he was to wearing a mask.

"Smile", yibo murmured under his breath, just loud enough for zhan to hear. "You look like you're ready to strangle someone"

Zhan shot him a sideways glare. "Maybe I am"

Before he could respond, an elegantly dressed woman approached them, her sharp edges gaze ranking over zhan with poorly concealed disdain.

"Yibo, darling" she cooed, placing a possessive hand on his arm.

"I was so surprised when I heard the news. An arrange marriage? I thought you didn't believe in such things"

Zhan stiffened, recognizing the woman as Zoey Meng, one of yibo's rumored former flames.

Yibo remained impassive. "Zoey it was necessary arrangement"

Zoey's red lips formed in to a smirked as she turned her attention to zhan. "And you must be the lucky bride-to-be. Tell me, cutie, what exactly do you do?"

Zhan met her gaze head-on. "I worked at a cafe"

Zoey let out a small laugh, as if the idea was amusing

"How.... quaint"

Zhan felt his blood boil, but before he could retort, yibo spoke. "Zhan is more than capable of handling himself" he said smoothly, his voice carrying a quiet warning, "And I expect every one to treat him with the respect he deserves."

Zoey blinked, momentarily taken aback by his defense, before masking it with a laugh, "Of course yibo, if you say so."

She walked away, leaving zhan glaring at her retreating figure. "I don't need you to defend me", he muttered.

"I wasn't defending you", yibo replied coolly. "I was protecting my reputation. If you make a scene, it reflects badly on me."

Zhan exhaled sharply. "Of course. Wouldn't want to tarnish the great Wang Yibo name."

He didn't reply, and zhan turned his attention back to the party, vowing that no matter what, he wouldn't let them break him. This world might have clipped his wings, but he wasn't going to fall without a fight.

########

The day after the engagement party. Zhan was officially moved into the Wang estate.

The mansion with its towering walls and expensive decor, felt less like a home and more like a prison.

Yibo barely acknowledge his arrival. "Your room is at the end of the hall. Stay out of my way, and this arrangement will go smoothly".

Zhan scoffed. "Trust me I have no interest in playing house with you"

The tension between them was palpable, but zhan have no time to dwell on it.

He's mother and brother were safe now, their debts cleared, but he still need to navigate the unfamiliar world she had been trust into.

Days passed, and zhan quickly realized that yibo was a ghost in his own home.

He left early in the morning for work and return late at night, often without a word.

The mansion was eerily quiet, save for the occasional murmuring of the house staff.

One evening, as yibo wondered through the halls, he found himself found drawn to the drawn to the vast library.

The towering shelves, filled with book that looks untouched, yet the air carried the faint scent of old pages.

Zhan runs his fingers, along the spines, stopping when he saw a book that seems well worn.

Curious, zhan pulled it out, surprised to find it was a collection of poetry. "Didn't peg you for a sentimental type" zhan mused aloud not expecting a response.

"I'm not", yibo's voice cut through the quiet library.

Zhan turned sharply, finding him leaning against the doorway his expression unreadable. "Then why does this look like it's been read a hundred times?"

Yibo didn't answer immediately, stepping further into the room. "It belong to my mother. She liked poetry."

Zhan was taken aback by the small admission. It was the first real piece of information he had known about yibo, that wasn't tied to his wealth or business. "I see. You must've been close."

Yibo's jaw tensed. "She died when I was young"

A heavy silence fell between them. Zhan had no love for the rich, but in that moment, he saw something different in him something almost human.

"I'm sorry", zhan said quietly.

Yibo looked at zhan then, as if trying to decipher whether his sympathy was genuine, "Don't be it was a long time ago"

Without another word, he turned and walked away, leaving zhan alone with a book still in zhan's hands.

That night, as zhan lay in bed he found himself thinking about the man he had married a man who, despite his cold exterior, carried a ghost of his own.

And for the first time, zhan wondered if there was more to Wang Yibo than he had assumed.

A week passed, and the atmosphere in the Wang mansion remained tense but steady.

Yibo kept his distance. And zhan had no intention of chasing after a man who had no interest in him, beyond their agreement.

Still, the encounter in the library lingered in zhan's mind.

One evening, as zhan stepped into the dining hall, he was surprised to see yibo already seated.

A variety of dishes were spread across the long dining table, but yibo was focused on his phone, barely touching his food.

Zhan hesitated before sitting across from yibo. "Is this how you usually eat? In silence?"

Yibo glances up briefly. "I don't see the need for an unnecessary conversation"

Zhan rolled his eyes. "Of course, wouldn't want to waste your precious words".

Yibo sighed, setting his phone down. "If you have something to say, say it".

Zhan stabbed his salad with his fork. "Fine, since we are stuck at each other, we might as well try to be civil. I don't want to spend the rest of my life living in a house where we pretend the other doesn't exist".

Yibo studied zhan for a moment before nodding slightly. "Fair enough what do you propose?"

Zhan thought for a moment. "Dinner together. A conversation that doesn't revolve around money or business. Just two people talking. Can you handle that Mr. Wang?"

Something flickered in yibo's eyes-amusement, perhaps. "I suppose, I can manage".

It was a small step, but for the first time since their marriage.

Zhan felt like they were moving toward something, other than mutual resentment.

The ice between them, however thick, had begun to crack.

#######

Days turned into weeks, and although the air in the Wang mansion was still thick with unspoken words, there was a subtle shift between zhan and yibo.

The cold tension that once defined their marriage had started to melt, piece by piece.

One evening, a violent thunderstorm raged outside, sending sheets of rain pounding against the mansion's tall glass windows.

The wind howled, rattling the branches of the trees surrounding the estate.

Zhan sat curled up in the grand sitting room, staring at the flickering flames in the fire place, trying to drown out the sound of the storm.

Zhan had never been fond of thunderstorms. They reminded him of the night his father left, the night his world had fallen apart.

Zhan had hoped to spend the evening alone. But his loneliness was interrupted by the quiet sound of footsteps.

Yibo entered the room, his gaze flickering briefly toward zhan before settling on the storm outside.

"You don't like thunderstorms?" Yibo asked, his voice surprisingly soft.

Zhan exhaled, debating whether to answer yibo at all. But something about the night made zhan defenses lower just a little. "Not particularly"

Yibo didn't press further. Instead, he sat down in the chair opposite to zhan, pouring himself a glass of whiskey from the crystal decanter on the side table.

The firelights cast a long shadows across his face, making his normally sharp features appears softer.

For a while, neither of them spoke. The silence between them is no longer suffocating it was almost..... Comfortable.

"You don't seem like the type to sit in the dark, and be deeply serious" zhan finally said, breaking the silence.

A smirked formed across yibo's lips. "And you don't seem like the type, to be afraid of a little rain".

Zhan frowned. "I'm not afraid. I just.... Don't like it"

Yibo studied zhan for a moment before setting his glass down. "Come with me"

Zhan blinked. "Excuse me?"

Yibo didn't wait for zhan's response. Instead, he stood up and extended a hand toward zhan.

Zhan hesitated before finally placing his hand on his. Yibo's grip was warm, firm, but not forceful.

Yibo led zhan through the mansion, past the grand staircase and down a long Hall way. Zhan had spend weeks here, yet there were still rooms zhan hadn't explored.

When yibo finally stopped, zhan realized they were in a glass enclosed conservatory filled with lush greenery.

The rain pelted against the glass ceiling, but inside it was peaceful.

Yibo walked over to a cabinet and pulled out a thick blanket, draping it over one of the benches before gesturing for zhan to sit.

Yibo then sat beside zhan, their shoulders almost touching.

"This was my mother's favourite place", he said after a long pause. "She used to sit here for hours whenever it rained".

"She said storms weren't just destruction. They were a reset-washing away everything that no longer served it's purpose"

Yibo's gaze remained fixed outside, his expression unreadable. "I never understood what she meant when I was younger. But now...... maybe I do".

Zhan swallowed. He had never seen yibo like this before-so raw, so unguarded.

Zhan didn't know what to say, so he simply sat there, listening to the rain and the quiet sound of yibo's breathing.

For the first time since their marriage, zhan didn't feel like an outsider in this house.

And for the first time, yibo didn't feel like the cold, untouchable man zhan had believed him to be.

As the storm continued to rage outside, something shifted between them. The walls they had built around themselves had started to fade, brick by brick.