Chapter 3 (continued): Smoke from the Same Roof

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By the time the soup had cooled and the bowls were empty, the sky outside had gone dark, and the air had turned damp and still.

Shi Yue finished wiping the table and walked to the bed. The mattress was rough straw, flattened from years of use. The blanket smelled of sun, but faintly of age and smoke too.

The house had no separate rooms — only a single door and a curtain across a corner where they stored firewood and an old stool.

No privacy. No space. No choice.

He lay down on the right side of the bed and turned to face the wall.

A few minutes later, the door creaked. Han Liang entered, his footsteps soft on the wooden floor.

Shi Yue didn’t turn around. But he could hear the rustle of cloth as Han took off his outer robe and folded it neatly. Then, the bed dipped with his weight as he lay down beside him.

They were close — much closer than he was used to. Their arms brushed slightly under the blanket.

Shi Yue held his breath.

Then he felt it: a hand, large and warm, gently taking his under the blanket. Calloused fingers wrapped around his wrist and trailed slowly up his arm.

Shi Yue stiffened.

The touch traveled further — sliding over his side, tracing the curve of his waist, his back. Slow. Unhurried.

He didn’t move, didn’t speak.

Because he couldn’t say no.

This is the world I’m in now, he reminded himself. This body is married. To him. And in this world… a spouse can’t refuse.

Han Liang’s breath was steady beside him. Not urgent, not demanding — but quiet and almost gentle. A kind of quiet possession.

Han Liang's turn Shi Yue , go close to Shi Yue's neck while his hands are working to open Shi's robe.

Their bodies moved together in the dark.

There was no love in it. No conversation. Just skin and silence, and the weight of duty between them.

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Next Morning

Shi Yue lay awake, staring into the blackness of the ceiling.

Han Liang had turned to his side and was already asleep, breathing slow and deep.

Shi Yue stayed still, the blanket pulled up to his chest, feeling out of place in his own skin.

He had crossed lines before in his past life — had lovers, had heartbreak — but never like this.

Never as someone who couldn’t say no.

He closed his eyes tightly.

If this is the role I’ve been given… then I’ll act it well. But not forever.

One day, he would make this life his own — not just to survive it.

But right now… they needed money.

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To be Continued

Chapter 4 Preview: “The Road to Saving Copper”

Han Liang and Shi Yue begin working outside the home — doing small labor jobs, harvesting, and helping at the town mill. Shi Yue secretly keeps notes on savings. First signs of wanting independence begin.

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