Chapter 3 – The Deal

Rain slid down the windows of Mei Lin’s apartment as she stood frozen in her kitchen, the black phone still in her hand. The call had lasted only seconds. One ring, then a voice.

"Don’t open the door unless you see me."

She hadn’t told him where she lived. She hadn’t needed to.

Minutes later, he was there.

Xian Yu didn’t knock. He simply waited, tall and unmoving in the hallway outside her door, a shadow carved in black, his gaze unreadable. She opened it slowly, unsure if she was inviting in danger or something worse—an answer.

He stepped inside without a word, bringing the scent of rain and smoke with him. The apartment was too small for someone like him. He didn’t belong in places with peeling paint and humming fridges. Yet he made it his.

Mei Lin placed the envelope on the table between them. “This was taped to my door.”

He read the note silently, then set it down and looked at her. Not at the paper. Not at the apartment. At her.

“You weren’t followed?”

She shook her head. "I don’t think so."

“Then someone is watching you from inside.”

She frowned. “Inside what?”

“My world.”

That phrase sent a chill down her spine.

He leaned back slightly, arms crossed. “They think you matter to me. That you’re leverage.”

“I’m not.”

“I know.”

Silence.

He tapped his fingers against the edge of the table. “But they don’t.”

Mei Lin let out a shaky breath. “Why not just cut me off? Pretend I’m nothing to you?”

“I did.” His voice was low. “It didn’t work.”

She looked at him for a long moment, searching for something human behind that perfectly controlled face. "What do you want from me, Xian Yu?"

He didn’t blink. "I want you safe. And for that to happen, you have to come under my protection."

She stared. “You mean like… live in a guarded house? Hide?”

“No. I mean something more public. Something they won’t question.”

She folded her arms. “Like what?”

“Be seen with me. In public. Appear to be mine. For a time.”

Her stomach flipped. "What does that even mean?"

“Pretend to be my personal assistant. Attend events. Stay close. Appear valuable. If they think you’re under my protection, they won’t touch you.”

She gaped at him. “Pretend to be yours?”

His eyes darkened slightly. “You wouldn’t be the first.”

She stared, heart pounding.

“This isn’t a relationship,” he said evenly. “It’s a deal. A front. A shield.”

“And what do you get out of it?”

His voice dipped lower. "Peace of mind."

Mei Lin turned away, walking toward the window. Rain glowed silver beneath the streetlights. The idea was insane. Dangerous. Impossible.

And yet…

Something deep inside her stirred. Not desire. Not yet. But curiosity. A pull. An ache.

“I have a life,” she said softly. “A job.”

He nodded. “You’ll keep them. I won’t interfere unless I have to. But there will be rules.”

“Of course there will be.”

He stepped closer. Not touching her. Just there.

“You’ll wear what I provide when we’re in public. You’ll stay within range of my people. You’ll speak only to those I approve during events.”

She turned to face him. “So I’ll be your pretty little puppet?”

“No.” His voice sharpened. “You’ll be my decoy. And my responsibility."

Mei Lin swallowed hard. “And when it’s over?”

His gaze held hers. "You walk away."

Simple. Cold. Final.

She looked down at her hands. They were trembling.

Then, softly: “Okay. Deal.”

---

The next day, her world tilted.

A sleek black car waited outside the café at noon. Xiao Rui, Mei Lin’s best friend and favorite gossiper, leaned over the counter and grinned.

"Are you secretly dating a CEO?" she whispered.

Mei Lin forced a laugh. “Definitely not.”

“Liar. He’s hot. And rich. And has ‘danger’ written all over him.”

Mei Lin glanced at the tinted windows of the car. She could feel him watching.

“I’ll tell you later,” she said.

In the car, silence reigned. Xian Yu didn’t speak. Didn’t explain where they were going. He simply handed her a small black envelope.

Inside was a card:

Zhen Yuan Society Charity Gala

Tonight. 8 PM. Dress provided.

She stared. “A gala?”

He didn’t look at her. “You’ll meet people. Learn their names. Watch how they move. You’ll be tested.”

“Tested?”

“If you’re going to wear my name, they’ll try to break you.”

She glanced at him. “Why not just bring someone trained? A professional?”

He looked at her then. Slowly. Quietly. "Because I don’t trust them."

Her breath caught.

That night, she stood in the mirror wearing a crimson silk dress that fit like a second skin. It had been tailored perfectly to her figure, and the black choker around her neck sparkled with a dragon-shaped pendant.

A car was waiting again. This time, when she entered, Xian Yu’s eyes flicked over her for a split second before returning to the window.

“You clean up well,” he murmured.

Her heart skipped.

The gala was held in an ancient palace restored into a luxury venue. The steps gleamed. Guards stood like statues. Inside, violins played over murmured threats and expensive perfume.

They entered together.

All eyes turned.

He didn’t introduce her as anything. He didn’t have to. His hand resting lightly on the small of her back said enough.

She belonged to him.

For tonight.

And in this deadly world of silk and shadows—that made her dangerous.

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