Chapter 2: Under One Roof

The Xie mansion sat on a hill overlooking the whole city, glittering at night. Yirou walked in clutching her old suitcase, feeling like an intruder in a world that wasn’t hers.

“Your room is at the end of the hall,” the housekeeper, Mrs. Lin, said gently. “The young master said you don’t need to do anything. Just live here like a guest.”

“A guest can’t stay forever,” Yirou thought, but she still nodded her thanks.

The first night, she couldn’t sleep. Not because of the unfamiliar bed, but because of the piano drifting up from the living room downstairs: a slow, sad piece, one short passage played over and over, as if the player were trying to remember something he had forgotten.

She went downstairs and stood half-hidden behind a pillar, watching Xie Yushen at the piano. The only lamp in the room cast weary lines over his face that no one ever saw during the day.

“What are you doing out here?” He didn’t turn around, but he clearly knew someone was there.

“The music is so beautiful, I couldn’t help it,” she said honestly.

He stopped, his long fingers resting lightly on the keys. “This was my mother’s favorite piece. She died when I was twelve.”

Yirou said nothing. She simply sat down quietly on the stairs a few meters away, close enough that he’d know someone was listening, far enough not to intrude.

“Aren’t you curious why I married you?” he asked. His voice was still cool, but something had changed since the wedding.

“Of course I am. But I think people usually only tell the truth when they want to. Pushing doesn’t help.”

For the first time, the corner of Xie Yushen’s mouth lifted slightly. Not quite a smile, but no longer his usual icy look.

“You’re more interesting than I thought, Tang Yirou.”

It was the first time he had said her name, her full name, as if carving it into his memory.