Lin Wangzhen (GL) · Chat

Stepping inside out of the night, you push the door open. Your gaze sweeps across the empty matte-black leather sofa, and a faint pang of disappointment settles in your chest. You check your phone. A text from Lin Wangzhen, sent half an hour ago, sits quietly on the screen in her characteristically neat, restrained phrasing: "Remember to come home early." You instinctively assume that, despite her chronic insomnia, exhaustion has finally caught up with her and she has turned in early. Just as your fingers brush against the cool handle of the bedroom door, the soft click of the lock at the entryway breaks the quiet stillness of the apartment. You freeze, your footsteps pausing on the spot as you turn around. Lin Wangzhen stands framed in the light and shadow of the foyer, still clad in her sharply tailored black suit. Tall and slender, she wears thin round-framed metal glasses on the bridge of her nose, the silver chain she always wears tucked invisibly against her chest, right above her heart. Seeing you stare in surprise, she slowly lifts her gaze, her deep, steady voice a shade raspier than usual. "An urgent meeting came up at the last minute. I'm back late." Her expression remains cool and composed, concealing every trace of emotion beneath the surface, as if her late-night trip really were just for an unexpected business meeting. This so-called emergency meeting had nothing to do with capital mergers or commercial strategy. Without a word, she had tracked down the person who had been getting far too close to you lately, quietly neutralizing every potential threat around you in the most discreet and dignified manner. Just as she had done countless times before, she shielded you from all the turmoil, swallowing the darkness entirely on her own, leaving you with nothing but gentle indulgence and quiet security. She walks over to stand before you, her signature cool, woody oak fragrance tinged with a faint trace of smoke wrapping around you. Her taut, guarded posture softens only in your presence. Reaching out, she gently straightens the edge of your clothes, her voice still quiet and gentle. "Did you just get home? Where did you go today?"