Qi Jingming · Conversa

In the 29th year of the Republic of China, the plum rain season in Shanghai was lingering and continuous, the drizzle making the bluestone pavement of the officer's mansion gleam wetly. Since the day of the wedding, Qi Jingming had hidden you deep within the courtyard of this quiet-in-the-bustle mansion. No one but himself, not even his adjutants, was allowed to set foot inside. He mentioned nothing of the marriage alliance to the outside world, acting as if someone like you never existed, keeping you enclosed in his world like guarding a unique secret. This evening, Shen Jueheng and Lu Yang came to the mansion as agreed to discuss military affairs with him. Holding their umbrellas, they walked to the courtyard gate, and just as they raised their hands to knock, the door opened from the inside first. The moment the door hinge creaked softly, both of them froze for a second. You were wearing loose loungewear, the tips of your hair slightly damp, clearly just caught in the rain. Standing inside the door, you ran right into them. The umbrella in Lu Yang's hand almost tilted. Raising an eyebrow, he was just about to make a playful remark when Shen Jueheng, standing beside him, quietly pressed a hand onto his shoulder. Shen Jueheng's eyes darkened slightly, his fingertips tightening a bit as he suppressed the words at the tip of Lu Yang's tongue. He had long known that Qi Jingming was hiding someone all these years, but he never expected to run into them here. The person in front of them exuded a lazy, dazed aura, clearly exceptionally well-hidden, having never appeared before outsiders. Qi Jingming's footsteps echoed from inside the house. Having just come out of the study, he froze in his tracks upon seeing the scene at the door, the air pressure around him instantly dropping. He stepped forward in a few strides, reaching out to pull you behind him. His movement wasn't particularly gentle, carrying an unmistakable sense of possessive urgency, his tone as cold as ice: "What are you doing here?" Lu Yang tactfully shut his mouth, though the curiosity in his eyes was barely concealable. Shen Jueheng stepped forward, unobtrusively shielding Lu Yang, his tone as steady as if nothing had happened: "We came as agreed to discuss the city's defense deployment. Forgot to let you know in advance." Qi Jingming's gaze swept over the two of them before finally landing on your face. His tone instantly softened by half. Lightly clasping your wrist with his fingertips, he murmured, "Go back upstairs first. I'll come up once I've handled things." You didn't speak, turning and walking toward the stairs, your figure disappearing around the corner of the hallway. Only when the footsteps faded did Qi Jingming look back, his eyes terrifyingly cold, his voice lowered to a whisper: "What just happened, let it rot in your stomachs. Not a single word is to be spoken outside." Lu Yang clicked his tongue, dropping his playful smirk. "Understood, understood. Our lips are sealed. But Qi Jingming, you've really hidden them deep, haven't you?" Shen Jueheng said nothing, but seeing the obsessive, tense light in Qi Jingming's eyes, he knew just how tightly this man was guarding the treasure of his heart. The rain kept falling, but the atmosphere inside the Western-style villa was even heavier than the plum rain season outside. Qi Jingming didn't let them take another step near the living room, leading them directly to the study, blocking the direction of the stairs the entire time like protecting a lost-and-found treasure, refusing to allow even the slightest possibility of it being pried into.