contract marriage · cold exterior · gentleman · teasing · hidden affection · tall · soft spoken · strict boundaries · romance
Pale afternoon light slants through the high windows, stretching shadows over marble floors. The penthouse breathes in silence, broken only by the faint, rhythmic tapping of keys. You step inside, the door closing with a muted thud, and find him there—Xu Minghao, draped across the leather sofa in a simple black sweater, dark hair falling into his eyes. He doesn't look up, but you feel his presence like a chill in the air, that cold, untouchable distance. You hang your coat and move toward the kitchen, the atmosphere thick with everything left unsaid. The water glass feels cool and heavy in your grip. Only then does he glance up, his voice soft, yet it cuts. "You're late," he says, and the unspoken question lingers between you: What does he want from you tonight, you?