It was quiet in the condominium that evening, the kind of heavy silence that only came after long days and even longer thoughts. Bai Zhiqi had just finished washing the dishes — not because anyone asked her to, but because idle hands made her uneasy. The weight of her past sat on her shoulders like a second skin, and she had long learned how to keep herself busy enough to ignore it.
She turned when she heard the click of a door opening behind her.
Ji Yanluo stood by the study's entrance, dark suit jacket gone, sleeves rolled up, and collar slightly undone — but the coldness in his gaze remained untouched.
"Come in. We need to talk."
His tone wasn't urgent, but it wasn't casual either. Bai Zhiqi followed him silently, her bare feet soft against the polished wooden floor.
Inside the study, the desk lamp cast a golden glow, separating them from the shadows lining the walls. Ji Yanluo walked behind his desk and didn't sit — a subtle reminder of control.
"Did something happen?" she asked, folding her arms.
"Yes." He didn't bother softening it. "Ji Lanxue came to me earlier."
Bai Zhiqi's brows twitched faintly, but she said nothing.
"She mentioned an encounter with Zhao Min."
Her silence stretched.
"She said Zhao Min tried to speak ill of you. At a public café," he continued. "Lanxue claims she told her off, but not without… colorful language about how *you* being here puts my name at risk."
At that, Bai Zhiqi's lips curled into a tight line. "So she defended me... while insulting me?"
His expression didn't shift. "She voiced concern about being 'dragged into a mess.' Her words, not mine."
Bai Zhiqi's jaw clenched. "Interesting how the people who say they don't care about me always find time to talk about me."
"She doesn't know who you are," Ji Yanluo reminded her.
"I don't need her to," she said, voice clipped. "I've heard that tone before. Concern dipped in disdain. It's the kind that's more about how I inconvenience them than any actual worry for my well-being."
He studied her quietly.
Bai Zhiqi gave a soft, humorless laugh. "It must be nice — to live in a world where gossip is the worst thing you have to worry about. Meanwhile, I walk on eggshells trying not to breathe wrong in public."
"You're not wrong," Ji Yanluo said calmly.
That caught her off guard. She blinked. "You agree?"
"I'm not here to offer comfort, Bai Zhiqi," he said, deliberately using her full name. "But I don't care for theatrics either. What's said behind your back is irrelevant unless it affects the business."
She stepped forward slightly, voice low. "Then why are you telling me?"
"Because I need you to understand," he said, gaze steady, "that being invisible doesn't mean you're unseen. Whether or not they know who you were, they *see* you now. The car. The access. Your proximity to me. Rumors are inevitable."
She met his eyes without flinching. "And what do you want me to do? Apologize for it?"
"No," he said. "But I expect you to stay focused. No retaliation. No unnecessary confrontations."
Her stare hardened. "If I'm being accused, I reserve the right to defend myself."
"You're not a criminal anymore," he said.
That one sentence landed with more weight than anything else.
Her hands curled into fists by her sides. "Easy for you to say."
He looked away briefly, as if weighing whether or not to respond. "You're here because you said yes to an arrangement, not because anyone owes you kindness."
"And I never asked for kindness," she replied.
They stood in silence for a beat.
"I told you this would come with eyes on you," he said. "What you do next decides how long they keep looking."
She gave him a slow nod. "Then let them look. I'm not going to shrink just because it makes your little sister uncomfortable."
His lips quirked — not quite a smirk, not quite a frown. "As long as you don't embarrass this house, I don't care whose comfort is disturbed."
"Duly noted," she said coolly.
Without waiting to be dismissed, she turned and walked out, head held high despite the turmoil boiling beneath her skin.
Ji Yanluo watched the door close, unreadable once more.