Suo Ran ignored Cai Lang's warning.
He told himself it was stubbornness, not curiosity. That he refused to be controlled.
And yet, his feet carried him upward past stairwells, past locked doors, until the city opened beneath him.
The rooftop was empty.
Wind swept across the concrete, carrying the scent of rain and steel. The lights below flickered like distant stars, far enough away to make everything feel unreal.
Suo Ran stepped closer to the edge, gripping the railing as his thoughts spiraled.
You're already involved.
The words echoed in his head.
"Careless."
His breath caught.
He didn't turn this time.
"I told you not to come up here," Cai Lang said from behind him.
Suo Ran closed his eyes briefly. "You told me to be careful. You didn't say I couldn't think."
Cai Lang's footsteps approached slow, deliberate. "This isn't thinking. This is provoking fate."
Suo Ran turned. "And following me isn't?"
They stood only a few feet apart now. Too close. The wind tugged at Cai Lang's coat, revealing the sharp line of his shoulders, the stillness in his posture that made him feel dangerous even when unmoving.
"You're shaking," Cai Lang said quietly.
"I'm cold."
"That's a lie."
Suo Ran clenched his jaw. "Why do you care?"
Cai Lang didn't answer immediately. Instead, he stepped closer.
One more step and there was no space left between them.
"You don't back away," Cai Lang murmured. "Most people do."
Suo Ran's pulse thundered. "Maybe I'm tired of running."
Cai Lang's hand lifted slowly, deliberately stopping just short of touching Suo Ran's wrist.
"Say the word," Cai Lang said. "And I'll stop."
Suo Ran looked at his hand.
At the space between them.
He didn't speak.
Cai Lang's fingers closed gently around Suo Ran's wrist.
The contact was light but it sent a shock through him, sharp and unmistakable. Suo Ran inhaled sharply, every nerve suddenly awake!
"You should be afraid," Cai Lang said softly.
"I am."
"Then why aren't you pulling away?"
Suo Ran swallowed. "Because when you're close… the fear changes."
Cai Lang's grip tightened just slightly not possessive, not cruel. Protective.
"That's the dangerous part,"
Cai Lang said. "Fear that feels like trust."
The wind howled between them. Cai Lang stepped closer, guiding Suo Ran back until his shoulders brushed the railing.
Not trapping him.
Just reminding him how little space remained.
"If I wanted to cross the line," Cai Lang whispered, leaning in, "you wouldn't have time to stop me."
Their faces were inches apart now.
Suo Ran could see the faint scar near Cai Lang's jaw, the controlled tension in his eyes.
"Then don't," Suo Ran whispered.
Cai Lang's gaze flicked to his lips.
Then back to his eyes.
"I won't," he said. "Not yet."
Slowly, deliberately, Cai Lang released his wrist.
The absence felt louder than the touch.
"You need to understand something," Cai Lang said, stepping back.
"The people watching you won't hesitate the way I do."
Suo Ran's chest rose and fell unevenly. "And you?"
Cai Lang turned away, the city lights outlining his silhouette. "I hesitate because once I don't… I won't stop."
Silence stretched between them.
Then Cai Lang spoke again, quieter. "Go home, Suo Ran. Tonight."
Suo Ran hesitated.
Then nodded.
As he walked toward the stairwell, he felt it the weight of Cai Lang's gaze on his back.
Not ownership.
Not control.
Something far more dangerous.
Interest.
And as the door closed behind him, Suo Ran knew one thing with terrifying clarity:
He didn't want Cai Lang to stop hesitating.