The rain had not stopped for hours.
It poured endlessly against the windows of Xiaoyu's apartment, the sound filling every corner of the room like a quiet warning neither of them could escape. The city outside had disappeared beneath darkness and stormlight, leaving only faint reflections dancing across the glass.
Inside, the silence felt heavier than the weather itself.
Xiaoyu sat on the edge of the couch, her father's letter still resting tightly in her hands. The paper had begun to wrinkle from how hard she was gripping it, but she barely noticed.
Her thoughts were too loud.
Every sentence from the letter replayed in her mind over and over again.
"Do not let him leave your side."
She still couldn't understand it.
If her father trusted Lu Shen enough to leave her with him… then why had Lu Shen hidden everything? Why had he stayed silent while she searched desperately for answers alone?
Across the room, Lu Shen stood near the window, his expression unreadable as he watched the storm outside. He looked calm, almost unaffected, but Xiaoyu had started noticing the details he tried to hide.
The tension in his shoulders.
The slight tightening of his jaw whenever her father was mentioned.
The way his eyes darkened every time she asked the wrong question.
He knew more than he was saying.
Far more.
Xiaoyu slowly lifted her gaze toward him.
"How long have you been protecting me?"
Lu Shen didn't turn around immediately.
"A long time."
"That's not an answer."
Silence.
Then finally, he spoke again.
"Since before you remembered my name."
Her chest tightened.
The answer sounded simple, but something about it felt deeper than she wanted to understand.
She looked back down at the letter.
"When my father disappeared…" she said quietly, "how old was I?"
"Nine."
A strange ache spread through her chest.
Nine years old.
A child.
Young enough to forget pieces of herself.
Young enough to survive by burying memories too painful to carry.
Xiaoyu closed her eyes briefly.
And suddenly—
A flash.
Heat.
Smoke.
A hallway glowing orange beneath firelight.
Her breathing caught sharply.
Her hand instantly pressed against her temple.
Lu Shen turned immediately. "Xiaoyu."
The concern in his voice felt real.
Too real.
"I saw something," she whispered.
His expression changed instantly.
"What did you see?"
"I don't know…" Her breathing became uneven. "Just… fire."
The room felt colder.
Lu Shen walked toward her carefully, stopping just close enough that she could feel his presence without him touching her.
"What else?"
Xiaoyu shut her eyes tighter, forcing herself to focus.
At first, there was nothing.
Then—
Another flash.
Someone shouting.
Glass shattering.
A woman crying.
And beneath all of it—
Fear.
Pure, overwhelming fear.
Xiaoyu gasped softly and opened her eyes again.
"It hurts."
Lu Shen crouched slightly in front of her now, his gaze steady.
"Don't force it."
"But the memories are coming back."
"That's exactly what worries me."
Her eyes lifted toward him immediately.
"Why?"
He hesitated.
That hesitation again.
Xiaoyu was beginning to hate it.
"Because memories don't return alone," he said quietly. "Sometimes they bring back things better left buried."
The answer sent unease crawling beneath her skin.
"You keep saying things like that," she whispered. "Like I'm dangerous."
His silence was enough.
Xiaoyu stared at him in disbelief.
"…Am I?"
For the first time since she had known him, Lu Shen looked away first.
And that terrified her.
The rain outside crashed harder against the windows.
Neither of them spoke for several seconds.
Then Lu Shen finally exhaled slowly.
"When the fire happened," he said, "you were the only survivor inside the building."
Xiaoyu's pulse slowed.
"…What?"
"There were seven people inside."
The room suddenly felt too small.
"Your parents."
His voice remained calm, but quieter now.
"Two security guards. Three staff members."
Every word felt heavier than the last.
"And me?" Xiaoyu whispered.
Lu Shen's eyes met hers again.
"You disappeared before the fire reached your floor."
A chill spread through her body.
"What does that mean?"
"It means someone took you out."
Her breathing stopped.
The memory flashes returned instantly—
Strong hands carrying her.
Smoke burning her lungs.
A dark hallway.
Then—
A voice.
Low.
Urgent.
"Don't look back."
Xiaoyu's eyes widened.
She knew that voice.
No—
Impossible.
Slowly, she looked toward Lu Shen.
"You…"
He didn't answer.
Didn't need to.
Her chest tightened painfully.
"It was you."
The words came out almost soundless.
Lu Shen remained still.
"You saved me."
A long silence followed.
Then finally—
"Yes."
The truth hit harder than she expected.
Because suddenly everything changed.
The first time they met hadn't actually been the first time.
He had known her long before that.
Protected her long before that.
Watched her from the shadows while she lived a life built on missing memories.
Xiaoyu's thoughts spiraled violently.
"Then why didn't you tell me?" she asked.
A flicker of emotion crossed his eyes.
"Because the less you remembered, the safer you were."
"There it is again," she snapped quietly. "Safe from who?"
This time, Lu Shen didn't answer at all.
He stood up slowly and walked toward the table near the window.
Then he reached into his coat pocket and placed something down carefully.
A photograph.
Old.
Burned slightly around the edges.
Xiaoyu frowned and stood slowly before walking closer.
The moment she picked it up—
Her blood ran cold.
It showed the entrance of the building before the fire.
Several people stood outside.
Her father.
Her mother.
Security guards.
And near the edge of the photo—
A man.
Tall.
Wearing black gloves.
Half his face hidden beneath shadow.
But his eyes—
Xiaoyu froze.
Her breathing became shallow instantly.
Because she recognized those eyes.
Not from the photo.
From her memories.
The same eyes she had seen standing inside the flames.
The same eyes watching her before everything went dark.
"Who is this?" she whispered.
Lu Shen's expression hardened immediately.
"He's the reason your family died."
The room went completely silent.
Xiaoyu stared at the photograph in horror.
And then—
Something inside her mind finally broke open.
Another memory slammed into her without warning.
A hand covered in blood.
Her father kneeling in front of her.
His voice shaking for the first time.
"If anything happens… run from him."
Her breathing stopped completely.
Because now—
She remembered one more thing.
The man in the fire…
was smiling.