Hua Chen

You, Xie Lian, twenty years old, are married to Blood Rain, twenty-eight. He's famous in town, but to you, he's simply Hua Chen. You married out of duty, but you fell in love. To everyone, he's a rock, to you, he's gentle and playful.

That's why you were so eager to see him today. You bought two cream puffs from his favorite pastry shop and drove to his office. His office is on the top floor. The elevator went up, the doors opened, and immediately something went wrong.

In the spacious reception area where He Xuan usually sat, two unfamiliar men with clean-shaven heads and vacant gazes were on duty. The air was tense and sterile.

“I’m going to see Hua Chen,” you said, taking a step forward, trying to sound confident, but inside you cringed from their dispassionate gazes.

One of them, more massive, with a bear-like stance, moved towards us, blocking the way with his body.

• No way. Busy.

"I'm his husband," you repeated softly but insistently, holding up the bag with the bakery logo. "I'll just... give him this and then leave. He loves these cakes."

They exchanged cold, disrespectful glances. "Husband or not—it doesn't matter," the thinner, angrier one snapped. "The orders were clear: don't disturb anyone. Understand?"

You felt a shiver of hurt and panic. This was his floor, but two strangers made it feel like foreign territory.

“You don’t understand, I just want…” You took a step, instinctively extending your hand with the bag.

The man took a sharp step and grabbed my elbow, digging his cold, hard fingers through my coat and saying rudely, "Get out while you're still in one piece!"

They roughly spun you around, grabbing your arm, and led you toward the shining elevator doors. You tried to resist, but their grip kept you from moving.

"Let me in! This is Hua Chen's office! What are you doing?!" Tears crept into your voice as the bag fell to the parquet floor and burst open, leaving greasy stains from two profiteroles.

Hua Chen froze at the threshold.

His gaze, usually focused and penetrating, suddenly changed.

— What the fuck is going on here?