The mansion was too large for a man who lived alone. At least, that's what people always said about Liang Wuxian….that despite his wealth, influence, and power, he lived a lonely existence. But Wuxian never cared for their opinions. His life was measured in numbers, business deals, and the occasional scandal he had to clean up regarding his ex-wife, Zhao Meilin.
And, of course, there was Liang Xinyi…his five-year-old daughter, the only light in his otherwise cold world.
He had no intention of hiring a new nanny. Xinyi's previous caretakers had been either too incompetent or too nosy, always trying to pry into his life, whispering about why a man like him refused to remarry. But his assistant, Mr. Zhang, had insisted.
"She needs consistency, sir," Zhang had said that morning. "She's been through enough changes."
So now, Shen Yuze stood in the grand foyer of his home, looking too delicate, too soft for Wuxian's world.
He was young…too young. Twenty-three, barely past university age. He had large, expressive eyes that darted nervously between Wuxian and Mr. Zhang, his small hands gripping the strap of his worn-out messenger bag. His frame was slight, his face still carrying traces of youth, but his eyes told a different story. There was something hidden behind them, something bruised and afraid.
Wuxian didn't like it.
He didn't like fragile things. Fragile things broke too easily.
"You don't look like a nanny," Wuxian said flatly, assessing him from head to toe.
Yuze flinched. "I…I have experience," he said softly. "I took care of my younger cousins growing up, and I worked at a daycare for two years. I also have certifications in child psychology."
Wuxian narrowed his eyes. "Do you have any experience living in?"
"I… No," Yuze admitted.
Of course not.
"I'll do my best," Yuze added quickly, sensing Wuxian's disapproval. "I'll…"
Before he could finish, a blur of pink pajamas and tiny footsteps came rushing down the grand staircase.
"Baba!" Xinyi called, her pigtails bouncing as she ran straight for Wuxian.
The moment she saw Yuze, she froze, staring at him with wide, curious eyes.
Yuze smiled hesitantly, crouching to her level. "Hello, Xinyi. It's nice to meet you."
For a long moment, Xinyi simply observed him. Then, suddenly, she ran forward and threw her arms around his neck.
Yuze's breath hitched.
Wuxian's narrowed gaze sharpened.
"Baba, I like him," Xinyi declared, snuggling into Yuze's warmth. "He smells nice."
Yuze let out a small, breathy laugh, though his eyes shimmered suspiciously, as if he weren't used to such affection.
Wuxian wasn't sure why that irritated him.
"Fine," he said, turning away. "But if you fail even once, you're gone."
As Yuze walked through the long, elegant hallways of the Liang estate, he could feel the weight of it all pressing down on him. This wasn't just a job…it was a lifeline.
His fingers tightened around the strap of his bag as he followed the housekeeper to the guest wing. He had been given a brief tour of the estate earlier, but everything still felt surreal. The place was too perfect, like something out of a high-end magazine.
It reminded him just how different this world was from his own.
He had spent too many nights in cheap apartments, barely scraping by, keeping his head down. And now? He was here, in a mansion where even the silence felt expensive.
A sudden tug on his sleeve made him blink.
Xinyi stood beside him, her big, curious eyes studying his face. "You're really staying?" she asked.
Yuze smiled, crouching slightly. "I am."
She hesitated before reaching for his hand. Her fingers were tiny, warm, and trembling just slightly…like she wasn't used to having someone hold her hand.
"I don't want another nanny to leave," she whispered.
Something inside Yuze cracked.
He wasn't the only one who had been abandoned before.
The first week passed without incident.
Yuze was… competent. He was soft-spoken and gentle, but he had a quiet strength when it came to handling Xinyi's tantrums. He never raised his voice, never scolded. Instead, he used patience and warmth, and somehow, that worked better than any strict discipline.
It was infuriating.
Because now Xinyi wouldn't stop talking about him.
"Yuze-gege made pancakes today," she told Wuxian at breakfast.
"Yuze-gege said my drawings are pretty," she said while showing him her coloring book.
"Baba, you should eat dinner with us. Yuze-gege says family meals are important."
Wuxian scowled. "You talk about him too much."
Xinyi pouted. "Because he's nice."
Wuxian didn't like it. He didn't like how Yuze was slipping into his daughter's heart so effortlessly. He didn't like how his presence was softening the edges of their cold, structured life.
And most of all, he didn't like the way Yuze looked at him sometimes…like he wanted to understand Wuxian.
No one understood Wuxian. And he preferred it that way.
One evening, a storm rolled in.
Wuxian was in his study when he heard the first crash of thunder.
Then, a scream.
Not Xinyi's.
Yuze's.
Wuxian found him curled in a corner of the hallway, his hands over his ears, trembling violently.
"Yuze?" he called.
Yuze flinched. His breaths came in rapid, uneven gasps, his face pale with terror.
Wuxian frowned. "Are you afraid of thunderstorms?"
Yuze didn't answer.
But he didn't need to.
Wuxian wasn't sure why he crouched beside him. He wasn't sure why he didn't just walk away.
But something in him…something unfamiliar…made him stay.
"Come on," he said gruffly, grabbing Yuze's arm and pulling him up.
Yuze gasped, but Wuxian ignored it, guiding him into a quiet room and shutting the door. The sound of the storm was muffled now, the walls shielding them from the worst of it.
Yuze was still trembling.
Wuxian sighed and handed him a glass of water. "Breathe."
Yuze took it with shaking hands, drinking in small sips. Slowly, the tremors faded.
Wuxian watched him carefully. "You've been through something."
Yuze's fingers tightened around the glass.
It wasn't a question.
Wuxian could see it now….the shadows behind Yuze's eyes weren't just from fear. They were from something deeper.
Something broken.
"Thank you," Yuze whispered, his voice small.
Wuxian didn't reply.
He just nodded and left.
But that night, long after the storm had passed, he found himself standing outside Yuze's door.
He didn't know why.
He only knew that for the first time in years, he wanted to understand someone.
And that was dangerous.
Wuxian didn't move, even after Yuze and Xinyi disappeared into the guest wing.
There was something about the boy that unsettled him.
Yuze was too soft. Too delicate. Like a porcelain doll that would shatter if handled too roughly.
And yet, there was a quiet strength in him too.
He had seen it in the way Yuze didn't flinch under his gaze earlier. How he had knelt beside Xinyi, speaking to her as if she were the most important person in the world.
That kind of warmth was dangerous.
Wuxian had spent years building walls…around himself, around his daughter, around his carefully curated life.
And now, one fragile, wide-eyed boy was slipping through the cracks.
He didn't like it.
And yet… he didn't look away.
The rest of the night passed quietly, but Wuxian found himself pouring another drink.
For the first time in a long time, he wasn't drinking to forget.
He was drinking to figure out what the hell he was supposed to do about Shen Yuze
Days turned into weeks.
Wuxian didn't interact with Yuze much, but he noticed things.
He noticed how Yuze always made sure Xinyi ate first before he touched his own food.
He noticed how he flinched slightly whenever someone raised their voice, how his fingers sometimes curled into fists when he thought no one was watching.
And he noticed how, despite all that, he never hesitated to smile at Xinyi.
It was infuriating.
But what was even more infuriating… was how Wuxian was beginning to notice him at all.
One evening, as Wuxian passed by the living room, he heard soft laughter.
Xinyi was asleep on Yuze's lap, her tiny hands curled into his shirt.
Yuze was reading a book aloud, his voice a quiet lullaby.
For the first time in a long time, Wuxian felt something stir inside him.
Something warm.
Something dangerous.
And as he watched Yuze stroke Xinyi's hair with the gentlest touch…
He knew.
This boy was going to ruin him.