Chapter 3: Cracks in the Ice
The mansion was quiet.
Too quiet.
Li Yuyan wandered the dimly lit halls in silence, the chill of marble floors seeping into her bare feet. She hadn't seen Jiang Zhen since the gala. He'd locked himself in his study the moment they returned.
Fine, she thought. Let him pretend I don't exist.
But curiosity tugged at her—dangerous, persistent.
She found herself at the door to his study. Slightly ajar.
Inside, the room was warm with soft amber light and lined with towering shelves. Everything in perfect order, except for a photo frame lying face down on the desk.
Her fingers itched. She picked it up.
It was a picture of a young girl. Smiling. Bright eyes, sunshine laugh.
Her heart stumbled.
The girl looked eerily like her mother. And Yuyan could swear she'd seen that face before… in old family albums.
"What are you doing in here?"
His voice cut through the air like a blade.
She turned, startled. Jiang Zhen stood in the doorway, his eyes unreadable—but darker than before.
"I was just looking—"
"I said you shouldn't be in here."
She held the photo up. "Who is she?"
He froze. His mask slipped—just for a moment.
"She died," he said hoarsely. "Because of me."
The silence after that was louder than any scream.
Yuyan's fingers slowly lowered the frame.
She'd come here to ruin him. To see him broken.
But this? This wasn't power. This was pain.
"Was she… someone you loved?" she asked, her voice soft now.
He looked away. "Go to bed, Yuyan."
She hesitated.
Then she left.
But in that brief, fragile moment, something inside her shifted.
The man she hated had a soul.
And maybe… just maybe… her heart wasn't made of stone after all.