Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Whispers Beneath the Ming Tower

Morning came too fast.

The sky over Shanghai turned pale gold, and from the balcony of Ming Tower, Jiang Meilin stood barefoot, hugging herself against the cool breeze. Her long hair fell down her back, messy from sleep, moving gently with the wind.

She stared at the traffic far below, at the rushing cars, the flashing billboards, the soundless speed of the city. Shanghai looked busy, loud, and unstoppable.

And she… didn’t feel ready for any of it.

“Am I really married to him?” she whispered to herself.

The truth felt unreal.

Jiang Meilin, a simple girl from a quiet street… married to Lu Shen, the cold billionaire of Shanghai.

A man who could buy whole companies before breakfast.

A man who made news headlines just by walking into a building.

A man who barely even smiled.

Her fingers tightened around the balcony rail.

She wasn’t sure if she had walked into a new life… or into a trap.

---

Inside the penthouse, Lu Shen was already dressed and working. His suit was sharp, dark, and perfect. He stood in front of the wide office window with a tablet in his hand, staring down at the city like he owned the sky.

His assistant, Minghao, waited near the doorway. He looked nervous, like a man who didn’t want to give bad news but had no choice.

“Sir,” Minghao said carefully, “the news spread everywhere. People are talking. Some are saying the marriage is fake. Others are saying Madam Jiang Meilin… is after your money.”

Lu Shen didn’t look up.

But his jaw locked.

“My wife,” he said quietly. “Her name is Jiang Meilin. Don’t let me hear anyone disrespect her.”

Minghao stiffened. “Yes, sir. Sorry.”

“Prepare a press statement.” Lu Shen set down the tablet. “We will confirm the marriage.”

Minghao’s eyes widened. “But… won’t that make things louder?”

“I want it loud,” Lu Shen said.

“If anyone tries to drag Meilin’s name through the mud, I’ll crush every one of them.”

The words were calm.

Too calm.

The kind of calm that scared people.

Minghao bowed quickly and rushed out.

Lu Shen closed his eyes for a second.

Just one second.

And in that second, he saw her again—the way she looked last night, confused and scared, asking him quietly:

“I don’t fit in your world. I don’t even understand you.”

She was right.

His world was full of sharks in suits.

People who lied with smiles.

People who bit the moment you turned your back.

And he had married her into this mess.

His cold mask slipped just a little.

He hated that feeling rising in his chest—soft, warm, dangerous.

He didn’t want to feel anything.

Feelings ruined him once.

Feelings once broke him into pieces he could never put back.

But Jiang Meilin…

She wasn’t someone he could push away.

---

Meilin left the balcony and walked back into the penthouse. Every corner of this place felt like a museum—glass walls, gold lines, and marble floors that reflected light like water. She walked slowly, afraid to touch anything.

She wasn’t used to such a big space.

Everything looked too clean, too quiet, too cold.

As she stepped into the kitchen, she gasped.

An elderly woman stood at the stove, stirring something warm and smelling sweet.

“Oh! I didn’t know someone was here,” Meilin said, startled.

The woman turned with a kind smile. “Good morning, madam.”

Madam.

Meilin’s cheeks heated. She still wasn’t used to that.

“M-my name is Meilin,” she said.

“Madam Jiang,” the woman corrected softly. “I’m Mei Lian. I’ve been with the Shen family for many years.”

“You… knew Lu Shen when he was young?”

Mei Lian smiled like she was remembering something tender. “Yes. I watched him grow. He acts cold, but he wasn’t always like that.”

Meilin’s eyes softened. “He doesn’t seem to like me very much.”

“That’s not true,” Mei Lian said easily. “Master Shen doesn’t bring someone home unless he wants them close.”

Meilin didn’t answer. Her heart felt like it was doing tiny flips.

Then Mei Lian pointed to a tray on the counter.

It held warm food, fruit, and tea.

“He made this for you,” Mei Lian said.

Meilin blinked. “Made… for me?”

“Yes, madam. He told me not to wake you, but he left a note.”

Meilin picked it up with shaking fingers.

His handwriting was sharp but neat.

Eat.

Don’t skip breakfast.

—Shen

Her chest tightened.

Why would a cold man make her breakfast?

Why leave a note?

Before she could think too much, she felt a presence behind her.

“You didn’t eat.”

She turned quickly.

Lu Shen stood there, hands in his pockets, his eyes steady on her.

“L-Lu Shen,” she stuttered.

“You haven’t touched the food.”

“I wasn’t hungry,” she whispered.

“That’s not true.”

He walked closer—slow steps, calm steps—until he was standing just a breath away from her.

“You think too much,” he said. His voice was low but gentle. “When you overthink, you forget yourself.”

“I’m trying,” she murmured. “I don’t know how to fit here. I don’t know how to fit with you.”

His eyes darkened.

“I know,” he said. “This world is cruel. People judge. People talk. But you’re not alone.”

Meilin’s breath caught.

He rarely spoke this softly.

“You’re here,” he continued, “because I chose you.”

“But why?” she whispered.

He looked away for a second, as if the truth was something too heavy to show.

“That’s something I’m still trying to figure out.”

Her heart thumped.

Then—

Ding.

The elevator doors slid open fast.

Minghao stumbled in. “Sir—sorry to interrupt—there’s an emergency meeting. The board wants to speak with your wife.”

Meilin’s stomach dropped. “M-me? Why me?”

Minghao swallowed. “Some of them think you’re… a danger to the company.”

Meilin stepped back, shaking.

A danger?

She hadn’t even done anything.

Lu Shen moved instantly—stepping in front of her, blocking her with his body.

His voice turned ice-cold.

“Anyone who thinks my wife is a danger,” he said, “is picking a fight with me.”

His words hung in the air like a warning.

A war was starting.

And Meilin was right in the middle of it.

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