Lu Rowan's Penthouse - 7:45 PM

After they finished their takeout dinner it was Thai food that Mei had chosen herself, her face lighting up at the novelty of selecting what she actually wanted to eat. Lu Rowan pushed back from the dining table placing the plates on a dish washing machine and gestured toward the hallway.

"We didn't get to show each other things around here," he said, rising to his feet. "Let me give you a proper tour of the house."

Mei followed him through the spacious apartment, noting details she'd missed in her earlier exhaustion. The living spaces were elegant but lived-in—books scattered on side tables, a coffee mug left on the kitchen counter, small signs that this was actually someone's home rather than a showroom.

"This is the study," Lu Rowan said, opening a door to reveal a room lined with bookshelves and dominated by a massive desk. "I work from home sometimes so when I need to concentrate l use this room."

They moved through a guest bathroom, a small library, and a room that seemed to serve as both gym and meditation space. Finally, they reached the end of the hallway.

"This is your bedroom," he said, opening a door to reveal a spacious room with soft gray walls and a queen-sized bed draped in white linens. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a view of the city, and there was a sitting area with two comfortable chairs near the glass.

Mei stepped inside, running her fingers along the smooth surface of the dresser. Everything was beautiful, carefully chosen, but it felt strange to think of it as hers.

"It's lovely," she said quietly. Then she noticed something that made her pause. There was a second door on the far wall, partially hidden behind a decorative screen.

"What's that?" she asked, nodding toward it.

Lu Rowan's expression shifted slightly, becoming almost sheepish. "That... It adjoins with my closet."

Mei frowned, walking closer to examine the door. "Your closet?"

"Well, technically it connects to my bedroom through my closet," he clarified, running a hand through his hair in a gesture she was learning meant he was slightly uncomfortable. "I had it installed when I moved in."

"But why?" The question escaped before she could stop it.

Lu Rowan met her eyes directly, his expression serious. "I want to reach you within seconds if you have a problem."

The simple honesty of the statement made something flutter in Mei's chest. No elaborate explanations, no attempts to make it seem like anything other than what it was—pure, protective instinct.

"You think I'll have problems?" she asked softly.

"I think you've had twenty years of nightmares," he replied, his voice small . "And I think healing isn't something that happens overnight. If you need me l mean for any reason, at any time I don't want to have barriers between us."

Mei touched the door handle, imagining Lu Rowan on the other side, close enough to hear if she called out. The thought should have felt invasive, but instead it felt... safe. Like having a guardian who actually wanted to guard.

"What if you need your privacy?" she asked.

"Then I'll ask for it, and you'll give it to me. Just like if you need your space, you'll tell me and I'll respect it." He leaned against the doorframe, watching her carefully. "We're partners now, Mei. Partners communicate beside what privacy will l need that l will require you to give me?"

She nodded, still tracing the door's edge with her fingertips. "I've never had a partner before."

"l had one," Lu Rowan admitted. "but l was never married so we'll figure it out together."

That Night - Mei's Bedroom - 11:30 PM

Mei lay in the unfamiliar bed, staring at the ceiling as the city lights painted shifting patterns across the walls. Her body was exhausted, but her mind refused to quiet.

She kept thinking about small moments from the day the way Lu Rowan had helped her from the basement without asking questions about what had happened down there. How he'd stood between her and his family's disappointment without a moment's hesitation. The careful way he'd touched her forehead to check for fever, as if she were something precious that might break.

When was the last time someone had touched her with kindness? When was the last time someone had asked what she wanted for dinner, and then actually listened to her answer?

Her fingers traced the bruises on her ribs—almost fading, but still tender. Mrs. Liang's cruelty felt like something from another lifetime, like it had happened to a different person. The girl who had accepted those pinches and slaps seemed so far away now.

Lu Rowan had made her forget, somehow. Not the pain itself, but the belief that pain was all she deserved. His small gestures like pulling out her chair, asking her preferences, speaking of her as if she mattered all those (were rewriting something fundamental in her understanding of how she moved through the world.

She rolled onto her side, facing the adjoining door. Behind it, Lu Rowan was probably working or reading or doing whatever it was powerful men did in the quiet hours of night. But he was there. Close enough to hear if she needed him.

For the first time in years, Mei felt the tight knot of always being alert loosening in her chest . Sleep— when it finally came, it was deeper than it had been in months.

Lu Rowan's Bedroom - Same Time

Lu Rowan sat on the edge of his bed, staring at the adjoining door that connected him to Mei. He could hear the soft sounds of her movement through the walls—the whisper of sheets, the creak of the mattress as she settled.

Sleep had always been elusive for him. His mind was too busy, too focused on problems to solve and strategies to implement. Most nights he lay awake until two or three in the morning, finally drifting off from sheer exhaustion only to wake at six, already thinking about the day ahead and it had been the long problem he had he couldn't sleep or he had to sleep while in a sleeping like position or else he would feel like he was drowning it had developed when his parents where busy with business while they left him alone sometimes his cousins would bully him.As he grew older he developed nightmares and anxiety.

But tonight was different. Tonight, the usual churning anxiety in his chest was replaced by something else; it was a quiet satisfaction that surprised him.

He had done something today. Something that mattered. Not a business deal or a corporate acquisition, but something real and meaningful. He had protected someone who needed protecting. He had stood up to his family, to the Liangs, to a system that treated people like commodities.

And Mei was safe. That knowledge settled into his bones like a warm weight, comfortable and right.

For the first time in years, when Lu Rowan finally lay down and closed his eyes, sleep came almost instantly. Deep, dreamless, peaceful sleep that lasted until morning.

The Next Morning - 7:00 AM

Lu Rowan woke to an unfamiliar sound—the gentle clatter of dishes from the kitchen, accompanied by a soft humming he'd never heard in his apartment before. For a moment, he lay still, disoriented by the domestic harmony of it.

Then he remembered: Mei.

He pulled on a robe and padded barefoot to the kitchen, following the scent of something savory and warm. What he found there made him stop in the doorway.

Mei stood at the stove wearing one of his aprons—navy blue and far too big for her small frame. Her hair was twisted up in a loose bun, and she moved around his kitchen with surprising confidence, tending to multiple pots and pans at once.

The counters held an array of ingredients he was certain he hadn't owned the night before: fresh scallions, ginger, dried shiitake mushrooms, pickled vegetables. She must have woken early.

"Good morning," she said without turning around, somehow sensing his presence. "I hope you don't mind—I saw some money on the TV stand and borrowed it to order ingredients."

"Of course not," Lu Rowan replied, still marveling at the transformation of his usually sterile kitchen into something that felt alive. "What are you making?"

"Congee with century egg and stir fry and sweet and sour pork," she said, stirring a pot of rice porridge that had achieved the perfect creamy consistency. "And some side dishes—pickled radish, marinated bean sprouts, steamed egg custard with dried shrimp."

Lu Rowan moved closer, peering over her shoulder at the careful arrangement of small dishes she'd prepared. "This is incredible,where did you learn to cook like this?"

A shadow crossed her face briefly. " Mrs. Liang, my aunt used to make me help in the kitchen. She said it was good training for when I got married." Her voice was trying to be cheerful , but Lu Rowan caught the underlying hurt. "I guess she was right, in a way."

Before he could respond to that loaded statement, Mei turned to face him directly. "Are you allergic to anything? I should have asked before I started cooking."

"No," Lu Rowan replied, struck by how thoughtful the question was. "I'm not allergic to anything."

Mei smiled—a genuine expression that made her whole face light up. "Good. Then sit at the table, food is coming soon."

Lu Rowan did as he was told, settling at the dining table and watching as Mei moved efficiently between stove and counter, plating dishes with the kind of care that spoke of years of practice. She'd set the table properlychopsticks, small bowls for rice, tiny dishes for condiments, a proper teapot with jasmine tea.

When she finally joined him, setting a bowl of perfectly prepared congee in front of him, Lu Rowan realized this was the first time anyone had cooked for him in his own home. Not catered meals or restaurant delivery, but actual cooking someone was taking the time to nourish him with food they'd prepared with their own hands.

"Thank you," he said quietly, and he meant it in ways that went far beyond gratitude for breakfast.

Mei settled across from him with her own bowl, watching nervously as he took his first bite. The congee was perfect—creamy and rich, with the century egg adding depth and the pork providing substance. The side dishes were bright and flavorful, balancing the richness of the main dish.

"This is the best breakfast I've had in years," Lu Rowan said honestly.

Mei's smile widened, and for the first time since he'd known her, she looked truly happy. Not just content or relieved, but genuinely happy.

As they ate together in comfortable silence, sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows and the city waking up around them, Lu Rowan thought that this simple domestic moment felt more like home than his apartment ever had before.

And judging by the soft expression on Mei's face as she watched him enjoy her cooking, she might be feeling something similar.

They were building something together, one small gesture at a time.