Pretend

"Has that changed?"

The silence ensued once again, he didn't know how to reply.

He hadn't exactly given it much thought, after all, until their 'official' meeting in his study a month ago, he and Liling had been nothing more than employer and employee, but now, they were living under the same roof and had gotten to understand each other better.

She was smart and reserved and often came off as extremely cold, but for some reason, he was never bored or put off by it. He enjoyed her straight-faced comments and how honest her smile was when she was with Little Bun. Compared to his boring monotonous life from before, he didn't regret popping the question on their first meeting,

Master Li could see the faint smile on his son's face and took it as his reply.

"Just make sure you treat her well. I have something to give you",

He got up and walked to his mahogany desk, pulling out the first drawer, he produced a blue jewellery case from within it. Nestled inside its plush velvet layer, was an exquisite imperial jade bracelet.

Carefully strung together, the bracelet seemed to emit its own inner radiance and timeless allure, along with its forest green hue and well-polished beads, it served as a testament to the imperial jade's intricate nature,

"This belongs to her now", he said handing it over to him,

Li Hao immediately knew what it meant. The jade bracelet was not only valuable beyond words, but it was also a Li family treasure.

It was always handed down to the wife of the eldest son in the Li Family. By giving him this, not only was his father saying that he had accepted Liling as his daughter-in-law, but he was also telling him that he should now come to terms with being the eldest son of the Li family.

He slowly clenched the case. The bracelet had been last worn by his elder brother's wife. He wasn't sure if he was ready to come to terms with his position and pretend his elder brother had never existed.

Gradually taking hold of his emotions, he stood and thanked his father, and they both began going back down to the women.

"Liling, when can I expect another grandchild, I'm already growing so old, and I want to be surrounded by lots of grandchildren. I can only rely on you since this troublemaker here refuses to get herself a husband", Madam Li side-eyed her daughter as she tried sweet-talking Liling.

The poor Liling in question had no idea what to say about her mother-in-law's request and chuckled awkwardly while straining a smile,

"Mom", Li Xiu pouted, " Why would I just randomly pick a husband from the streets, I already have someone I like, and it takes time you know. Plus, stop pestering Liling to give you grandchildren, you're making her feel awkward"

"But...", Madam Li attempted to fight back.

Li Hao who was on the stairs and had heard the whole conversation spoke up as well, "Li Xiu's right Mom, stop pestering Liling, you already have Little Bun"

Madam Li gave a "Harumph" as she crossed her arms, her children were teaming up against her, and she didn't even have the chance to defend herself,

Letting out a deep sigh at his wife's normal childish behaviour, Mr Li walked over to her and rested his arm on her shoulder in a bid to comfort her.

Turning to them, he said, "It's already getting very late, you two should start heading home"

With that, they all said their goodbyes, Madam Li's was more of a grumble, but, still counted as a goodbye.

************************************

~Abandoned Warehouse

Liling got out of his car and looked around. A large and fairly old warehouse stood a small distance away, and she could see the shore and dock a little farther out.

She gave him a questioning look. Why on earth had he brought her here? 

It was almost 7 by now, and the sun had dipped lower in the sky, casting a deep orange hue over everything.

He led the way down to the warehouse and opened the large metal door. With a comical bow and a smile, he let her in first, "Welcome to my humble abode".

Throwing him another suspicious look, she walked in.

The entire space was dark, save for the sparse amount of light coming through the slit in the open door.

The warehouse was vast, its high ceiling disappearing into darkness. Crates were stacked neatly along the walls, some scattered across the floor in organized clusters. The air was thick with dust and the faint smell of metal.

Her footsteps echoed lightly as she moved further in, her eyes trying their hardest to scan the room.

Without warning, she heard a faint whizzing sound—too soft for most to notice, but not for her.

Instinct kicked in immediately. She twisted to the side, narrowly avoiding a small dagger that sliced through the air where she had just been standing.

It clattered against the concrete floor beside her, the sound sharp and unsettling in the stillness.