By eight o'clock the next morning, the photograph had spread across the city.
It appeared on business news pages.
Entertainment accounts.
Private investor groups.
Anonymous forums.
The image itself was simple.
A quiet garden.
Cherry blossoms drifting through the morning air.
Lu Shen standing close enough to remove a flower petal from Xiaoyu's shoulder.
No smiles.
No dramatic expressions.
No obvious affection.
Yet somehow it looked more intimate than any staged wedding photograph.
People began creating their own stories.
The Ice-Cold CEO Is Secretly Devoted to His Wife.
Contract Marriage or True Love?
Who Is the Woman Beside Lu Shen?
---
Xiaoyu knew nothing about it.
She was sitting in the library wearing a loose cream sweater, reading a novel while sunlight filled the room.
For the first time since moving into the mansion, she had almost forgotten she was living inside a contract.
A quiet knock interrupted her thoughts.
Madam Chen entered carrying fresh tea.
Behind her stood two young maids.
Both looked strangely excited.
"What happened?"
Madam Chen calmly placed the tray on the table.
"Nothing important."
One maid immediately shook her head.
"It's very important."
The older woman gave her a warning look.
The girl lowered her eyes.
But only for three seconds.
Then curiosity won.
"Mrs. Lu..."
she whispered,
"...you're famous."
Xiaoyu blinked.
"I am?"
The maid hurriedly produced her phone.
A photograph filled the screen.
Xiaoyu stared at it.
Cherry blossoms.
The garden.
Lu Shen.
And herself.
She remembered the moment perfectly.
Neither of them had noticed anyone nearby.
"Who took this?"
"No one knows."
Madam Chen finally sighed.
"The internet is discussing it."
"What are they saying?"
The younger maid smiled.
"They think Mr. Lu is in love."
The room became completely silent.
Xiaoyu looked away first.
"People have too much free time."
---
At exactly nine, Lu Shen walked into the dining room.
His assistant followed closely behind.
Several newspapers rested on the table.
Every front page carried the same photograph.
The assistant adjusted his glasses.
"Should we request removal?"
Lu Shen poured coffee.
"No."
"The rumors may affect negotiations."
"They won't."
"The board is already asking questions."
He picked up the newspaper.
Looked at the photograph once.
Then folded it again.
"Ignore it."
The assistant hesitated.
"Sir..."
"...this is the first positive public story about your personal life."
Lu Shen remained silent.
Madam Chen quietly watched from the doorway.
For the first time in years,
she noticed the smallest change.
Mr. Lu did not throw the newspaper away.
---
Later that afternoon,
Xiaoyu escaped into the east garden.
She needed air.
Needed silence.
Needed a place where strangers weren't discussing her marriage.
She sat beneath the cherry tree.
Closed her eyes.
And listened to the wind.
"You always come here."
She opened them.
Lin Mei stood a few steps away.
Unlike the gala, she wore simple clothes.
White shirt.
Black trousers.
Minimal makeup.
She looked less like an elegant socialite
and more like an ordinary woman.
"Am I disturbing you?"
Lin Mei asked.
"No."
"Good."
She sat on the opposite end of the bench.
Neither woman spoke for several minutes.
Finally Lin Mei smiled.
"I saw the photograph."
"So did half the country."
"I think it's beautiful."
Xiaoyu looked toward the fountain.
"It was an accident."
"Maybe."
Lin Mei crossed one leg over the other.
"But accidents reveal habits."
"What does that mean?"
"It means..."
She paused.
"...I've known Lu Shen for almost ten years."
"And?"
"I've never seen him touch another person unless it was absolutely necessary."
The words settled heavily between them.
Xiaoyu forced herself to remain calm.
"You seem very interested."
Lin Mei laughed quietly.
"I am."
"Why?"
"Because I spent years trying to understand him."
"And?"
"I failed."
She stood.
Brushed invisible dust from her sleeve.
Then looked directly at Xiaoyu.
"But something changes when he's with you."
Before Xiaoyu could answer,
Lin Mei walked away.
Leaving behind questions that refused to disappear.
---
That evening,
rain covered the mansion once again.
Power flickered briefly before returning.
Xiaoyu wandered into the music room she had never entered before.
A grand piano stood beside tall windows.
Its polished surface reflected flashes of lightning.
Almost without thinking,
she sat down.
Her fingers hovered above the keys.
Then moved.
One note.
Another.
Another.
A melody she had never consciously learned flowed naturally beneath her hands.
Gentle.
Melancholic.
Familiar.
Footsteps stopped outside the door.
Lu Shen stood motionless.
His expression changed for the first time since she had met him.
Shock.
Not surprise.
Recognition.
He didn't interrupt.
He simply listened.
The final note faded into silence.
Xiaoyu slowly looked up.
"I don't know this song."
Lu Shen remained perfectly still.
His voice, when it finally came,
was quieter than she had ever heard it.
"You used to play it..."
"...every birthday."
The room fell silent.
Xiaoyu stared at him.
"What did you say?"
He seemed to realize what he had revealed.
His usual calm returned almost immediately.
"Nothing."
"No."
She stood.
"You said I used to play it."
"You're mistaken."
"I heard you."
Outside,
thunder rolled across the night sky.
Inside,
for the first time,
the carefully built walls around Lu Shen had cracked.
And Xiaoyu had seen the truth hiding behind them.