"Look carefully. I'm already incredibly handsome and absolutely flawless, aren't I?" Yan Zeyu asked with unshakable confidence, studying his reflection in the large gold-framed mirror that captured him from head to toe.
The crystal chandelier above scattered soft light over his neatly styled black hair, sharpening the clean line of his jaw and the gaze far too aware of its own allure. He tilted his face slightly to the left, then to the right, ensuring not a single angle escaped perfection.
And with shameless arrogance, he demanded confirmation from Xiao Haoyu.
The audacity of this scoundrel, Xiao Haoyu thought irritably, rolling his eyes in a gesture he had long perfected whenever his friend began worshipping himself.
"Yes, yes. No one in this world is more handsome than you. Finished now? Let's go. They're waiting." Xiao Haoyu tugged him away from the mirror, where he had been preening with the dedication of someone preparing for a grand gala.
If left any longer, Yan Zeyu might have stood there all night like an idiot, admiring himself until dawn.
When it was time to approach the table where Ji Yuxuan was seated, Yan Zeyu followed behind his friend. His steps, usually firm and assured, felt subtly heavier tonight, though he maintained his straight posture and indifferent expression.
The banquet hall shimmered beneath the chandelier lights. Crystal glasses clinked softly. Laughter and conversation blended into a lively hum. Yet to Yan Zeyu, it all sounded distant and meaningless.
Xiao Haoyu greeted Ji Yuxuan warmly, and she responded with her usual elegant courtesy. Her smile was faint but polite.
Then her gaze shifted.
It found Yan Zeyu standing just behind Xiao Haoyu.
For once, Xiao Haoyu seemed uncharacteristically nervous. He gave Yan Zeyu a discreet shove forward.
Those eyes.
That pair of eyes had not changed in the slightest.
The same depth. The same sharpness. The same unspoken weight they had carried eight years ago.
Neither Yan Zeyu nor Ji Yuxuan spoke. They simply stood there, staring at one another in silence. Time thinned between them, stretching taut like fragile glass that could shatter at any moment.
Sensing the awkwardness, Gu Jinhai, standing beside Ji Yuxuan, quickly intervened.
"It's been a long time. How have you both been?" he asked smoothly.
Unfortunately, only Xiao Haoyu seemed to register the question. The two rigid figures remained lost in their own thoughts, as though trapped in a world unreachable by anyone else.
The sound around them shrank. Music dulled. Laughter faded. Everything blurred at the edges.
All that remained was the face before them, the one that had never truly disappeared from memory.
Ji Yuxuan looked at Yan Zeyu.
He had grown even more striking over the years. The suit he wore tonight fit his broad shoulders perfectly, accentuating his quiet authority and undeniable charisma. What woman would not be captivated by him?
Her wandering thoughts shattered when she noticed Xiao Haoyu and Gu Jinhai watching them with visible confusion.
Almost simultaneously, she and Yan Zeyu looked away. A faint flush colored their ears, subtle yet revealing enough to betray the turbulence beneath their calm exteriors.
And then.
Two five-year-old twin boys suddenly ran toward Ji Yuxuan, their small shoes tapping quickly against the marble floor as they threw their arms around her.
Not only did Yan Zeyu nearly collapse from shock, but Xiao Haoyu and Gu Jinhai were equally stunned.
"Mamaaaa."
"Maaama."
They called out in perfect unison, their voices bright and possessive in their innocence.
Yan Zeyu stood frozen.
His eyes widened. His breath stalled for a fraction of a second. A sharp ringing filled his ears. He sharpened his gaze, as though verifying whether his hearing had betrayed him or reality itself had twisted.
"Mama, the traffic was terrible. We're not late, right?"
"Yes. Papa was so slow. He made us wait forever."
A small, tender smile curved on Ji Yuxuan's lips. She reached down and stroked the twins' hair with natural affection, gentle and familiar.
"Oh? Your Papa is still always that slow?"
No. No.
Unfortunately, Yan Zeyu's hearing was perfectly intact. He had heard every word. Every syllable.
This was disastrous.
Heat rose to his face, then surged through his entire body like wildfire.
Before he could react, a tall man approached and smiled warmly at Ji Yuxuan. His expression was calm, his steps steady, as though he belonged entirely to the intimate world that had just collapsed before Yan Zeyu's eyes.
"Hey, don't badmouth Papa behind my back," the man teased the boys lightly before turning to Ji Yuxuan with a soft, apologetic smile. "Sorry. I'm late again."
Ji Yuxuan merely shook her head without expression and led the man and the children to another table. Her movements were natural. Effortless. Without hesitation.
Yan Zeyu watched from a distance, like a spectator forced to witness the most brutal scene of his own life.
He had never imagined he would see something this painful tonight.
Damn it.
Ji Yuxuan had children with another man?
Not one.
Two.
Twins.
Two little brats. And that audacious man. They must all share the same infuriating temperament.
Yan Zeyu's thoughts spiraled violently. It was not only anger. It was disappointment. Heartbreak. A suffocating urge to tear something apart just to relieve the crushing pressure in his chest.
He could no longer think clearly. The moments from minutes ago replayed mercilessly in his mind.
The world seemed to stop turning.
His blood felt cold and heavy. His heart slammed against his ribs with brutal force. His body froze in place. A ringing filled his ears, rejecting the cruel truth.
His knees trembled violently. His legs weakened. The chandelier lights above fractured into blurred streaks in his vision.
Just as he was about to collapse again, Xiao Haoyu caught him for the second time that night.
This brick wall fainted again.
"Brother, please. This is the second time you've passed out," Xiao Haoyu complained in frustration, though he still supported Yan Zeyu's tall frame, with Gu Jinhai rushing over to help carry him to the car.
Yan Zeyu, you bastard.
Xiao Haoyu cursed him mercilessly in his thoughts, even as his hands remained steady.
Just wait until this brick wall wakes up in a hospital bed. I will not let him rest peacefully.
He had almost secured a date with a girl earlier. Almost.
And yet this friend of his kept fainting again and again.
Unbelievable.
"If you're heartbroken, don't drag me down with you," Xiao Haoyu grumbled at the unconscious Yan Zeyu, while the glittering night carried on as though no heart had just shattered in a corner of that radiant hall.
***
When she heard that Yan Zeyu had fainted again and had been taken to the hospital, Ji Yuxuan panicked beyond measure.
Her heart seemed to plunge into an unseen abyss, crashing violently against her ribs until her breath caught painfully in her throat. The clinking of glasses and the refined murmur of guests in the hall receded at once, dissolving into a distant, meaningless echo. The world around her continued to move, to glitter, to celebrate, but she felt abruptly dislodged from its axis.
Gu Jinhai tried to steady her, speaking softly, his voice low and even as always. Yet none of his words truly reached her. They became nothing more than sound drifting through air without substance. Ji Yuxuan's gaze remained unfocused, fixed upon a point she herself could not name.
Across the lounge, bathed in the warm glow of crystal chandeliers, the tall man and the twin boys watched as Ji Yuxuan slumped weakly against the sofa. The gown she wore still fell gracefully along her frame, but her shoulders, normally held upright with quiet authority, had subtly sunk. The composure that defined her had fractured in a way they had never witnessed before. The woman who always stood most unwavering among them now looked like clear glass struck by a sudden, hairline crack.
"Papa… Mama is okay, right?" one of the boys asked anxiously, his small voice trembling as his fingers clutched the hem of his father's jacket.
"Papa! Say something. Calm Mama down!" the other urged, tugging at his father's sleeve with urgent innocence, his wide eyes brimming with worry.
The twins pushed their father forward with hopeful little hands.
Shen Lingjue stood rigid, his tall posture intact yet weighed down. His gaze remained fixed straight ahead on Ji Yuxuan. He took a single step forward, the soft tap of his leather shoe against the marble floor barely audible, then hesitated and stepped back.
That small movement carried invisible conflict.
Even he did not understand why, at that moment, he had lost the courage to approach her. There was a distance between them that could not be seen, as if the air itself had thickened, holding him in place.
The woman his sons called Mama.
Nearby, Gu Jinhai watched Ji Yuxuan with a quiet sorrow. His eyes were gentle yet deep, like someone who understood more than he allowed himself to say. She looked fragile, so unlike the resolute, commanding woman they all knew. Usually, she was the center of gravity in any room, a single sentence from her enough to command silence. Now her fingers rested faintly against the edge of the sofa, her knuckles paling.
Carefully, Gu Jinhai reached out and touched her shoulder, his gesture cautious, as though afraid she might shatter further.
"You don't need to worry. Xiao Haoyu is there. He'll be fine."
It was the third time he had tried to reassure her. His tone never forced, only offering something steady to hold onto.
Still, there was no visible response. Ji Yuxuan remained silent, her breathing shallow, her gaze distant.
"Gu Jinhai," she finally spoke.
Her voice was faint, yet still controlled, a thin thread holding her upright and preventing her from collapsing entirely. "Please inform Shen Lingjue and the children that I'm leaving early because I'm not feeling well. Help me take care of the rest."
Gu Jinhai nodded without hesitation, understanding flickering clearly in his eyes. "Of course. Go home and rest."
Ji Yuxuan rose.
Her movements were graceful but too swift for someone who was truly fine. She walked out without looking back once. Her steps remained even, but her shoulders were rigid. The lounge door closed softly behind her, separating her from the light, the music, and the gazes that followed.
Gu Jinhai then approached the tall man and the twins, who were still standing with questioning expressions.
"Shen Lingjue," he said quietly, "please comfort your sons. Ji Yuxuan felt unwell and has already gone home."
Shen Lingjue exhaled slowly, his broad chest rising and falling before he gave a faint nod. He crouched down in front of the twins, lowering himself until he was level with their worried eyes.
"Mama needs to rest and has gone home early. We'll see her another time, alright?"
The boys' lips immediately puckered as they exchanged sad glances. Their identical eyes shimmered, yet they tried to remain brave.
They knew they should not disturb Mama while she was resting. Even in their innocence, there was a small understanding, both warming and quietly painful.
After a moment, they nodded quickly and forced bright smiles. Smiles far too mature for children their age.
Shen Lingjue let out a relieved breath and rose to his feet. Gu Jinhai remained beside him, composed but attentive.
"What happened to her? Is she alright?" Shen Lingjue asked softly, his voice heavier than before.
Gu Jinhai gave his shoulder a light pat. "Nothing serious. She just needs some time to rest."
"Take Shen Mu and Shen Zhu to eat first. I'll greet the other guests."
Shen Lingjue nodded and watched as Gu Jinhai walked away, his steps steady as he returned to the hall now once more filled with laughter and conversation.
For a few seconds, Shen Lingjue stood there, lost in thought. The chandelier above cast fractured light across his face, which was now shadowed by something unspoken.
His mind felt tangled.
What had truly happened to Ji Yuxuan?
He had never seen that composed, emotionally guarded woman look so shaken. Usually, even a storm could not disturb her expression. Yet tonight, a single piece of news had been enough to fracture her composure.
Shaking his head slightly as if to dispel the thought, Shen Lingjue took each of his sons by the hand and guided them back toward the banquet tables. The boys walked at his sides, their small fingers wrapped securely around his.
But somewhere in his chest, a faint unease lingered, like a shadow that refused to fade, no matter how brightly the lights shone.
Something had changed tonight.