The office was nearly silent by the time Xu Lu Yan finally looked up from her screen.

The soft tapping of her keyboard stopped, leaving only the faint hum of the building’s air conditioning. She glanced around, realizing every other desk in the department had been abandoned hours ago. The glow of her monitor reflected faintly in the glass walls of her office and windows to the left and right of her.

She had been so focused on checking budgets, drafting replies, reviewing project notes, that she hadn’t even noticed the time. A faint ache in her stomach reminded her rhat she should get dinner.

She sighed quietly, leaned back in her chair, and rolled her neck to ease the stiffness. After a breath she began packing away her laptop, stacking a few key folders on top of it. Then slid them into her work bag, no doubt she’d keep working once she got home. It wasn’t unusual.

She flicked off the desk lamp, slung her bag over her shoulder, and walked toward the elevator.

Just as the doors slid closed, her phone buzzed in her hand. The caller ID flashed: Xu Jin Hai.

Her father.

She hesitated before swiping to answer. “Yes?”

“Lu Yan,” his voice rasped, calm but firm as always. “Where are you right now?”

“Leaving the office.”

“Good. Meet me at Jing He Pavilion. I want to have dinner with you and talk about something important.”

She frowned faintly. Her father didn’t often extend invitations like this. At least, not anymore. “What is it?”

“You’ll find out when you get here. I’ve already ordered.” The call ended before she could press further.

She sighed again, more heavily this time, and keyed the restaurant name into her navigation app. It was about twenty minutes away.

The drive was quiet, which in this moment, she prefered. By the time she pulled into the restaurant’s private lot the city lights had begun to flicker on.

When she walked inside the Jing He Pavilion lobby smelled faintly of sandalwood and jasmine tea. The polished dark wood paneling and gold-accented décor gave the space an air of understated luxury. A host in a neatly pressed uniform looked up as she approached.

“Good evening. Do you have a reservation?”

She scanned the room quickly and spotted her father across the main dining area, sitting at a corner table partially screened by a decorative lattice. “I’m with him,” she said, nodding towards her father.

The host followed her gaze, then smiled in understanding and led her across the room.

As she drew closer she noticed the woman sitting beside him. Early thirties, perhaps... though her styled hair, makeup, and designer dress made her look even younger. Pretty in a polished socialite kind of way.

Her father stood halfway as she reached the table, gesturing toward the woman. “Lu Yan, this is Lin Yu Wei.”

“Nice to meet you,” the woman said warmly, extending a hand.

Xu Lu Yan shook it briefly and took her seat, her expression even. She had seen her father’s girlfriends before. Always beautiful, always well-dressed, always much younger than him. This one was no different.

The conversation stayed light at first. Lin Yu Wei asked about her work, smiling pleasantly as if eager to make a good impression. Xu Lu Yan responded politely, though her answers were clipped. Her father, as usual, was more interested in discussing the latest market trends and business reports than in asking about her personal life.

Not about how work was going. Not if she had any good news of her own. Not whether she was seeing someone, either.

Their food arrived; dishes of seafood, braised duck, and seasonal greens. The three of them ate quietly for a few minutes, the clink of porcelain and soft background music filling the space between them.

It was only after Xu Lu Yan had taken her second bite of fish that her father finally cleared his throat.

“I asked you here for a reason,” he began, setting his chopsticks down. “Yu Wei and I have some news to share.”

Lu Yan's eyes shifted between them, waiting.

“We’re engaged,” he said with a certain finality, as if expecting the announcement to be met with applause.

Lu Yan's chopsticks stilled mid-air. She set them gently back on the rest, her expression composed.

She didn’t care if her father dated. He always had. Usually a string of women who were there until they weren’t. But marriage was different. Marriage meant permanence. And when the woman in question was only a few years older than herself… well, that was a line she’d rather not see crossed.

Her father’s relationships had never been her business, but this was harder to ignore. She’d already kept their contact to a minimum over the past few years and news like this only made her more certain of that choice.

She turned to Lin Yu Wei with a polite, stiff smile. “Congratulations.”

Then she rose, smoothing her skirt as she did. “I’m afraid I’ve lost my appetite. I have work to do at home.”

“Lu Yan-” her father began, his tone warning.

She met his gaze evenly. “Don’t make a scene. I'm sure you'd like to continue eating here without embarrassment.”

For a long moment, the tension held. Perhaps after weighing the pros, he decided he didn’t want to cause a stir in public and said nothing more.

She inclined her head slightly and stepped away from the table.

On her way to the exit, she noticed someone in her peripheral vision that caught her attention. She glanced briefly to her right and saw a table tucked away in another corner of the dining area.

Li An Qi was there.

If her mood weren’t so soured, Xu Lu Yan might have been inclined to walked over to greet her, after all, they would be working closely together soon. But An Qi was clearly in the middle of a social dinner, her posture relaxed in a way that suggested she wasn't in the mindset for work.

Opposite her sat another woman, her back towards Lu Yan. There was something oddly familiar about the shape of her shoulders, the way her hair fell, but Lu Yan couldn’t place it.

Dismissing the thought, she continued toward the door.

—

The night air outside was cool on her skin, the breeze relaxing. She walked briskly to her car, getting in and pulled away from the restaurant without looking back.

By the time she reached her apartment the building’s lobby was quiet. She let herself in, dropped her bag onto the kitchen counter, and changed into something comfortable.

Her stomach growled faintly, reminding her that she’d barely touched her dinner.

Honestly, how could she in that situation?

She opened the cupboard, staring at the shelves for a long moment. Cooking was never her strong suit, and she wasn’t in the mood to order delivery. Her gaze settled on the familiar red and white package of instant noodles.

She didn’t eat them often, but tonight it would do. She filled the kettle and waited for the water to boil, then poured it into the cup.

Carrying the noodles to her living room coffee table, she set them aside to cool and flipped open her laptop, placing a pillow on the floor and sitring on it. Within minutes she was immersed in spreadsheets, timelines, and project outlines. The glow of the screen painted her face in pale light, the world outside her apartment fading into the background. This is where she felt most comfortable.

Work was simpler than family.

Work, at least, followed rules.