Against the Algorithm

Chapter 12: Sanctuary

Yao, still standing near the entrance, her arms tucked into the oversized hoodie, finally turned slowly to face Sicheng, her voice quiet but carrying the unmistakable weight of confusion and disbelief. "...What is this place?"

Sicheng, who had been leaning casually against the doorway, watching her take everything in, finally pushed off the wall, his movements calm, unhurried, but carrying an undeniable sense of purpose as he stepped forward. His sharp amber eyes flickered toward her, taking in the uncertainty, the hesitation, the way she still looked as if she couldn't quite believe she was allowed to be here. He exhaled slowly before answering.

"It's yours."

Yao blinked rapidly, her brows furrowing slightly as if she wasn't sure she had heard him correctly. "Mine?"

Sicheng nodded, his tone smooth, steady, carrying an unshakable certainty that left no room for doubt. "This is your space. Your home. I had it done for you."

She didn't speak immediately. Didn't know how to speak. Her mind was still catching up, still trying to process what he was saying, what it meant. She turned again, her gaze sweeping over the details she had missed at first glance—the way the furniture was arranged in a way that felt both open and cozy, the way the kitchen area was fully stocked with non-perishables, the way there was a separate room just beyond the main living space that was clearly meant to be an office, carefully set up with everything she would need to continue her studies. And then there was her bedroom, the door slightly ajar, revealing a glimpse of a space that was warm and welcoming, with soft lighting and furniture that felt like it had been selected with her comfort in mind.

Everything about this place felt intentional.

And that?

That terrified her.

Her throat tightened slightly as she turned back to Sicheng, her hands clenching the sleeves of the hoodie as she struggled to find the words, to understand what she was supposed to say, how she was supposed to respond. "I—I don't understand..." Her voice was soft, hesitant, her gaze flickering to the space around them again before landing back on him. "Why did you... why would you do this?"

Sicheng met her gaze head-on, his amber eyes unreadable, but his voice carried nothing but certainty. "Because you needed it." That was it. No long explanation. No elaborate reasoning. Just the truth. Because she did need this. Even if she didn't know it yet.

Yao's breath caught slightly, her fingers curling tighter into the oversized sleeves of his hoodie, her hazel eyes still wide with uncertainty, with something raw and unguarded as she tried to process his words. "What do you mean?" Her voice was soft, hesitant, almost as if she wasn't sure she wanted to hear the answer.

Sicheng exhaled slowly, his sharp amber gaze unwavering as he stepped forward, closing the small distance between them but not crowding her, not pushing her. Instead, his voice was calm, measured, carrying a certainty that left no room for misinterpretation. "I did this because I know you."

Yao stiffened slightly, her lips parting as if she wanted to speak, but no words came.

"You're used to being on your own." His voice remained steady, unshaken, as if he had already thought this through a hundred times before saying it out loud. "You're not used to being surrounded by people constantly. You never have been. And I wasn't going to make you live somewhere that didn't feel like yours."

She swallowed hard, her throat tightening, because he was right. She had spent so much of her life in quiet spaces, living alone since she was eighteen, learning how to exist without being part of something bigger, without feeling like she had to fit into a world that wasn't built for her. She had figured out how to be self-sufficient, how to rely on herself and no one else. And now, standing here, in this space that he had built for her, it was the first time she had ever been given something that wasn't about what was convenient for others—it was about her.