Against the Algorithm

Chapter 34: When Want Becomes Intention

Sicheng didn't laugh. didn't smirk. Didn't tease her for it. Instead, his gaze softened with something deeper, more grounding, and his voice dropped to that smooth, low register he always used when he was serious. "Hey," he said, reaching over and brushing her hair gently back behind her ear, his thumb trailing along the edge of her cheek as he leaned in slightly. "You never have to worry about that with me. Ever. That's not who I am. And it's sure as hell not who I'll ever be with you."

Yao nodded, grateful but still fidgeting, clearly not done. Her lips pressed together for a moment, then opened hesitantly. "I just... I've read things. Heard people talk. Some forums. Accidentally clicked on some stuff... and then..." she trailed off, clearly regretting her own curiosity, "...there are girls who talk about how some guys are just... assholes. Especially during the first time. Like they don't care. They just do what they want and don't pay attention. And afterward..." Her voice dipped, barely audible, "some girls even said they hurt. Like, really hurt. Not just during, but after. And the guy didn't even stay. Or ask. Or care."

Sicheng's jaw tightened at that, his expression darkening, not at her, but at the very thought. His hand settled on her cheek more firmly, his thumb stroking along the edge of her jaw with unshakable certainty. "If anyone ever treated you like that," he said quietly, "I would end them."

She blinked, wide-eyed, at the quiet, unwavering violence in his tone, but there was no fear in her expression, just a deep awareness of how protective he truly was.

"And more than that," he continued, voice steady but layered with emotion now, "you don't ever have to do anything you're not ready for. Nothing. Not with me. Not with anyone. I don't care if it takes months. Years. If it's never. What matters is you. That you're safe. Comfortable. Respected."

Yao swallowed hard, her eyes shimmering slightly as she looked at him.

"And," he added, his tone warming just slightly, "for the record? I plan to be the exact opposite of those assholes. If or when that ever happens, it'll be with someone who knows every damn breath you take. Who pays attention. Who cares about every moment."

Her voice, quiet and reverent, slipped out like a secret meant just for him. "Cheng-ge..."

He smiled softly and pressed his forehead against hers, his hand still cupping her cheek. "You'll never have to doubt how wanted you are. Or how much I'll always, always take care of you."

And somehow, despite the weight of the conversation, the room felt warm again—held between them like a shared heartbeat.

Curled against him with the quiet trust only exhaustion could summon, Yao pressed her face a little deeper into Sicheng's side, her breath soft where it brushed the fabric of his shirt. Her body was warm, relaxed, drowsy in that half-asleep way she always seemed to drift into after emotional conversations—when the weight lifted and her world narrowed down to the one person who had proven, again and again, that he would never drop her.

Her voice was barely a murmur, a fragile breath of sound, but he heard it all the same—because he was always listening when it came to her. "I'm really glad..." she began, her tone slow and heavy with sleep, "that I have no experience. That everything..." her hand curled lightly into the hem of his hoodie, anchoring herself there, "except what I've shared with you... it's all new. You'll be the first for everything."

She paused then, the quiet of the room pressing gently around them, before she added in an even softer breath, "Because it won't be tainted. It won't be some bad memory I have to try and forget. It'll be you. And that... that makes it feel safe."

Sicheng's entire body stilled for a moment, the full meaning of her words settling deep in his chest like a gravity he hadn't expected. He didn't move, didn't even breathe too hard, afraid that any sudden shift might break the spell of that quiet confession. Then slowly—deliberately—he turned his head, pressing a kiss to the top of her head, his lips lingering there longer than necessary. "You deserve that," he said quietly, his voice low and rich with everything he never quite had words for. "Your firsts should always feel safe. They should always feel like yours. And I'm... honored," he added, breath catching slightly on the word, "to be the one you trust with them."

Her only answer was a tiny hum, a breath against his ribs, before she buried herself more fully into his side and drifted the rest of the way into sleep.

And Lu Sicheng sat there, holding her, the weight of her trust wrapped around him like armor—and for the first time in a long time, it wasn't the OPL or the legacy of the Lu family that made him feel most powerful.

It was this.

Her.

Notes:

Author's Note: The Muse would like to say that all comments, even small ones, are very much welcomed and they very much enjoy reading them!