Against the Algorithm

Chapter 53: Keys to the Quiet

Sicheng, beside her, leaned in close and murmured against her ear with quiet affection, "You know this means you're never allowed to say you're not part of this family again."

Yao flushed scarlet as she fiddled with her sleeves. "That's emotional blackmail."

"You love it."

And watching the three of them, each so different, each now tangled in her life in ways not even her mother could've foreseen, Yao didn't say it aloud. But maybe... Maybe she did.

It took less than five minutes for Lan to decide. She didn't dither. She didn't second-guess. She simply walked once more along the polished row of vehicles, paused in front of the pearl white Bentley convertible, sleek, elegant, powerful without being ostentatious and placed her hand on the hood like she was confirming a deal that had already been made in her head weeks ago. "This one," she said. Not a question. Not a request. Just a fact.

Yao smiled softly with a shy look as she nodded to the woman. "I had a feeling."

"It's an excellent feeling." Lan nodded once, her mouth twitching faintly.

Yue, on the other hand, was a chaos storm of indecision. "This one speaks to me," he said, stopping in front of a silver Aston Martin with gleaming black trim. Then, a moment later, he turned to a blood-red Jaguar, placing a reverent hand over his chest. "But this one calls to me."

"Pick one." Yao warned from across the garage as her lips twitched at the younger Lu as he groaned..

Yue pouted, turning back toward the Aston and huffing. "Fine. First love wins. But only because I'm emotionally weak."

She handed him the key.

He cradled it like it was a newborn. "I will cherish her."

"You better." And then, finally, she turned toward the one person who hadn't moved much at all. Sicheng stood near the far side of the motorcycle lineup, his expression relaxed, his hands in his coat pockets. He was leaning back slightly, eyes half-lidded, that signature quiet cool wrapped around him like a second skin. But Yao had known him long enough now to recognize focus when she saw it. And he wasn't looking at the cars. His gaze had shifted subtly but unmistakably, toward one specific motorcycle. It sat beneath a spotlight. Sleek matte black with burnished gold trim and a distinctive low-slung body, its make engraved in brushed steel across the body.

Zhenxing V8 Carbon Shadow

High-end. Rare. Modified for speed and silence. Not mass-produced.

She didn't say a word. Just watched as his eyes lingered. Only for a moment.

Then he turned back toward the vehicles and gestured casually to a silver Ferrari 250 GT Lusso Berlinetta tucked beside Sheng's new toy. "That one," he said.

Yao nodded, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. And while Lan passed her the Bentley key with a crisp nod and Yue made actual kissing noises at his chosen car, Yao walked slowly toward the wall again. The keys were still arranged neatly, each labeled in clean silver lettering. She scanned the row until her eyes landed on it.

Zhenxing V8 C-Shadow // Custom

She didn't hesitate. Her fingers closed around it quietly, lifting it from its place. She held it in her palm for just a second—just long enough to glance at Sicheng out of the corner of her eye, already half-distracted by Yue dragging him into an argument over turbo kits—and then, with calm purpose, she slipped the key into the pocket of her coat. No announcement. No fanfare. Just a mental note. Have it delivered to the base. Serviced. Tuned. And placed where he'll find it without knowing it came from her.