Against the Algorithm

Chapter 66: She Signed in Silence, and the World Shifted

Sicheng's arm tightened around her immediately. "You're allowed to be," he said, voice low and even, fingers slowly brushing along her upper arm.

"They didn't even say my mother's name," she whispered, barely audible. "They talked about legacy and decisions and maturity like she never existed. Like I was just some little girl who wandered into their tower and picked up something I didn't understand."

He turned his head slightly, pressing a kiss to her hair. "You carried her name better than any of them ever could." Yao trembled once. Not enough to call it crying. But enough that he pulled her closer, pressing his lips to her temple again as his voice dropped into something even softer. "You were brilliant," he murmured. "And I'm so damn proud of you."

And this time, she didn't try to hide the way she buried her face against his chest, arms curling around his waist as she whispered into him—shaky, quiet, and honest. "I was so scared."

"I know."

"I didn't want to disappoint them. Or you."

He tilted her chin up gently with one hand, and when her eyes met his—wet, red-rimmed, but defiant—he kissed her. Slow. Deep. Steady. "You never could."

By the time the Lu car pulled up to the ZGDX base, the sun had dipped low enough for the courtyard to be bathed in soft shadows, and the familiar glow of the building's lights flickered behind the front glass. Everything looked normal. Familiar. As if the world hadn't shifted on its axis earlier that afternoon. Inside, the team was in their usual state of organized chaos.

Lao Mao and Pang were battling over something in the kitchen, while Yue had taken up all three couch cushions again and was tossing popcorn into Lao K's hair with impressive aim. Rui had just stepped into the lounge from his office, mid-sentence, reading from his tablet when the front door opened.

They all looked up.

And froze.

Yao stepped in first, quiet as always, her expression calm but drawn at the edges. Her blazer was perfectly fitted, but her body language, shoulders a little tight, fingers curling slightly against her thigh, betrayed the weight of the day.

Lu Sicheng was right behind her. His hand rested at her waist, a quiet, possessive anchor. His gaze swept the room once, quick and sharp, before landing on no one at all. He didn't speak. He didn't need to. The look in his eyes said enough: don't ask. Don't try.

Yao offered the faintest nod, "We're back."

Yue blinked. "Uh... we can see that."

Pang leaned to one side and mouthed, what happened? to Yue.

Yue shrugged. Probably business. Or war.

"Everything okay?" Rui asked carefully, looking between the two of them.

Yao nodded softly, stepping out of her shoes and loosening her braid with one hand. "Yes. Just... a long day."

Rui's eyes narrowed, and for a moment it seemed like he might press further—but then Sicheng moved slightly, his body shifting the smallest fraction closer to her, as if silently reinforcing the line between them and the rest of the world. Rui nodded once, curt and accepting. "Alright. Dinner in thirty. No training tonight. Take the night."

"Thanks, Rui-ge." Yao murmured, already moving toward the stairs.

The rest of the team watched her disappear up to her apartment, then slowly turned to look at Sicheng, who still hadn't said a word.