Han Shān sat behind the massive oak desk in his penthouse office, the city lights sprawling beneath him like scattered diamonds. The merger meeting had ended two hours ago, but the scent of vanilla and cookies still clung to the air, impossible, of course. Yet there it was, stubborn as the knot in his chest that refused to loosen tonight.

His phone lay on the glass surface, screen dark. He picked it up, thumb hovering. Chen Jue. Cousin. The one who had fumbled a perfectly good woman in a café two weeks ago like a nervous intern dropping a quarterly report.

Han Shān pressed call before he could talk himself out of it.

"Han Shān?" Chen Jue’s voice crackled through the speaker, surprised. "Twice in one month? Did the ice king finally melt, or is the building on fire?"

"Neither." Han Shān’s tone was monotone. The same voice that closed billion-dollar deals. "I need to ask you something about Bai Yue."

Silence. Then a disbelieving laugh. "Bai Yue? From marketing? The one I... you know, the café thing?"

"Yes."

Another pause. Han Shān could practically hear Chen Jue leaning back in his chair, eyebrows shooting up. "Why? Did she mess up the merger presentation? She’s good at her job, cousin. A little quiet sometimes, but solid. Wait—did Zhen terrorize her? That kid’s a walking Category Five hurricane."

Han Shān’s jaw tightened. "No," he said. "Zhen likes her."

Chen Jue let out a low whistle. "Zhen likes her? The same Zhen who once bit the last nanny and declared war on all bowties? Damn. That’s rare. But... you’re calling me at ten p.m. about this? You?"

Han Shān didn’t answer immediately. He turned his chair toward the window, eyes tracing the constellation that always looked like a snow leopard mid-leap. "She reminds me of someone. That’s all."

Chen Jue’s voice sharpened. "Someone? You mean... like your late wife?"

The knot in Han Shān’s chest twisted. "No." The word came out sharper than intended. "It’s not that. She just... handled the children well. Better than most. I wanted to know more about her. Background. Personality. Whatever you can tell me."

A long beat of silence. Then Chen Jue laughed again, softer this time. "Holy shit. You’re interested. In Bai Yue. The woman I turned down because I couldn’t see her that way. And you’re asking me? Your cousin who friend-zoned her so hard she probably still has the bruise?"

"I’m not—" Han Shān stopped. He wasn’t sure what he was. "Zhen likes her," he repeated, as if that explained everything. "Rui Xuě didn’t hide. I might want to hire in the future,"

Chen Jue exhaled. "Look, she’s great. Funny when she lets her guard down, works harder than anyone on her floor, has this weird obsession with glow-in-the-dark stickers for some reason. But she’s been through it. I hurt her, Han Shān. I told her straight-up I didn’t feel that way, and she smiled like it was nothing, but... it wasn’t nothing. If you’re asking because you’re actually considering—"

"I’m not considering anything," Han Shān cut in, voice like winter steel. "I’m asking. That’s all."

"Uh-huh." Chen Jue didn’t sound convinced. "Just... don’t be an idiot like me. She deserves better than another cold shoulder. And if this is about the merger, keep it professional. She’s not a game."

Han Shān ended the call without a goodbye. He leaned back, staring at the stars again. They didn’t have answers. They never did. But for the first time in years, he wondered if maybe someone else might.

~

Across the city, in a modest apartment that smelled faintly of instant ramen and lavender laundry detergent, Bai Yue flopped face-first onto her couch the second she got home. She had spent the entire elevator ride down from the conference room mentally replaying every second of the meeting.

Almost died of embarrassment upon seeing Han Shān. Check.

Crawled under a table like a raccoon in a pencil skirt. Check.

Let his chaos goblin of a daughter use her as a jungle gym while his son stared like she was a unicorn. Check.

Heard the Ice King himself call his cousin an idiot. Double check.

She groaned into the cushion. "Ground, please swallow me whole. I have a PhD in professional behavior and I just let a five-year-old braid my hair during a multi-million-dollar merger discussion."

Her phone buzzed. Group chat with the marketing girls, Lila, Mei, and Sophie, exploded.

Lila: GIRL. You met THE Han Shān??? Spill. Is he as hot up close as he looks in the company magazine???

Mei: I heard he stared at you the whole time. Did he? Tell us he did.

Sophie: Bet he’s the type to bend you over the conference table and—

Bai Yue: WHAT THE FUCK SOPHIE SHUT UP 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

Bai Yue sat up so fast her head spun, thumbs flying across the screen.

Bai Yue: He is attractive, yes. Like, stupidly attractive. Tall, stoic, looks like he could freeze hell with one glance. But he has KIDS. Two of them. And they are adorable little disasters. The girl, Zhen, literally launched herself at me. I smelled like chocolate for the rest of the meeting.

Lila: KIDS??? The ice king is a DAD??? That’s... kinda hot. Single dad vibes.

Mei: Did he smile? I heard he never smiles.

Sophie: Did he bend you over with his eyes tho???

Bai Yue buried her face in her hands. "I hate all of you."

Bai Yue: He did NOT bend me over with his eyes. He apologized for his daughter’s boundary issues and told me Chen Jue is an idiot. Then we talked numbers like normal adults. End of story. I am going to bed before I die of secondhand embarrassment.

She tossed the phone aside and headed to the kitchen for a glass of water. Her reflection in the window looked tired but... lighter somehow. The merger was going to be brutal, late nights, tight deadlines, but something about today felt different. Like the universe had handed her a tiny, sticky reminder that not everything had to be cold and professional.

Her phone rang.

Unknown number.

She almost ignored it. Almost. But something made her swipe accept.

"Hello?"

"Bai Yue." Chen Jue’s voice. "It’s me."

She froze, glass halfway to her lips. The café flashed behind her eyes, the almost-kiss, the gunshot of rejection, the way she had walked straight into Han Shān’s chest afterward like fate was laughing at her.

"Chen Jue," she said carefully. "Why are you calling?"

"I... I need to meet up with you. Just for a few minutes. Please."

Her stomach twisted. She wanted to say no. Wanted to hang up and block the number and go back to pretending the last two weeks hadn’t cracked something open inside her. He had hurt her. Really hurt her. Not because she was madly in love, but because she had let herself hope, and he had crushed it gently, like it was nothing.

"I don’t think that’s a good idea," she said quietly.

"It’s urgent. I swear. It’s about... family stuff. My cousin. Han Shān."

Her heart did a stupid little stutter. Han Shān? The man whose daughter had declared her the new favorite person with a mouthful of chocolate?

She exhaled slowly. "Chen Jue... you broke my heart a little, you know that?"

"I know. And I’m sorry. I really am. But this isn’t about us. It’s important. Please. Twenty minutes. Tomorrow, wherever you want. I’ll buy you that overpriced matcha you like."

Bai Yue closed her eyes and sighed. "Fine. Tomorrow. Lunch break. The café downstairs. And if this is some weird setup—"

"It’s not. I promise."

She hung up before he could say more, heart hammering like she had just sprinted up ten flights of stairs.