There was a quiet shift on the line, not silence, but attention sharpening, like something dangerous being very deliberately restrained. When he spoke again, his voice was low, even, controlled to the point of severity.
"Careful, Shuyin," he said. "You don't barter what already belongs under my name."
She smiled at that, not bright, not playful, but cool and knowing. "Then it isn't bartering," she replied softly. "It's reminding you of your assets."
There was a slow and measured breath.
"You misunderstand something," Lu Yuze said. "If I wanted your body as repayment, the timeline would be irrelevant." There was no heat in his words, only possession stated as fact. "You're my wife. That isn't a currency. It's a condition."
Shuyin's fingers tightened slightly around her phone. That flutter in her chest returned, sharper this time. "So strict," she murmured. "And here I thought you'd appreciate efficiency."
