Dawn broke pale and cold, mist clinging to the forest floor as Feng Lihan and Lin Yue made their way toward the clan grounds.
The air smelled different here—less wild, more lived-in. Smoke from morning fires, freshly cut wood, drying herbs. Lin Yue walked half a step behind Feng Lihan, hood pulled low, eyes quietly observant.
As the wooden gates came into view, voices rose in greeting.
"Feng Lihan!"
A figure burst from between the huts, light on her feet, braids swinging as she ran straight toward him.
"Layla—" Feng Lihan had just turned when she threw her arms around him.
"You're finally back!" she said brightly, looking up at him with shining eyes.
Layla was beautiful in a way the clan admired—sun-warmed skin, lively eyes, confidence shaped by protection and status. She wore finely stitched leather, a charm of bone and crystal at her throat—the mark of the clan chief's daughter.
Feng Lihan steadied her easily, placing a hand on her shoulder to create a little distance. "You're going to knock me over one of these days."
Layla laughed. "You're stronger than that."
Only then did she notice Lin Yue.
Her smile paused—not vanished, but sharpened.
"And who is this?" she asked, gaze flicking over him with open curiosity.
"A companion," Feng Lihan said calmly. "His name is Lin Yue."
Lin Yue inclined his head politely. "Greetings."
Layla studied him longer than necessary. Lin Yue was quiet, pale against the morning light, his beauty colder, subtler—like snow-dusted branches rather than summer bloom.
Different, Layla decided.
Her eyes returned to Feng Lihan. "You didn't say you were bringing someone back."
"I didn't plan to," Feng Lihan replied. "Circumstances changed."
Layla's lips pressed together briefly. She forced a smile. "Father will want to meet him."
"I expected as much."
Layla stepped closer to Feng Lihan again, lowering her voice. "You've been gone a long time."
"I know."
There was something unspoken in her eyes—hope, perhaps, carefully hidden but persistent.
Feng Lihan saw it. He always did.
And as always, he felt only gentle familiarity.
"You've grown," he said instead. "Stronger. More confident."
Layla flushed faintly at the praise. "You taught me well."
Lin Yue watched quietly from the side, expression unreadable.
Layla finally turned back to him. "You'll be staying in the guest quarters."
"If that is acceptable," Lin Yue replied evenly.
"It is," Layla said, then added, "As long as you follow clan rules."
Feng Lihan's tone sharpened just a fraction. "He will."
Layla blinked, surprised, then laughed lightly. "I was only saying."
She glanced between them once more before stepping back. "Come. Father's already awake."
As they walked deeper into the clan, Lin Yue leaned slightly closer to Feng Lihan.
"She likes you," Lin Yue murmured.
Feng Lihan didn't hesitate. "She is like a younger sister to me."
Lin Yue looked up at him. "And she knows that?"
Feng Lihan's gaze stayed forward. "I've never given her reason to think otherwise."
Lin Yue nodded, but something unreadable flickered in his eyes.
Ahead of them, Layla walked proudly, unaware—or unwilling to see—that the man she admired had already placed his loyalty elsewhere.
And Feng Lihan, walking between past bonds and new truths, knew one thing with certainty:
Whatever feelings Layla carried—
They were not his to return.
To be continued…