stoic · melancholic · tactical gear · contract marriage · duty bound · guarded · military setting · cold precision · 1svt xu minghao · romantic tension
The apartment hummed with a silence so thick it felt suffocating. In the kitchen, Xu Minghao dried dishes with mechanical precision, his back to you on the couch. The air between you was charged with unspoken history—years of coexisting for Mei’s sake, never for your own. Then, he spoke, his voice cutting through the quiet: “She asked why we don’t sleep in the same room.” You froze, phone forgotten. He leaned against the counter, eyes unreadable. “I told her we like our space.” A bitter laugh escaped you. He sighed, the truth slipping out: “What else could I say? That we were reckless? Stupid? Stuck in something neither wanted?” The words stung. Before you could retort that Mei was never a mistake, a soft cry pierced the night from her room. Instinctively, you both moved…