𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡✦𝐑𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐥 𝐱 𝐋𝐮 𝐒𝐢 𝐂𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐠

Chapter 21: The Intruder

*****************

An instrument of chaos
in the hearts.

****************

_______________________

The city hummed outside the office window, its muted roar a constant reminder that life moved on, even when your world was falling apart. I stood there, leaning against the glass, staring out at Jinshi as the rain smeared the view into something almost unrecognizable. It mirrored my mind—everything blurred, pieces slipping through my fingers the harder I tried to hold on.
Sigh.
Sighhhhs.
I turned back to my space, the chaos of files and papers scattered like broken shards of glass across the floor. Step two. I was supposed to be making progress, but all I felt was the weight of unanswered questions piling up on me. My grandparents' faces, now faded memories, flashed in my mind. Black Orchid. That name had haunted them, and now it was coming for me. Whatever they'd been after, whatever secrets they died trying to expose, was buried deep—so deep, I wasn't even sure I wanted to find it.
But I had to. For them. For me.
I sank onto the floor, pulling one of the older files toward me. My fingers traced the edges of the worn paper, a map of lost battles and failed justice. The ink was smudged in places as if someone had cried over these documents long before they made it into my hands. I didn't want to imagine that person was my grandfather, but it made too much sense. He had known the danger. He had seen the darkness that lurked beneath the surface. And still, they both dove in headfirst.
A knock at the door snapped me out of my spiral. I glanced at the clock. It was late, too late for visitors. My hand instinctively moved toward the drawer where I kept my gun, but I didn't reach for it. Not yet. Oh, god.
Was it the Black Spider? Luminar? My grandparents' killer? Or perhaps someone entirely unfamiliar? In just a few months, I'd made enough enemies to fill a graveyard, a special talent for us justice seekers.
Our lives were always hanging by a thread.
I checked my phone: an empty notification bar and the 3:30 AM time glared back at me.
OMG, THE DEVIL HOUR.
I slapped myself for the sarcasm. Stupid, there's someone in here.
'Who's there?' I called, my voice steadier than I felt as I slowly rose to track down the source of the sound. I don't know why I acted like this; danger felt like a carnival I couldn't resist, the thrill tugging at me like a long-lost childhood memory.
Then I heard it again, closer this time.
Panic gnawed at my insides. No one should be here at this hour except thieves, killers, or the devil himself.
Oh, fuck it.
I wasn't expecting anyone, but a part of me was...expecting someone.
Perhaps, Lu Si Cheng. Why am I like this, god?
He was relentless. Always showing up at the worst times. Always pushing, prodding. And, God help me, always managing to slip under my skin.
Another knock, more impatient this time.
I sighed, slowly moving closer to the front gate. Of course, I shut it down from inside. I am not letting any creepy dude mark me for death. When I opened it, there he was—tall, unbothered by the rain that dripped from his hair, his dark eyes locking onto mine like he'd been waiting for me to break the silence.
"Agh." I rubbed my temple in relief. "Can you fucking come like a human? You got me all stressed up.' I stared at him in disbelief.
"You planning on letting me in, or do I have to wait out here all night?" His voice was smooth, but the edge was there, barely hidden beneath the sarcasm.
I stepped aside, letting him in because arguing would just take too much energy I didn't have. He brushed past me, the scent of rain and something else—something darker, like smoke—clinging to him as he made his way into the messy workspace. His eyes flicked around, taking in the mess, but he didn't say anything about it.
"Lu Si Cheng, it's 3:35 AM. What the hell are you doing here, soaked to the bone?" I couldn't help the slight irritation in my voice. This dude just casually strolled into the firm, rain-kissed and unbothered, like it was a normal thing to do in the middle of the night. Did he even sleep? I doubted it.
"And what do you think you're doing here?" His response was flat, devoid of any real interest as if he couldn't care less why I was standing here too. Typical. He didn't just show up for a friendly chat. I stared at him, trying to send a telepathic message to his BLIND eyes—seriously, dude, open them. "Like, are you blind or something?"
"Shut up. And take this." He held me a packet, and I blinked at it, thoroughly confused.
"I don't know your favourite," he continued, his voice still deadpan, "so I bought mine. Eat it, throw it, whatever." He shrugged like he didn't give a damn, but the wet strands of hair clinging to his forehead told a different story. I just stood there, staring at this soaked, stubborn asshole.
I set the food on the desk and without a word, disappeared for a moment before returning with a towel. "Thank you."
Nah, shut the fuck up. It's called basic humanity. I'm not about to give him a round of applause for not freezing to death. But then again, the back of my mind whispered, maybe neither of us really knew what to do with moments like this. He gave me a silent 'thanks' with his eyes. Use your damn mouth, asshole!
He took the towel, and ran it through his hair, soaking up the rain with soft, gentle strokes. Then, like the irritating creature he was, he shook his head, sending droplets lying—right onto my face.
I stood frozen, staring at him like I had lost my damn mind, because I suddenly realised I'd been watching him for the last few minutes.
Oh. My. God. Calm the fuck down.
STOP.
"Well, Now, What do you want, Lu Si Cheng?" I asked, leaning against the wall, crossing my arms to keep some kind of barrier between us. His presence always had this way of slipping past my defences, like water finding the cracks in a dam.
He turned to face me, his expression unreadable. "I found something," he said, throwing the towel somewhere.....
And, pulling a folded piece of paper from his jacket. He held it out, and I took it reluctantly, my fingers brushing his for a brief second. Heat flickered between us, but I ignored it.
I unfolded the paper. A name jumped out at me—one I hadn't seen in years. Yen Zhou.
"He's connected to your case," Lu Si Cheng said, watching my reaction. "And to Black Orchid. Thought you might want to know."
My throat tightened. Yen Zhou had been a ghost in my family's story, a whisper in the dark that no one could ever pin down. He was there, lurking on the edges of every conspiracy, every shady deal that had destroyed lives. But there had never been proof. Not until now.
"Where did you get this?" My voice was sharper than I intended, but he didn't flinch.
"Does it matter?" he shot back. "You've been hitting walls with this for weeks. I figured it was time to throw you a bone."
I hated how right he was. I hated how much I needed him right now.
I glanced at the paper again, the name burning into my mind. This was the break I'd been waiting for, but with it came a flood of new fears. Yen Zhou wasn't just anyone—he was a piece of the puzzle, but a dangerous one. Getting closer to him meant getting closer to the truth, and that truth had teeth.
"I know that look," Lu Si Cheng said, stepping closer. "You're thinking too much."
"I'm thinking about not getting myself killed," I replied, my tone sharp.
He smirked, the kind of smirk that sent a shiver down my spine. "I think you like the danger, Rachel. You wouldn't be chasing this if you didn't."
"Don't pretend like you know me," I snapped, but the words felt hollow. He was right, in some twisted way. I was drawn to the darkness, to the danger. But not for the thrill. For justice. For them.
Lu Si Cheng's eyes darkened, a flicker of something I couldn't read passing through them. "I know enough."
Silence stretched between us, thick and heavy. His presence filled the room like the storm outside had found its way in. Part of me wanted to push him away, to tell him to leave and never come back. But the other part—the part that was tired of fighting alone—wanted him to stay.
"I don't need your help," I said, more to convince myself than him.
He stepped closer, closer that I could feel his warm breath against my earlobe, his voice low, almost a whisper. "Maybe not. But I'm here anyway."

I swallowed hard, feeling the tension between us, electric and dangerous. His face was so close, so damn close to mine, and for a moment, I forgot about everything else—the case, the danger, the ghosts of my past. All I could think about was him, standing so close, looking at me like he could see through every wall I'd ever built.
"I don't trust you," I said, my voice barely audible.
He didn't flinch. "Good. Don't."
And just like that, the moment broke. Without saying a word, I turned away from him and sat back down on the floor, pulling one of the files into my lap. My fingers traced over the faded ink as I pretended his presence didn't rattle me. He was still watching, and that unnerved me more than I wanted to admit.
I heard the soft rustle of his jacket as he moved. A moment later, he sat across from me on the couch, close enough that I could feel his gaze but not close enough to touch. For a few minutes, there was nothing but the sound of the rain outside, a steady rhythm that somehow made the silence between us more intimate.
Lu Si Cheng leaned forward slightly, his voice low when he finally spoke. "What's your next move?"
I didn't answer right away. My eyes drifted to the photograph of my grandparents tucked into one of the files, their faces worn with time but their eyes sharp, alive with the fight they never finished. "I have to find him," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "Yen Zhou."
"And then what?" Lu Si Cheng pressed. "You're going to corner a guy who's been living in the shadows for decades?"
I shrugged, not bothering to look up. "What else can I do? Wait around while more people die? Let them win?"
"You know it's not that simple, Rachel."
"It's never simple," I muttered under my breath. "But I'm not stopping. Not now."
Lu Si Cheng was quiet for a moment, and when he spoke again, his voice had softened in a way that made my heart lurch unexpectedly. "I didn't say you should stop. I'm just saying... be careful. You're not invincible."
I scoffed, the sound bitter. "Thanks for the pep talk."
The quiet stretched again, thick and tense, but there was something else now—an unspoken understanding that settled between us like a fragile truce. Neither of us moved, as if breaking the moment would shatter whatever fragile thread held us in place.
After a while, I heard Lu Si Cheng shift, but when I glanced up, he wasn't looking at me anymore. He had leaned back, his arm draped across the back of the couch, eyes closed. The harsh lines of his face had softened, the tension that always clung to him loosening just a little.
I kept my eyes on him, almost mesmerized by the quietness in him now. He wasn't the sharp, sarcastic lawyer who challenged me at every turn. Not right now. He looked... tired. Human.
I returned my focus to the papers in front of me, but the warmth of his presence kept pulling me back. Minutes passed, and when I finally glanced up again, Lu Si Cheng had fallen asleep.
His head tilted slightly to the side, his chest rising and falling with the deep, steady rhythm of sleep. For a moment, I just watched him, the lines of his face softer in the dim light. It was a side of him I wasn't used to seeing—unguarded, vulnerable.
I should've been working, but instead, I found myself drawn to the quiet. The storm outside had finally let up, leaving only the soft patter of raindrops against the window and the even softer sound of Lu Si Cheng breathing beside me.
For the first time in what felt like forever, I let myself relax. Just for a little while. I knew morning would bring new dangers, and new complications, but for now, the world could wait.
With Lu Si Cheng asleep on my couch, and the weight of the night pressing down on me, I allowed myself to slip back into the work. But this time, it didn't feel so lonely.