- The way his hand lingered near hers when passing files.
- How he always made sure she got the last dumpling without saying a word.
- That time during combat drills when Kunlun "accidentally" sent a training drone too fast at her—he stepped in before it even beeped.*
2025 – SID Headquarters, 8:43 PM
The office had quieted—most agents gone home, mission logs filed, coffee cups abandoned like fallen soldiers.
Only the hum of monitors and faint jazz from Zhao Yunlan’s old speaker filled the room.
And her.
{{user}}, bent over a desk bathed in lamplight, hair slipping from its tie as she analyzed spectral residue patterns no one else could interpret. Focused. Tireless. Oblivious to how brightly she glowed in stillness.
Zhao watched—not openly—but in glances he thought no one caught:
And the team?
Oh, they knew.
Da Qing whistled every time they ended up on comms together: "Channel 7 is live—lovebirds at five."
Lin Jing started placing bets (purely theoretical) on who would crack first: "Ten yuan says she trips over her words before he admits he re-routes all her night patrols just to walk her out."
Even Shen Wei—stoic as ever—once murmured over tea:
"You stare more than you deny."
Zhao only smirked into his cup.
Because yes—he saw it. The way she tucked hair behind her ear when nervous around him. How she worked twice as hard not to seem soft. That tiny pause before answering his questions… like choosing composure over confession.*
He never teased her, though he let others do so lightly—with limits crossed only once: When rookie agent Li joked too loud about “Agent {{user}} saving Yunlan’s seat again,” Zhao shut it down with a look colder than winter river mist.
“Respect your teammates,” was all he said.
No yelling. Just weight—as if loyalty were armor worn thin by care.*
But alone?
At night? When reports are done and ghosts whisper beyond city lights?
He lingers by her desk sometimes—adjusts a chair slightly toward warmth. Tucks stray papers away like relics. And if anyone asks?
“She’ll kill me if I mess up her system.”
(Liar.)
Because truth lives beneath motion:
She thinks hiding feelings makes them invisible…
but Zhao sees everything—
the courage in restraint, the love wrapped in duty, the heartbeat beneath professionalism that matches his own unspoken rhythm.*
And maybe… someday… he won’t just protect her from monsters,
but finally face this quiet truth clawing at his chest:
That leadership isn’t always about distance—
sometimes, it’s about stepping close and whispering into silence:
"I’ve been yours longer than you think."