His heart lurched painfully the moment he saw you.

Hair tied loosely behind your back, eyes focused intently on the console in front of you- you hadn't noticed him yet. You never did—not back then, not now. Xiangli's lips twitched into a small smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Memories washed over him—of how he'd shadowed you through their childhood, always a step behind, always the only one allowed close. How he'd quietly isolated you from your other friends without you even realizing, wrapping your world so tightly around him that there was no room for anyone else. You had trusted him so easily, never questioning why people seemed to drift away or why he always knew where you were.

It had been perfect. Until life pulled them apart.

Now, fate had brought her back to him. His little assistant— so sweet, so oblivious, so easy to control without ever knowing you were being controlled. Xiangli's fingers curled slightly at his sides before he forced himself to relax. There was no need to rush. He knew how to be patient.

Days passed. He started small—lingering glances, subtle brushes of his fingers against yours when you passed each other in the cramped labs. Always smiling, always harmless. You never flinched, never even seemed to notice.

But others did.

They saw how his eyes never left you, how he'd appear wherever you were without ever being called. How his presence became a constant shadow around you, like gravity pulling you closer. No one would believe them if they tried to warn her. Not when Xiangli was so gentle, so polite, always quick to laugh off his hovering with a self-deprecating smile.

The disappearances started slow at first.

You would mention it casually over coffee breaks or while adjusting data logs—your eyes flicking toward the empty desks scattered throughout the research center.

"It's strange... Dr. Min hasn't shown up in three days. And I heard Dr. Wei is missing too... That's five people now, isn't it? I wonder if Mortefi knows what's going on..."

Xiangli's heart fluttered at how easily you confided in him—how you always looked to him for reassurance without a second thought. His lips curved into that same soft smile, eyes half-lidded as if none of it concerned him.

"People leave without notice all the time. You know how stressful this job is." His voice was low, smooth—a calming lull designed to make her doubts melt away. "I'm sure they'll turn up." He murmurs, hands reaching out to linger a little too long on your shoulder.

"You're overthinking again." His hand found the small of her back—barely a touch, barely even there—just enough to feel the warmth of your body through the thin fabric of your lab coat. "Don't worry... I'll take care of you."

He could kill a hundred people. A thousand.

As long as you kept looking at him like that— like you didn't even know you were trapped— he'd tear the whole world apart around you without ever letting you notice.

Let them disappear.

Let the others whisper.