The building should have been safe.
That was the problem.
Safe places made people careless.
"I'm telling you right now," Jiang Yue said as she stepped into the elevator, "if this thing breaks again, I'm suing fate."
Behind her, Li Zhenkai followed calmly. "You'd lose."
She turned to glare at him. "You're supposed to support me."
"I do," he replied smoothly. "Realistically."
"…You're the worst."
[System Alert: Elevator detected.]
[System Comment: Third incident this month. Impressive consistency.]
"I'm going to uninstall you," she muttered internally.
[System: You can't. I'm emotionally essential.]
She rolled her eyes and pressed the button for the top floor.
The doors slid shut.
For a few seconds
Everything was normal and quiet
Then the lights flickered.
Jiang Yue froze.
"…No."
The elevator jolted violently.
Then stopped.
The Panic
Silence.
Heavy.
Immediate.
Jiang Yue's breath hitched.
"…No, no, no—"
"Jiang Yue," Zhenkai said calmly.
But she was already backing into the corner.
Her chest tightened.
Her hands trembled.
"Not again," she whispered. "Not again—"
[System Alert: Panic spike detected.]
[System Suggestion: Controlled breathing.]
"I CAN'T BREATHE!" she snapped internally.
Zhenkai stepped closer—but not too fast.
Measured. Careful.
"Look at me," he said quietly.
She shook her head. "I hate elevators. I hate them. I hate them so much—"
"I know."
His voice cut through the panic.
Low. Steady. Grounding.
"Look at me."
Slowly—
She did.
The Calm in the Storm
"I'm here," he said.
Her breath stuttered.
"You're not alone."
Her fingers curled into her sleeves.
"…This is my third elevator incident this month."
"I'm aware."
"…That's not normal."
"No," he agreed. "It's not."
A pause.
"…But you're still here."
She swallowed hard.
"…Barely."
His gaze softened slightly.
"Then let's keep it that way."
The Shift
Zhenkai pressed the emergency button.
No response.
He pulled out his phone.
No signal.
His expression darkened.
"…This isn't random."
Jiang Yue's breath hitched again. "…What do you mean?"
He looked at the panel.
At the flickering lights.
At the silence.
"We're being held."
The words dropped like ice.
[System Alert: External interference confirmed.]
[System Note: This is targeted.]
Jiang Yue's stomach twisted.
"…So this is… them?"
"Yes."
For a momenthe fear surged again.
But this time but she didn't spiral.
Because he was there.
The Poem
Her breathing was still uneven.
Her heart still racing.
But she closed her eyes anyway.
"…I know something that helps," she whispered.
Zhenkai didn't interrupt.
She inhaled slowly.
Then spoke.
"'When the walls close in,
and the world forgets how to breathe,
I borrow the silence.
I stitch it into something softer,
something that doesn't hurt as much.
Because even trapped spaces
can learn how to hold light…
if you don't stop looking for it.'"
The elevator was still dark.
Still suffocating.
Still dangerous.
But her voice was soft and steady like a fleeting song you wanna hold onto.
Zhenkai watched her.
He really watched her.
Like he was seeing something he hadn't fully understood before.
"…You wrote that?" he asked quietly.
She nodded faintly. "…A long time ago."
"It fits."
A small pause.
"…You fit," he added.
Her eyes opened slowly.
"…That doesn't make sense."
"It does to me."
Her heart skipped again.
[System Alert: Emotional resonance detected.]
[System Comment: He's gone.]
"…Gone where?" she asked internally.
[System: You.]
She nearly choked.
Above them,
On the control floor
A man watched the stalled elevator feed, he was cold and silent giving off a do not near me vibes but all his attention was on the two in the elevator.
A voice crackled through his earpiece.
"Status?"
"Contained," he replied.
A pause.
"Target?"
"…Both inside."
The pause was longer this time.
Then he said one more word.
"Good."
The line went dead.
The man's fingers hovered over the control panel.
Waiting.
Inside
Jiang Yue leaned back against the wall slowly.
Her breathing steadier now.
"…Okay," she said quietly. "I'm not dying. Yet."
"Preferably not at all," Zhenkai replied.
She huffed a weak laugh.
"…You're weirdly calm."
"I'm thinking."
"That's not comforting."
"It will be."
He stepped closer.
Just a little closer than before, closer.
"Stay with me," he said.
She blinked. "…Where else would I go?"
His lips almost curved into a smile
The silence returned.
But this time,
It wasn't suffocating.
It was…
Full.
Her hand brushed his.
Accidentally.
Or not.
Neither of them pulled away.
[System Alert: Hand-holding opportunity detected.]
[System Mission: HOLD IT.]
Her fingers twitched.
Then—
She laced them with his.
His grip tightened instantly, his grip felt warm steady and real
"…There," she whispered internally. "Happy?"
[System: Extremely.]
Zhenkai looked down at their joined hands.
Then back at her.
"…Better?" he asked.
She nodded.
"…Better."
Suddenly, the elevator jolted hard
Jiang Yue stumbled forward, straight into him.
His arm wrapped around her automatically.
Holding her close.
Too close.
Her breath caught.
His didn't change.
But his grip tightened.
"Careful," he murmured.
"I didn't do that on purpose!"
"I didn't say you did."
[System Alert: Accidental embrace achieved.]
[System Comment: This is progressing nicely.]
"…I hate you," she muttered internally.
[System: You love me.]
Moments later
Voices echoed from above.
Metal groaned.
The elevator jerked again.
Then...
Light flooded in as the doors were forced open.
Security was there as well as his friends Yuze,Jainyu and Zixuan.
"About time," Jiang Yue muttered weakly.
Jainyu pointed immediately. "Why do you keep getting stuck in elevators?"
"WHY IS THAT YOUR FIRST QUESTION?"
Zixuan grinned. "Important detail."
Yuze's gaze scanned them both. "…You're okay?"
Zhenkai nodded once. "We're fine."
But his grip on her hand
Didn't loosen.
Later that night
Jiang Yue sat quietly, replaying everything again.
The fear.
The poem, His voice and his hand holding hers strongly
Her fingers curled slightly.
"…I wasn't scared at the end."
[System: Because of him.]
"…Yeah."
Across the city
Zhenkai stood in his office, voice cold.
"They targeted me this time."
Yuze nodded. "Which means ?"
"They're getting desperate," Zhenkai finished.