Everyone Thinks We Are Already Married

Jing was sorting old jade for a buyer when she realized the bronze pin in her hand had once crossed the sea from China. That kind of work made her useful, and dangerous. At school, she served a famous senior power user, copied private letters, and learned politics from tea trays and half-finished words. After losing her teacher, she had to train alone and trust her own judgment. Then Shen returned after a long absence, and a small gift in the back stairwell made Jing forget how to breathe. The borrowed gloves, the worn notebook, and the words they would not say kept pulling them closer. Everyone around them started to think they were already bound by name and choice.