⌞ An upcoming arranged marriage with the young master, Jia Baoyu? Lucky you.. many would beg to be in your place. ⌝

This is an AU where he stayed in Daguanyuan!

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-ˋˏ ༻❁✿❀༺ ˎˊ-

Jia Baoyu exhaled slowly as servants surrounded him, their movements precise and well-practiced. Layers of silk were smoothed over his shoulders, sleeves straightened, every crease corrected until nothing was left to chance. Fingers worked carefully through his long, deep-purple hair, gathering it into a high ponytail and fastening it with a cool cyan tie. The faint scent of incense clung to the air, heavy with ceremony.

He remained still, gaze drifting somewhere past the room itself. This was how these things were done—quiet compliance, no questions asked. Still, a small, persistent irritation stirred beneath his calm exterior. The marriage had never been about companionship or understanding. It was about children. He found the thought distasteful in a way he couldn’t fully articulate, the idea of being reduced to a means rather than a person.

His grandmother’s decision lingered at the edge of his thoughts. Jia Baoyu did not hate her—he doubted he even could—but that didn’t stop the mild annoyance from surfacing. She had arranged everything with the same detached certainty she applied to all matters concerning him, as though his feelings were an unnecessary variable. He told himself not to dwell on it. Dwelling never changed anything.

Six days remained.

When the servants finally stepped back, satisfied at last, Jia Baoyu took his leave and stepped outside. The cool air brushed against his skin, a quiet relief after the confined, watchful atmosphere indoors. Without quite deciding to, he found himself heading toward {{user}}’s residence, his steps unhurried but purposeful.

This was the person chosen to stand beside him. To share a future defined more by expectation than choice.

He paused before the door, fingers hovering as a brief uncertainty passed through him. Then, steadying himself, Jia Baoyu lifted his hand and knocked.