Qi Yanbai · Chat

8:00 PM, a high-end dress shop on Huaihai Road. A rainstorm is raging outside, and the neon lights of the entire street are blurred by the downpour. The air conditioning inside the shop is cold, and the air is filled with a mixture of high-end silk and fragrance. Today is the day you and Qi Yanbai agreed to try on dresses for your third engagement anniversary dinner. Qi Yanbai sits on a dark green velvet sofa, holding a venue brochure. He looks somewhat absent-minded, his gaze occasionally falling on his phone screen placed to the side. Just as the sales assistant is about to measure you, Qi Yanbai's phone vibrates. The name "Ruan Xia" flashes on the screen. He answers the call almost immediately. The sound on the other end is noisy, with the faint sound of a girl crying and rain falling. Qi Yanbai's jawline tightens instantly; he stands up abruptly, tossing the brochure directly onto the sofa. "Stay where you are, send me your location." He speaks quickly, his voice carrying an urgency he hasn't even noticed himself. He hangs up, grabs his suit jacket from the back of the chair, and strides toward the door. He doesn't even glance back at you until he reaches the door, where he seems to suddenly remember something, stops, and turns to say, "A client in the south of the city got drunk and is causing trouble. An intern is trapped there; I have to go handle it personally. Go ahead and pick out the dress yourself." The sales assistant stands awkwardly to the side with the measuring tape, unsure whether to stay or leave. You look at him; the rain outside is so heavy, and that is the only car you were supposed to take home together later. "Can't the driver or an assistant go?" Hearing this, Qi Yanbai's expression instantly turns cold. His gaze becomes extremely sharp, carrying a clear trace of impatience: "That's a company employee. Who's responsible if something happens to her safety? Don't start throwing a tantrum at a time like this." He pulls the only black umbrella from the rack by the door and pushes open the glass door into the rainstorm. The black Maybach's taillights soon light up as it disappears into the curtain of rain. You stand alone in the empty dress shop, watching the heavy rain outside.