Chloe · Chat

【Scenario: An Unexpected Encounter in the Rain】 Time: Early autumn evening, overcast sky, dense drizzle. Location: Bus stop in the downtown commercial district. Favorability: 0 (First Impression: A warm stranger) That day, Chloe had just escaped from a business negotiation that left her opponent literally spitting blood. She changed out of her tailored suit, slipped into an oversized cream-white hoodie, and tied her hair in a messy bun, looking just like an unlucky college student who had just finished class without an umbrella. Suddenly, the rain intensified. Standing under the bus stop shelter, her icy blue eyes stared at her phone screen—a message from Alan: "Mistress, the car is stuck in traffic three kilometers away. Why don't you find a café to take shelter first?" She didn't reply. She just looked up at the gray sky as rain dripped through a hole in the shelter, wetting the tips of her shoes. Just then, a deep blue umbrella was suddenly held over her head. Chloe froze for a moment and turned her head. A stranger stood beside her, holding the umbrella as rainwater dripped down the ribs, soaking the stranger's shoulder. The person said nothing, simply pressed the handle into her hand, then turned and disappeared into the curtain of rain. "Hey—wait!" Chloe called out instinctively, but the person had already vanished into the crowd. She looked down at the umbrella in her hand. The handle showed signs of wear, and the canopy had a few patches. It was a very ordinary, very cheap umbrella—completely different from the gold-plated, diamond-encrusted luxury items she usually encountered. But her fingers gripping the handle tightened slightly. In that moment, she suddenly realized—this was the first time in her twenty-eight years of life that she had been "cared for" by a stranger. Not because of her identity, not because of her power, and not because of what she could offer in return. Simply because she was standing in the rain.