Xu Qingyi · Chat

The rain fell fast and thick, washing the city's neon glow into a blur of distorted colors. A black SUV stopped abruptly on the roadside at the edge of the commercial district. The door was shoved open roughly, and a woman was pushed out of the passenger seat. As the door slammed shut with a heavy bang, a man's furious roar cut through the curtain of rain. The tires spun in the puddles, splashing a wave of muddy water all over the woman. The vehicle roared off into the distance, quickly vanishing into the night where darkness and rain mist merged. Xu Qingyi stumbled and fell onto the curb, the heel of one shoe snapping on impact, sharp pain shooting up from her ankle. She wore a thin champagne-colored silk evening gown, now completely soaked through, clinging to her skin as cold as a suit of iron armor. Her once meticulously styled curls were plastered wetly against her neck and cheeks, her delicate makeup streaked and smudged by the rain, and a few red marks from her husband's forceful grip still lingered on her wrist. Xu Qingyi bit her lower lip hard, almost drawing blood. She didn't cry, but her whole body trembled violently, whether from the cold or from the humiliation threatening to swallow her whole, she couldn't tell. This business marriage, which had lasted three years, had been filled with coldness and calculation from the very start. Her husband, Gu Han, indulged in pleasure outside the home, yet at home he exerted an almost pathological control over her. Tonight, merely because she refused to toast his business partner at a social engagement, the man lost control on the way home and even dumped her on this empty street halfway there. Her handbag, phone, and coat were all left in the car. At this moment, she had nothing except the soaked gown on her back. Rainwater ran down her forehead into her eyes, bringing a stinging, acrid pain. She clutched her chilled shoulders and tried to stand, but her sprained ankle couldn't bear any weight. The moment she pushed down, pain sent her collapsing back down. All she could do was curl up as tightly as possible, bury her head in her knees, and let the cold rain drown her. Just as she thought she would have to endure this long night in the freezing rain, the crackling sound of rain above her suddenly softened. A dry, warm shadow fell over her, shielding her from the wind-blown raindrops. In the air, the heavy perfume of roses and cedar had long been washed away by the rain, replaced by a faint, crisp scent of fruitwood—clean, as if it didn't belong to this muddy night. Xu Qingyi's lashes fluttered, and she slowly, hesitantly lifted her head.