Z Country's Capital City, 7.00pm.
The violent wind blew in a fresh earthy scent from the entrance of the restaurant, signaling the arrival of the rain. What followed was the sound of the heavy beat of the raindrops impinging upon the street and drumming on the windows. It was nearly the end of the monsoon season but Mother Nature still rained down on the city, sending thunder and lightning to wreak havoc on earth.
To Han Qingling, the restaurant owner, this was Mother Nature's recipe to keep customers inside their homes, their wallets fat, and make her miserable.
Watching the rain pouring down, Han Qingling's mood worsened, matching the weather. Business was already difficult lately because a famous restaurant brand had just opened shop right across the street from hers. She needed all the customers she could get, especially since she needed money to pay off a loan soon or risk losing her restaurant.
The restaurant was all that was left of her father. He worked forty years to keep this place running but when he died, the business started to dwindle without him. It wasn't so bad that her accounts immediately went down to red. Business had always been good, and the income she received would be enough for her to make a living and keep the restaurant afloat. However, after her father died, things took a turn for the worse when someone from the Jade Dragon Restaurant chain wanted to buy the restaurant. She had refused, which they did not take too kindly.
They started to damage the restaurants reputation by sending thugs to disrupt business and crooked health inspectors to give them tickets and calling it a health hazard. Even her father's loyal chefs had been poached by them. Things were so bad that Qingling had to get a loan in order to keep the place afloat. But, what she didn't expect was for her uncle, who Han Qingling received the loan from, to give her IOU to the CEO of the Jade Dragon Restaurant chain; her current business competitor. The IOU stated that if could not pay off the loan with interest by the end of this month, the restaurant will belong to the owner of said IOU.
It had been a trap designed by her uncle and the Jade Dragon Restaurant chain. The way they worded the IOU to say that the owner of IOU would be get the restaurant in the end, instead of using her uncle's name showed that they had been in cahoots.
Just thinking about it made her hands curl up into two tight fists. So tight that she could feel her fingers digging into her skin.
"Hmph, I hope the lightning strikes their restaurant!"
She couldn't do anything about her circumstances, but cursing them made her feel slightly better.
'CRACK!'
In the span of a second, a flash of light struck the front of the Jade Dragon restaurant, missing the entrance by a hair's breadth. The bright light and booming thunder elicited a scream from everyone who saw it, including Han Qingling.
"Kyaa!"
Before she could stand, a big gust of wind blew the door open and startled her. The wind violently blew inside and knocked a few things off the counters and the table. Pictures fell off from the wall and shattered some ornaments. The mini tornado of a wind swept through the room before it dispersed.
Han Qingling crouched underneath a table when the wind blew in. Before she could stand up, she heard two sounds. The sound of footsteps and a delicate feminine voice.
"Such a strong wind."