In the city of South Sea, every May always brought continuous rain.
At dusk, as the drizzle subsided, the damp air was filled with a thin mist, and even the wild roses in front of the hotel seemed to soak up a sense of damp despondency.
Outside the private dining room in the rear garden, Li Qiao leaned against the wall of the rain corridor, looking at the handsome man who was prattling on in front of her, a trace of impatience flowing in her eyes.
"So, you understand, right? I'm not going to like you, and it's even less likely that I'll marry you. No matter how our engagement came to be, I advise you to give up on the idea of marrying me as soon as possible."
The speaker was named Shang Lu, said to be a highly esteemed doctor.
Li Qiao didn't know much about him, only that the sole tie between them was a childhood pledge made before either was born.
Extremely cliché!
Li Qiao was getting tired from standing, so she shifted her ankles slightly and sighed softly with a hollow voice, "Mm, I understand."
"Also, don't expect... Huh?" Shang Lu's words lingered at his lips, clearly not expecting Li Qiao would agree so readily, and was momentarily stunned.
Outside the rain corridor, the rain started pattering again, the sound of water droplets striking the banana leaves clear and melodious.
Shang Lu was brought back to his senses by the sound of the rain, and on closer look, the person in front of him was gone.
He looked around, and at the corner ahead, only a dash of dark green skirt hem remained.
...
Li Qiao walked leisurely along the rain corridor, passing through this walkway to a glass rain-watching pavilion not far away.
The VIP rest area on the right was empty.
Tucking her skirt, Li Qiao sat down and looked out at the gray sky, her mood exceptionally light.
In fact, today was the first formal meeting between her and Shang Lu, and the childhood pledge that had bound them together for so many years wasn't at all the typical sweetheart narrative.
Even in her view, the origin of this engagement was unclear; otherwise, her family's attitude wouldn't have been so secretive.
In that case, breaking it off was for the best to avoid future troubles.
Li Qiao pondered to herself, and with the gradually diminishing rain, she seemed to hear a cry for help.
"Save, me—"
It wasn't an illusion!
The voice was very faint, almost inaudible.
As if someone's throat was being strangled, they were pleading with difficulty.
Li Qiao straightened herself up from the high-backed sofa, listened carefully for a few seconds, then rose and walked towards the outdoor greenery garden near the rain-watching pavilion.
The twilight deepened, with a dark sky overhead, and a soft rain fell silently.
Following the intermittent cries for help, Li Qiao walked past a variety of plants of different heights, and at the end she gently pushed aside a banana leaf. What she saw before her was unexpected.
Deep in the Green Garden, a man sat firm as a mountain under the octagonal gazebo at the stone table.
In her twenty-two years of life, Li Qiao had never seen any man wear black so handsomely and fittingly.
A black shirt, black trousers, spotless leather shoes, the arms rolled up at the sleeves resting on the stone table, and the slightly open collar that seemed to express an untamed wildness.
In this confined space, Li Qiao could feel the powerful aura emanating from him.
"Master Yan, I know I was wrong, please... save me..."
The cries for help sounded again, and Li Qiao shook herself out of her daze, her gaze wandering before finally noticing a thin middle-aged man lying in extreme agony on the wet and slippery bluestone floor.
Seeing this, she had a bad feeling, knowing she might have stumbled into a place she shouldn't have.
At that moment, the man known as Master Yan slowly raised his hand and leisurely smoothed the wrinkles on his sleeve, his deep and magnetic voice following suit, "It seems you've forgotten the rules of South Sea!"