In a grand, luxurious private castle, neon lights flicker through the floor-to-ceiling windows with vintage curtains drawn open. A woman sits pinned to a chair before the window, entwined in a tense embrace with the man holding her.
"Don't…" she breathes, her eyes seductive yet fearful, her voice trembling.
In a grand, luxurious private castle, neon lights flicker through the floor-to-ceiling windows with vintage curtains drawn open. A woman sits pinned to a chair before the window, entwined in a tense embrace with the man holding her.
"Don't…" she breathes, her eyes seductive yet fearful, her voice trembling.
"Don't?" His magnetic voice is layered with command. Under him, she isn't allowed to say "don't"—only "yes."
Pain courses through her body, and the words she wanted to say, "Could you at least close the curtains?" are forced back down. Facing this powerful, dangerous man, she has no means of resistance. If she wants to survive, she has no choice but to submit to the storm he brings.
Outside, the sound of rain falls, casting shadows over the fountain plaza below, where people move in and out of view. She is held in an exposed and shameful position, her mind drifting back to the events that led her to him.
It was only hours ago…
Yun Zhiyi was fleeing for her life, barefoot, through the forest. Branches tore at her dress, her pale skin bleeding, though she felt no pain. Behind her, a group of killers chased her down, seeking her death. Her stepmother, in a bid for family wealth, had coaxed her younger stepsister to seduce her boyfriend. Under the pretense of bringing Yun back for marriage, he had lured her to this remote suburb, where her stepsister and a gang of men were waiting to kill her.
"Brother Shen, once she's gone, I can take her place and marry you with all the family honor!" her stepsister cooed, dressed in a red bodycon dress, draping herself around his neck, sealing her promise with a kiss.
"What are you standing around for?" her boyfriend barked at the hired men. "I didn't pay you to watch—finish her off!"
Eight burly men stepped down from their SUVs, holding metal pipes and bats, smashing car windows until shards of glass littered the ground. They grabbed at her, pulling her through the window, but Yun Zhiyi seized the moment, flooring the gas pedal to break through them and escape.
Yet, her escape was far from successful. She was soon pursued by a dozen cars, taillights fading behind her into the dark.
Night was deepening, the sky pitch black.
Then, the rain poured.
Yun Zhiyi's car spun out and crashed, skidding off the road into the forest, flipping over and sliding down the muddy trail. She abandoned the car and ran, losing her shoes in her frantic escape. Exhausted and near despair, she crouched in the dense foliage, surrounded by endless darkness.
Far from the bustling city, there was no cell signal, no street cameras. It was an utter wasteland.
She shivered, curling herself into a ball in the grass, her pursuers closing in. Her stepsister's voice echoed through a loudspeaker, taunting her, "Yun Zhiyi, don't hide. I know you're close by. Come out quietly, and maybe I'll let these men 'take care of you' before you go."
Only now did Yun Zhiyi realize her once-gentle stepsister An Yirou was filled with such venomous cruelty. Anger and despair rose in her heart as she shook and crawled further into the underbrush.
It was then that a beam of light cut through the dark toward her.
"Who's there?"
A cold, commanding voice pierced the silence.
"Who's hiding over there?"
Yun Zhiyi froze, trembling as she looked into the flashlight beam, her vision flooded with harsh white light. Panic set in. Could they have already found her? She couldn't believe anyone else could be out here, in this remote forest.
It was over.
They'd found her, and she would die at the hands of those vipers—her end a shameful and cruel death.
In an instant, a dozen men in black tactical gear surrounded her. The lead guard shined his flashlight over her, his voice harsh and icy.
"How dare you trespass on Lord Li's property? You've got a death wish!"
It took Yun Zhiyi a second to understand that these weren't her pursuers—they were someone else entirely.
The group parted, a narrow pathway clearing among the men. A voice addressed the approaching figure with deep respect.
"Lord Li, we've found an unknown woman."
Li Yuye, draped in a dark green coat that seemed to blend him into the forest, stood over Yun Zhiyi, golden embroidered patterns catching the dim light, giving him an air of both luxury and authority.
He halted in front of her, looking down with a gaze as sharp as blades, cutting into her.
Yun Zhiyi, crouched in the grass, her clothes torn and stained with mud and blood, looked like a refugee from a distant land, dirty and desperate, with only her clear eyes still reflecting a glimmer of life.
Confirming she wasn't a threat, Li Yuye's voice was cold and dismissive as he ordered her out.
"Dirty thing. If you don't want to die, then get lost."
The disdain and chill in his tone, like the freezing winds of the Antarctic, sent a shiver through her. He was so unfeeling!
Yet Yun Zhiyi knew he was her only chance. She was being hunted; to run now would be suicide. Even if she managed to evade her pursuers, the dangers of this wild forest would leave her no chance for survival.
He was her one hope.
This man commanded a large number of guards and seemed to wield considerable power.
She had to stay.
No matter what, she had to hold on to this lifeline.
As the man turned to leave, she reached out, grabbing onto the hem of his pants. "Can…can you save me?"
Li Yuye paused, as if he'd just heard something amusing.
A cold glint of amusement filled his dark eyes, dangerous and unnerving, shadowed with a deep, sinister darkness.
"Save you? And why should I?"