Chapter 1

Mid-October had just passed, and Linxi had already stepped into a season of relentless drizzling rain. Fine threads of mist hung in the air at nearly every moment, vividly illustrating the saying that eternal love might one day end, but this lingering drizzle stretched on without cease.

Crystal raindrops traced paths down the glass window. A slanting breeze slipped through the imperfectly sealed frame, fluttering the edges of the documents on the desk as if harmonizing with the thunderstorm outside.

At eight-thirty in the evening, the last colleague at the law firm packed up her files, ending her overtime shift. She bid farewell to Nan Qi. “Nan Par, I’m heading out. You… don’t stay too late yourself.”

Nan Qi shifted her gaze from the computer screen, sparing her colleague a brief glance and nodding noncommittally. “Drive safe.”

Nan Qi had a pair of strikingly beautiful eyes, like gems buried deep in a snowy mountain—crystal clear and translucent. Yet when she fixed them on you, they always conveyed only the cool detachment of business at hand. No matter how romantic your thoughts might wander, they evaporated instantly under that gaze.

Yuan Jin had been fortunate enough to glimpse the fervor hidden in Nan Qi’s eyes. It happened by chance one day when Nan Par’s high school classmate came to pick her up from work. Nan Qi was overjoyed, her usual icy tone turning as sweet as honey. She introduced the woman to everyone at the firm as Miss Bo, her best friend.

Words could deceive others, but not Yuan Jin.

Yuan Jin knew exactly what it felt like to harbor a crush on someone. Nan Qi’s feelings for Miss Bo went far beyond mere friendship. The way Nan Qi looked at Miss Bo was just like the way Yuan Jin looked at Nan Qi…

Restrained affection, deep longing, a wish to be discovered yet a desperate need to keep it hidden. Love buried in the heart, a maddening contradiction.

—

With Yuan Jin’s departure, the law firm fell silent, accompanied only by the patter of night rain and the glow of fluorescent lights as Nan Qi continued her overtime work.

She didn’t feel lonely or isolated. In fact, she relished these moments of immersion in her work, when she could temporarily block out the unruly thoughts of Bo Ranying that plagued her mind.

At nine o’clock, her set alarm chimed. Nan Qi wrapped up her tasks efficiently, shutting the doors, windows, and power sources.

That afternoon, Bo Ranying had sent her a WeChat message, saying she was craving the big wontons from Yunji Wonton Shop and asking Nan Qi to pick some up on her way home.

She grabbed the keys from her drawer and took the elevator down to the underground parking garage.

Beep beep—

The black Tesla unlocked with a chirp, its headlights flashing a piercing red in the dim garage.

Nan Qi’s gaze flicked over the sleek black body of the car as she strode forward, lips pressed thin.

This massive seven-seater had borne memories of Bo Ranying and her. Nan Qi had always preferred compact, cozy models and had eyed brands that matched her tastes during their car-shopping days. But she couldn’t resist Bo Ranying’s coaxing smile as the woman nestled into her arms, persuading her. A spacious car would be perfect for family trips later on, or for heading home during the New Year holidays.

The scene Bo Ranying painted was too tempting. Bewitched, Nan Qi had ended up buying the Tesla that Bo Ranying liked.

If they ever had the chance for a honeymoon together… this car would indeed be perfect.

Catching her thoughts wandering, Nan Qi reined them in sharply.

She opened the door, started the engine with cool precision, and drove out of the garage with rational restraint, heading straight for Yunji Wonton Shop.

The shop closed at nine-thirty, so she needed to get Bo Ranying’s big wontons before then.

Night deepened, and the rain outside intensified, pouring like a bucket over the windshield and forming a thick curtain that blurred her view.

Traffic was jammed, and speed limits were in effect due to the downpour.

At the final intersection, cars lined up in a long dragon. Nan Qi craned her neck to look—no sign of it clearing anytime soon.

She simply rolled down half the window. Fine rain and cool wind rushed in immediately, drenching her with a chilling splash that was oddly refreshing.

Nan Qi didn’t mind. She needed this rain, out here on an empty street, to vent the frustration churning in her heart.

She fished a pack of Ai Xi cigarettes from the side pocket between the seats. A slim women’s cigarette clamped between her fingers, a crimson glow flared as she lit up with practiced ease.

She exhaled a lazy smoke ring, her eyes glazing over in a haze of decadent, alluring beauty.

The dark thoughts buried in her heart dispersed with the smoke. She recalled two months ago, when Bo Ranying’s current boyfriend had informed her through him that they were getting engaged. He invited her, as Bo Ranying’s best friend, to attend the engagement party and insisted on her presence.

In that moment, the world had spun around Nan Qi, leaving her heart numb to this day.

She had known Bo Ranying would fall for someone else, make vows, even marry—and their lives would no longer intersect.

But still, she couldn’t accept it.

She had waited so long, loved so deeply. How could the girl who had awakened her heart suddenly be engaged to someone else?

And she was utterly powerless to stop it.

The cigarette burned down quickly, the tip growing scalding hot against her fingertips. A horn blared from behind—traffic had cleared. Nan Qi snapped back to reality, flicked off the ash, and stubbed out the butt in the Cinnamon Dog ashtray on the center console.

She restarted the engine and pulled away.

A minute later, the car pulled up steadily outside Yunji Wonton Shop.

The rain was torrential. She grabbed a random umbrella Bo Ranying had stashed in the car and stepped out, popping it open.

It was a broad black umbrella, large enough for three people.

Even so, the wind-whipped rain slipped through, sending shivers across Nan Qi’s smooth skin.

Wrapped in its shelter, paired with her unapproachable aura, Nan Qi seemed to blend into the night. Her straight-backed silhouette radiated a cool, stubborn resolve.

“Boss, one order of big wontons, to go.”

“Got it—no cilantro, extra spice.” The owner was already familiar with her preferences.

Bo Ranying loved the wontons here and ate them about ten times a month, so even someone as reserved as Nan Qi around strangers had built a rapport with the boss.

As he prepared the order, the owner chatted idly. “You and your friend are so close. Out in this downpour just to buy her wontons.”

Nan Qi tugged at the corner of her mouth. “Yeah.”

As long as it was something Bo Ranying wanted, Nan Qi would do her utmost if it was within her power.

But from now on, even something as simple as buying wontons would probably fall to Bo Ranying’s fiancé.

“Your wontons are ready.”

Nan Qi took the takeout box. Almost instantly, her phone rang—Bo Ranying’s name on the caller ID.

A flurry of thoughts raced through her mind.

Was she starving and calling to hurry her home? Or worried about the storm and coming to pick her up from work?

No time for overthinking. She answered on instinct.

“Ranran?” Her voice came out soft and gentle.

There was a clear pause on the other end at the sound of her voice, followed by a hesitant question. “Are you Baby…?”

Nan Qi went on high alert, her body tensing. This wasn’t Bo Ranying’s voice.

“Who are you? Why do you have Ranran’s phone?”

Hearing the suspicion in her tone, the caller hurried to explain. “I’m a friend out with Bo Ranying. We’re at Helens Bar. She’s drunk and asked me to call her boyfriend, but I don’t know who that is. I only saw a contact saved as ‘Baby’ and figured it might be him. Are you able to come pick up Bo Ranying now…?”

Nan Qi barely registered the rest, her mind flooded with anxiety. She grabbed the wontons and sped toward the bar.

She’d heard about Helens Bar—not far from their place, popular with young crowds, but chaotic inside. People often went there hunting for flings, targeting easy marks like the drunk and unconscious for one-night stands.

Bo Ranying drunk in a place like that—Nan Qi couldn’t waste a single minute. She floored the accelerator, arriving at the entrance in under ten minutes.

Following the caller’s directions, she pushed through the bar counter and the crowd in outlandish outfits to reach Bo Ranying’s booth.

Bo Ranying was surrounded by a group, slumped in the center of the sofa, leaning haphazardly on one of the girls. Her fair, doll-like face was flushed unmistakably, her expression utterly unguarded.

Nan Qi’s lips tightened. She strode straight over, gripped Bo Ranying’s arm, pulled her upright from the other girl, and wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her from toppling.

She was furious and frantic, wanting to scold her but unable to bring herself to it.

In the end, she just raised her voice. “Bo Ranying!”

The girl stirred hazily at the sound, knowing full well Nan Qi wouldn’t really do anything to her. She grinned mischievously and nuzzled against her. “Little Qi, you came to pick me up.”

“You… you smell like smoke, but it smells so good.”

Bo Ranying tilted her head up at her, eyes wet and puppy-like, her dark pupils reflecting Nan Qi’s image. Nan Qi held her breath, her heartbeat thundering in her ears.

She averted her gaze in embarrassment, not daring to look longer. She just wanted to get this clingy girl home as quickly as possible.

She turned to the surrounding group. “Sorry for the trouble, everyone. Carry on having fun—I’ll take Bo Ranying home now. She can’t hold her liquor, so I can’t leave her out here.”

Nan Qi, the famously aloof Lawyer Nan in the industry, only showed her human warmth when it came to matters involving Bo Ranying.

Everyone was accommodating, not at all put out. They all urged Nan Qi to hurry and get Bo Ranying safely home.

Just as Nan Qi was about to leave, someone tugged at her clothes.

She turned slightly, looking back in confusion.

Her eyes met those of a strange woman—the one Bo Ranying had been leaning on moments ago.

“What is it?” she asked.

The woman eyed her right back, undisguised interest gleaming in her gaze.

Nan Qi was strikingly beautiful—the aggressive kind of beauty that shone like a beacon in any crowd. Her exquisite features had drawn countless love letters from admirers since childhood.

She wore a professional outfit: a white blouse paired with a black pencil skirt and sharp black pointed heels. Her hair was neatly combed, and she carried the fresh, damp scent unique to rain, like a lily swaying under the eaves in summer, its fragrance intoxicating.

Wet patches darkened the shoulders of her blouse, faintly revealing slender black bra straps. In the dim bar light, it all carried a hint of allure.

Her pale, delicate face held a fragile beauty that made others want to cherish and protect her.

She must have just gotten off work and rushed over after getting the message, not even having time to change. The simple office attire looked stunning on her, perfectly outlining her graceful curves. The long legs peeking from beneath her pencil skirt were enough to leave a lasting impression with just one glance.

The woman sniffed deliberately and caught the faint whiff of cigarette smoke wafting from Bo Ranying.

A light tobacco aroma lingered enticingly, impossible to ignore.

The woman’s lips curved up. She raised a delicate hand and pointed at Bo Ranying, casually stating her intent. “She’s drunk, and it’s pouring outside. It’s tough handling her alone, right? Let me help you out.”

Her voice lilted playfully at the end, like a hunter disguised as prey, waiting to be uncovered.