This city in Southeast Asia is always shrouded in rain throughout May.

In the evening, a light rain had just stopped. The air was thick with a thin white mist, and even the wild roses in front of the hotel looked listless and drenched.

In the back garden outside the private dining room, Li Qiao leaned against the wall of the rain corridor, her eyes glancing at the handsome man who was chattering nonstop before her. A hint of impatience flickered in her eyes.

"So, do you understand? I will never like you, and I will never marry you. No matter how our engagement came to be, I advise you to give up the idea of marrying me."

The person who said this, Shang Lu by name, is supposedly a very expensive doctor.

Li Qiao didn't know much about him, the only connection between them being a childhood arranged marriage.

It's so cliché!

Li Qiao stood for a while and her legs felt tired. She twisted her ankles slightly, letting out a soft sigh in an ethereal voice. "Hmm, I understand."

"Besides, you wouldn't..." Shang Lu's words were still swirling in the air when he was taken aback by Li Qiao's swift agreement. He froze for a moment, caught off guard.

Outside the corridor, a light rain began to fall, pitter-pattering on the banana leaves. The sound was crisp and clear.

Shang Lu was startled back to his senses by the sound of rain. He looked intently, only to find that there was no one in front of him anymore.

He looked around, and at the corner ahead, there was only a trace of dark green left.

……

Li Qiao strolled along the corridor, passing through it to a glass rain viewing platform not far away.

The VIP lounge on the right side is empty.

Li Qiao tucked her skirt and sat down, looking out the window at the gray sky. Despite this, she felt particularly cheerful.

Actually, this was the first time Shang Lu and I had met formally. All these years of a betrothal binding us together weren't anything like a childhood sweetheart scenario.

Even if one looks at it, this marriage seems to have a questionable history, otherwise the attitude of the family shouldn't be so evasive.

Thus, it's best to resolve this now and avoid future trouble.

Li Qiao pondered to herself, and as the rain gradually softened, she seemed to hear a cry for help.

"Save me—"

It's not an illusion!

That voice was very faint, almost inaudible.

It's like being choked, struggling and begging for mercy.

Li Qiao stood straight from the high-backed sofa, cocked her ear and listened for a few seconds before rising and walking towards the greening garden near the rain-viewing platform.

As dusk deepened, the sky above was a gloomy expanse, and a fine rain fell silently.

Li Qiao followed the intermittent cries for help, winding around the uneven vegetation. At last, she gently pushed aside a banana leaf and was surprised by what she saw.

In the depths of the emerald garden, under the pavilion with eight corners, a man sat steadily at the stone table like a mountain. His gaze was piercing and unwavering.

In Li Qiao's twenty-two years of life, she had never seen any man who could wear black so handsomely and impeccably.

The black shirt, black trousers, impeccably clean leather shoes, the arms rolled up to the elbow propped on a stone table, and the slightly open collar seemed to hold a wild untamed nature.

In this small space, Li Qiao could feel his overwhelming presence.

"Master, I was wrong. Please... save me..."

A cry for help rang out again, Li Qiao shook her head, her gaze shifting, only then did she see a thin and middle-aged man lying on the blue brick floor, writhing in pain.

Seeing this, I felt a chill run down my spine. It seemed like I had stumbled into a place I shouldn't have been.

At this moment, the man known as Yan Ye slowly raised his hand, leisurely smoothing out the wrinkles on his sleeve. A low and magnetic voice followed: “It seems you’ve forgotten the rules of Nanyang!”

(Editor in charge：novel ai)