She moved like a fugitive, swiftly gathering the only personal belongings on her desk that truly belonged to her—a well-used mug, a few pens, and a simple frame holding a couple of life photos. The high-end massage chair, tablet stand, wireless charger, even the thermos engraved with the character "Li" were all left behind without a second glance, as if she were discarding the chaotic and absurd past along with them.
"Xiao Lan, you..." Lin Xiaomei looked at her pale, resolute face, wanting to say something but ultimately letting out only a sigh and a worried glance.
Su Xiaolan didn't meet anyone's gaze. Head bowed, she struggled to maintain a semblance of composure as she fled the towering Li Corporation building—once her "lazy paradise"—as if escaping a nightmare. The sunlight was blinding, yet she felt no warmth, only an endless chill and overwhelming emptiness.
Back in her small, shabby but safe apartment, Su Xiaolan finally collapsed, as if all her strength had been drained. She slid down against the door, sitting on the cold floor, trembling uncontrollably. Tears streamed down her face again—not from grievance or anger, but from the immense exhaustion of having narrowly escaped a disaster and a bone-deep fear of the unknown future.
It was over.
Finally over.
Her lazy life might have been shattered, but at least... she had reclaimed the right to choose, hadn't she?
Outside, the sky had darkened without her noticing. Rolling clouds and distant thunder hinted at an impending storm, mirroring the oppressive weight in her heart.
She drifted through the next few hours in a daze. She boiled a pot of instant noodles but barely tasted them. She turned on the TV, but the noise couldn't drown out the images flashing through her mind—his back as he carried her out of the meeting room, his icy silence in the infirmary, and the cold resignation letter she had sent herself.
By evening, fierce winds howled, rattling the old window frames like mournful wails. Heavy raindrops began to pour, hammering against the glass with a frantic intensity, blurring the world outside into a chaotic watercolor. The room darkened rapidly, illuminated only by the flickering glow of the TV screen, casting shadows over her desolate face.
Then—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The heavy, urgent knocking cut through the deafening rain like a hammer slamming into her chest.
Her body stiffened instantly. Her heart skipped a beat before racing out of control. A freezing dread crawled up from her feet to the crown of her head.
Who—?!
Who could it be in this weather, at this hour?!
Fear seized her completely. She held her breath, not daring to move, forgetting even to turn off the TV.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The knocking grew more frantic, heavier, carrying an undeniable, almost violent force. The door itself trembled under the assault.
Su Xiaolan's heart threatened to leap out of her throat. She scrambled to her feet, legs weak and unsteady, and staggered toward the door. Peering through the narrow peephole of the old security door, she cautiously looked outside—
In the distorted view, the dim hallway light was mostly blocked by a tall, broad-shouldered figure. Even through the door, she could feel the oppressive, icy aura radiating from him.
Li Chenyuan!
Su Xiaolan gasped sharply, clamping a hand over her mouth to stifle a scream. Her blood seemed to freeze in her veins.
Why is he here?!
How did he find this place?!
What does he want?!
Panic flooded her like an icy tide. Pressed against the cold wall, she trembled like a leaf in a storm.
"Su Xiaolan!" His deep, hoarse voice pierced through the door, mingling with the roar of the rain, carrying a tension she had never heard before—and something else, something like... agitation? "Open the door!"
The commanding tone ignited the last remnants of her fear and defiance. She bit her lip hard, nails digging into her palms, using every ounce of strength to keep from collapsing.
"Li—Li Chenyuan! Please leave!" she shouted at the door, her voice breaking with sobs and terror. "I've already sent my resignation! We... we have nothing to do with each other now! Please... just let me go!"
The knocking stopped abruptly.
Silence.
Only the deafening storm outside filled the suffocating tension in the cramped space.
This brief silence was even more terrifying than the violent knocking. She had no idea what the man outside was thinking. The quiet felt like the dead center of a hurricane—calm, but deadly.
"Open. The door." Li Chenyuan's voice came again, lower, rougher, but laced with an unshakable, almost obsessive insistence. "I won't ask again."
The sheer authority and the undercurrent of something dangerously unhinged in his voice pushed Su Xiaolan's fear to its peak. She felt like prey cornered by a predator, with no escape.
"No! I won't open it!" she cried out, tears streaming down her face. "Just go! Please! Leave me alone! I don't ever want to see you again!"
Silence again.
Just as she thought he might finally give up, her nerves easing slightly—
CRASH!!!
A deafening, heart-stopping impact—not a knock, but a full-bodied slam!
The old metal security door shuddered violently, dust shaking loose from the frame.
Su Xiaolan screamed, collapsing to the floor in terror.
CRASH!!!
A second, even more brutal impact! The sound of metal buckling and twisting filled the air as the lock bent inward, the doorframe splintering.
He's insane! He's really going to break in!
Blind panic wiped all rational thought from her mind. She scrambled up, her only thought: Lock it! Lock the door! Keep him out!
She lunged for the door, fingers fumbling with the old-fashioned deadbolt—but just as her fingertips brushed the cold metal—
BOOM—!!!
A third strike, fueled by fury and raw power, smashed into the weakest point of the lock.
CRACK! BANG—!
The ear-splitting sound of metal breaking and twisting exploded through the apartment.
The flimsy old security door gave way, the lock and surrounding frame torn apart by sheer brute force.
The door flew open.
Wind and rain burst into the narrow entryway, drenching everything in cold, heavy dampness.
In the dim light of the hallway, Li Chenyuan's tall figure loomed like a demon stepping out of hell. He was drenched, his expensive dark suit clinging to his powerful frame, rainwater dripping from his disheveled hair and sharp jawline. His chest heaved, his dark eyes burning with a terrifying mix of fury and something Su Xiaolan had never seen before—something dangerously close to madness.
He stepped inside, his presence instantly filling the cramped space with an oppressive, suffocating weight.
"Ah—!" Su Xiaolan shrieked, stumbling back until her back hit the wall, trapped.
"Let you go?" Li Chenyuan's voice was like ice scraping bone, each word dripping with menace. He advanced, his waterlogged shoes leaving wet prints on the tile, each step like a hammer to her heart. "Su Xiaolan, who gave you the right to end things so easily?"
He towered over her, his rain-chilled breath enveloping her. Su Xiaolan shook violently, tears blurring her vision as she pleaded, "D-don't come any closer..."
"Don't come closer?" His hand shot out, cold, rain-slick fingers gripping her chin with unyielding force, forcing her to meet his storm-dark eyes.
Their gazes locked.
His eyes burned with rage, with the fury of challenged authority, and something darker—something primal, ignited by her attempt to flee.
Hers were wide with pure, abject terror.
"You thought a cold resignation letter could sever everything?" He leaned down, his voice a low, dangerous growl, his breath hot against her frozen skin. "Su Xiaolan, once you've provoked me, you don't get to walk away."
The last thread of his restraint snapped.
In the reflection of Su Xiaolan's terrified eyes, Li Chenyuan's rain-soaked, furious face descended upon hers.
A brutal, punishing kiss crushed her lips, silencing her whimpers and fear.
His mouth was cold, tasting of rain and salt, yet scorching like a brand. It wasn't gentle—it was a claiming, a conquest, a furious declaration of ownership.
"Mm—!" Su Xiaolan's mind went blank. All resistance was useless against his raw strength. She could only endure the savage assault, her very soul trembling under the onslaught.
Tears mixed with rain and heat between their locked lips. Beyond the shattered door, the storm raged on, its fury matching the tempest inside.
This broken door wasn't just a physical barrier—it was a boundary obliterated, forcing two paths that should never have crossed to collide in the most violent, painful, uncontrolled way possible.
This storm, born from efficiency and ending in chaos, had only just begun to unleash its full, devastating power.