Rain poured heavily over the Shanghai City that night, turning the bright streets into blurred reflections of neon lights. Cars rushed past, people hurried under umbrellas, and the sound of thunder echoed between the tall glass buildings.
Inside the luxurious Sky Crown Hotel, the atmosphere was very different.
Music pulsed through the grand ballroom while wealthy guests laughed, drank, and celebrated another successful business deal. Crystal chandeliers sparkled above the crowded hall, and servers moved around carrying trays of expensive wine.
Liang Zhen stood near the large windows, his posture straight and calm.
As the CEO of Zhen Group, he had attended hundreds of events like this. To him, they were nothing more than business obligations. Conversations, handshakes, contracts, polite smiles. Everything was predictable.
He glanced at the glass of wine in his hand but didn't drink it.
Across the room, his assistant Zhang Ming was chatting with several investors, laughing loudly as usual.
Liang Zhen sighed quietly.
These parties were exhausting.
Just then, someone approached him.
"President Liang, congratulations on the new project," a businessman said with a friendly smile.
Liang Zhen nodded politely.
"Thank you."
The man handed him another glass of wine.
"It would be rude to refuse a toast tonight."
Liang Zhen hesitated for a moment, then accepted the drink.
He rarely drank, but refusing would only create unnecessary attention.
He took a small sip.
At first, nothing felt unusual.
But within a few minutes, something changed.
A strange warmth spread through his body.
His vision blurred slightly.
Liang Zhen frowned.
Something was wrong.
He placed the glass on the table and loosened his tie. The noise of the ballroom suddenly felt louder, sharper.
His heartbeat quickened.
This isn't normal.
Someone had clearly tampered with his drink.
Anger flashed across his mind, but his body was already reacting. His instincts told him he needed to leave immediately.
Without another word, Liang Zhen turned and walked out of the ballroom.
The hallway outside was quieter, but the strange heat in his body only grew stronger.
His breathing became heavier.
He needed fresh air.
Or space.
Or anything away from the crowd.
Meanwhile, several floors above, another person was having a terrible night.
Mei Lin leaned against the elevator wall, holding her head.
Her vision spun slightly as she tried to focus on the numbers lighting up above the door.
"Stupid… Wang Hao…" she muttered under her breath.
Earlier that evening, she had discovered the truth about her boyfriend.
The man she trusted for three years had been cheating on her.
Not only that, he didn't even try to deny it.
Instead, he blamed her.
Said she was too serious.
Too boring.
Too difficult to love.
The memory made her laugh bitterly.
So she did the one thing she almost never did.
She drank.
Too much.
Now she could barely walk straight.
When the elevator doors opened, Mei Lin stumbled into the hallway.
The luxurious carpet felt soft under her shoes as she slowly walked forward, trying to find the room she had booked for the night.
But the alcohol made everything confusing.
Room numbers blurred together.
The hallway lights seemed too bright.
Her head spun again.
Without thinking much, she pushed open the first unlocked door she found.
The room inside was dark.
Cool air brushed against her face.
Mei Lin stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
Finally.
Quiet.
She kicked off her shoes and dropped her purse on the nearby chair before walking further into the room.
At the same time, another figure had already entered from the balcony door.
Liang Zhen.
He had escaped to the room for privacy, hoping the strange feeling would pass.
But it didn't.
Instead, his senses became sharper.
The scent in the room changed suddenly.
Something soft.
Warm.
Human.
His eyes slowly adjusted to the darkness.
And then he saw her.
A woman standing a few steps away.
Mei Lin blinked as she noticed the tall silhouette in the dim light.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
The tension in the room felt strange.
Almost magnetic.
Neither of them fully understood what was happening.
Liang Zhen's instincts were already reacting.
The drug in his system clouded his judgment.
Mei Lin, still dizzy from alcohol and heartbreak, could barely think clearly.
Their eyes met briefly in the darkness.
Neither of them realized that this single moment…
would change both of their lives forever.
Because by the time morning came, they would walk away without knowing each other's names.
Without knowing each other's faces.
And without realizing they had just created a bond that fate itself had planned.
A bond that would return to them…
seven years later.