Chapter 6: Enchanting Rainy Night

When I had forgotten what love was, it was you who made my heart race again.

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The black Audi came to a halt, and the well-trained bodyguards, upon confirming their target, poured out in swift succession. In the curtain of rain, a panicked figure seemed to seek refuge in the darkness, only to be betrayed by the faint, flickering glow.

Faced with this scene, Lu Huaining could already guess seven-tenths of what was happening. Through the rearview mirror, his slightly furrowed brows watched those relentless, pursuing shadows, and in his mind, the stubborn, lonely gaze from that rainy night surfaced once more.

What a nightmare! He cursed inwardly, but without hesitation, he picked up his phone and dialed his assistant. “Have the municipal lighting authority temporarily cut power to the lights near Xiangfei Road.”

As soon as the words left his lips, he spun the steering wheel. The car roared to life, spinning ninety degrees and blocking half the street. His indifferent gaze swept over the furious figures charging toward him, and then, all at once, the bright streetlights extinguished, plunging everything into darkness.

With a deft maneuver, the car carved a perfect arc through the rain, heading straight for the place where that helpless silhouette had vanished.

His deep-set eyes scanned the roadside through the beams of his headlights. His lips pressed into a thin line. When Lu Huaining finally spotted her in the fine, sweeping rain, he didn’t even have time to lower the window. He shouted, his voice cutting through the downpour: “Xue Zuining—!”

Startled, she turned at the sound. In her panic, her wild gaze caught sight of the man stepping out of the car. With a terrified scream, she fled even faster, not realizing she was running straight toward a river, swollen and raging from the rain.

“Why are you running? Stop right there!” Soaked to the skin, Lu Huaining watched her stumble desperately away. On a night like this, if he let a young woman dash off alone, he’d probably see her face on the front page by morning.

A hundred meters away, the relentless rain mirrored Xue Zuining’s exhausted steps. Every searching beam of light made her shudder, and the voices echoing through the wet air behind her made her heart pound harder than the thunder.

“Hey—” He finally caught her arm. Lu Huaining, dripping and disheveled, wiped the rain from his face. “Are you part rabbit? You run faster than a dog!”

His annoyed words finally made Xue Zuining pause and open her eyes. She looked up along the shirt sleeve gripping her arm and, in the next instant, locked eyes with the man’s fathomless gaze.

Yet at that moment, Xue Zuining could never have imagined that the inscrutable look in this man’s eyes would become woven into her dreams—a nightmare she could never escape, dragging her heart and body into the abyss.

“Search carefully… Young Master He says we must find her—”

The yellow beams of searchlights swept intermittently through the darkness, rough voices scattering in the rain, snapping Xue Zuining out of her daze.

“You… let go of me!” She cast a desperate glance at the approaching lights behind him, anxious to break free from his grip.

As she struggled, Lu Huaining turned, eyeing the shadows searching in his direction. To the left, the city’s encircling river surged, treacherous and unfamiliar from years of neglect. One wrong step now could have unimaginable consequences.

The moment Xue Zuining tore herself free, she turned to run, but her waterlogged trousers seemed to pin her to the ground like lead. Before she could take a step, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her off balance and tumbling her into the flowerbed at his side.

“You—”

His free hand clamped over her mouth, silencing her. But he hadn’t expected the seemingly delicate woman to seize the chance and bite down hard on his hand!

“Ah—” Lu Huaining hissed in pain, gripping her chin and signaling for her to release. His voice was low, tinged with anger. “If you want to get through this night alive, do exactly as I say! Let go, or I’ll hand you over to them myself!”

His fierce gaze made her nod, stunned and silent beneath him. She watched as his eyes, sharp and alert, scanned every movement around them. So, he really was helping her.

Half his body was pressed against hers, pinning her from her frantic struggles. The tiny stones in the flowerbed jabbed into her painfully, her soft, choked breaths finally catching his attention.

“They’re gone now. Get up.” Lu Huaining straightened, rubbing his bruised elbow. “What cursed weather.”

“I’m sorry about just now.” Xue Zuining pushed herself up, looking at her rescuer—tall enough to stand a head above her, worry in her eyes. “Are you all right?”

“I was fine, but if you’d bitten any harder, I’d be crippled.” He shot her a sidelong glance, stepped out of the flowerbed, and strode back toward the car.

“Are you planning to walk home alone?” He looked back as Xue Zuining hesitated, clearly intending to go in the opposite direction, his voice cold.

In the darkness, she twisted her fingers, uncertain, her steps faltering. “I…”

“In less than half an hour, all the streetlights here will come back on. By then, you’ll be caught for sure.” Lu Huaining’s irritation simmered—did he really look so much like a villain?

As she wavered, the bodyguards who had seemed to leave suddenly doubled back. She swallowed hard, only to see him—who had just walked away—suddenly seize her hand. The rain was icy, but their combined warmth drove away the chill.

“Trust me!”

Those three simple words made Xue Zuining lower her guard. She let him lead her, running together through the wild, beautiful chaos of the rain-soaked night.

Her body was quickly bundled into the car. Xue Zuining dashed around to the passenger side, climbed in, and he sped them away.

Where was he taking her? Home? But what if He Min’s men were already waiting for her there?

A string of questions twisted in her mind, her fingers clenching the fabric in her palm. Still shaken, her eyes flickered ahead. Images of those false, leering faces from tonight flashed through her thoughts. Was she truly destined to live beneath those unspoken rules, enduring the lecherous gazes of men who wanted to possess both her body and her heart?

“Achoo—”

“There’s a dry towel in the compartment. Wipe off, or you’ll catch cold.” Lu Huaining adjusted the car’s heat. Now, he was certain her shivering was all due to the frigid rain.

Taking the soft towel, Xue Zuining dabbed at the droplets on her cheeks, then glanced at the man beside her, just as drenched. She handed him the towel. “You should dry your face, too.”

The black car glided to the curb and stopped.

He watched her, water dripping from his hair, the towel in her outstretched hand. “Here’s your towel, and… I should get out now.”

Lu Huaining took the half-damp towel. His eyes narrowed. “Do you think I stopped so you could get out?”

She saw the anger flicker across his face and was about to protest when he looked straight ahead and said, “Sit properly.”

“If you won’t let me out, then where are you taking me?” She thought, perhaps, the hospital was the safest place to go.

Familiar landmarks slid past the window. With practiced ease, Lu Huaining turned the steering wheel, guiding them into a new direction.

As the gates of an upscale residential community loomed ahead, Xue Zuining’s heart leapt in her chest. “You! Why did you bring me here?!”