Lou Yue spent all her savings on a wristwatch.

Clutching the gift in her hand, she felt a surge of satisfaction. By the time she hurried out of the luxury boutique, the rain had been pouring relentlessly outside, the wind howling, lightning splitting the sky.

Right at the mall’s entrance stood a strikingly conspicuous couple, clearly in the middle of an argument. After a few tense shoves, the boy coldly and impatiently opened his umbrella and stepped down the stairs.

The girl, ignoring the downpour, sobbed as she chased after him, her tear-streaked face desperate as she grabbed his sleeve. "Don’t go, please!" she begged. "You said you loved me—that you’d only ever love me!"

The boy didn’t even bother with a reply. Annoyed, he yanked his arm free—too forcefully. The girl, still clinging to his sleeve, was flung to the ground, her already disheveled appearance now utterly ruined.

The rain grew heavier, thunder booming like explosions overhead. The boy frowned at the girl sprawled on the pavement, her makeup smeared from crying, but made no move to help her. Instead, he smoothed out his wrinkled sleeve and turned to leave.

But before he could take a step, a sharp, stinging slap suddenly struck his face, sending him stumbling backward. He slipped on the wet ground and crashed onto the pavement.

Dazed, he clutched his cheek as his girlfriend shrieked, her eyes red with fury as she rounded on the stranger who had just assaulted him.

"Are you insane?! Who the hell do you think you are? This is between us—what gives you the right to hit my boyfriend?!"

Lou Yue didn’t register a single word. Her hair was a mess, her expression hollow. She cradled the precious watch box against her chest, shielding it from the rain, her gaze fixed on something far beyond them.

The scene was a mirror of three years ago.

Above them, a massive digital billboard displayed a live broadcast of a celebrity wedding—grand, opulent, packed with guests, fireworks lighting up the screen.

Lou Yue’s eyes locked onto the display. As the footage played on, her breathing grew ragged, her pupils darkening with a slow, searing haze of crimson—as if two knives had been driven straight into her eyes.

Xie Bai.

Lou Yue's boyfriend, the man who had once vowed to marry her, swearing undying love.

Staring at the groom on the electronic screen—dressed impeccably, smiling radiantly as he gave interviews to the press—Lou Yue's eyes widened in disbelief. She could never have imagined that after three years...

Three years without a single glimpse of him...

Their first reunion would happen like this.

Today...

Why today?

Lou Yue couldn’t make sense of it. How could her Xie Bai appear there, in that role? Today was supposed to be the day he picked her up from prison, the day he had promised to marry her!!!

How could he be there—as someone else’s groom?

Suddenly, she felt like an empty shell, her soul ripped away. Her gaze hollow, she shoved past the couple in front of her, who had been hurling insults at her. Without a second thought, she kicked off her high heels, leaving them behind as she stumbled barefoot into the torrential rain.

Rain mixed with tears. Even now, Lou Yue refused to believe it was real.

The Shelton Hotel. The Shelton Hotel.

She repeated the name under her breath as she ran, her bare feet slapping against the wet pavement. She had to get there. She had to see for herself.

When she’d overheard the mall staff gossiping about the event earlier, she hadn’t believed it. Not until she saw the vivid scene on the screen with her own eyes.

Xie Bai.

Xie Bai.

The mere thought of this man made Lou Yue feel as though every fiber of her being was twisted in agony, a pain so intense it seemed capable of tearing a gaping hole through the world.

Three years ago, he had stood before her clutching a pristine white dress, pleading desperately: "My dear Yueyue, won't you take the blame for me? You know I didn't mean to hurt that person—it was just a light push! How was I supposed to know he'd end up in a vegetative state? Si Entertainment, the biggest conglomerate in showbiz, is about to sign me. This is my golden ticket to stardom! If I go to jail now, my entire future will be ruined. The public would never accept a celebrity with a criminal record!"

His fingers had dug into her sleeve like a drowning man clinging to driftwood, refusing to let go.

"Yueyue, my darling, just three years—that's all I'm asking. The day you're released, wear this dress I specially picked for you. By then I'll be successful, and I'll come for you in style. We'll get married—I, Xie Bai, will book the grandest hotel, fill it with the most beautiful lilies, and marry my gorgeous bride. Please? Please?"

Lou Yue's mind had gone blank. She neither agreed nor refused, simply standing there trembling violently, too stunned to speak.

She'd worked so hard for that law license. Taking the fall would mean losing it—not just her career, but her family, her friends, everyone who might learn about her criminal record. What would they think of her then?

Taking the blame...

How could he even suggest it?

This wasn't just three years in prison—it was the complete destruction of her life, sacrificing everything for his sake!

A chill ran through Lou Yue as she hesitated. Then, to her shock, Xie Bai dropped to his knees with a thud, tears streaming down his face as he kowtowed violently before her.

"Yueyue, 'a man's knees bear the weight of gold'—I've never knelt to anyone before! I'm begging you now, see how I kowtow to you? I swear, if you help me, I'll pull every string to make sure you're treated well inside. The moment you're out, I'll marry you and give you the life you deserve. For our future, Yueyue—help me! Please help me!"

Three years. Just three years.

She lost. Lost completely.

The moment Xie Bai frowned, she was defeated.

For a cheap dress and empty promises, she'd sold herself.

She had been sold into that terrifying prison where anyone could bully her, that grim prison where Xie Bai never once—not even a single time—came to visit.

And even now, she was still making excuses for him, inventing reasons why he hadn’t come. The moment she regained her freedom, she didn’t go anywhere else—she rushed straight to the mall and spent every last penny she had to buy him the watch he loved three years ago. But there, she heard the most laughable news, forcing her to sprint like a madwoman down this endless, freezing street.

On the largest screen outside the mall, a live broadcast played in bold strokes: Xie Bai, now a superstar, was marrying his wife. At 11:10 a.m. today, in the most luxurious hotel, where lilies bloomed in their fullest glory, the groom would wed the love of his life—a perfect match, a union of splendor.

How could she have missed such huge news?

That Xie Bai—the man she had loved for so long, who promised to marry her the moment she got out of prison, who left her with nothing—how could he abandon her for someone else on the very first day of her freedom?

How could she believe it?

Lou Yue ran and ran, memories flashing through her mind like scenes from a nightmare. Clenching her fists, she dashed through countless traffic lights until she finally reached the entrance of the Saint Eldon Hotel.

The long sprint left her breathless, her entire being radiating a storm of fury, her presence as dark and chilling as a vengeful ghost from hell.

The lobby was drenched in wedding festivities—a red carpet stretching endlessly, lilies scattered everywhere—making her disheveled figure seem all the more pitiful and alone.

Through the crack in the door, her eyes immediately locked onto the most striking figure in the crowd: the groom, smiling radiantly as he toasted with his bride, his arm draped around her.

One glance—just one—was enough to make her tremble, her legs nearly giving way beneath her.

--*******--