The night was unnaturally still.
Yuxi's heels clicked softly against the pavement as she walked through the nearly deserted parking lot outside Gu Corporation. The streetlights flickered above, casting long, eerie shadows that stretched like claws across the asphalt. She clutched her coat tighter around her as a chill breeze brushed past, sending a ripple of unease down her spine.
She shouldn't have stayed so late. Luo Qian had warned her to be careful, and now, with most of the staff gone and security tucked inside their booth, she was alone.
Too alone.
She kept her head down, focusing on the distant glow of the sidewalk beyond the lot. But then—she heard it.
A soft scuff of footsteps. Too close. Too deliberate.
Yuxi stopped in her tracks.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she slowly turned her head.
A shadow moved just a few feet behind her.
Before she could scream, a hand clamped down on her arm—strong, merciless—and yanked her into the darkness between two parked SUVs. She stumbled, her shoulder slamming against cold metal as panic surged through her.
"Let me go!" she cried, struggling with all her strength.
A rough voice chuckled near her ear. "You thought you could get away with humiliating our boss? That little stunt at the party cost him millions. You ruined his deal—and now you're going to pay."
Two more men appeared from the darkness, their expressions twisted with malice.
Yuxi's blood ran cold.
It was him. The powerful client from the party. The man who had tried to get her drunk, who had looked at her like prey. And now, clearly enraged by Gu Zeyan's public humiliation of him, he'd sent these thugs to make her an example.
"No one's coming to save you this time," the first man sneered, grabbing her wrist hard enough to bruise.
Yuxi fought back, kicking and twisting, her nails raking across skin, but she was outnumbered and overpowered. One man caught her from behind, pinning her arms while another tore the phone from her bag and hurled it to the ground. It shattered.
Her scream was muffled as a hand pressed against her mouth.
Fear turned to raw terror.
She had survived so much already. She had fought to hold her ground in Gu Corporation, endured the humiliation, the threats, the pressure. She would not let this break her.
She bit the man's hand—hard. He cursed and stumbled back.
She elbowed the second man and tried to run.
But then—
A blur of movement. A violent crack. A man's scream.
Someone slammed into one of the attackers with brutal force, sending him flying backward into the side of a car. The second man turned just in time to be met with a ruthless punch to the jaw, the sound of bone meeting bone echoing across the lot.
Yuxi stumbled back, gasping.
And then she saw him.
Gu Zeyan stood there, his black coat billowing behind him like a shadow incarnate. His fists were clenched, blood dripping from his knuckles. His usually composed face was twisted into something primal—cold rage burning in his eyes like wildfire.
"Touch her again," he said, his voice low and lethal, "and I'll make sure you'll never use your hands again."
The remaining attacker tried to charge, but Gu Zeyan moved with terrifying speed. He ducked the blow, grabbed the man by the collar, and slammed him into the hood of the nearest car. The man crumpled to the ground, groaning.
Silence fell.
Only the harsh sound of Yuxi's breathing filled the air.
Gu Zeyan turned to her slowly, his chest rising and falling. His eyes, still laced with fury, locked onto hers—and for the first time, Yuxi saw something beyond the cold mask. He wasn't just angry.
He was terrified.
Terrified of what could've happened to her.
Yuxi's knees buckled, and he was there in an instant, catching her before she hit the ground. His arms wrapped tightly around her, pulling her close. His scent—fresh pine and leather—wrapped around her like a cocoon, anchoring her to reality.
"I'm fine," she whispered, her voice shaking despite herself. "I— I fought back—"
"Don't," he interrupted, his voice rough. "Don't try to act strong right now."
She looked up at him. His jaw was clenched, but his eyes… they weren't cold anymore. They were filled with a storm of emotion—fury, guilt, protectiveness—and something else she couldn't name.
"I shouldn't have left you alone," he muttered. "I should've known that bastard wouldn't let this go."
"How did you…?"
"I had your phone tracked after the party," he confessed. "I told myself it was for safety. But the moment I saw the location not move for over twenty minutes in this lot… I knew something was wrong."
Yuxi's heart twisted at the confession. His protectiveness was suffocating sometimes, yes. But in this moment—it had saved her life.
The wail of distant sirens echoed as Gu Zeyan stood, pulling her gently to her feet.
"Come," he said, his voice quieter now but still tight. "You're coming home. With me."
She didn't argue.
As they walked toward his car, his hand never left hers.
And for the first time, Yuxi didn't try to pull away.