Icy rain, sharp as steel needles, lashed Chen Mo’s exposed skin, leaching the final vestiges of warmth. The sliver of light spilling from Wen Ying’s door, cracked open in the deluge, felt like a beam cast into an abyss. Within, Wen Ying’s deep, still hazel eyes gleamed in the dimness, holding a sorrowful understanding of all that had transpired and an unyielding resolve.
"Inside! Now!" The silent gesture pierced the downpour like an electric current.
Chen Mo’s heart hammered against his ribs, a maelstrom of shock and desperate hope momentarily thawing the bone-deep chill. Questions about Wen Ying’s presence in this hellish annex storeroom, the complexities in her gaze—all were swept aside by the primal imperative of survival!
He bent low, ignoring the tearing agony in his right sho
