Ashes and Rain

At Ardenleigh University, where legacy and power rule the halls, Sebastian Ashford is untouchable—rich, brilliant, and feared. A second-year medical student with a cold smile and a ruthless streak, Sebastian hides a dangerous obsession: Rain Wang, the scholarship student with the midnight-black hair and fierce intelligence who doesn’t belong in his world.

Rain is used to fighting for every inch. From a struggling background, she’s clawed her way into Ardenleigh on sheer talent and grit. But Sebastian’s bullying isn’t just cruel games—it’s a desperate, twisted plea for attention from a boy who doesn’t know how to ask for love.

As Sebastian’s torment escalates, Rain’s quiet strength is tested like never before. With every insult and cold glance, the line between hatred and desire blurs. But love built on ashes can’t last without rain—and when the truth finally breaks through, both must decide if redemption is possible, or if they’re doomed to burn alone.

She was standing near the anatomy lab, arms wrapped tightly around her books like she could disappear if she just held them close enough.


First year.Top of her class already.Always quiet. Always alone.


And always so fucking beautiful it made my jaw clench.


I should've walked past and let her exist in her little perfect silence.But I didn't.


Because that day, some idiot from my class had mentioned her. Said she looked like "some kind of Chinese doll" with that ridiculous hair brushing her knees and that pretty little face that never looked up. Said she had brains and a body. Said she was "Ashford's type, right?"


She was mine. And nobody had the right to say her name but me.


So I walked up to her.Blocked her path.Watched her eyes go wide like a deer in headlights.


God, she looked terrified. And I hated how much I liked that.


"You lost, Wang?" I said, voice loud enough to echo down the hallway. "Or is your hair just too heavy for that pea-sized brain to function?"


"You first years really need to understand your place," I kept going, eyes scanning the crowd gathering, the smirks, the laughs. "Med school's not some fairytale. You can't get by on a pretty face and a dumb stare."


Her lips parted like she wanted to say something, but nothing came out.


She just stared.And God help me, I wanted to grab her and shake her.Make her fight back. Make her yell. Cry. Anything.


But she just turned away.Started walking.


So I stepped beside her. Leaned down. Whispered just loud enough for everyone to hear:


"Try cutting that damn hair. Might help you carry your own weight."


I remember thinking: Good. Maybe now she'll stop showing up. Maybe now I'll stop looking for her.


And now, whenever I think of that day, all I remember is the way she stood there — perfectly still — like she was trying not to break.


I think a part of me wanted her to break.


Chapter 20 - What the Hell Is Wrong With Me