The sun fell lazily over the campus, painting the sky in soft oranges and pinks. Graduation day felt unreal to Xinyue. She adjusted the black tassel on her cap, squinting against the sunlight as laughter and chatter filled the courtyard. Around her, her friends posed for countless photos, arms linked, gowns fluttering in the warm spring breeze.
"Xinyue! Smile!" called out Meilin, her bubbly roommate, pulling her into a selfie. Meilin's curls bounced with every laugh.
"Hold still, don't blink!" teased Yiqing, her childhood friend, who had somehow ended up sitting next to her in every class since freshman year.
Xinyue smiled softly, letting the camera flash capture the moment. Graduation felt like a dream she had been chasing for years, yet the real world was looming ahead ~uncertain, intimidating, and full of expectations she wasn't sure she could meet.
After the ceremony, the group lingered under the campus gates. Meilin was chattering nonstop about her plans to study abroad, while Yiqing rambled about starting his family business. Xinyue, meanwhile, was clutching her folder of resumes like a lifeline.
Funny, she thought, because who would go out on a job hunt immediately after graduation?
She had spent months preparing, interning, polishing her cover letters, all with one goal in mind: Wei Group of Companies, the largest conglomerate in the city. Their CEO had a reputation for being a brilliant, demanding man who rarely hired recent graduates ~ but Xinyue had studied business strategy for years. She wanted this job, needed this chance.
Now standing Infront of the tallest building she'd ever seen "WEI GROUP INT'L" written in all beautiful shades of colours one could possibly imagine.
Steeling herself and taking a deep breath, she entered going straight to the receptionist and pressed her application into the company's front desk.
"Hi, I'm here to apply for the management trainee program," she said, trying to sound confident.
The receptionist gave her a polite smile, then typed something into the computer. Her stomach sank as the phone rang inside the office. Moments later, a neatly dressed HR assistant appeared.
"Ms. Xinyue, thank you for applying. Unfortunately…" The words sliced through her like ice. "…We won't be moving forward with your application."
Xinyue nodded, forcing a smile. "I understand. Thank you for your time."
With the Wei group, it was always one of two things, yes or no, hired or not hired never in-between.
As she stepped back onto the street, the cheerful sunlight seemed to dim. Meilin and Yiqing who patiently waited outside, tried to cheer her up, but the disappointment clung stubbornly to her chest.
That evening, Xinyue wandered aimlessly through the city streets, her heels clicking against the wet sidewalk. The rejection had gnawed at her confidence, leaving her restless and raw. Meilin had suggested a small celebration at a local bar ~just a few drinks to take the edge off.
One glass became two, and soon Xinyue was swaying slightly, laughing at jokes that weren't funny, the city lights blurring around her.
The storm came without warning. Thunder ripped across the sky, and rain began to fall in heavy sheets. She stumbled out of the bar, letting her two best friends know she'll be safe and just needs to walk it out.
laughing at herself for being soaked, only to slip on the slick pavement.
And then she collided with him, A figure who seemed to appear from nowhere ~ a shadow in the storm, tall, impossibly imposing. The air around him seemed to absorb the rain, his coat remaining dry as lightning illuminated the sharp angles of his face.
"Watch where you're going," he said, his voice calm but commanding, carrying the weight of centuries.
Xinyue blinked up at him, drenched, her heart racing. Something about him was… wrong, yet fascinating. She stumbled back, trying to regain balance, but the wet ground betrayed her.
Before she could react further, the world seemed to shake. A surge of energy, like a sudden pulse through the street, sent a shockwave around them. Xinyue froze.
The figure caught her effortlessly, one hand firm on her elbow, another steadying her shoulder. His gaze bored into hers ~dark, ancient, unyielding.
"I… I'm fine," she stammered, though her chest pounded and her wet hair clung to her face.
"Are you?" he asked, the smallest hint of something… softer in his tone. A flicker, quickly gone, but noticeable.
Lightning split the sky, illuminating the city around them. For a moment, ordinary life faded. Xinyue's vision swirled with shadows and strange whispers. Everything about him screamed danger, power, and… destiny.
And in that instant, she had no idea that the man holding her in the rain was the very CEO she had dreamed of working for ~someone whose life stretched far beyond human understanding, whose patience and immortality had endured centuries, and whose fate was now inexorably bound to hers.