Episode 1: A Stranger in the Rain
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The rain fell lightly at first, like a whisper from the clouds, as Lin Yue walked home with her arms wrapped tightly around herself.
The soft drizzle clung to her clothes and hair, chilling her to the bone, but it was nothing compared to the storm raging in her heart.
Her parents' cruel voices still echoed in her ears.
"You're useless, Lin Yue! We only took you in because we pitied you! If you don't bring money home this month, we'll make sure you regret ever stepping into this house!"
Her vision blurred with unshed tears. She bit her lip and looked up at the gray sky, blinking fast to keep herself from crying in the street.
What did I do wrong? she thought. Why would my real parents abandon me like this?
The thought stung more than the cold.
By the time she reached her apartment complex, the rain had gotten heavier. The sky was a curtain of dark clouds, and the old iron gate creaked as she pushed it open. She shivered as she stepped through, tugging her hoodie lower over her forehead.
The apartment block was silent, the kind of eerie silence that made the hairs on her arms rise.
Then she heard it—a low, guttural groan.
She stopped.
The sound came again. A painful groan, faint but unmistakable.
Her heart skipped a beat. She looked around the dimly lit yard, her eyes scanning the shadows. Nothing. It could have been a stray animal, right? She hesitated.
Groan.
It was a man's voice.
Something in her chest pulled her forward.
She moved toward the alley behind the garbage shed and gasped when she saw him.
A man, slumped against the wall, blood staining his white shirt. He was unconscious, breathing heavily, his face contorted in pain. His arm was drenched in red, and there was a dark patch of blood spreading across his abdomen.
Lin Yue froze.
He was a stranger. What if he was dangerous?
But he didn't look dangerous. He looked broken.
Her fear warred with compassion until the latter won.
She stepped forward, kneeling beside him. Her fingers shook as she touched his neck.
His pulse was weak—too weak. If she left him here, he would die.
I can't just leave him.
Lin Yue stood, then hooked his arm over her shoulder and pulled. He groaned, but his body leaned heavily into hers, making her knees buckle.
She adjusted her footing, gritted her teeth, and dragged him, inch by inch, to her building.
Four floors.
No elevator.
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By the time she reached her door, her legs felt like jelly. Her breathing was shallow, her arms sore, and sweat mixed with the rain on her forehead. She fumbled with her keys and opened the door.
Her tiny one-bedroom apartment was dim and modest—just enough for her, not for visitors, and definitely not for half-dead strangers.
But she had no time to think.
She guided him to the couch and gently laid him down. That's when she saw it fully—the gash across his abdomen and a bullet wound on his arm.
The bullet was gone, but the bleeding hadn't stopped.
"Oh no…" she whispered.
Her hands moved quickly. She grabbed a bowl of warm water and towels from the kitchen, cleaning the blood from his body. She undid the buttons of his shirt, blushing furiously but pushing through it. There was no time for shame.
She wiped the grime from his face and hands, cleaned the wounds as best she could, and bandaged them with the first-aid kit she kept under the sink.
His trousers were soaked and muddy.
She hesitated, her face burning.
After a long breath, she grabbed her largest bathrobe and gently dressed him in it, turning her face away the whole time.
She stepped back, wiping sweat from her brow. He was still burning up. Fever.
Her heart clenched.
She only had 2,000 yuan left—rent money—but she didn't even hesitate.
She ran to the nearest convenience store, rain soaking through her shoes, and bought a change of clothes and medicine.
By the time she returned, he was still unconscious.
She dressed him again, now in clean clothes, and tucked him in.
Then she brought a basin of cold water and sat beside him all night, placing a cool towel on his forehead and changing it every hour.
It wasn't until 3 a.m. that the fever finally broke.
She exhaled in relief and slumped against the arm of the sofa, drifting into a light, exhausted sleep.
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Sunlight peeked through the thin curtains the next morning.
Lin Yue stirred at the movements of the man.
She sat up quickly when she saw him shift under the blanket.
His eyes fluttered open. They were sharp, dark, and confused. He looked around, then slowly sat up, wincing.
"Where… am I?"
Lin Yue moved closer cautiously. "You're in my apartment. You were injured—I found you outside, in the rain."
He held his head, groaning softly. "My head…"
She gave him a glass of water. "Drink this."
He took it with shaky hands. After a few sips, he looked at her, eyebrows furrowing. "Do I know you?"
Lin Yue blinked. "No… I don't think so."
He frowned. "I don't remember… anything."
The glass slipped slightly in his hand.
Lin Yue caught it.
"Amnesia?" she whispered.
His brows knit tighter. "What happened to me?"
"I don't know," she said gently. "But you were covered in blood."
He closed his eyes, trying to remember, but his mind was blank.
She stood up and walked toward the kitchen. "Well, don't worry for now. You need to rest. I'll… figure something out."
And so began the story of a girl who had nothing and a man who had lost everything.
They didn't know it yet, but from that moment on, their lives would never be the same again.
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