rain hammering down on the bar roof, pattering a frantic rhythm. cheng mo stood rooted by the entrance, each frown deepening as the minutes ticked by. the recent cross-border meeting had just wrapped up, but the opponent had tacked on a bunch of restrictive clauses. plain old bullying, if you asked him. he scoffed inwardly. what idealism.

the rain was relentless, slick and suffocating, mirroring his mood perfectly.

inside the bar, the air hummed with the buzz of conversations and laughter. up close, the scent of expensive perfume blended with the sharp tang of whiskey and smoke. it was a stark contrast to the storm churning outside, a world away from the fight he'd just been through.

upstanding wang wanger, her name whispered with reverence in the corridors of shenzhen's business circles, had just walked in. she moved with the quiet confidence of a woman who knew exactly what she wanted. her gaze swept the room, landing on cheng mo not out of curiosity, but because he stood out like a thumb out of joint.