The rain was falling harder now. The car headlights turned the falling raindrops into countless glinting silver needles. Through the thick, illuminated curtain of rain, the man turned around.
At that moment, Lin Sui thought he looked towering and imposing.
But he truly was tall and well-built — long legs, broad shoulders, a narrow waist. His white shirt, soaked through by the rain, clung loosely to his frame, revealing the firm lines of his chest beneath.
She stared blankly as he walked over, catching her breath. “Thank you… thank you, Zhou Shuqian.”
What a coincidence. This man was none other than Zhou Chiye, the new Party Secretary who had just taken office in their village, Cuizhuxiang.
In her past life, while she had lived in Cuizhuxiang, she had never spoken to Secretary Zhou — only seen him from a distance.
She hadn’t stayed long there anyway; soon after arriving, she had married Gu Shaonan. Their only direct interaction came years later, when she had camped outside his home for three whole days. It was all for the approval of a plot of land Gu Shaonan wanted to build a factory on.
That was seven or eight years down the line. By then, they had found an investor from Hong Kong and planned to open a much larger shoe factory in the city of Nancheng. Zhou Chiye was already the top Party official of Nancheng. The land itself should have been approved easily, but a handful of corrupt local officials were taking too many bribes, deliberately holding up the paperwork and leaving it stuck in limbo.
Frustrated, Lin Sui had learned that Secretary Zhou had once served in his hometown, Cuizhu Township — which made them almost fellow townsfolk. Unable to reach him through official channels, she had searched everywhere for his address, then waited day and night outside his home. Only after three days did she finally catch sight of him. Clinging on stubbornly, she had pressed her proposal and documents into his hands, explaining every detail until her throat went dry.
After listening, he had merely scoffed.
She hadn’t understood what was going through his mind back then, but eventually, she had persuaded him — and the land was finally approved.
Remembering that now, Lin Sui felt even more bitter and wronged. How dare Gu Shaonan cast me aside like that?
Suddenly, she burst into loud, unrestrained sobs, growing louder and louder — completely baffling Zhou Chiye.
He had only just come over to ask how she knew who he was.
A moment ago, she had seemed so bold.
He looked at her, at a loss for words.
The driver in the front seat, a man with a firm, square face, spoke up. “She’s probably scared — chased by hooligans, then almost hit by our car. Serves her right, wandering around alone this late at night.”
Lin Sui wiped her eyes. “Hmph! You look like someone who stands for justice, but where’s your compassion?”
The driver, Old Yu, was taken aback. As a county official, to be accused of lacking kindness… He opened his mouth to give her a proper scolding, but Zhou Chiye spoke first.
“Alright, alright — don’t frighten the poor girl,” he said gently.
He pulled a tissue from the car and held it out to her. “Here. Keep crying and your face will be a mess.”
Lin Sui had dressed carefully for this meeting — a new outfit, light makeup, and a touch of lipstick. But caught in the rain and now crying hard, her nose was red and her appearance was far from presentable.
Men usually sized women up first by their figure if their face was unreadable. Her face was blotchy, but her puffed-sleeve shirt clung damply to her form, and her jeans showed off her long, straight legs clearly. Zhou Chiye quickly shifted his gaze away.
“Where do you live?”
His voice was deep and pleasant, and it slowly pulled her scattered senses back together. Wiping her face, she replied, “Cuizhuxiang. Lin Village.”
“No wonder. I don’t recall ever seeing you there before.”
“I’ve seen you — from far away.”
“Maybe you were standing behind others and I didn’t notice.”
Though she was only five feet six inches — not short at all for a woman in the south — Zhou Chiye didn’t dwell on the point.
“Good to know where you’re from. What are you doing out here this late?”
In this small county town, her clothes and hairstyle were noticeably more fashionable than most local girls. Her hair was freshly permed, and she wore a bright red headband. Wandering the streets at such an hour, it was no wonder others might draw the wrong conclusions.
“I… I just got dumped,” Lin Sui blurted out on impulse.
Technically true — even if she had never officially started the relationship, it felt like heartbreak all the same.
Thinking of it, she sighed heavily. “Ah… Secretary Zhou, I suddenly feel like life has no meaning at all. Everything feels so empty.”
Zhou Chiye let out a soft laugh at her dramatic outburst. “Just a breakup — is it really that serious?”
But to Lin Sui, this was far more than heartbreak. It felt like abandonment and betrayal all rolled into one. Worse than losing a lifelong partner.
“I used to have such high hopes for the future. But reality just hit me like a sledgehammer.”
“That’s life,” he replied calmly. “Growing up means learning to take those hits. It builds character.”
The way he spoke felt oddly familiar, as if she were talking to an old friend rather than a stranger.
“If you stay here any longer, the heavens really will keep hitting you — with rain.”
He found himself feeling ridiculous — standing in the downpour, keeping company with a girl he had never met before. His eyes drifted once more over her face and rested on her glistening eyes.
A sudden crack of thunder rang out. Lin Sui jumped, finally realizing how foolish she must look. “Ah — sorry, Secretary Zhou! I’ll leave right away.”
She took a few steps forward, then turned back and leaned against the car window. “Um… Secretary Zhou… are you heading toward my village? Could you possibly give me a ride?”
As soon as she settled into the back seat, Zhou Chiye smiled faintly. “Do I really seem so approachable? So easy to get along with?”
Old Yu, beside him, chuckled. “Oh, you absolutely do — like a regular friendly fellow!”
Lin Sui finally got a good look at his face: sharp, well-defined eyebrows, bright piercing eyes, a strong jawline, a straight nose, and thin lips. He naturally looked stern and imposing, radiating youthful authority. Even when he smiled, there was a hint of mischief in it — hardly the image of someone easygoing.
Yet, because he had just helped her on this terrible, heartbreaking night, she felt no fear at all. Instead, he seemed strangely warm and kind.
“You do look like a good man,” she said earnestly. “Someone who stands up for what’s right, a hero who helps those in trouble, and a public servant who cares for his people.”
Old Yu laughed loudly at her words, while Zhou Chiye simply shook his head with amusement.
“For saying that, I suppose I can make an exception. Hop in.”
It was his own private car, and he was driving himself that evening since his regular driver had fallen ill with a stomachache.
Lin Sui thanked him, but then hesitated, glancing toward her fallen bicycle nearby with an embarrassed smile.
“Um… could we stop first so I can leave my bike at my uncle’s place?”
Zhou Chiye nodded.
When they arrived, she parked the bicycle safely inside. Her uncle was still out, but her aunt was home. Seeing her soaked from head to toe, she asked what had happened. Lin Sui gave only a vague reply — “Just a bit of trouble, but it’s over now.”
“I spoke to someone about that job at the ticket office your mother asked me to look into,” her aunt said. “It looks promising. I’ll let you know in a couple of days.”
At eighteen years old, in her past life, Lin Sui had worked as a ticket seller after marrying Gu Shaonan — steady and decent work. But right now, the thought felt meaningless.
“Thank you, Auntie.”
“Think it over carefully. Don’t change your mind later — lots of girls are competing for that opening.”
Worried that Secretary Zhou was waiting too long, Lin Sui threw on a dry coat, grabbed her small bag, and hurried back out.
Once back in the car, she fell completely silent, slumped in the seat like a wilted vegetable.
Zhou Chiye glanced at her. “First, we’re going to the police station to file a report.” He had intended to do that anyway.
Throughout the process, Lin Sui moved like someone half-asleep, answering only when spoken to, her eyes dull and lifeless.
Old Yu shook his head. “Young girls these days… one little heartbreak and they act as if the world has ended.”
Lin Sui wished desperately that she would wake up soon and realize this was all just a nightmare — that she would open her eyes and find herself back in the bright, luxuriously furnished mansion of her past life.
But no such luck.
When she awoke the next morning, she was still the same young woman — penniless, with nothing to her name and no one to rely on.