Chapter 1 Taken Away By A Strange Man

Heavy downpour came as the month of August came to an end. The whole city was blanketed with rain and darkness.

At the North Prison, the door of a prison cell opened with an echoing bang. A slender man wearing a police uniform slowly walked through.

"Don't get into trouble next time, young missy. There is nothing in this world that can't be solved with rationality. It would be a pity if you would have to spend most of your life in a place like this, especially when you're still youthful!" The man frowned and shook his head. With her head down, Joan Gu silently bit her lower lip.

She was clearly wronged, but no one believed her.

All the other prisoners, who had also been released, were picked up by their loved ones or relatives. One after the other, they left until she was the only one who remained. When the rain started to pour, Joan Gu pulled herself together and looked for some place outside the prison to keep herself dry.

The heavy rain got her clothes soaking wet, making her shiver. Her eyes strained up and down the street, hoping that someone she knew would finally come get her.

"You're Joan Gu, right? Why are you still standing here? Didn't your husband pick you up? We informed him yesterday of your release." It was time for the warden to get off work, and he was surprised to see that Joan Gu was still here. The day before the prisoners were released, the family members of the prisoners were informed so that they would be able to fetch them.

"He...he was probably delayed by something important... It's okay. I can wait."

Her heart was torn into pieces. Joan Gu felt that maybe Scott Jian had completely forgotten about her release, but then the cruel reality suddenly hit her.

'You're such a silly girl... He was the one who put you behind bars, and yet you're still expecting that he would pick you up!' she thought to herself mockingly with a wry smile.

She hugged her white coat tighter to her body, and, without a second thought, walked out into the rain. In a matter of seconds, her clothes were completely drenched, her hair plastered onto the sides of her face.

The money she had earned from the part-time jobs she worked in the jail was not enough for her to take a taxi to go home. Gritting her teeth, Joan Gu dragged her legs that felt as if they were as heavy as lead. It was supposed to be the start of summertime, and yet the weather today was as cold as ice.

From time to time, passersby who were in hurry would slow down and stare at her with judgment in their eyes, thinking that she must be crazy for walking out in the rain like that.

'A lot has changed in three years,' Joan Gu thought to herself. With her fairly vague memory, she made her way to the most prosperous entertainment zone in S City.

Meanwhile, a waiter wearing white gloves respectfully opened the doors to the prestigious club in all of S City. A tall, handsome man casually made his way outside.

When he walked past, all the women stared at him with eyes full of thirst. They whispered to each other in excitement, "Oh my god... It's Mr. Lu!"

A confident and voluptuous woman came up to him, twirling a glass of wine in her hand. She intended to introduce herself, but Darren Lu simply brushed past her, not even giving her a single glance. The woman was ashamed and annoyed, but she could do nothing. Darren Lu was always like this. No woman could win his heart.

At the street corner, the paparazzi quickly got on their feet and shot Darren Lu's every move. They hid themselves so well that no one even noticed them.

Upon stepping outside, Darren Lu saw that the valet had not yet returned with his car. Staring out, his face turned into a dark frown.

Joan Gu was walking outside the prestigious club. Being out in the rain for so long, she was starting to feel a bit feverish. With her head down, she mechanically walked around, her feet splashing puddles all around.

Just then, a drunkard accidentally bumped into her. Caught off guard, Joan Gu staggered and fell sideways. Instinctively, she flung her arms around, trying to grab onto anything for support.

In the nick of time, Joan Gu grabbed onto some man's shirt. Surprised, the man pulled back, but with the amount of force, he fell down to the ground. It was at that point that Joan Gu was lying directly on top of Darren Lu at the sidewalk.

The paparazzi quickly locked their cameras on them, clicking away at the scene. A photo like that would earn them a lot of money, and so they all took multiple shots of the little accident.

Even under his dry clothes, Darren Lu could feel how cold the unknown woman was. Disgust flashed through his dark eyes. He had always hated others approaching him without permission, let alone touching him.

"Get off me." The man's voice was low and gentle. It was so magnetic and pleasant to hear. But at the same time, there was coldness to it.

Trembling, Joan Gu tried to stand up, but she had gotten much too weak from walking out in the rain for so long. She could hear a sound coming from somewhere, but couldn't comprehend anything at the moment from the dizziness that was overcoming her. She could, however, feel a pleasant warmth from under her. Coming in closer, she laid her cheek down and savored the warmth.

With his lips pressed in a straight line and his brows furrowed, Darren Lu couldn't help but grunt in fury. 'This woman pounced on me! And now she even looks as if she's making herself comfortable on top of me like this!

Is this how desperate some women get?' Earlier, he had just successfully averted Zoey Su. And now, this happened to him the moment he got out.

"I said, get off me," Darren Lu said through his teeth.

Joan Gu remained unresponsive. Losing the little amount of patience he had, Darren Lu roughly pushed her away.

The tough life in jail caused Joan Gu weak and fragile. After being exposed to the heavy rain for a long time, she couldn't help but pass out.

In the midst of the seemingly endless darkness, Joan Gu felt as if she was floating back to the day of her wedding. Hand in hand, she and Scott Jian kissed passionately, feeling as if there was nothing in the world that could possibly go wrong...

In a flash, the scene changed. Joan Gu was on her way to surprise Scott Jian on his birthday while he was on his business trip. Unfortunately, she didn't expect that her husband had a surprise of his own...

Scott Jian's voice echoed in her mind. "Joan! What are you doing here! Get out!"

With her eyes fluttering open, Joan panted, gasping out of the nightmare she just had. Her body was covered with cold sweat. In the past three years she spent in jail, she had never had a decent night's sleep.

For a while, Joan Gu tried to catch her breath, trying to compose herself. After which, she looked around, and saw that she was in a room that was not familiar to her. Judging by how the room looked, it appeared as if she was in a hotel room.

Joan Gu couldn't recall how she had gotten here. She couldn't afford it so she certainly couldn't check in by herself.

At that moment, she remembered the man she had bumped into. She started to have a bad feeling about the whole thing. Slowly, she lifted up the blanket on top of her, and saw that her clothes were no longer on her body.

'That man... must have taken me here. Did he...'

Joan Gu was restless. She had never expected such thing to happen. When she was released from prison, Scott Jian didn't come to get her. And just when she thought things couldn't get any worse, she was taken into a hotel by a strange man!

All of a sudden, the bathroom door opened. A tall man walked out barefoot, a towel hanging over his shoulder.

'He has the audacity to even take bath after taking advantage of me!'

"Bastard!" Joan Gu grabbed an ashtray on the bedside table and threw it at the man.

Even though Darren Lu reacted quickly, the blow was too sudden. It grazed his forehead, creating a small cut on his skin.