The rooftop stayed silent.
Only the sound of wind between them.
Li Xinyi couldn't move.
Couldn't think.
All she could hear… was her own heartbeat.
"Because you're different."
His words kept repeating in her mind.
---
That evening…
Rain started falling again.
Soft at first.
Then heavy.
Xinyi stood by her window, staring outside.
Her phone lit up.
Unknown number.
Her breath caught.
**"Come outside."**
Her heart started racing.
---
Five minutes later—
She stepped out.
Rain hitting her skin.
Cold.
Fast.
And there he was.
Chen Zeyan.
Standing under the streetlight… soaked, silent, like he belonged to the storm.
"You're crazy," she said softly, walking toward him. "Why are you here?"
He didn't answer.
Just looked at her.
Different.
Tired.
Broken.
---
"Come with me."
Again.
No explanation.
No choice.
And again—
She followed.
---
They walked through empty streets until they reached an abandoned place at the edge of town.
Dark.
Quiet.
Almost forgotten.
"Why are we here?" she whispered.
Zeyan finally spoke—
"This is where everything started."
Her chest tightened.
---
He leaned against the wall, eyes distant.
"I wasn't always like this."
His voice was low.
Not cold anymore.
Just… heavy.
"They say I'm dangerous… a sinner…" he let out a bitter laugh. "Maybe they're right."
Xinyi stepped closer. "What happened?"
Silence.
Long.
Painful.
---
Then finally—
"I trusted someone."
His fists clenched.
"And it ruined everything."
Her heart ached hearing that.
"Family?" she asked gently.
He shook his head.
"Someone I thought… would never leave."
His voice cracked slightly.
"And they did."
---
Rain grew louder.
But neither of them moved.
---
"I learned something that day," he continued.
"Love is just a game."
He looked at her.
Eyes dark.
"Whoever feels first… loses."
---
Xinyi's eyes softened.
"Then why did you text me last night?"
That question—
Caught him off guard.
---
"You said you can't stop thinking about me," she continued, voice shaking slightly. "Isn't that… losing?"
Silence.
Tension.
Heartbeat.
---
He stepped closer.
Slowly.
Dangerously.
"You talk too much," he murmured.
But his voice wasn't harsh.
It was… soft.
---
Now they were inches apart.
Rain falling between them.
Breath mixing.
He lifted his hand—
Hesitated—
Then gently brushed a strand of wet hair from her face.
Her heart stopped.
---
"You don't understand what you're getting into," he whispered.
"Then make me understand," she whispered back.
---
That moment—
Everything froze.
The world.
The rain.
Time itself.
---
His eyes dropped to her lips.
Her breath hitched.
He leaned in—
Closer.
Closer.
Almost there—
---
Then suddenly—
He stopped.
Pulled back.
Like something inside him snapped.
---
"This is a mistake."
Her heart dropped instantly.
---
"I told you," he said, voice cold again, building his walls back up—
"Stay away from me."
And just like that—
He walked away.
Leaving her alone in the rain.
---
Xinyi stood there, frozen.
Heart racing.
Chest hurting.
Confused.
Because one thing was clear now—
Chen Zeyan wasn't just dangerous.
---
He was breaking… too.
---