The rain poured down heavily, creating a thick grey mist curtain as though a living fabric. Thick blackened clouds were dragged down by the burden of the weight which the rain held, giving in with a roar of the downpour.

In this weather, a red taxi stopped at the front doors of Kempinski Hotel, and a young woman, who appeared to be in her early twenties, stepped out from the vehicle. 

She was in a simple grey skirt suit and white collared blouse, and her long hair was straight and falling free down to her waist. Her look was neither gaudy nor lavish; it was simple and tailored, yet fully capable of withstanding any scrutiny. 

Her makeup was likewise applied lightly, and she held a black briefcase in her hand. This, paired with a pair of plain black heels, made her look like a mature, no-nonsense professional, which was exactly the look she was going for. 

Her beauty wasn't the type to awe the masses, but her facial features were delicate and easy to remember.

A phone was in her other hand and was held up to her ear as she waiting for her call to go through, patiently listening to the rings waiting for the other end to pick up as she quickly made her way into the hotel lobby, successfully missing most of the rain with her sprint. 

After studying for several years in law school, having graduated early from high-school at sixteen, she was finally able to join A Group's law firm. 

Her phone didn't get the call through, making the beeping noises of an unanswered call as she sighed heavily, looking down at her phone in mild annoyance. 

Despite getting into an established law firm at such a prodigal young age, what she never thought was that everything would be destroyed so easily by that despicable man. 

―――

[ 𝐀 𝐆𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐩'𝐬 𝐇𝐮𝐦𝐚𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 ]

Knocking thrice politely on the door in a firm manner, the young woman received a 'come in,' from the voice inside, pushing open the door and walking in with her low heels clicking against the cold tile floor.

The office was finely decorated in a way that was expected of such an elite law firm, with a prominent object being a redwood screen with a carved depiction of the Eight Immortals as they crossed the sea. 

Sitting a desk in the office was an older man somewhere in his mid-fifties who was typing away at a laptop but stilled his fingers as he noted the entry. 

"We're announcing performance records tomorrow,"  He started, pulling out a blue file from his desk drawer. "Your performance, in particular, is a bit lacking."

"Lacking, sir?" A frown crossed the young woman's pretty features, somewhat floored by his words. "How could that be? My written exam came first and my interview came second."

Her posture was straight and her cool, black eyes were unwavering in the face of the accusation, though admittedly a bit in a loss for where it could have come from.

"First and second?" The man scoffed, slamming his hand down on the desk. "Are you still not aware of the situation? Do you not realize the consequences of angering me?!"

She realized her composed attitude was slipping in the face of his unexplained anger, peeved at how she was being treated without justification. 

"If I've unknowingly offended you, I apologize—"

"Apology? What do words do?" A lecherous smirk came over his face with sent a chill down the woman's back in disgust, her left foot moving slightly back involuntarily. 

"Your clean and aloof appearance is to my liking. You must be even more beautiful underneath your clothes..."

―――

Walking into the luxurious hotel lobby, the red uniformed hotel doormen bowed slightly as they held the door open for her, her black heels clicking smartly as she entered with a determined expression written on her delicate features. 

A group...you'll definitely regret this one day! She vowed to herself as she took a seat in one of the plush chairs in the main lobby by the front desk, pulling out her phone to re-dial the number she had tried to call earlier, setting her briefcase down next to her.

"Shīfu, where are you?" She questioned as the phone finally picked up. "We were supposed to meet up."

Her 'master' was the teacher of both her father and herself and was a grandfatherly figure who raised her for most of her childhood and youth. 

"Zhu Li Hua," The old, deep voice of her shīfu wavered slightly with age but still held that firm and wise tone that always set her at ease. "I'll be away for a few more days, but I arranged a blind date for you today."

"A blind date?" She asked, crossing her right leg over the other as she got more settling into the chair but keeping her ingrained good posture.

"Shīfu, please don't cause me any more trouble. I've repeatedly told you that I have no intention of marrying."

"Li Hua..." The elderly man scolded. "A woman can be strong but even you'll need a home to return to someday. Are you planning on being a lonely old cat lady?"

Biting her lip slightly, Zhu Li Hua found that once again she couldn't go against her shīfu no matter how much she disliked his constant attempts and setting her up.

"Very well, shīfu. I'll meet with this person, though don't go expected anything will come of it. I firmly intend to turn him down."

Ending the call with the usual formalities, she slid her phone back into her blazer pocket and ran her hands through her long, straight hair with a tired feeling washing over her, fluttering her eyes closed. Today just really wasn't her day it seemed.

Not only was it raining cats and dogs outside but her usually reasonable master was causing trouble for her yet again with another attempted marriage meeting. 

Reopening her eyes when she felt a shadow come over her, she unmovingly startled to see two large well-built men looming over her in a threatening manner. 

"Think it's her?" One asked the other, despite Zhu Lihua being right there.

"Well, Boss did say that even if it might be the wrong person, don't let them off!"

Hands grabbed for her as she screamed, throwing her over their shoulders and dragging her out of the hotel lobby as she struggled to get out of their grasp. Though what could one delicate young woman do against two fully grown males?

Looking around at the hotel staff, she was disgusted by their fear and no one doing anything to help her. Not even by making a phone call. Why the hell were they so frightened by some common street thugs?