Chapter One: Save Me, and I Will Give You a City!

Northeastern Italy, the Adriatic Sea, Venice Bay—on the northwest shore lies Venice, the Water City, an important port and a place unlike any other in Europe or indeed the world, for it is a city without cars.

Enchanting gondolas glide along interlaced waterways; one admires the view from the Bridge of Sighs, explores the secrets of glassmaking in hidden workshops, and strolls across the sunlit islands, all steeped in the romance that is quintessentially Venetian.

By night, under the moon’s veil, the little town of Venice resembles a bride draped in gauzy silk—hazy and beautiful, serene and harmonious.

At this very hour, within a quiet café on the watery streets of Venice, the silence was so profound that only the thundering of two hearts could be heard—one pounding with exhaustion from recent combat, the other racing with fear and terror.

“Hush! Don’t make a sound!” The man pressed a firm hand over the woman’s mouth, his other arm pinning hers from behind, rendering her utterly helpless.

Her eyes widened, as if trying to pierce through the man before her. Her heart leapt wildly, panic and uncertainty twisting inside her.

“I’m being hunted, and I’m wounded. I only ask that you save me—help me through this. Whatever you want in return, even if it’s an entire city, I’ll give it to you!” His lips parted, and in a low, resonant tone, each word fell heavily in her ear. Though his voice was soft, it pressed upon her, suffocating and oppressive.

In the darkness, she could not make out his features, only the sharp gleam of falcon-like eyes, cold and piercing, sending a tremor through her.

She struggled, shaking her head, then nodded vigorously, as if there was something she desperately wished to say.

Yet the man remained alert, listening for any movement outside. “Just save me. I swear I won’t hurt you! But if you dare scream, I promise you won’t live to see the sunrise.”

Aside from their anxious heartbeats, his words were as calm and still as a dead lake, unruffled and inexorable. He guided her to sit on the edge of the bed.

Those fathomless, obsidian eyes shimmered with a frightening intensity, silently warning her that he would not hesitate if she dared defy him.

Gradually, her breath steadied, though the metallic tang of blood lingered in the air, curling around her with every inhalation. “How am I supposed to save you?”

From this angle, with only faint light from the window, she could just discern the severe, chiseled lines of his profile—a face typical of the East.

She forced herself to appear calmer. He had promised she would not live to see the sunrise if she betrayed him, and the swiftness with which he had entered her room left no doubt he could make good on the threat.

Yet at the mention of betrayal, she found her lips curving, almost against her will.

“One more thing… Don’t hurt me. I still have family, a fiancé waiting for me at home.” Her words, rational yet pleading, tumbled out before he could respond.

Shen Yanlie faltered, his entire being radiating an innate air of dominance, tinged with a shadowy ruthlessness that made him seem even more forbidding. A fleeting sorrow flashed in his eyes as he regarded her, his gaze sweeping hawk-like across her face, studying her in the dimness.

He had indeed been agitated moments before—circumstances had forced him to speak Chinese without thinking. And this girl before him—she was Chinese, too?

The mounting clamor of footsteps outside confirmed his perilous situation. In this cramped single room, there was nowhere to hide. Suddenly, an idea seemed to catch in Mai Xijun’s knitted brows.

With a deft motion, Shen Yanlie slipped a necklace from around his neck.

“I have no cash or valuables on me now. But take this necklace—find someone who knows its worth, and you can sell it for at least ten million. If that’s not enough… you can use it to find me anywhere in the world. I’ll give you a city, anything you desire, as long as you save me!”

He left her no time for argument or hesitation, closing the distance between them.

In the narrow room, the sound of fabric tearing was magnified, the thickening air pressing in, suffocating. Mai Xijun was seized by a fear she had never known. Yet, when she recalled the photos she’d received on her phone before boarding the plane, determination flickered through her terror. Even if, after this night, she would have to face a betrayal that left nothing the same.

A shadow of sorrow crossed her face, and Shen Yanlie caught it all.

When the knocking at the door turned to pounding, Mai Xijun slowly closed her eyes. “I’ll save you.”

She pulled the blanket over them, turned her face away, and pressed her head into the crook of her neck.

From start to finish, his lips never touched hers.

Warm liquid dripped steadily from his forearm onto her chest—something like blood.

“Search the place!” came the shout as the door was kicked open, and a dozen hulking men poured into the room.

He did not even have time to free her from her restraints. With desperate finality, he claimed her.

Pain, terror, and dread overwhelmed her, making her believe that tomorrow might never come.

Yet, when dawn broke over romantic, water-laced Venice, she awoke once more.

Bone-deep pain, legs heavy with numbness, reminded her again and again that the events of the night before had been all too real…

The air was thick with the scent of spent passion. On her snow-white skin, a few dried, crimson drops had congealed on her chest—like poisonous poppies blooming in snow, wild and bewitching…