■ Jin Rang's Story: A Sea of Hatred and a Sky of Love // Winning Her Back // Cruel Possessiveness // Unhinged Captor vs. Carefree Tease
Sinister, obsessive man feared by all vs. aloof, destitute, world-weary beauty
Series extras // Non-canon bonus scenes at [Weibo @Jiuqi Paradox]
At summer's end, Jiangnan is always steeped in the damp mists of spring mountains, veiled in drifting haze. Song Zhir an was born at summer's end, yet she has always hated this season.
Seven years ago, before the coming-of-age ceremony her adoptive parents had carefully arranged for her could even begin, a tremendous crash came from the rooftop.
Her formal dress was soaked in muddy rainwater, and she couldn't tell whether the wetness on her face was tears or rain.
That was also the day she met the person they said was the root cause of her adoptive parents' tragic deaths.
Jin Rang, Second Master of the capital's Forty-Nine City, powerful enough to command everything with one hand. The sole king of the capital's power circles, with a charming face and a deadly hand. Some avoided him at all costs, while others flocked to him.
He stopped in front of her, holding an umbrella. His tall, straight figure never bent even as he spoke to her. His face, half-hidden in shadow, was like that of a demon come to claim her life.
"No one but me will take you away."
His condescending laugh was as light as crushing an ant, yet as heavy as a boulder sinking to the bottom.
-
For seven years, she relied on him to establish herself, yet never stopped trying to escape. He never stopped her. Instead, he helped her rise to great heights, accompanied her to see mountains and seas, and shared a passionate, tangled love with her.
Jin Rang thought she simply didn't know how to love, and never held it against her. Even when he alternated favors with threats, he only smiled as he warned her.
"If you can't learn to love me, then stay by my side and hate me."
With power in her hands, Song Zhir an had seen him command the clouds and rain with a turn of his hand. She also knew his nature: those who followed him prospered, and those who opposed him perished.
Yet she could no longer lie to herself. She had long since stopped hating him.
For her final escape, Song Zhir an knew he would come. He arrived even earlier than she expected, so early that he could not bear to give her even one more minute of freedom.
"Long time no see, Song Zhir an."
Song Zhir an's voice was ice-cold, yet it trembled fiercely. "Has it been that long? I thought we could finally part on good terms."
"Ranran, have you forgotten?" He gripped Song Zhir an's chin and forced it up, making her look at him.
"We never had good terms, and we will never part on good terms."
Desire and love, ice and fire; greed, hatred, anger, and obsession. Life never rests, death never ends.
Sharing joy and goodness, sharing grief and sin. A bird in a cage can never truly leave.
■Bonus Scenes■
① Only after the rooftop fall case was solved did Song Zhir an find, in the study, the handwritten letter her adoptive parents had left Jin Rang, entrusting her to his care. She was even more surprised that he had never mentioned it.
Jin Rang gave a faint, half-hearted smile. "Wasn't what I said back then obvious enough?"
Song Zhir an frowned. "You mean that false show of compassion when you took me away, like a fox mourning a dead hare?"
"I thought I was your savior."
"..."
② One evening, when Jin Rang came home, Song Zhir an happened to be practicing a dance on the garden stage. Her dark hair was loosely pinned up, her face lightly made up. Her graceful beauty was cold and striking, its very simplicity giving it an understated allure.
Suddenly remembering something, he led her into a glass-walled chamber.
Inside was a cage made entirely of natural crystal, clear and flawless, draped with colorful jewels and ribbons. Under the spotlight, it glittered so brilliantly it was impossible to look away.
"Ranran, do you like it?" He wrapped his arms around Song Zhir an from behind, rubbing her earlobe as his breath mingled with hers. "I designed it myself."
Song Zhir an's lips twitched. She could hardly believe it. "This is a cage?"
"Mm. Do you like it?"
Like your ass...
Song Zhir an turned around, her voice utterly sincere. "Jin Rang, are you an animal?"
★Reading Tips:
1. A minefield of potential triggers. Enter with caution if you're sensitive!
2. Jin Rang is not the killer and had nothing to do with her adoptive parents falling to their deaths! He was framed and manipulated by someone with ulterior motives!
---- Screenshot archived on 2026.8.30. Do not take it without permission ----
Theme: Seek the truth and unravel the mystery
