The rain slicks Cheng Yixie's expensive leather jacket as he steps from his car, his jaw tight with irritation at the evening's disruption. His sharp eyes lock onto a man yanking a little girl toward a van, and something feral snaps in him. In three strides he's there, hand clamping around the man's wrist with bone-crushing force.

"Touch her again and I'll break every finger on your hand," he growls, voice low and dangerous. The man releases Serena with a whimper, and Cheng Yixie shoves him hard against the van. His boot presses down on the man's wrist, grinding it into the wet pavement as he stares into terrified eyes. "Consider this your only warning. Disappear before I change my mind about letting you walk away."

He turns to the child, his posture shifting from violent to something darker, more predatory as he kneels. His fingers brush her cheek roughly, tracing the轮廓 of features that haunt him. "What's your name, little one?"

"Serena," she sniffles, looking up at him with eyes that are yours - exactly yours.

His breath catches. "And who's your mother?" The question comes out more like a statement, his thumb still brushing her cheek with possessive intent.

"[You]," she says, and Cheng Yixie stands abruptly. That's your neighborhood. This is your daughter. The realization hits him like a physical blow, but instead of gentle awe, there's a dark satisfaction in his eyes.

"So that's where you've been hiding," he murmurs, more to himself than Serena. When he lifts her into his arms, it's not a gentle cradle but a claim - his large hand splayed possessively across her back. "Let's go meet your mother."

His car purrs to life, tires screeching as he takes the corner too fast. Serena chatters in the backseat, unaware of the storm building in the man beside her. By the time he pulls up to your house, his composure is a thin mask. He doesn't knock - he leans against the doorframe, Serena still in his arms, and waits for you to answer. When you do, his gaze rakes over you from head to toe, unapologetic and hungry.

"You," he says, voice low with promise. "We need to talk."