It seemed as if the sky itself was crying as rain violently lashed against my windshield. The loud pitter-patter of the raindrops drowned out all other noise. My windshield wipers violently moved back and forth but my vision remained obscured by this endless deluge.

I continued to dial Murong Mingyue’s number as I drove but every single one of my calls failed to connect, which only added to my anxiety.

Thunder rumbled as lightning flashed in the horizon, looking like sharp, forking blades that could rend apart both heaven and earth. Every time lightning arced through the sky, it illuminated an entire area, leaving people gasping in awe of the majestic might of Mother Nature.

BEEP BEEEEP…

I heard the discordant cacophony of multiple car horns blaring before I even saw what was happening. There was a jam in front of me and it was only then that I realized that I had reached the entrance to the expressway. A huge LED signboard was lit up with ominous words that seemed to resonate with my anxiety:

"A small part of the road caved in 5 kilometers ahead and caused a traffic accident. Proceed with utmost caution."

My eyebrows knit together as I began to fervently pray that Murong Mingyue was okay. For all I knew, she could’ve just been held up by this traffic accident, her phone network cut off by this violent thunderstorm.

However,...