It was late at night, and the sky was drizzling lightly.

The nearby streets had grown quiet past 11 p.m., with only a sparse trickle of cars passing by. The air felt cool and damp, a sharp contrast to the earlier muggy weather.

Ning Chu rarely ventured out so late at night. Although she had always been brave, becoming a mother had taught her that the first thing she needed to learn was how to protect herself—and her child.

Years ago, Wen Yang had secretly taken her to file a police report, planting in her a cautious habit of thinking …