And then the courier was gone, leaving only a puddle of scarlet water on my floor and a key in my hand. The rain kept falling outside. The neon kept buzzing.

To the uninitiated, it is just another entry in the infinite scroll of serialized fiction. To its devotees, it is a masterclass in pacing, a psychological thriller disguised as a fantasy romance, and a testament to the raw power of the webnovel format. This is the story of how Scarlet wove its thread through the fabric of the internet, leaving a permanent stain on the digital literary landscape.

Love interests are usually rivals or enemies.