My nerves were on edge, and I instinctively tried to break free from him, but Bei Chen tightened his arms around me, holding me even closer. His chin rested heavily on the top of my head.

"Beichen, let go—"

"Sister, you are the only family member who has ever given me warmth. They only care about whether I study well or whether I have the ability to inherit the family business. Only you care about whether I am tired or happy..."

The strong smell of smoke and alcohol enveloped me. Beichen's voice grew increasingly hoarse, as if it came from the bottom of his heart. His body trembled slightly, and he leaned heavily on me, as if he depended on me.

I vaguely remember when he was little, if he was sick and had a fever, he would call out "sister" instead of "mom".

When he said the word "family," I didn't pull away anymore, still treating him as that pitiful younger brother.

When I was a child, I would buy small cakes from the school store and bring them home to secretly feed to him. When Ms. Dai found out, she said they were made with inferior cream and forced him to drink vegetable oil to induce vomiting.

Getting a math problem wrong resulted in being locked in a dark, damp basement overnight as punishment.

For the first twenty-odd years of his life, he was controlled and mentally abused, with no freedom or sense of self.

I gently patted the back of his hand and comforted him, "Don't be sad. We'll still be family. Come inside, it's getting windy."

He visibly stiffened for a moment, then tightened his grip on me again.

I frowned, "North—"

"Sis, my stomach hurts," he mumbled, his tone seemingly filled with suppressed pain.

It must have been from drinking; he must have drunk a lot over the past two years.

I helped him into the house and sat him on the headboard of the guest room bed. I took off his expensive suit jacket and hung it up, then pulled the blanket over his stomach. "Wait a minute, I'll go get you some stomach medicine."

"Um."

His eyes were slightly closed, his handsome face was pale, and he looked very weak.

I found him some stomach medicine, poured him a glass of warm water, and fed him the medicine. Then I found the heat packs I use in winter, heated them up, and applied them to his stomach.

"Are you feeling any better?" I asked with concern.

"Hmm." He lifted his eyelids and responded to me, his gaze seemingly sweeping over the bedroom, which was only a dozen square meters in size.

"I'll heat up a glass of milk for you; it'll make your stomach feel better."

Just as I was about to get up, Beichen wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his chin on my shoulder. "Sis, I still want you to live a life of luxury like before, without having to work so hard. From now on, I'll support you, and I'll find someone to manage your company for you."

Hearing his words, my nose tingled slightly; I was deeply moved.

“Beichen, I’ve long since weathered the bitterness of my life’s dramatic downfall. I don’t feel tired now; on the contrary, I feel fulfilled and valued, unlike before when I was always anxious and afraid of losing this or that.” I smiled and shared my innermost thoughts with him.

"Bang—"

The door was suddenly kicked open, and I was startled. Beichen hugged me even tighter.

Standing at the doorway was Fu Yanshen, dressed in black, exuding a sinister and terrifying aura. His face was terribly gloomy, and his eyes were filled with a turbulent mix of emotions.

A pair of deep eyes, like poisoned arrows, pierced me and Beichen, their sockets visibly bloodthirsty and crimson.

I caught Beichen hugging me. Is he about to go crazy again?

I immediately got up, but Bei Chen got off the bed first and stood in front of me, saying, "Sister, move aside."

As soon as he finished speaking, I sensed a fierce aura emanating from him, no less imposing than Fu Yanshen's.

"Beichen, stop fighting!"

I took a sip, stepped aside, and was about to yell at the man at the door when I saw him grab a white Windsor chair and smash it fiercely and swiftly towards Beichen.

"Beichen!"

I exclaimed in surprise.

Bei Chen nimbly dodged to the side, and Fu Yanshen missed his target, causing the chair to fall to the ground with a loud thud.

At this moment, Bei Chen swung his fist to retaliate, but Fu Yanshen grabbed his fist and wrist, and with a forceful throw, he threw him over his shoulder and slammed him to the ground.

"Beichen!"

"Fu Yanshen! Stop right there!"

I realized what was happening and rushed forward to block him. His short punch came straight at my cheek, bringing with it a gust of wind.

Startled, I instinctively closed my eyes, but the pain didn't come immediately; my wrist was gripped.

When I opened my eyes, Fu Yanshen had already pulled me out of the guest room.

"Fu Yanshen, let go of me!"

I drank angrily, my back slamming against the hard door. The man's tall body pressed against me, trapping me between his chest and the door.

This is my bedroom.

His rough fingers gripped my chin, exuding a strong scent of hormones and a faint smell of blood; his fingers were dripping blood.

"Sheng Qiaoqiao, you know perfectly well that boy has had a crush on you since he was a child!" the man said through gritted teeth, his deep eyes filled with anger and jealousy, as if he wanted to devour me.

I rolled my eyes at him defiantly, "So what?"

His breathing clearly caught in his throat, his face grew increasingly ashen, and his eyes burned like wildfire. "You still let him hug you! You still hugged him while sitting on the bed! Sheng Qiaoqiao, I'm not dead yet!"

"Fu Yanshen, what is our relationship? Have we gotten back together? Who I hug is none of your business! Even if I sleep with someone, it's none of your right to ask!"

I snorted and retorted.

"Don't say such nonsense to provoke me!" he scolded me in a low voice, looking as if he was trying his best to suppress his anger.

I'm not afraid of his dog-like behavior.

"Fu Yanshen, from the moment you chose to give your heart to someone else, said harsh words to force me to give up on you, and abandoned me, you should have known this day would come!"

Although there's nothing between me and Beichen, I want to use this incident to make him understand just how outrageous his past actions were!

He'll hurt both me and himself!

He gave away his perfectly good heart, was in a coma for two years and barely survived, and now he has to take anti-rejection drugs for the rest of his life.

What if there isn't a matching heart?

He's long dead...

Fu Yanshen stared at me silently, his eyes swirling with complex emotions. Finally, he smiled and asked, "Which day?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he released my chin, cupped my cheeks in his hands, and his hot breath filled my nose. He was about to kiss me, but I immediately turned my head away.

The man's lips brushed against my cheek. "Qiaoqiao, I'm not afraid you'll fall for someone else. You won't. I'm angry because Sheng Beichen hugged you and touched you."

Words that seemed to be squeezed out from between teeth.

Hearing his words, I became even angrier and raised my hand to slap him, but he easily grabbed it.

"Fu Yanshen, where does your confidence come from? Beichen, Song Sinan, Muye... I'd be happier with any one of them than with you!"

As I spoke, Fu Yanshen's eyes grew darker and darker. He tried to kiss me again, but I turned my head away once more. He buried his face in my neck and began to nibble and bite at me.

I raised my knee to strike his most vulnerable spot, but he reacted swiftly by lifting his leg to restrain me. Then, he cupped my face and kissed me wildly.

At the same time, the door behind me was being kicked loudly by Beichen outside.