The spacious trunk was more comfortable than a supercar. Qi Shen kneaded the girl's soft hand and lifted his eyelids.

"Were you scared?"

Although she knew that his astonishing actions tonight were most likely because of her, Fang Zhi was still apprehensive.

She gave a soft "hmm".

Suddenly remembering something, Fang Zhi silently raised her eyes, "If one day I offend my brother..." She paused, swallowed imperceptibly, and asked cautiously, "Would my brother drive his car straight over me?"

"No." A dark glint flashed across the man's handsome face, so quick it was almost imperceptible. "But it depends on what Zhizhi did to offend her brother."

"For example?" Fang Zhi's beautiful, innocent eyes widened, like a frightened deer.

The girl was clearly terrified, yet she pretended to be calm, which made one's hands itch to touch her. Qi Shen raised an eyebrow, took her hand, and intertwined their fingers. Her eyes behind her glasses were unfathomable, making them impossible to understand.

“I don’t like making meaningless assumptions.” He smiled slightly, his features refined and elegant.

for example?

He wouldn't take small things to heart, and she could throw tantrums and act capriciously at him as she pleased; he loved her and was willing to indulge her.

Unfortunately, he rarely saw Zhizhi throw a tantrum at him.

As for major events—

As if seeing through the girl's thoughts, Qi Shen immediately changed the subject, his tone still doting and gentle, as if joking, "You haven't worn that anklet your brother gave you in a long time."

Thinking of the anklet, Fang Zhi's ears, hidden beneath her cascading hair, involuntarily flushed red. She lowered her eyes, biting her lip as she murmured, "Brother..."

Qi Shen's gaze slid predatoryly from above to the girl's fair, delicate ankles, and his eyes darkened.

When he ordered that anklet, he specifically had a hidden clasp made, which was the perfect match for the gold chain.

"Wear an anklet tonight? Hmm?"

"No." Fang Zhi refused, not wanting to dwell on the topic any longer. She awkwardly changed the subject, "Brother, you made Qi Chen suddenly leave Haicheng because of Lin..."

She realized that it wasn't appropriate to call her brother "Sister Lin".

Fang Zhi suddenly stopped talking and changed the subject, "Is it because of Mrs. Cheng? I heard you say that they were racing cars together the day before yesterday. Did they have a conflict then?"

Qi Shen's eyes showed regret as he looked away from Fang Zhi's ankle. "It's not a contradiction."

Fang Zhi looked at him in confusion, "What is that?"

The man leaned back lazily against the car and scoffed, "He wants to woo Shi Yan's wife."

His younger brother has really become arrogant and ignorant, having been raised by their mother. Of all the women he could fancy, he had to choose the one he least wanted.

Instead of sending him away overnight to avoid trouble, are they going to leave him in Haicheng to wait for Shi Yan to deal with him?

"oh."

The girl's brief "Oh" piqued Qi Shen's interest. He narrowed his long, narrow eyes and said meaningfully, "Zhizhi doesn't seem surprised at all."

"Why are you surprised?" Fang Zhi looked at Qi Shen with confusion. "Don't you think Mrs. Cheng is very beautiful? It's normal for Qi Chen to like her at first sight."

If she were a man, she would also like to try pursuing Sister Lin. She might not succeed, but one should always have a dream.

Qi Shen said listlessly, "Not pretty."

Hearing this answer, Fang Zhi was somewhat displeased. "Brother..." she said, staring at the man with a hint of frustration, her words veiled, "Do you need to get your glasses replaced?"

Qi Shen stretched out his arm and pulled the girl into his arms, his hot breath spraying on her head. "You say your brother is blind?" Without giving the girl a chance to refute, he leaned down and whispered indistinctly in her ear, "In your brother's eyes, Zhizhi is the most beautiful, no one can compare to you."

The wetness and deep voice beside his ear startled him. He wanted to cover his chest, but then he raised his hand and put it down again.

When he didn't receive a response from the girl, Qi Shen felt a moment of profound loss, but he quickly regained his composure.

With her around, he couldn't see anyone else, nor did he want to see anyone else; she was the only person who could be by his side.

Even his closest friends and brothers could only see that he was forcing her to stay, but who knew that confinement and imprisonment were two-way?

The feeling of being abandoned by a loved one when he was young, though not painful, was profound enough. So he dared not gamble, nor dared to let his Zhizhi, the only antidote in his life, go out into the world, and even more dared not let anyone leave a mark on her heart.

He was always the one who needed her the most.

......

A silver disc hangs in the sky, its shadow slanting across the heavens.

The light from the chandelier kept disappearing and falling before her eyes, and she realized that she felt like a fish lying on a barbecue grill, her throat dry and her body water evaporated with the scorching heat, and she desperately needed to replenish her water.

She hasn't stopped since she got home, and now I know she's lost count of how many times she's fallen into this trap.

Qi Shen, like a high and mighty executioner, lowered his eyes and scrutinized the girl with her eyes half-closed and her mind in a daze.

"Zhizhi."

Her eyelashes trembled, her face flushed a deep red, and she murmured incoherently, too weak to even give him a clear response. She could only let him do as he pleased.

"Lin Yisheng, what did you two say to each other? Or to be more specific, did you exchange contact information?"

The nerves that had been tormented to the point of near death by the manipulation of the senses suddenly tensed up when they heard the name "Lin Yisheng".

Suppressing her overwhelming pleasure and tension, she met the man's deep, dark eyes that were scrutinizing her. Her soft, tearful voice was almost inaudible.

No...really no...

Qi Shen's hand slid down her leg, his body moving slowly, his voice low and husky with a hint of restraint:

"I don't like Zhizhi lying."

"I didn't lie... I really... didn't lie."

The agonizing itch made Fang Zhi incoherent.

......

After the clouds cleared and the rain stopped, Qi Shen gently stroked the sleeping girl's eyebrows and eyes.

Do you really not have any way to contact me?

He silently curled his lips into a smile, the curve of which held a hint of gloom.

Qi Shen glanced indifferently at Fang Zhi's phone on the bedside table, but did not check it as usual.

Because it's unnecessary.

He knew the girl's phone was completely clean.

His Zhizhi has become smarter now; even if there are things he wants to record, he won't do so openly on his phone.