Beijing, the ancient city under the cover of night, is mysterious and solemn.

The courtyard area on the west side of the ancient city is guarded by sentries in shifts day and night, with strict security.

The Chinese-style study is grand and elegant, with a golden incense burner emitting slowly rising white smoke and the air filled with the fragrance of sandalwood.

An elderly man with graying temples sat on a simple, heavy wooden table, picked up an exquisitely crafted porcelain cup, took a sip of tea, and slightly raised his eyelids, his weathered eyes containing wisdom and sharpness.

"What did Xiao Shen say?"

Qi Lian'an nodded. "Dad, you don't need to worry about him. He said he knows what to do."

Old Master Qi scoffed lightly, "After managing subordinates for half my life and meeting so many people, I was deceived by my son in the end."

Qi Lian'an looked embarrassed by what he was being said.

He never expected that his eldest son, who had always been sensible and polite and had saved him a lot of trouble for more than ten years, would teach his father a harsh lesson when it came time to fill out college applications after graduating from high school.

Once bitten by a snake, twice shy.

He was afraid that the kid would do something outrageous again.

Humans are not plants or trees, how can they be without feelings? During the years he served in Haicheng, when he returned to the Qi family, the little girl would timidly call him "uncle" as soon as she saw him.

Over time, he also considered introducing Fang Zhi to everyone after she graduated from high school and formally adopting her as his daughter.

In the end, it was all ruined by that brat Qi Shen.

He beat Qi Shen into the hospital not only because of the college application issue, but also for another reason.

After Qi Shen learned of his desire to adopt Fang Zhi as his daughter, this kid calmly said in front of him:

"Aren't you afraid of having another negative story about your adopted daughter being with your biological son? Then accept it."

He didn't treat her like a younger sister; he raised a child bride for himself.

Old Master Qi said calmly, "The transfer has been completed?"

Mr. Qi: "It will be here in two more days."

Old Master Qi closed his eyes, having made up his mind.

Lian An couldn't figure out Xiao Shen's thoughts even in Haicheng, let alone now that he's been transferred out.

The Fang family's ancestral home is in Haicheng. Fang Heming became pregnant with Xiao Shen back then, and Lian An was working in Haicheng.

He allowed them to settle in Haicheng.

If I had known it would be like this, I should have left the child in Beijing so that I could have personally taught him.

Among his juniors, he valued Xiao Shen the most.

It's a pity, otherwise his grandson, with his ambition, could have gone much further in his official career.

......

In the quiet bedroom on the second floor of the European-style villa, a desk lamp was lit, and Fang Zhi was organizing the wrong questions as instructed by Qi Shen.

The small, exquisitely designed phone on the desktop vibrated slightly without making a sound, indicating that a new message had arrived.

Fang Zhi, who was focused on correcting his mistakes, was startled and his hand trembled, causing the black ink to smear across the notebook.

She bit her lip.

This time is probably a text message from Siyi.

She glanced at her phone, then secretly looked up to see what Qi Shen was doing.

Their eyes met abruptly.

Qi Shen was sitting not far to her left, working on reports. When his phone vibrated, he had already lifted his eyelids to stare at her. When the girl looked up at him, he smiled.

"It's so late, is it a text message from a classmate?"

Fang Zhi's eyelashes fluttered slightly. "It should be."

Qi Shen's smile deepened, revealing nothing amiss. "Open it and take a look; you might have something urgent to discuss with me."

The little girl acted as if she had been caught doing something wrong, handling her phone very gently.

The message on the screen was from someone whose contact was labeled "pink heart"—it was Liu Siyi.

[Zhizhi, don't forget to tell your brother about attending my birthday party. *winks*]

Upon realizing there was no reply, he put his phone away.

Qi Shen tossed the report onto the table, turned to face her, his posture relaxed, a smile playing on his thin lips, and casually asked, "Zhizhi, what did your classmate want with you?"

"Brother," Fang Zhi carefully chose his words, "is it Liu Siyi, whom you just met today..."

Qi Shen raised an eyebrow and waited quietly for her to continue.

The little girl has learned to be cunning now.

They even deliberately emphasized that he had met them today, thinking that saying this would make him easily agree to their requests, right?

"Siyi's birthday is the weekend after next, and she wants to invite me to her birthday party. Can I go?"

Her jet-black hair was tied up, revealing her smooth and full forehead. The girl looked very gentle, with a clean and clear look between her brows and eyes, and her watery eyes were full of expectation.

Qi Shen crossed his legs slightly, his handsome eyes remaining calm and expressionless. "Do you want to go?"

Fang Zhi nodded. "I want to."

"But what if your brother doesn't want you to go?" Qi Shen stretched his arm forward, placed his hand on the girl's head, and said in an incredibly gentle voice, "I have time next weekend and I'd like to take Zhizhi out for a walk."

Fang Zhi's fair face showed some embarrassment, and her gentle voice was filled with difficulty, "Siyi's birthday is this afternoon. Can I go out with my brother again tonight?"

As he spoke, the man's long, slender fingers slid from the girl's head down to her eyebrows and eyes.

Warm fingers with a thin layer of calluses, as if caressing rare and precious objects, the movements are gentle and slow.

Only then did I realize that my heart was trembling, and I felt a slight itch between my brows. I wanted to move but dared not.

Qi Shen smiled faintly, "So, for Zhizhi, celebrating a classmate's birthday is more important than her brother's?"

"No," Fang Zhi hurriedly denied. "My brother is the most important."

A soft chuckle escaped the man's throat, the low, seductive tone lingering on the lips.

Qi Shen took off his glasses, revealing a pair of unfathomable black eyes. "If Zhizhi wants to go, she can. Just give your brother a kiss, and I'll let her go."

Fang Zhi's eyes widened in shock at his words, her cherry-colored lips trembling slightly, "My...brother..."

The more he tried to hide his thoughts, the more constrained he became. Anyway, the little girl would be an adult soon, and this game of make-believe should end, so Qi Shen simply stopped trying to conceal them.

"I like Zhizhi, not my sister."

The man's voice was deep and slightly hoarse, and he spoke the unbelievable words as easily as if he were drinking water.

He said it wasn't love for his sister, so what could it be? He was confessing his feelings to her. It took Fang Zhi a long time to find her voice, which trembled.

"Could...could we change the terms?"

Qi Shen smiled and said, "Of course, we can switch."

After saying that, he gave the girl no chance to back out, got up from the stool and bent down.

As the shadows descended, the man's clean and pleasant woody scent filled the air. Fang Zhi stared blankly, watching the familiar, handsome face before him grow ever larger.

Their lips touched like a dragonfly skimming the water, a fleeting moment.

Fang Zhi's breath caught in his throat. Last time could be described as an accident, an unintentional touch.

This was her first real kiss.