The carriage was deathly quiet, a world apart from the bustling atmosphere of the city.

She realized that gripping the seatbelt tightly with both hands was like a drowning person clinging to a piece of duckweed, which gave her a sense of security.

This was the first time she had come to a KTV with her friends without telling Qi Shen, and she had no idea what he would do next.

In her anxiety, she tried to break the silence and explain, "Brother... I..."

Qi Shen didn't look at her, gazing calmly at the road ahead. "We can talk about it when we get back, okay, Zhizhi?"

Upon hearing this, Fang Zhi's heart skipped a beat.

She knew her brother would be angry, but his current refusal to listen to her explanation showed that he was already furious.

After the car arrived at Nangong, Qi Shen did not linger in the living room. Instead, he glanced at the girl behind him with her head down and casually instructed her to come back to his bedroom.

The setting sun shone through the glass window, bathing the spacious bedroom in red. The light fell on Fang Zhi, but she felt no warmth at all.

A sense of oppression and suffocation emanated from the refined and aloof man sitting on the bed, a feeling that was constantly being transmitted to her.

Qi Shen crossed his legs slightly and casually unbuttoned the top button of his shirt, revealing his delicately shaped collarbone.

He took off his glasses, revealing deep, dark eyes that were sharp and ruthless, like those of a judge.

He patted the spot next to him and said in a gentle voice, "Zhizhi, come here."

Fang Zhi hesitated and stood there, "I know it's wrong to go to karaoke with my classmates, and I shouldn't have kept it from my brother."

"I know I was wrong, I'm sorry, brother."

Qi Shen narrowed his eyes.

In the open space in front of the bed, the girl stood gracefully, her posture upright, her delicate body wrapped in simple clothes.

Only her eyes, which dared not look him in the eye, betrayed her inner nervousness.

Not hearing a reply from the man, Fang Zhi swallowed hard and continued, "But my relationship with my brother is not right right now, and this is not what I want."

Qi Shen smiled, "Then what does Zhizhi want?" He stood up, walked to Fang Zhi, and bent down to get closer to her.

His high, straight nose was separated from the girl's neck by a thin sheet of paper as he inhaled her unique fragrance.

His warm breath fell on her skin, his voice low and incredibly soft, "You're happier with your friends than with your brother, aren't you? Do you want your brother away from you? Or do you want to get away from your brother? Zhizhi doesn't want to accept my feelings for you, so whose do you want to accept?"

"Doesn't Zhizhi understand her brother? If her brother likes something, he has to get it, right?"

As they spoke, the man's delicate, thin lips pressed against her neck, like the intimate whispers between lovers.

The combined physical and psychological stimulation sent shivers down Fang Zhi's spine, and she couldn't help but take a big step back.

The two distanced themselves from each other.

"Brother, I have someone I like!"

Fang Zhi called out these words with trepidation, hoping that Qi Shen would give up and that they could still be like brother and sister as before.

She looked up at Qi Shen with nervousness.

The latter slowly straightened up and stared at the girl, his handsome face devoid of any trace of a smile.

"Say it again." A storm was brewing in his eyes. The angrier he got, the calmer his tone became, each word clear and distinct. "Zhizhi, is it because your brother spoils you too much that you dare to say anything?"

Fang Zhi trembled all over, gritting her teeth, "Brother, I have someone I like, I hope you can give me your blessing."

"You have someone you like?" Qi Shenjun stared at her with a playful expression, repeating to confirm, "Really?"

Fang Zhi didn't know where the courage came from, but she straightened her back and looked into Qi Shen's dark and unfathomable eyes, "Yes!"

The air was deathly silent.

After a moment, the man clapped softly, "Very good."

Fang Zhi dared not look up at his face, and did not even dare to breathe.

"Jiang Yuze?"

Fang Zhi gritted his teeth and kept silent.

She doesn't like Jiang Yuze, but if she can make her brother misunderstand, she can give up her romantic feelings for him...

Then let it be a misunderstanding.

"I heard he's the school bully at Shangde now, right?" Qi Shen said this in a calm tone, but there was an indescribable sarcasm and disdain in his voice. "He used to get into fights with other people outside of school all the time. What do you think will happen if something happens to someone like him who causes trouble?"

Only then did I realize that my pupils had suddenly dilated.

She couldn't believe these threatening words came from her gentle and kind brother.

Qi Shen glanced at the girl's suddenly changed expression and continued unhurriedly, "For example, if an enemy seeks revenge and doesn't know their own strength, you might accidentally end up in the hospital or crippled."

"Brother...you can't do this..."

"Why can't I?" Qi Shen smiled gently, but there was an invisible ruthlessness hidden in his smile. "My brother's precious child, whom he has carefully nurtured for more than ten years, is about to be taken away by someone else. Can't I charge him some interest?"

Only then did I realize that my lips were faintly pale.

Qi Shen squinted, gazing at the girl's face, which looked even more pitiful with fear. "I almost forgot that her father is a bank manager, or at least just a bank manager."

He spoke casually, as if what he was saying and what he was going to do was such a trivial matter.

He is a person in a high position, whose power and status allow him to disregard the rules and unilaterally crush others.

Words failed him, and he shook his head helplessly, murmuring, "Brother...please don't...don't do this..."

"I don't like Jiang Yuze. I was lying to my brother when I said I had someone I liked..."

"Really? How do I know Zhizhi isn't lying to her brother right now?" Qi Shen sat back on the bed, his narrow eyes filled with laughter. "And what your brother does depends on Zhizhi, doesn't it?" He paused, patted his trousers, and said, "Come sit down. As long as Zhizhi is obedient, your brother won't make things difficult for her."

Fang Zhi walked up to Qi Shen in a daze, and the man easily pulled her into his arms.

With long, slender fingers, he lifted the girl's chin, his posture suggestive, his tone gentle and alluring, "Very well-behaved."

As soon as he finished speaking, Qi Shen gently kissed the girl's slightly reddened eyes, his thin lips gently rubbing against hers.

"Don't cry, sweet girl. I don't want your tears to fall for anyone else, understand?"

"If Zhizhi cares about other people more than her brother, and lies to her brother, he will be very sad."

His little girl was jealous of others, and the sight was too jarring, making him unable to suppress the anger in his heart.

The gentle admonition continued, like the seductive whispers of a demon from the abyss: "Zhizhi must not think of distancing herself from her brother, and even less should she try to do so."

"Zhizhi wanted to go to her classmate's birthday party, and even though her brother wasn't happy about it, he agreed to let you go."

"Although Zhizhi betrayed my trust by going to an entertainment venue with two boys..."

"But it's okay, this time my brother won't say anything."

Fang Zhi sat blankly in his lap. Birthday... Si Yi... Was this a subtle, indirect threat from her brother?

If his previous feelings and intimacy with her had reshaped her beliefs...

What he just did completely overturned her understanding.

Fang Zhi suddenly realized that Pandora's box had been opened, and she herself had given it the final push. All the previous calm facades had been torn apart.

All that remains is a deep-seated obsession, possessiveness, and plunder.