Chapter 2 I'll deal with you tonight.

Zhou Shiye's tall body, radiating intense heat, enveloped Wen Yu.

He carried a faint scent of tobacco mixed with the aroma of high-end cologne, a scent that Wen Yu both knew and feared.

The man's deep eyes were dark and turbulent, filled with emotions that frightened Wen Yu.

Wen Yu stiffly turned her face away, trying to avoid Zhou Shiye's lips and his burning gaze, her voice almost choked with sobs, full of pleading: "Second Brother, no, outside..."

There are people everywhere outside.

This also includes Zhou Yingchen.

"Second Brother?"

Zhou Shiye chuckled softly, as if he had heard something amusing, but his laughter was devoid of warmth, filled only with cold mockery: "Now you know to call me Second Brother? Just now, you were next to my brother..."

At this point, Zhou Shiye's laughter turned cold.

He raised his thumb and rubbed Wen Yu's soft lips hard until they turned a bright red and engorged with blood. His tone was filled with an irresistible danger: "You let my brother touch you? He just put his arm around your waist?"

Wen Yu shook her head vigorously as a conditioned reflex: "No, there's a distance."

Wen Yu was eager to clear herself of the fact that Zhou Yingchen had put his arm around her waist earlier, fearing that this would become another reason for Zhou Shiye to lash out.

"That's good."

Zhou Shiye was finally satisfied, and his aura began to heat up.

He lowered his head, his nose brushing against Wen Yu's, their breaths mingling hotly, and his low, husky voice rang out again.

"Be proactive, kiss me."

Wen Yu froze.

Zhou Shiye was always like this; he liked to order her around.

Seeing that Wen Yu did not move, he pinched her chin with his long fingers, forcing her to raise her eyes and face the turbulent undercurrent in his eyes.

There was anger, dissatisfaction, and something deeper that Wen Yu couldn't understand, which terrified her.

"I told you to kiss me, don't you understand?"

This time, the man's tone was even more impatient and threatening.

Wen Yu's heart pounded wildly.

She knew she couldn't afford to offend Zhou Shiye; he was even more unpredictable and eccentric than Zhou Yingchen.

Zhou Yingchen's punishment was cold but predetermined, but Zhou Shiye's anger was like an unpredictable storm.

Wen Yu had no idea what terrifying things he might do.

So Wen Yu could only close her eyes and press her trembling lips to Zhou Shiye's.

Her movements were awkward; the kiss was fleeting, barely touching before pulling away.

Just as she was about to back away, Wen Yu was firmly trapped by Zhou Shiye in the small space between the dressing table and his chest.

"that's all?"

Zhou Shiye narrowed his eyes, clearly extremely dissatisfied with this perfunctory kiss.

He stared at Wen Yu's pale face; her long eyelashes trembled violently, clearly indicating her fear.

What's so scary about it?

A surge of anger suddenly welled up within him, and Zhou Shiye's pitiful patience was exhausted.

"Tsk, so stupid."

Zhou Shiye cursed under his breath, grabbed Wen Yu's head with one hand, and kissed her fiercely.

He forcefully pried open Wen Yu's teeth, entwined them, sucked, and plunged in.

Wen Yu felt her oxygen being gradually deprived, the air becoming thinner, and her vision blurring intermittently.

The air around Zhou Shiye was thick with a dangerous aura.

The aura made her dizzy, and even more so, filled her with despair.

After an unknown amount of time, just when Wen Yu felt she was about to suffocate, Zhou Shiye finally released her.

The man was slightly out of breath as he looked at the girl who had collapsed in his arms.

Wen Yu's lips were swollen and red from his ravaging, glistening with moisture under the light. Her eyes were unfocused, conveying a sense of brokenness after being ravaged.

The darkness in Zhou Shiye's eyes receded slightly, replaced by a complex mix of emotions that even he himself couldn't quite make sense of.

He reached out and roughly brushed his thumb across Wen Yu's moist lips, erasing the ambiguous trace.

"I've got it,"

Zhou Shiye's voice grew lower and hoarse, but it lacked the previous ruthlessness and contained something else: "Next time I ask you to do something, don't make me say it twice."

Wen Yu's legs went weak from the kisses, and her head was spinning. She could only weakly cling to Zhou Shiye's shoulder and lean against him, breathing softly.

Sensing Wen Yu's submission and limpness, Zhou Shiye let out a muffled chuckle.

Immediately, his hands, which were around her waist, began to wander, the burning heat sliding down her back, his intention clearly to slip inside her lining skirt.

"Don't……"

Wen Yu woke up with a start, frantically grabbing Zhou Shiye's wandering hand, crying and pleading, "Outside, there are people... they might hear us..."

Zhou Shiye paused, his eyes surging with lust.

Staring at Wen Yu's flushed cheeks and her wet, panicked eyes, he lowered his head and, as if venting his anger, sucked hard on her slender collarbone, leaving a distinct mark.

The stinging pain made Wen Yu gasp.

"Wait."

Zhou Shiye's voice was hoarse beyond recognition, his eyes filled with lingering lust and a strong sense of threat: "I'll deal with you tonight."

Just then, a knocking sound rang out on the door.

Then, the voice of Chen, Zhou Yingchen's assistant, came from outside the door: "Second Young Master, Miss Wen. The banquet is about to begin. Mr. Zhou has instructed the staff to help Miss Wen change into her dress."

The meaning behind those words is clear: Zhou Shiye should go out.

Zhou Shiye's face instantly darkened.

He gave Wen Yu a sinister look, but in the end he still let go of her.

Before leaving, Zhou Shiye kissed the fresh hickey on her collarbone again, as if determined to leave an even deeper mark.

Then he straightened his slightly disheveled shirt collar, opened the door, and walked out with a heavy heart.

When the door opened, Wen Yu seemed to hear faint conversations outside, as well as Zhou Shiye's impatient "I know."

As soon as the door closed, Wen Yu's legs went weak, and she almost collapsed to the ground.

She hurriedly turned to look in the mirror and saw that the hickey on her collarbone was particularly glaring. As long as she wore a low-cut dress, the ambiguous relationship would be immediately obvious.

Wen Yu's heart was pounding so hard she almost stopped.

She frantically grabbed a powder puff from the vanity, dipped it in a thick layer of foundation, and desperately tried to cover the mark.

Her fingers trembled from nervousness and the earlier entanglement, and she had to apply several layers of powder to barely cover the blush.

But upon closer inspection, the skin still appears somewhat unnaturally thick.

By the time the two female staff members came in, Wen Yu had barely regained her composure, though her fingers behind her back were still trembling.

Throughout the process of changing into her dress, Wen Yu remained tense, carefully protecting her chest, afraid that no one would notice anything amiss.

The expensive dress that had been torn was silently taken away like evidence of a crime, and she didn't even dare to look at it again.

She changed into a more luxurious and dazzling champagne-colored gown, with tiny diamonds on the hem sparkling even more brilliantly under the lights.

The banquet proceeded smoothly according to plan.

Wen Yu was brought back to Zhou Yingchen's side, like a delicate ornament, receiving scrutiny from both overt and covert angles.

During the auction, the atmosphere reached its climax when a necklace set with rare pink diamonds appeared.

The necklace had a starting bid of 30 million, and its presentation caused a stir in the room.

Even Wen Yu, who had little knowledge of jewelry, was taken aback by its dazzling brilliance and price.

The bidding was fierce, and the price soared.

Each price increase was met with gasps; for these people, money was just a number.

Until Zhou Yingchen gave him a cold look, Assistant Chen raised his sign and announced a number: "One hundred million."

The entire audience erupted in uproar.

Even the auctioneer paused for a moment.

Under the dazzling lights, the man in the middle of the first row leaned back in his chair with a relaxed posture.

His profile was cold and hard, his expression completely calm, as if he had just uttered an insignificant number.

Finally, the auction gavel fell, and the priceless bracelet went to Zhou Yingchen.

Countless gazes, some open and some hidden, swept over Wen Yu, filled with scrutiny and unspeakable jealousy.

"A bracelet worth 100 million... Who is Mr. Zhou going to give it to? I've never heard of Mr. Zhou having a woman by his side."

"It couldn't be Wen Yu's adopted daughter, could it? Does she even deserve it?"

The whispers around her felt like needles pricking Wen Yu, making her feel extremely uncomfortable.

In reality, she never wanted any bracelet; she just wanted to quietly be herself.

After finally enduring the auction, while everyone's attention was still on the subsequent social pleasantries, Wen Yu whispered to Zhou Yingchen, asking to go outside for some fresh air. After receiving a nonchalant nod from him, she avoided Zhou Shiye's gaze and fled the banquet hall.

A few minutes later, Wen Yu lifted her skirt and came to a secluded open-air balcony at the end of the corridor.

Far from the hustle and bustle, there is only cool air and the sound of pattering rain.

The night wind, carrying cool raindrops, blew against her face, but Wen Yu felt as if she had finally come back to life a little.

She leaned wearily against the railing, bent over, kicked off the high heels that had tormented her all night, and stepped barefoot onto the damp carpet.

Wen Yu's heels were chafed raw and burning with pain.

But she didn't care at all; she just wanted to enjoy this moment of peace.

The city lights in the distance were blurred by the rain. Wen Yu watched quietly, and a strong urge suddenly welled up in her heart: to leave this place and escape from it as far away as possible.

She definitely can.

That's when my phone vibrated, and the words "Auntie" appeared on the screen.

Wen Yu tensed up.

She took a deep breath and barely managed to answer the phone: "Auntie..."

On the other end of the phone, Zhou's mother's voice was as reproachful and impatient as ever: "Wen Yu, can't you see what time it is? Still at the banquet? Don't forget your place, don't cause them any trouble."

"I'll be back soon, Auntie."

Wen Yu responded softly, her fingers digging into the cold, damp railing.

After hanging up the phone, Wen Yu felt a sense of relief.

Zhou's mother has returned from her trip, which means the two brothers will be somewhat more restrained.

At least on the surface.

Wen Yu sighed and resignedly bent down to pick up the two high heels she had kicked away.

But a hand with distinct knuckles picked up the pair of delicate silver high heels before she could.

Wen Yu looked up in surprise.

I saw a man.

The man stood before her, dressed in a suit and tie, with a gentle demeanor and a perfectly attentive smile on his face.

Is it Shen Jinhuai?

She seemed to be Zhou Yingchen's important business partner; she had met him several times.

It seems this man always appears in these kinds of situations, and he handles them with ease.

For example, right now, he is gentle and refined, and the way he looks at her is always tender.

It was completely different from the aggressive and possessive gaze of the Zhou brothers.

But Wen Yu didn't like him.

There was even a slight sense of rejection.

Perhaps it was because of his presence and his normalcy that Wen Yu's disheveled state was all the more apparent.

But what she didn't see was that the moment the man's gaze fell on Wen Yu's reddened heels, his fingers tightened around her high heels.

The man's prominent Adam's apple bobbed slightly. His gaze quickly shifted from her injured ankle, and when it met Wen Yu's eyes again, a subtle tension appeared in his usual gentle smile.

In a short while,

"If your feet hurt, you don't have to wear them."

Shen Jinhuai looked at her, his voice as gentle as ever: "Miss Wen, there's no need for you to wrong yourself."

Wen Yu was taken aback.

As far as I can remember, it had been a very long time since anyone had said such things to my grandmother.

"Miss Wen...you really don't remember me?"

The man opposite me spoke gently.

But if you listen carefully, you can hear a restrained, complex emotion in his tone that others cannot understand.

Wen Yu couldn't understand either.

She frowned.

This wasn't the first time this man had asked Wen Yu this kind of question.

He asked that question the first time they met.

However, Wen Yu had absolutely no recollection of Shen Jinhuai.

After her grandmother passed away, Wenyu was so heartbroken that she developed a high fever.

Upon waking, I had some memories missing, but only a very small portion.

She never paid attention.

After all, as long as the important memories of Grandma are still there, that's enough.

This is also one of the reasons why Wen Yu doesn't like Shen Jinhuai very much.

This man gave her a panicked feeling that everything she was going on was an illusion.

But Wen Yu knew perfectly well that everything she was seeing now was not an illusion.

She is truly trapped in this nightmare and cannot escape for the time being.

Just then, the light at the entrance to the balcony dimmed.

Zhou Yingchen was standing there at some point, his cold gaze sweeping over the two high heels that Shen Jinhuai was carrying, before looking at Wen Yu's bare feet.

Throughout, the man's expression remained unchanged, but the surrounding air grew even colder.

Wen Yu felt a pang of panic.

He was trembling uncontrollably and could no longer care about Shen Jinhuai beside him.

The next moment, Zhou Yingchen didn't ask any questions, but walked straight over and picked Wen Yu up in his arms.

Wen Yu gasped softly and instinctively wrapped her arms around Zhou Yingchen's neck.

Zhou Yingchen then held her in his arms and turned to leave.

As the man passed by Shen Jinhuai, he didn't stop, leaving behind only a faint, emotionless remark.

"Your shoes are dirty, I'll buy you new ones."