Chapter 4 The Mark I Left Behind, Is It Something to Be Seen? ...

For a moment, the air in the room seemed to freeze.

Wen Yu could only hear the pattering rain outside the window and the sound of her own wildly beating heart.

Zhou Shiye's words buzzed in Wen Yu's ears like a spell.

Every word carries a burning, irresistible meaning.

The man's casual, confident slapping of her thigh, along with his nonchalant demeanor, humiliated Wen Yu more than any direct violence could force her into submission; it made her feel like a mindless puppet.

Wen Yu stood frozen in place, her hands and feet ice-cold.

But,

"Can't understand?"

The man on the sofa, adopting a wild and unrestrained posture, raised an eyebrow.

The man's dark eyes were particularly deep under the dim bedside lamp, churning with an undercurrent that Wen Yu both knew and feared.

After a moment, the man parted his lips slightly: "Or... should I 'invite' you?"

The sound of the word "please" was deliberately emphasized, with the ending tone drawn out, carrying a malicious sense of mockery.

Wen Yu realized that Zhou Shiye's so-called "please" either meant directly tearing up the only dress she was wearing that belonged to her, or forcing her to comply in a way that would make her even more embarrassed.

No matter what method she uses, she can't escape.

For a moment, Wen Yu's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her chest.

She dared not hesitate any longer, her fingertips trembling as she gripped the hem of her cotton dress.

The hem of the skirt was rolled up little by little.

At this point, Zhou Shiye stopped urging him.

He leaned back on the sofa with an air of nonchalance, watching her with eyes fixed on Wen Yu like a wolf eyeing its prey, seemingly enjoying the girl's panicked and forced compliance.

Zhou Shiye even had the leisure to tap his thigh with his fingertips.

The silence only made Wen Yu more uneasy.

The skirt was rolled up to her thighs, revealing Wen Yu's soft, light-colored cotton underwear.

As her exposed skin came into contact with the cool air, Wen Yu's fair legs trembled uncontrollably.

When her skirt was finally lifted all the way up to her waist, Wen Yu was so ashamed she almost fainted.

Her cheeks were burning hot, and she bit her lip tightly, afraid that she would cry out loud.

Then, Wen Yu slowly moved to stand in front of Zhou Shiye.

But her legs felt like they were made of lead, and she hesitated to make the next move.

Zhou Shiye finally lost his patience.

He clicked his tongue, reached out and grabbed Wen Yu's slender waist, pulling her towards him.

"ah--"

Wen Yu let out a soft cry.

In the blink of an eye, she found herself straddling Zhou Shiye's strong thighs.

This position made Wen Yu slightly taller than Zhou Shiye, forcing her to look down at him.

But the man's smiling yet utterly devoid of warmth made Wen Yu clearly feel that she was the one being completely controlled and scrutinized.

Through the thin fabric, Wen Yu could feel the muscle definition in the man's legs, and...

In an instant, Wen Yu tensed up and instinctively wanted to shrink back.

"Why are you hiding?"

Zhou Shiye's large hand tightly encircled Wen Yu's waist, holding her firmly against his body, while his other hand was already caressing her smooth back.

The man's slightly calloused fingertips slowly caressed her back, his tone amused: "Weren't you quite assertive in the text message just now? 'Auntie told me to stay in the room'?"

"Then why are we hiding now?"

"Yes, I'm sorry, Second Brother..."

Wen Yu apologized, her voice trembling.

Large tears welled up in her eyes, but she forced them back.

"sorry?"

Zhou Shiye chuckled and pinched her butt lightly with his fingers: "Is this what I want to hear?"

Then, Zhou Shiye leaned closer to Wen Yu's neck, and the faint smell of tobacco began to become heavy.

"Did my brother touch you?"

Zhou Shiye suddenly brought up this issue again.

The difference this time was that the man's voice was a bit deeper.

His fingers slowly moved upwards along her spine, his eyes filled with scrutiny, as if checking whether his territory had been invaded by others.

Wen Yu shook her head reflexively, tears welling up in her eyes: "No, really no..."

"That's true, why would my brother touch you?"

Hearing the words of satisfaction, Zhou Shiye chuckled.

But his movements didn't stop; his fingers deftly found the zipper on the dress.

When his warm fingers touched the cool zipper pull, Wen Yu couldn't help but flinch.

The next moment, the zipper was easily pulled open, the neckline of the dress loosened, immediately revealing a large expanse of Wen Yu's fair skin and delicate collarbone, as well as...

The faint red marks left by the necklace Zhou Yingchen had given her, and the hickeys Zhou Shiye had left in the lounge that she had barely managed to cover up with foundation.

Zhou Shiye's gaze lingered on the hickey, his eyes darkening.

"What are you covering up?"

His tone was ambiguous as he forcefully rubbed the foundation off the patch of skin with his fingertips, instantly revealing the ambiguous hickey.

"The marks I left behind are shameful?"

The man's angry voice sounded particularly dangerous.

"No, no...you promised me you wouldn't let anyone know about us...sob..."

Wen Yu frantically tried to explain, wanting to say that this was her only request for them to maintain this abnormal relationship, but before she could finish speaking, Zhou Shiye's lips forcefully covered the kiss mark.

A sharp pain shot through her, and Wen Yu knew that a more noticeable mark would be left here tomorrow.

The tingling and stinging sensation made Wen Yu feel weak all over.

She could only cling weakly to the man's shoulder, her soft sobs choked in her throat.

Zhou Shiye's hands also began to wander erratically over Wen Yu's body.

Just then, a sudden, sharp ringtone broke the ambiguous atmosphere.

Zhou Shiye frowned and glanced at the phone he had casually tossed onto the beanbag chair.

The phone screen displayed a name: Zhou Yingchen.

Remembering Zhou Xingchen's promise to reward her that night, Wen Yu suddenly sobered up.

She struggled to get off Zhou Shiye's legs.

But Zhou Shiye glanced at his phone screen, then at Wen Yu in his arms, who was pale and trembling with fear, and a wicked smile crept onto his lips.

The ringtone persisted, and Zhou Shiye brazenly imprisoned Wen Yu.

He neither answered the phone nor let go of her.

As Wen Yu listened to the incessant ringing of her phone, the image of Zhou Yingchen frowning on the other end of the line immediately came to mind.

The next moment, Zhou Shiye's nose brushed against Wen Yu's nose.

The man's voice was very low, but it was full of impatience: "It's so noisy, go get your phone."

Wen Yu felt as if she had been granted a pardon. She quickly got off Zhou Shiye's lap, staggered to the beanbag chair, picked up the still-ringing phone with trembling hands, and handed it to Zhou Shiye.

Zhou Shiye snatched the phone away without even looking at it, as if throwing something dirty that had disturbed his mood. With a flick of his arm, the phone was thrown out of the open balcony.

The phone traced an arc in the air before disappearing into the heavy darkness and rain of the courtyard below, its ringing abruptly ceasing.

Wen Yu stared wide-eyed in horror.

The next second, Zhou Shiye easily picked her up and carried her horizontally.

Zhou Shiye walked a few steps to the bedside and threw Wen Yu heavily onto the soft mattress.

·

The next morning.

Wen Yu woke up feeling sore all over.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, filling the entire room.

The seat next to Wen Yu was already empty; only the faint, lingering aura of Zhou Shiye's domineering presence remained in the air, proving that last night's madness was not a dream.

The room was a mess, and Wen Yu's dress lay crumpled on the carpet.

Suddenly, Wen Yu's heart tightened, and she hurriedly reached for her phone on the bedside table.

The screen lit up, and a WeChat message lay there quietly.

From Zhou Yingchen.

It was sent in the early hours of last night.

[Immediate business trip, no need to wait.]

Concise, indifferent, and cold.

Wen Yu stared at the line of words, and her tense nerves relaxed.

Thankfully, thankfully Zhou Yingchen didn't come back last night, otherwise...

After the immense relief came a deep weariness and a disdain for that relief.

After a long while, Wen Yu sat up, her body aching.

The blanket slipped off, bringing a chill.

Wen Yu realized something, and when she looked down and lifted the blanket, she saw that she was completely naked.

But the skin was dry, and those ambiguous marks had been deliberately removed.

Although she felt unwell, she did not experience the sticky feeling she had expected.

Wen Yu was taken aback, and a bitter smile appeared on her lips.

This is quite in line with Zhou Shiye's obsessive cleanliness.

He hated any sticky or ambiguous feeling, even afterward.

Despite feeling unwell, Wen Yu got out of bed and quickly went into the bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Turn on the shower and let the warm water wash over your body.

When Wen Yu finished washing up, changed into her own clothes, and came to the stairwell, only Zhou's mother was sitting at the dining table in the living room having breakfast.

Hearing footsteps, Zhou's mother raised her eyelids and glanced at Wen Yu indifferently.

Good morning, Auntie.

Wen Yu greeted him softly, her voice still a little hoarse.

Zhou's mother stirred the coffee in her cup with a small silver spoon, her tone indifferent: "When are you going back to the dormitory?"

Wen Yu lowered her eyelashes, knowing that Zhou's mother was giving her the order to leave.

She obediently replied, "I've packed everything, I'll be back right away."

In fact, Wen Yu didn't leave much with the Zhou family.

She is a freshman in college and lives in the dormitory from Sunday to Thursday, only being forced to return to the Zhou family home on Friday and Saturday.

However, yesterday was an important banquet for the Zhou Group. Before his death, the ailing Old Master Zhou specifically instructed Zhou Yingchen that Wen Yu's identity must be made public and that as an adopted daughter, she should enjoy the same inheritance rights as other family members.

It was precisely this point that made Zhou's mother see Wen Yu as a thorn in her side.

Wen Yu initially didn't understand why she also had inheritance rights.

She vaguely heard from the old servants in the old house that her grandmother, who had passed away long ago and was her only family, was the white moonlight that Master Zhou had longed for but could not have when she was young.

So after Wen Yu lost all her relatives, Grandpa Zhou insisted on taking her back to the old house to raise her.

However, the old man was already terminally ill and unable to take care of her personally, so he entrusted Wen Yu to Zhou Yingchen and Zhou Shiye.

This reason for adoption led Zhou's mother to believe that Wen Yu had tarnished the Zhou family's reputation.

Breakfast ended in a silent, oppressive atmosphere.

Wen Yu hurriedly drank a few sips of milk, then put down her utensils, slung her backpack over her shoulder, and fled the Zhou family's old house.

Stepping out of the heavy door, Wen Yu took a deep breath of the slightly cool outdoor air, and only then did she feel the tightness in her chest ease a little.

I took a taxi back to my school dormitory, opened the door, and found it empty.

I didn't have class this morning. When I don't have class, my roommates rarely stay in the dorm; they mostly go out to have fun.

Wen Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

She is not good at interacting with people, and a quiet space to be alone is a luxury for her.

Here, she can temporarily stop being the Zhou family's adopted daughter and just be an ordinary student, simply herself.

Wen Yu glanced at the time; there was still an hour until the scheduled tutoring appointment, so she had plenty of time.

This tutoring job was offered to her by a classmate. She was tutoring her classmate's younger sister, who was in middle school, in math. The hourly rate was normal and not high, but it gave her some money that she could keep to herself.

Wen Yu took out her textbook, forced herself to calm down, and carefully reviewed the content she was to tutor today.

Only by immersing herself in knowledge could she temporarily forget everything about the Zhou family.

Half an hour later, Wen Yu slung her backpack over her shoulder, pushed out a bicycle parked downstairs in the dormitory, and prepared to ride to her tutoring location.

She bought the bicycle with her scholarship money from last semester, and Wen Yu likes it very much.

However, just as she stepped out of the school gate, a black Bentley silently pulled up beside her and stopped.

The car's sleek body reflected a subtle, luxurious sheen in the sunlight, standing out starkly against the backdrop of the vibrant yet simple campus.

At this moment, the rear window rolled down, revealing Zhou Yingchen's expressionless profile.

He turned his head and looked at Wen Yu with a slightly tired gaze, as if he hadn't slept all night.

A note from the author:

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