Night was falling.

After everyone left, Song Yan escorted Chu Xin'er back to another residence.

Chu Xin'er was still savoring the "good news" she had just heard, and couldn't help but speak again.

"Brother Song Yan, you have to admit, the Zhang and Gu families really deserved it! They all insisted on making trouble for our family, and now look what happened! They've all gotten their comeuppance! It's truly gratifying!"

Chu Xin'er was speaking animatedly when she suddenly sensed that the atmosphere around her was a bit off.

Turning her head, she noticed that Song Yan, who had been quietly listening to her, had suddenly pursed his lips, his jawline was taut, and he was radiating a low-pressure aura that kept strangers at bay.

He... seems unhappy?

Chu Xin'er's heart skipped a beat, and she tentatively asked, "Brother Song Yan, what... what's wrong?"

Song Yan stopped, turned his head, and gazed intently at her face: "It's nothing."

"..."

There's a ghost!

Chu Xin'er pondered for a moment before suddenly realizing what was going on.

I realized I'd been so focused on talking about others that I'd neglected him.

Before she could explain, Song Yan took another small step forward, instantly closing the distance between them, and his cool aura completely enveloped her.

"When you're with me, all you can think about is other people."

His voice carried a hint of barely perceptible grievance and a strong sense of possessiveness: "Xin'er, in your heart, do I really have no presence at all?"

Is he... is he jealous?!

"I...I didn't!"

Chu Xin'er's cheeks were so red they looked like they could bleed. She waved her hands nervously and stammered, "I just... I just felt relieved, so I said a few more words! I... of course I was thinking of you!"

The last sentence was almost blurted out.

As soon as she finished speaking, she wished she could bite off her own tongue; she was so embarrassed that she felt like she was about to evaporate on the spot.

Her heartfelt explanation eased Song Yan's expression slightly.

But the slight resentment and dissatisfaction in his eyes had not completely disappeared.

He took a step forward, his tall figure exuding an overwhelming sense of pressure.

"Xin'er, you think you can just brush me off with a few words?"

His voice was deep and hoarse, like the sound of a cello, which made Chu Xin'er's heart tremble in the quiet night.

"Um?"

Chu Xin'er raised her head, looking completely bewildered.

Well... what else do you want...?

Seeing her adorable, bewildered expression, Song Yan's heart softened, and the last trace of gloom in his eyes turned into helpless doting affection.

Silly girl.

He wasn't going to let her off so easily.

Song Yan leaned down slightly, his warm breath brushing against her cheek, and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, with a hint of seduction, "Prove it to me."

prove?

How can you prove it?

Chu Xin'er's mind went blank.

Looking at that flawlessly handsome face so close to her, and into his deep, seemingly soul-stirring eyes, her heart pounded wildly.

As if possessed, she stood on tiptoe.

She pressed her soft lips to his slightly cool cheek.

A soft "chirp" sound.

Like a dragonfly skimming the water, it touches and then disappears.

"Is this...is this okay?"

Chu Xin'er's voice was barely audible, her cheeks burning, and she dared not look Song Yan in the eye.

However, she waited for a long time but didn't receive a reply from Song Yan.

Just as Chu Xin'er was feeling uneasy, thinking that this "proof" was not enough, her chin was suddenly lifted gently by a large hand.

Immediately afterwards, a kiss filled with intense possessiveness and boundless tenderness descended upon her.

"Hmm..."

Chu Xin'er's eyes widened instantly, and her brain exploded into a dazzling display of light.

This kiss, like Song Yan himself, carried a touch of coldness, yet was incredibly domineering.

Chu Xin'er was so overwhelmed by his kisses that her mind went completely blank.

Under the moonlight, two figures embraced tightly, as if they wanted to become one.

After an unknown amount of time, just when Chu Xin'er felt like she was about to suffocate, Song Yan finally reluctantly let go.

"That's enough."

Song Yan gently stroked her lips with his fingertips, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

Chu Xin'er's cheeks were so red they looked like they could bleed. She lowered her eyes, her long eyelashes trembling nervously, and she didn't dare to look at him at all.

She nodded, then shook her head quickly.

Nodding means you understand.

Shaking her head was... because she was afraid he wouldn't feel it was enough and wanted to do it again.

Although... although she wasn't actually resistant at all.

Seeing her adorable, cowardly yet charming appearance, Song Yan felt a deep pang in his heart and chuckled softly.

"Silly girl."

He gently pinched the tip of her nose, his tone full of affection: "You think you can get rid of me with just a kiss?"

Chu Xin'er suddenly raised her head, her eyes wide open: "Then...what else do you want?"

"after……"

Song Yan leaned close to her ear, his warm breath tickling her ear: "When you're with me, you're not allowed to think about anyone else, not even for a second."

"Your mind, your eyes, your heart can only have me."

His voice was domineering and left no room for argument.

Did you hear that?

"I...I heard it."

Chu Xin'er was both amused and embarrassed by his childish declaration of possessiveness, and could only nod like a chick pecking at rice.

"Mmm, good girl."

Song Yan ruffled her hair with satisfaction, then took her hand and continued walking towards the mansion.

This time, however, he held her hand tightly, their fingers intertwined, and never let go.

A few days later.

The Zhang family was now shrouded in a deathly silence and an aura of decay.

Now the gate is crooked, the weeds in the yard are taller than a person, the doors and windows of the main house and the east and west wing rooms are covered with a thick layer of dust, and the air is filled with an indescribable stench that is a mixture of medicine, mold and filth.

From the main room came muffled, intermittent groans, the sound of Zhang Yaozu, the father who was paralyzed in bed and incontinent.

From time to time, sharp, illogical giggles or heart-wrenching cries would erupt from the west wing—it was from the completely insane younger sister, Zhang Qingqing.

Zhang Weiguo woke up.

He has been awake for several days.

But he wished he hadn't woken up.

He lay there stiffly on the bed, his eyes open, staring blankly at the roof that had turned gray from the accumulated dust.

His body could move, but his soul seemed to have died completely with Tang Jiang's car accident, his younger sister's madness, his mother's imprisonment, and his father's paralysis.