Shi Jing's embrace was warm and comforting, and Zhu Jinzhao felt an unprecedented sense of security as she leaned against him.

She was captivated by this feeling. Unconsciously, she raised her hands and wrapped them tightly around Shi Jing's waist, rubbing her cheek against Shi Jing's chest. Then she slowly began to arch her head upwards until she buried her head in the crook of Shi Jing's neck, at which point she obediently stopped.

Shi Jing felt her movements, and his ears were already flushed red with embarrassment.

"Chao, Chao Chao?" He gently raised his hand and placed it on Zhu Jinchao's shoulder, tentatively calling her name.

"Hmm?" Zhu Jinzhao responded in a muffled voice, then snuggled closer into his arms.

His throat tightened, and his heartbeat immediately became erratic.

"Zhao Zhao..." He lowered his head slightly, and couldn't help but gently rub his cheek against the top of Zhu Jinzhao's head, while tightening his arms to hold Zhu Jinzhao's slender body firmly in his embrace.

Summer was not yet over, and the two of them were dressed very lightly. They pressed themselves together so tightly that their heartbeats could be felt through their skin.

"Thump, thump, thump..."

His heart pounded heavily against his eardrums, and Shi Jing's Adam's apple bobbed laboriously.

"Zhao Zhao." He adjusted the angle slightly, making Zhu Jinzhao closer to him.

"Don't cry, I'm here for you."

Zhu Jinchao closed her eyes and fully enjoyed the sense of security that the mirror brought her.

"I'm not crying anymore," she said obediently. "If you hold me, I won't want to cry."

"Heh..." Shi Jing suddenly let out a soft gasp, feeling as if Zhu Jinzhao was about to shatter his heart.

"Chao Chao, how... how can you be so good at bewitching people..."

"Huh?" Zhu Jinzhao didn't understand. "Gu person? What's a Gu person?"

"Hmph..." Shi Jing chuckled softly and said helplessly, "It's nothing."

"Oh." Zhu Jinzhao didn't want to interfere, she just kept snuggling into his arms, as if no matter how tight he hugged her, it wasn't enough.

Shi Jing let her hug him and move around, and only when she finally calmed down did he ask softly, "Chao Chao, why are you so afraid of your older brother?"

"...I don't know." Zhu Jinzhao lied. "I don't know why, I'm just really scared."

Shi Jing: "Is it because you're afraid of him that you don't want to go home?"

"Yes." Zhu Jinzhao's lips were pressed against Shi Jing's neck, and with each word she spoke, she would place a kiss on Shi Jing's neck.

But she didn't realize this, leaving Shi Jing alone in chaos.

“I’m afraid of him, I don’t want to be with him,” she said pitifully. “He gives me a strange feeling, and I don’t want to go home and live with him.”

"How could this be?" Shi Jing asked, puzzled. "He's your older brother, why are you so afraid of him?"

Zhu Jinzhao shook his head: "I don't know."

Shi Jing: "Were you always afraid of him, or did you suddenly start to be afraid of him later?"

Zhu Jinzhao thought for a moment and said, "I only started to be afraid later."

Shi Jing: "So are you only afraid of him, or are you afraid of your second and third brothers as well?"

Zhu Jinzhao bit her lip: "Actually... I'm quite afraid of all three of them. It's just that my second and third brothers aren't as fierce as my eldest brother, so I don't have such a strong fear of them."

"You're afraid of all three of your older brothers..."

And they only started to be afraid later...

Shi Jing carefully pondered Zhu Jinzhao's words, and a guess suddenly popped into his mind.

"Chao Chao." He lowered his brows slightly, a cold glint appearing in his eyes. "Is it because of Zhu Mingyue?"

"..." Zhu Jinzhao didn't speak, but his body was clearly stiff.

Shi Jing immediately had the answer in his heart.

He held Zhu Jinzhao even tighter, trying to use his strength to dispel the fear that shrouded her heart.

"Your fear only started after Zhu Mingyue came back, right?" he asked calmly.

"..." Zhu Jinzhao hugged him tightly, without answering.

His breath hitched, and a suppressed ferocity surged in his cold eyes.

No answer is the best answer. He doesn't even need to ask any more questions to guess what Zhu Jinzhao has gone through since Zhu Mingyue returned home.

Twenty years of companionship can never compare to the bond of blood, which is why Zhu Jinzhao, a young lady from a wealthy family, would take on a part-time job to earn money.

Zhu Jinchao always reports good news and never bad news. Behind Shi Jing's back, she doesn't know how much grievance she has suffered or how much bullying she has endured.

"Don't be afraid, Zhao Zhao." He quietly lowered his head and placed a barely perceptible kiss on the top of Zhu Jinzhao's head.

"With me here, no one can bully you."

Zhu Jinzhao remained silent, but Shi Jing noticed a dampness on his neck.

His brows furrowed, and his face gradually darkened: "I have a house in the eastern suburbs of the capital, which was just renovated last month. The style of the house is very gentle, which should be the type you like. I'll take you to see the house tomorrow, and if you think it's acceptable, I'll transfer the house to you immediately."

“From now on, that will be your home. If you don’t want to go back to the Zhu family, you can just move there. You don’t need to worry about the property management fees and water and electricity bills; I will take care of everything.”

"……ah?"

Shi Jing's words were too precious and too sudden, and Zhu Jinzhao found them difficult to process.

She released Shi Jing's waist, broke free from his embrace, and looked up at him in disbelief.

"What...what did you just say? You're going to give me a house?"

“Yes.” Shi Jing raised an eyebrow casually, a hint of roguishness in his smile. “You heard me right, I really am going to give you a house.”

"..." Zhu Jinzhao's mind went blank. "Are you crazy?"

Shi Jing: "I'm not crazy, I'm perfectly clear-headed. I'm just going to give you a house."

"..." Zhu Jinzhao's cherry lips parted slightly, her round eyes wide open, she was clearly dumbfounded.

Shi Jing glanced down at her: "What? If your boyfriend can't give you something, then I can't give you anything either?"

"...What?" Zhu Jinzhao's mind was already in a mess, and hearing the words "boyfriend" made it even more chaotic.

Shi Jing proudly raised her chin: "I said, if your boyfriend can't give you something, then let me give you that!"

Zhu Jinzhao: "...Where did I get a boyfriend from?"

"...Don't you have a boyfriend?" Shi Jing was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized something was wrong.

Zhu Jinzhao blinked: "I didn't."

"Huh?!" Now it was Shi Jing's turn to be dumbfounded. "You...you don't have a boyfriend?"

"I didn't!" Zhu Jinzhao said innocently.

Shi Jing: "...Didn't you have one when you were an extra on the film set?"

"..." Zhu Jinzhao was speechless. "That relationship ended ages ago. I'm single now!"

"Broken up?" Shi Jing's lips twitched twice, and his expression suddenly became very strange.

Zhu Jinzhao frowned and emphasized, word by word, "We broke up! We broke up a long time ago!"

“…They really broke up!” Shi Jing laughed, a particularly twisted laugh.

"..." Zhu Jinzhao shifted his position, sneakily moving back a little to increase the distance between himself and Shi Jing.

"I really broke up with him."

"Heh..." Shi Jing curled his lips wickedly, his eyes looking at Zhu Jinzhao like a hungry wolf seeing its prey, full of naked possessiveness.

"Chaochao, now that you've broken up, does that mean I can openly pursue you?"