Gu Lianzhou stared intently at her.

His burning gaze slowly descended from her tearful eyes, slid to her slightly parted, glistening lips, and then to her chest, which heaved with rapid breathing…

He closed his eyes.

I could feel the blood gushing through my veins.

Scorching heat, restlessness.

For a moment, he almost lost his mind.

All I want to do is crush those incredibly soft lips and taste if they also have the sweetness of milk.

It was as sweet as the scent she carried...

Gu Lianzhou seemed to suddenly realize what he was thinking.

He suddenly released his grip on her.

As if avoiding some deadly plague, he suddenly straightened up and took a large, restrained step back.

That's all for today.

He turned his back to her, loosening his tie in a state of unease.

He seemed to want to use this to dispel the burning agitation within him that was almost consuming him.

His voice was hoarse from suppressed emotions, "I'll have someone come up and clean up. You should go to sleep early."

After saying that, Gu Lianzhou turned and left.

Her footsteps were slightly unsteady.

Shen Zhiyi stood amidst the mess, watching his hurried back and the empty milk cup rolling on the ground, and gently raised an eyebrow.

The corners of her lips curved almost imperceptibly.

Night falls.

Gu Lianzhou lay on the bed.

In a deep, dark hue, I depict my own desires.

He remembered Shen Zhiyi's face, the wetness at the corners of her eyes, her reddened nose, and her full, moist lips...

He has already taken a shower.

But the feeling of being soaked in milk still seems to linger on my skin.

He could almost still feel the damp fabric against his skin, and her light or heavy wiping and pressing.

A desire to ignite a prairie fire.

It gradually spread in the boundless night.

A muffled clap of thunder suddenly came from outside, and the heavy rain poured down without warning, pounding against the windows.

The cold rain did not extinguish the smoldering fire.

Instead, it masked the sounds inside the room, and Gu Lianzhou's muffled breathing that he was trying his best to suppress.

He turned over with some self-loathing, trying to cover the escalating fire.

Knock knock knock—

Suddenly, a soft knock came from outside the door.

"Brother, are you asleep?"

Gu Lianzhou suddenly opened his eyes.

He turned his head, staring at the tightly closed door, his deep, dark eyes instantly filled with a scrutinizing light.

"What's wrong?"

He opened the door and stood in the dark room behind the crack, coldly scrutinizing Shen Zhiyi.

She wore a soft white nightgown, her eyes glistening with timid moisture as she bit her lip and looked at him.

"It's raining outside...and the thunder is really loud..."

“You’re not a child anymore.” Gu Lianzhou gripped the doorknob and interrupted her in a flat tone.

His tone was cold and hard.

Some of them are even quite inhumane.

But the knuckles gripping the doorknob tightened, and blue veins popped out in the dim, deserted place.

It was as if they were trying their best to restrain themselves.

Shen Zhiyi bit her lip, raised her eyelashes, and looked at him with misty eyes.

"But...I just had a nightmare..."

Her shoulders hunched, her slender body wrapped in a pure white nightgown, like a pitiful little animal seeking shelter everywhere.

Her voice trembled slightly, as if she had not yet escaped from a terrible nightmare.

"I dreamt that I was by the pool, and my brother didn't pull me in. I fell in and drowned..."

"The water was so cold and so deep... I... I can't breathe..."

Boom—

Suddenly, a loud clap of thunder sounded outside.

Shen Zhiyi subconsciously shuddered, took a step forward, stepped through the crack in the door, and opened up a large patch of light.

"Brother, I'm scared..."

She almost shrank into his arms.

She still held back, only reaching out to gently grasp a corner of his clothes.

"Didn't my brother just say he would protect me?"

She looked up at him, her eyes glistening with moisture, her pearly teeth biting her pink lips, pressing down on the deep red teeth marks.

Gu Lianzhou's heart also tightened.

His gaze fell upon her fair, rounded fingertips, and his voice softened, losing its coldness and taking on a gentle, coaxing quality that he himself was unaware of, as he said softly, "Don't be afraid."

"It's just raining."

Shen Zhiyi took another step closer, and the faint scent of gardenias wafted into her nostrils, subtly alluring in the dimly lit room.

"Can I stay here and sleep with my brother?"

Gu Lianzhou's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Of course not!"

He grabbed her wrist and pulled her away from his clothes with great force, his tone cold and hard, "You seem to have forgotten that I'm not your biological brother."

"You should overcome these things on your own."

"Don't let me hear those words again."

He grasped her shoulders, turned her around, and gently pushed her back out the door.

"Go back to sleep quietly."

He had no idea what she was thinking.

Even if they were related by blood, it would be quite inappropriate for two adult men and women to lie together without any connection or status.

He didn't know if she was really that naive.

She seemed completely unaware of the boundaries between men and women, even suggesting that he should put her to sleep.

What does it look like?

Is she treating herself like a child, or does she simply not see him as a man at all?

Gu Lianzhou was inexplicably angry.

His face, hidden in the shadows, appeared even colder and sharper.

Shen Zhiyi said aggrievedly, "Brother..."

Bang--!

Gu Lianzhou slammed the door shut.

He leaned against the door and heard soft sobbing coming from outside, which made him feel irritated.

He unbuttoned a button around his neck and sat down on the bed.

With his elbows propped on his knees, listening to the sounds outside, he stood like a silent statue in the darkness, exuding a cold and hard aura.

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