Shi Luyu's face flushed red when she heard his outrageous words.

It was the shame and anger that came from being pushed to the limit that burned up, making her ears, neck, and even the corners of her eyes turn a glaring red.

Without even thinking, she raised her hand and slapped him across the face.

But before her wrist could even reach halfway up the ground, Xu Yuanjia caught it firmly.

The man reached behind her and clenched his long, slender fingers, squeezing them between hers and forcibly spreading them apart, pressing her fingers back onto the bed with their interlocked fingers.

The moment my palm touched it, it was incredibly hot.

Shi Luyu froze, then began to struggle. She tried to pull her hand away, but the difference in strength between them was too great. The more she struggled, the tighter he held her, until her palms were rubbed numb by his thumb.

Xu Yuanjia looked down at her, a lazy smile on his lips: "Lulu wants to hit me again?"

He spoke slowly and deliberately, with a slightly casual tone, "Are you sure?"

It was as if he were talking about something very interesting. The hand that was holding hers pressed down steadily, while the pad of his thumb repeatedly brushed against the most sensitive spot on her palm, gently and patiently, with undisguised pleasure.

"Aren't you afraid I'll get even more excited?" He chuckled softly, the morbid pleasure in the corner of his eyes almost impossible to suppress.

Shi Luyu's breathing was erratic, her eyes welled with tears mixed with anger, and her chest heaved rapidly.

She wanted to curse him, kick him, and scratch his face to pieces with all her might.

But as soon as she moved, Xu Yuanjia's other hand had already wrapped around her waist.

The silk nightgown is too thin. So thin that it offers absolutely no protection.

When his palm covered her, the scalding heat penetrated almost without any obstruction, clearly outlining the slenderness and tautness of her waistline through the smooth fabric.

Her waist was incredibly slender; a man could easily encircle it with his palm, and with a little force, it felt as if he wanted to pull her whole body into his arms.

Shi Luyu trembled, instinctively shrinking back, and commanded him, "Let me go!"

She raised her leg to kick him, but her knee tripped on the mattress, causing her to lose her aim and making herself look even more disheveled.

Her long hair cascaded down her shoulders, spreading messily across the bed. A few strands of curly hair clung to Xu Yuanjia's watch and knuckles, the ends of which carried the sweet, warm scent lingering from her bath, slowly seeping into the man's nostrils.

The more she struggled, the more disheveled she became. Her black hair was disheveled, her shoulder straps slipped, and even the red at the corners of her eyes was forced to appear more vibrant. She looked utterly wretched and breathtaking.

"Let me go, Xu Yuanjia! You bastard... you beast!" The girl's beauty was both broken and vibrant.

Shi Luyu's throat was hoarse, her voice trembling slightly from fever and anger, and her eyes were terribly red, yet she still glared at him fiercely, "Bastard!"

"What do you take me for? You take me for a plaything!"

Shi Luyu's chest heaved violently, tears welling up in her eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall.

She stared at him intently, her voice trembling, yet each word was heavier than the last, as if she were finally unleashing all the pain and hatred that had been building up in her heart for days.

"Your mind and heart are filled with selfishness, possessiveness, and control!"

Her high fever had made her eyes bloodshot and her cheeks flushed an unnatural red, but her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, filled with the anger and disgust of someone driven to the brink of despair.

"You never truly loved me! You don't understand what love is!"

She shouted those words in near collapse.

Xu Yuanjia looked at her, but instead of being angry, the tears in his eyes grew thicker and thicker.

He tightened his grip, easily encircling both of her wrists and pressing them firmly above her head.

She struggled so hard that a red mark quickly appeared on her slender, white wrist. Xu Yuanjia glanced down at her for two seconds, his eyes darkening slightly. He lowered his head, his breath brushing against her neck as he slowly breathed, his voice low and deep.

"That's right." He admitted it in a very calm tone.

You're absolutely right.

The man's thin, red lips brushed against her neck, the skin burning hot from the intense heat.

He paused for a moment, then his tone softened, "I just want to possess you."

I want to keep you by my side.

I want to see you looking only at me.

"Sometimes—" he chuckled softly, the sound rolling past her ear and sending a chill down her spine.

I really want to completely destroy you.

Shi Luyu stopped breathing and froze.

She knew he was crazy.

But she never expected him to tell her those terrible thoughts so calmly and directly.

Xu Yuanjia, however, seemed to think it wasn't enough. He buried his face in the crook of her neck, his breath falling on her.

The man's fingers remained firmly gripping her wrist, his tone slow and low, as if he were slowly dissecting the darkest, most hidden parts of himself for her to see.

"So how can that not count? My mind and heart are filled with you every moment."

Shi Luyu still feels a strong sense of unreality.

It felt like I was still trapped in a nightmare from which I couldn't wake up, with everything in front of me shrouded in a blurry fog.

Those sweet and intimate moments seem so close, as if they happened just yesterday.

She could still clearly remember the smile in Xu Yuanjia's eyes when he looked down at her, the way he opened the bottle for her, peeled oranges for her, and coaxed and indulged her when she threw a tantrum.

Those tender moments were so real, so real that she had felt countless times grateful that she could find the person she cherished most in her youth again in a foreign land.

But why did everything change in just a few days?

One by one, the things she believed in, relied on, and cherished crumbled, revealing the dark and grotesque truth beneath.

She thought she was holding onto salvation, a lost dream regained, and a gentle and considerate "Brother Jiajia" who would indulge and pamper her.

But in the end, she found herself in the arms of a monster wearing human skin.

She even couldn't help but have a thought that bordered on weakness—

If she had known the truth all along, she would have preferred never to see what lay beneath that facade, never to know who he was, and to remain a fool forever, living in that meticulously woven illusion.

At least that way, she could still deceive herself; at least that way, the pure and bright "Brother Jiajia" in her heart wouldn't be so completely dead.

He turned his head to look at her eyes, which were red from being pressured, and curled his lips into a smile. "I know what you're thinking."

"So, Lulu, since you're afraid of me," he said, easily seeing through her thoughts, his fingertips slowly tracing the corners of her burning eyes, his tone gentle to the point of cruelty.

"Why did you expose me in the first place?"

"Xu Yuanjia, you're wrong." After a long pause, Shi Luyu suddenly said this while staring at him.

"I will not regret exposing your true colors."

She spoke very softly, yet each word was clearer than the last.

"I only regret that I was too stupid, that I didn't see you for who you are sooner, and that I was entangled with a monster like you who doesn't understand love at all and only knows how to plunder and possess for so long."

"Love?" Xu Yuanjia seemed to have heard a ridiculous word.

What is love?

"What defines love?" His mocking tone deeply wounded her.

"Does Lulu love me?"

Shi Luyu was taken aback when she heard him ask that question; she hadn't expected him to steer the conversation in this direction.

She even forgot to struggle, only staring at him with her reddened eyes, her chest heaving violently.

"If you love me," Xu Yuanjia continued, his voice growing softer and softer, like a soothing whisper or a form of interrogation.

"Shouldn't the little girl teach her brother what love really is?"

"How could you abandon your brother, sweetheart?"

Shi Luyu stared at him, feeling as if something had twisted her heart, causing her to gasp for breath.

That sense of absurdity almost overwhelmed her.

She bit her lip hard, and after a long while, she steeled herself and turned her head away. Her voice was hoarse, but extremely clear.

"I have never...never loved you."

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent for a moment.

Xu Yuanjia looked at her quietly, then suddenly let out a low, hoarse laugh.

His laughter seemed cheerful, rolling down her ear and sending chills down her spine.

"So since you don't love me either," his logic remained eccentric, "then why are you condemning me?"

Shi Luyu's face turned pale, and her chest felt tight. For a moment, she was so choked up that she couldn't speak.

The night breeze lifted the curtain slightly, and moonlight streamed in through the gap, falling on half of Xu Yuanjia's face. His high, straight nose, deep-set eyes, and thin, beautiful lips appeared even more breathtaking under the cold, pale moonlight.

But the things he said were increasingly horrifying.

"Lulu, wouldn't it be nice to play with your brother?"

"I can give you anything you want."

"As long as you can do it," he tilted his head slightly, his gaze lowering.

"Always be obedient."

Shi Luyu trembled with rage, finally breaking down and shouting, "Enough!"

That sound was especially sharp in the night, and even the curtains seemed to sway slightly from the shock.

"You were never my brother!"

The moment those words left his mouth, the smile in Xu Yuanjia's eyes slowly faded.

He looked at her, his lips still curved in a smile, but his expression gradually turned cold. "Oh?"

"Who is that?" His tone was still relaxed, but there was a clear chill between his words.

"That good-for-nothing Xu Jia?"

Shi Luyu glared at him, her eyes flashing with anger. "Xu Yuanjia, what right do you have to insult others?"

"I'm not qualified?" Xu Yuanjia stared at her, then after a few seconds, suddenly sneered, "Then what right does he have to be your brother?"

"If he's really that powerful—"

The man lowered his head, approaching her, each word spoken softly yet sharper than a knife.

"Why are you still lying in my bed now?"

"Shut up!" Shi Luyu's chest heaved violently, tears welling up in her eyes, yet she remained stubbornly defiant.

"Don't make me hate you!"

The air suddenly tightened, and even the gentle breeze outside the window seemed to stop.

She had a fever, her eyes were red, her chest was heaving, and tears streamed down her cheeks, but her gaze was fixed on his face, her hatred so intense it seemed to scorch through the darkness.

The room was so quiet it was oppressive; even breathing became heavy and rapid.

Xu Yuanjia looked at her, paused for a moment, and then suddenly smiled.

His laughter had a nonchalant air about it, yet it sent chills down your spine.

"I advise you not to," he said.

As soon as the words left her lips, Xu Yuanjia raised his hand and gently brushed away a strand of sweaty hair from her cheek. His movements were almost tender, but his expression was incredibly sinister.

"You need to understand, Lulu, it's because I don't want you to hate me that Xu Jia, that good-for-nothing, has been able to survive until now."

"But what if Lulu really hates me?"

The man looked at the sudden look of surprise in her eyes, and seemed quite satisfied, the smile on his lips deepening.

"That hatred, and even greater hatred—"

His voice lowered, almost a whisper, "What difference does it make?"

The implication was that if she hated him, then Xu Jia had no reason to live.

Shi Luyu's pupils suddenly contracted, and even her breath seemed to be abruptly cut off by those words.

She stared intently at him, the color draining from her face until her lips turned pale. A chill crept up her spine, making her hands and feet numb.

Xu Yuanjia, however, seemed to be getting more and more cheerful as he spoke, "Of course, if you really like him that much..."

He raised his hand and gripped her chin, forcing her to look at him. A hint of madness slowly surfaced in his eyes, making him look almost eerily beautiful.

"So I sent people to drain his blood, turn him into a specimen, and hang it above his bed so he could see it day and night, watching us do it..."

He was clearly exaggerating his own abilities; by the end, it sounded like he was actually fantasizing about some wonderful scene, and a hint of almost morbid satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

"Yeah, that should be really fun."

Shi Luyu was completely terrified. She knew that Xu Yuanjia wasn't just talking.

If she continues to provoke him, he might actually do something even more terrible.

She was trembling all over, her fever was rising, and her lips were turning pale, but she dared not speak again.

She could only stare at him intently. Tears finally streamed down her face uncontrollably, one after another, rolling down her reddened eyes and cheeks. Yet her eyes remained stubborn, filled with hatred, disgust, and pain, shining with an astonishing intensity.

Xu Yuanjia looked down at her, and the damp excitement that she had gradually forced out of his chest was only intensified by her gaze.

He seemed to particularly enjoy seeing her look at him like that, and he raised his fingers to wipe away her tears.

Shi Luyu suddenly turned her head to dodge.

Xu Yuanjia paused for a moment, and the next second, he grabbed her chin with his palm, his five fingers tightening, forcing her face to turn and press it into the pillow.

Her black hair was disheveled, her cheeks were slightly flushed from being pressed against the pillow, her chin was firmly held in his palm, and she was forced to tilt her head back slightly, making her breathe faster.

Xu Yuanjia lowered his head, leaned close to her ear, and said in a low, amused voice, "Lulu still has a fever."

"Even your brother can feel how hot you are."

Shi Luyu's eyelashes trembled even more violently, and she subconsciously shrank back, but he trapped her so tightly that she couldn't even escape.

Looking at her like this, Xu Yuanjia's emotions grew even stronger.

You look beautiful like this.

"His eyes are red, his face is red, he's crying so hard, but he still won't give in."

Shi Luyu felt uneasy under his gaze, and even her fingertips trembled.

For the first time, she realized so clearly that all her disheveledness, anger, and tears were not things that needed to be concealed in his eyes.

On the contrary, it will stimulate him and please him.

Xu Yuanjia, however, still did not let her go.

He loosened his fingers a little, slowly sliding them down her chin to her neck, then to her collarbone. His gaze followed her downwards, sweeping over her disheveled black tank top, large expanses of snow-white skin, and her breathing, which was more pronounced due to her fever.

That damp and sickly condition was almost no longer concealed.

He looked down at her and said, without warning, "Lulu still has a fever."

"Now, what's the temperature here?" He touched the upper part of her lower abdomen with his fingertip.

His Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice became incredibly low and hoarse.

"Is it hotter than usual?"

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