Sikong Sui’s consciousness felt as if it were being roasted over a fire…
Or perhaps submerged in icy water.
She couldn’t think clearly, couldn’t grasp anything.
She only remembered his eyes…
Those bottomless black eyes, which had changed in that final moment.
Her body was weeping…
When it was all over, Pei Sichen lifted her from the floor.
Her body was flushed pink, her legs trembling.
She curled up against his chest, leaning into him.
She wore his white shirt, slightly sheer, her snow-white legs exposed to the air, so fresh and tender they were impossible to look away from.
Pei Sichen pushed open the bathroom door and carried her out.
Moonlight spilled over the sofa.
Pei Sichen’s gaze froze.
His footsteps halted, his entire body as if pinned in place by something.
“Sikong Nian?” Pei Sichen’s voice was low.
Carrying a faint, tense quality.
Sikong Nian sat on the sofa.
His body leaned slightly forward, his eyes glowing red in the darkness.
His gaze shifted from Pei Sichen’s face to the person in his arms.
Then it stopped.
Sikong Sui wore Pei Sichen’s white shirt, held in Pei Sichen’s embrace.
Her hair was still wet, clinging to her cheeks and neck.
She was drenched, radiating a warm, damp heat.
Her legs were exposed, pale and luminous, flushed with an enticing pink.
A few faint red marks traced her calves.
Sikong Nian’s gaze lingered on those marks for a moment.
Then his eyes slowly traveled upward, settling on the open collar of her shirt.
A love bite…
Sikong Nian’s fingers slowly tightened on his knees.
“Have you been here long?” Pei Sichen asked.
Sikong Nian didn’t answer.
His gaze shifted from the love bite to Sikong Sui’s face.
Sikong Sui was looking at Pei Sichen’s profile, too afraid to meet his eyes.
She didn’t dare look at Sikong Nian.
She knew he was watching her, his gaze like two knives piercing through her.
For some reason, she couldn’t turn her head, couldn’t meet those eyes.
Couldn’t face whatever might be in them.
Sikong Nian watched her averted profile, her tightly bitten lower lip, and the corners of his mouth slowly curved into an arc.
“Sikong Sui,” he called her name.
“Come here.”
Sikong Sui’s entire body turned cold.
As if someone had shoved a thousand-year-old block of ice into her chest, chilling her to the point of trembling.
Finally, she turned her head and met Sikong Nian’s eyes.
Those eyes were crimson.
The coldness in his gaze felt unfamiliar to her.
Sikong Sui’s legs grew even weaker.
She didn’t know if it was because of what had just happened in the bathroom.
Or because of the look in Sikong Nian’s eyes at this moment.
It seemed to drain the strength that had been holding her upright.
“Brother…” Her voice was very, very soft.
“Why are you here?”
Sikong Nian stood up from the sofa.
Then he walked toward her.
Sikong Sui felt Pei Sichen’s arm tighten around her waist, as if to protect her.
She took a deep breath, reached out, and gently patted Pei Sichen’s arm. “Put me down.”
Pei Sichen was silent for a second, then slowly bent down and set her on her feet.
Her bare feet touched the cold floor, her toes instinctively curling.
But her legs were too weak to stand steadily. She swayed, nearly stumbling.
She quickly grabbed Pei Sichen’s arm, her fingers clutching his sleeve.
Sikong Nian stopped in front of her.
He stood a full head taller than her, looking down at her now.
Moonlight streamed from behind him, casting his face entirely in shadow, making it impossible to see anything clearly.
Only those crimson eyes glowed faintly in the darkness.
He reached out and grabbed her wrist.
He smiled. “Are you avoiding your brother because of Dr. Pei?”
Sikong Sui’s lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but her throat felt blocked, unable to utter a single word.
The sweet scent of peaches still clung to her, but now it was mixed with the smell of vodka. The two pheromones intertwined, intense and ambiguous.
Like an invisible knife, carving into Sikong Nian’s heart, one cut after another.
Sikong Nian instinctively frowned.
He didn’t want to smell this scent.
He didn’t want to know what had just happened between Pei Sichen and her.
He didn’t want to know if, while wearing his shirt, she had ever thought of him, or if he might come to her room late at night and see her like this.
Pei Sichen stood nearby, watching Sikong Nian’s hand gripping Sikong Sui’s wrist, his brow slightly furrowed.
He reached out, placing himself between Sikong Nian and Sikong Sui.
“Sikong Nian, why don’t you step aside first? Suisui is wearing so little, she might catch a cold.”
Sikong Nian’s gaze shifted from Sikong Sui’s face to Pei Sichen’s.
The eyes of two top-tier Alphas collided in the moonlight.
A silent clash in the darkness.
Then Sikong Nian’s gaze returned to Sikong Sui.
He looked her over from head to toe.
From her damp hair, swollen lips, and deep red kiss marks, to the faintly visible curve of her waist beneath the white shirt, and her snow-white legs tinged with a pink glow.
He missed no detail.
He stared directly, taking in everything he should and shouldn’t see.
His eyes grew darker and heavier.
He wanted to go mad.
He wanted to throw Pei Sichen out of this house.
He wanted to tear that white shirt off her.
He wanted to pull her into his arms and ask her why.
Why was she avoiding him? Why did she carry someone else’s scent, someone else’s marks?
“Are you coming with your brother, or with him?”
Tears welled up in Sikong Sui’s eyes.
She looked into Sikong Nian’s crimson eyes—unfamiliar yet heartbreaking to the point of suffocation—and felt as if someone were slowly sawing at her heart with a dull knife.
Each stroke made her tremble with pain.
If it would benefit the mission, she should definitely go with Pei Sichen.
But looking into Sikong Nian’s eyes, her heart softened.
It seemed that, at some point, she could no longer bear to see him sad, hurt, or looking at her with that expression.
She lowered her gaze, unable to meet his eyes.
“My injuries haven’t healed yet, brother. Dr. Pei still needs to change my bandages.”
Sikong Nian laughed upon hearing this.
“Alright,” he said, his voice returning to its gentle tone. “Goodnight, Suisui.”
Then he pushed open the door and walked out.
Pei Sichen stood behind her. After a long while, he finally spoke.
“Let’s go. I’ll help you change your bandages.”
Early the next morning.
The three of them had breakfast together.
Sikong Sui sat at the dining table, with Sikong Nian seated across from her.
He didn’t say a single word to her.
From beginning to end, he didn’t glance her way.
He finished his bowl of porridge, stood up, picked up his backpack, and walked out the door.
Sikong Sui sighed, her mind in turmoil.
Pei Sichen sat beside her, watching as she dipped the spoon into the porridge, pulled it out, then dipped it back in again and again, stirring the porridge until it was nearly mush.
He set down his chopsticks. “It seems your brother is angry with you.”
Sikong Sui sighed again.
She put down the spoon, lifted the bowl of porridge with both hands, and took a sip. It was scalding hot.
The tip of her tongue burned, but she didn’t flinch. Instead, she let the boiling liquid slide down her throat, so hot it made her want to cry.
The atmosphere in the classroom was no different from usual.
Sikong Sui seemed downcast, radiating a low, gloomy energy.
Gu Shiyan sat beside her, resting his head on one hand as he watched her from the side.
His gaze lingered on her face for a few seconds before she looked up and met his light amber eyes.
“What’s wrong, Little Suisui?”
She lowered her head, her voice muffled. “Nothing.”
After a pause, she asked, “Are we still going to see Little An’an today?” Her voice was slightly louder now, tinged with a hint of anticipation.
The corner of Gu Shiyan’s mouth curved upward.
“He’s on break today. I plan to take him to the amusement park.”
He paused, his light amber eyes reflecting her face—downcast, with lowered lashes, looking as though she needed comforting.
“Want to come along?”
Sikong Sui looked up at him and finally nodded.
“Sure.”
The amusement park was crowded.
Children were everywhere.
Balloons and cotton candy filled the air, along with laughter and screams.
The golden canopy of the carousel shimmered under the sunlight.
Ding-dong music played as the horses rose and fell rhythmically.
Gu Shian sat on the white horse in front of Sikong Sui.
His small hands gripped the horse’s ears tightly, his round face beaming with a gap-toothed smile.
His eyes crinkled into happy slits.
Gu Shiyan sat behind him, one hand protectively resting on his younger brother’s back, the other casually draped over the horse’s neck.
His gentle posture made him seem like a natural-born older brother.
Sikong Sui sat on the pink horse beside Gu Shian, one hand holding the horse’s neck, the other waving toward Gu Shian as she called out, “Little An’an, look over here, look at Sister!”
Gu Shian turned his head, saw her making a funny face, and giggled.
The carousel spun round and round, sunlight streaming through the gaps in the golden canopy.
Gu Shiyan turned his head to look at Sikong Sui—at her hair glowing in the sunlight, her eyes curved into crescents as she laughed, and the hem of her skirt fluttering in the breeze.
He watched her radiate a captivating light that was impossible to look away from.
The corners of his mouth slowly curved upward.
[System Notification: Gu Shiyan’s Favorability +20. Current Favorability: 30.]
When they got off the carousel, as soon as Gu Shian’s feet touched the ground, he grabbed Sikong Sui’s hand and refused to let go.
“An’an really likes Sister!” he exclaimed loudly.
His voice was so loud that several nearby parents turned to look, their faces wearing kind smiles.
Sikong Sui crouched down to meet his eyes at his level and gently pinched his chubby cheek.
“Brother likes Sister too!” Gu Shian added.
This time, his voice was even louder—so loud that the tips of Gu Shiyan’s ears instantly turned red.
“Brother was staring at Sister the whole time!”
Gu Shiyan stood nearby, hands in his pockets, pretending to look at the distant Ferris wheel. “Kids say all sorts of nonsense.”
But the tips of his ears were red as if scorched by fire, spreading all the way down to the earlobes.
“Gu Shian, don’t talk nonsense.”
“I’m not talking nonsense!” Gu Shian pouted indignantly.
His small hand gripped Sikong Sui’s fingers even tighter. “Big brother’s eyes light up every time he sees big sister!”
Sikong Sui couldn’t help but laugh.
She was genuinely amused by the little boy’s innocent words.
She patted Gu Shian’s head, her fingers gently ruffling his soft, light chestnut hair.
“From now on, whenever little An’an is on vacation, big brother and big sister will take you out to play every day, okay?”
“Okay!” Gu Shian jumped with joy.
His two small hands waved in the air like a happy little octopus.
[System Notification: Gu Shiyan’s Favorability +20. Current Favorability: 50.]
A ding sounded in Sikong Sui’s mind. She froze for a moment, then the curve of her smile widened.
“I need to use the restroom!”
Sikong Sui stood up, brushed the dust off her skirt, and smiled at Gu Shiyan. “Keep an eye on little An’an. Don’t let him run off.”
Gu Shiyan nodded, holding Gu Shian’s small hand with one hand and waving to her with the other. “Go ahead. We’ll wait here for you.”
Sikong Sui turned and headed toward the restroom.
The amusement park was crowded. She sidestepped her way through the throng of people.
The restroom was located on the east side of the park, near the exit—a small, standalone building.
She pushed the door open and went inside.
The restroom was quiet. Eerily quiet.
As she stepped out, a man she didn’t recognize was standing outside the door.
Tall and burly, wearing a dark jacket and a pair of black sunglasses.
A sinister, chilling smile hung on his lips.
Before Sikong Sui could react, a white handkerchief was pressed over her mouth and nose.
…