Fourth Brother's words carried a horrifying obsession. He would lock Yuan Luoyi by his side, stopping at nothing to achieve his goal.
In this process, she would feel fear, struggle, suffer, as if drowning, but he would never stop.
As a genius, he could read minds, gently uttering words that would burrow into Yuan Luoyi's mind, crush her thoughts, and mold her into the form he desired.
Yuan Luoyi should have been afraid of him, pushed him away with all her might, and escaped as fast as she could.
But when she saw the bleeding wound on Fourth Brother's chest, concern overcame fear.
He was injured because Yuan Luoyi's hand trembled when she held the dagger, and the feeling of piercing flesh still lingered in her palm, making her feel guilty.
He was already covered in scars, so why should she add another one?
Thus, faced with Fourth Brother's excessive closeness, Yuan Luoyi did not shy away. He was tall and slender, casting a large black shadow that gently and tightly enveloped Yuan Luoyi.
Yuan Luoyi said sadly, "I'm sorry..."
Fourth Brother said, "It's okay, it's shallow."
He slid his fingers under the bloodstained collar, feeling for the red mark. The broken skin was sticky with blood, probably clotting soon, and he felt little pain.
Fourth Brother regretted that if his sister had cut a little deeper, a white scar would have formed after healing, his body like a history book meticulously recording the moment his sister bared her claws.
The wounds from a young beast, naive and immature, but memorable.
As his fingers left the disheveled clothing, Yuan Luoyi's gaze followed Fourth Brother's movements, and her breath caught slightly when she saw the bloodstains.
Such a change was naturally captured by Fourth Brother.
He was a true monster, yet his sister still worried about him...
From her perspective, most of the wounds were covered by clothes, with only a portion exposed and still dripping blood.
Chuckling softly, Fourth Brother tightened his collar, deliberately hiding the shallow wound. "Curious?"
Yuan Luoyi nodded. "Is it really shallow?"
"Really."
"Can I help you disinfect it later?"
"Thank you, but no need. It will heal on its own."
Yuan Luoyi frowned, lowering her head as she imagined the wound.
Her forehead felt a chill as Fourth Brother brushed her stray hair behind her ear. "Don't worry, it will really heal on its own."
Fourth Brother rose slowly, the black shadow enveloping Yuan Luoyi receding bit by bit, alleviating the suffocating feeling somewhat, but the restraint never ceased.
After putting some distance between them, Yuan Luoyi kept staring at Fourth Brother's tight collar.
She saw a red dot appear on the pure white fabric, initially small but spreading and growing larger.
Why was it still bleeding?
Yuan Luoyi couldn't stop thinking about it.
The Believers approached Fourth Brother and humbly bowed. "Master, the blood has been drained, and the sin has been washed clean. How shall we dispose of the body this time?"
Fourth Brother said, "The lamb was offered to my sister. She has the right to decide."
The Believers then came before Yuan Luoyi, deeply bowing, and when they rose, they looked at her urgently.
"Please command us!"
Yuan Luoyi froze. She had witnessed murder but never the aftermath, unsure of what to do.
Seeing Yuan Luoyi remain silent, the Believers began offering suggestions.
"Why don't we dissolve her with chemical solvents? She's already been chopped into pieces that could fit in a plastic barrel!"
"Shut up! Chemical solvents dispersed in the air are bad for a child's health!"
"Please listen to me! I have a meat grinder in the countryside. We can grind her into protein meal for animal feed, making her disappear entirely! It's also very eco-friendly!"
"How many days would it take to bring a meat grinder here? Are we just going to leave her here? It's hot, and she'll attract insects!"
"Then why don't we dig a pit in the backhill and bury her there first? It's the simplest and fastest way!"
The Believers felt this suggestion was reasonable. There were countless ways to dispose of a body, but overly convoluted methods were useless. The most primitive approach was best.
An old man wearing glasses said, "I study fermentation. If we sprinkle some microbes on her, she will eventually ferment into fertilizer, benefiting the surrounding plants and trees without giving off any odor."
The Believers expressed their approval and looked at Yuan Luoyi in unison.
"Will this method work?"
Under their collective gaze, Yuan Luoyi nodded.
Fourth Brother, standing beside her, smiled.
With shovels and buckets in hand, the Believers set to work. As Fourth Brother's chosen ones, they were talented individuals from various fields, utterly loyal to Fourth Brother, and would carry out his commands flawlessly.
Fourth Brother took Yuan Luoyi back to the villa. It was deep into the night, and the streetlights outside glowed dimly.
They entered a room with large floor-to-ceiling windows, simple wooden furniture, and plush toys of various colors – a style Yuan Luoyi favored.
Fourth Brother said, "I had prepared this room earlier, thinking of having you over for a vacation. You can rest here tonight."
This was unexpected for Yuan Luoyi. Fourth Brother's excessive control seemed to have diminished; previously, he wanted to keep Yuan Luoyi by his side, but now he was willing to let her stay in another room alone.
Walking to the window, Fourth Brother unlocked it and gently pushed it open, letting in the cool evening breeze.
Fourth Brother said, "If you want, you can go out for a walk now. It's quite safe around here."
Yuan Luoyi said, "Can I go out alone?"
"You can go alone."
"What if I try to escape?"
Fourth Brother didn't answer. After a moment, the wind dispersed the stale air in the room, and he closed the window again.
He approached Yuan Luoyi, bent down, and took her hand, pulling it toward himself until her fingertips rested on his tightly closed collar.
The remaining blood had clotted, feeling rough and uneven compared to the surrounding soft fabric, still slightly damp.
Through the thin layer of cloth, Yuan Luoyi's fingers pressed against the wound of unknown depth.
Fourth Brother watched Yuan Luoyi, his eyes softening. "You're a good sister. You will return to me."
At that moment, Yuan Luoyi felt as if she had lost all her strength, completely unable to move. She stared blankly at Yuan Si, feeling more trapped than ever before.
It was not a cage that confined her freedom, but sincere love.
Yuan Si knew this, and now Yuan Luoyi knew it too.
The cold, large hands embraced Yuan Luoyi's back, and she was pulled into Yuan Si's embrace. Compared to the last embrace, this one was warm, like a light gauze falling onto her body.
"Good night, dear sister. I hope you have a good dream tonight."
Yuan Si withdrew his hands and walked towards the door, adjusting the light to sleep mode before leaving. He did not lock the door.
Yuan Luoyi sat alone on the edge of the bed.
Fourth Brother was too skilled at manipulating people's hearts. Every move he made was carefully designed.
How could she ever beat him?
[Ding!]
[System Prompt: Host has activated influence on World Line 2]
Yuan Luoyi was startled.
World Line 2? Influence?
Yuan Luoyi stared into the emptiness, but no value board appeared as it had before. It remained blank for a while before characters gradually emerged. As Yuan Luoyi checked the data, she was surprised to find that the countdown for the trace-back function had disappeared...
She might not be able to go back.
This event had happened too suddenly.
Yi: Sorry, I've been a bit busy lately with irregular sleep patterns, so I've been unable to meet the deadlines. Here's one chapter today, and I'll make up for it with three chapters tomorrow.
