The next morning, I was jarred awake by a deep, bone-rattling ache that coursed through every inch of my body. Memories of the previous night flooded back in slow motion, playing over and over in my head.

I’d always considered myself remarkably resilient—high pain tolerance, tough as nails, surviving like a cockroach. But I had drastically underestimated just how ruthless and depraved Xu Yu could be.

When he was in one of his episodes, he operated on a single, terrifying principle: as long as you’re still breathing, you’re fair game.

“Fuck… let go of me!”

I tried to crawl out of bed, but before my feet could even reach the floorboards, he grabbed my ankle and yanked me straight back under him.

Sober Xu Yu was strict; drunk Xu Yu was a wild beast freshly released from his chains. Sweat-slicked hair fell messy across his forehead, and his bloodshot eyes tracked my every reaction.

His movements were heavy, relentless, and completely devoid of mercy.

Gritting my teeth, I lowered my pride and capitulated. “Uncle Xu… I was wrong… I won’t drink anymore… I won’t smoke either…”

Zero effect.

He pulled me tight against his chest, his raspy voice murmuring near my ear, “Good girl, Xiaochuan.”

Realizing begging was useless, my terror turned straight into explosive rage. “Xu Yu! You absolute fucking animal!”

The man pinning me down, however, had clearly transcended humanity long ago. He couldn’t care less about the insults, simply tightening his grip until I was entirely trapped against him.

I screamed until my voice went hoarse, fully convinced my shrieks were going to tear the roof clean off the villa.

The more I thought about it, the angrier I got.

Looking at his stupidly handsome face right in front of me, a vengeful urge spiked in my blood. Reaching up, I clamped my fingers over his nose, determined to suffocate the bastard.

His closed eyes fluttered open. In a fraction of a second, every trace of raw emotion vanished beneath his usual infuriatingly calm facade.

He stared down at me for a long time, his hand gently stroking my hair, his tone so relaxed it was as if he hadn’t been acting like a complete lunatic hours earlier.

“I’m sorry, Xiaochuan.”

Not a single shred of genuine remorse in his voice.

I immediately slammed my foot hard into his shin. “Sorry doesn’t cut it! Where’s my compensation?”

Xu Yu caught my leg mid-kick, casually using his thumb to scratch the arch of my foot. “Whatever you want, it’s yours.”

I raised my head instantly, a mischievous, fox-like grin spreading across my face. “I want you.”

Xu Yu leaned down, sinking his teeth softly into my shoulder. “Deal.”

“Never mind!”

I reversed my stance in a microsecond. His eyes darkened instantly.

I could’ve sworn I heard the sharp grind of his teeth. It felt as if a single wrong word out of my mouth would result in him snapping my neck for real.

I wagged a finger in front of his face, grinning triumphantly. “You’re already mine, so that doesn’t count.”

“I want something else.”

Dropping the act, I revealed my true motive.

“Uncle Xu, buy me a new car!”

Ever since my street racing crash years ago, Xu Yu had confiscated my driver’s license.

Every set of keys in the garage had been locked away.

I had whined and pestered him for two or three years, but he had remained an immovable brick wall.

Not being able to touch a steering wheel for so long left my hands itching constantly. The critical part here was that he hadn’t immediately said no.

I threw my arms around his neck, instantly pivoting into full sweet-talk mode. “Uncle Xu~ You’re the handsomest man alive~ Please buy it for me~”

I even pressed a quick, cheeky kiss to the corner of his mouth.

“I promise no more street racing, no speeding, strict compliance with all traffic laws—I’ll be a model citizen!”

The moment that solemn pledge left my lips, Xu Yu nodded.

“Alright.”

“Uncle Xu will buy it for you.”

I was so thrilled I cupped his face and rained kisses all over his cheeks.

Turns out, knowing how to play soft is the ultimate weapon.

When pickup day arrived, Xu Yu actually cleared his schedule to come with me.

Lately, he’d been drowning in the acquisition of the Song Corporation, running on a schedule so packed it was exhausting just to look at. Yet he cancelled several high-level meetings just to accompany me to the dealership.

Honestly, I didn’t think it was necessary. Having him around meant being micromanaged from head to toe.

My grand plan of taking the car out for a spin with Chi Hang right after picking it up was effectively crushed in the cradle.

Noticing my slumped shoulders, Xu Yu remarked dryly, “You don’t want me here?”

With the keys not yet in my hand, I didn’t dare test my luck. I clung to his arm, laying the sweetness on thick. “How could you say that? I missed you to death.”

I laid extra heavy emphasis on the word death.

He shot me a look, his lips curving into a half-smile, before turning to the manager. “Take her out for a test drive.”

My eyes lit up like high beams. I’d assumed I was only allowed to look today, not drive.

I nearly jumped out of my skin with excitement.

It wasn’t until my hands gripped the sleek leather of the steering wheel that my racing pulse finally began to settle.

I took a few laps around the dealership’s private track, and the familiar rush came flooding back instantly. I was so amped up I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs.

Thoroughly satisfied, I stepped out of the vehicle and waved at Xu Yu standing in the distance.

The sunlight was a bit blinding, so I narrowed my eyes, rubbing them gently.

When I opened them again, a black Land Rover was accelerating straight toward me!

I’d noticed the vehicle earlier—it had been parked quietly in a corner, so I hadn’t given it a second thought.

But in this very second…

Through the windshield, I could clearly see a pair of venomous, bloodshot eyes locked onto me.

Inside the cab, Song Ming’s features were twisted into a hideous sneer. He slammed his foot onto the gas pedal, sending the heavy SUV charging forward like a rabid beast.

Xu Yu’s desperate, blood-curdling shout tore through the air. It was only the second time in my entire life I had heard him panic like that.

The impact slammed into me, throwing my body through the air. Searing pain erupted across every nerve ending, and my consciousness began to drift away.

Only one thought echoed in my fading mind…

Screams, shouting, and the chaotic blare of approaching ambulance sirens buzzed around me, grating on my nerves.

I knit my brows.

Just then…

Every sound was suddenly cut off. A pair of trembling yet impossibly warm hands gently covered my ears.

A voice drifted down: “Xiaochuan, don’t be scared. Uncle Xu is right here.”

When I finally opened my eyes, three days had passed.

Xu Yu was slumped against the edge of the hospital bed, still wearing the exact outfit I’d picked out for him on the day we went to get the car.

Dark brown, dried bloodstains still stiffened his sleeve.

His long lashes trembled slightly, his brows knit tight in his sleep. He looked far more wrecked than I did, and I was the one who got hit by a car.

I stared openly at him. The moment I shifted, a sharp pain shot across my forehead, forcing out a sharp intake of breath.

“Hiss…”

Xu Yu jolted awake instantly. His eyes were shot through with crimson, a thin veil of moisture glossing over his pupils. His lips were cracked and dry, yet he forced them into a fragile smile. “Xiaochuan…”

His voice was terrifyingly raspy.

Seeing me stare at him without saying a word, the color drained from his face. Leaning over, his tone betrayed a rare, frantic desperation.

“Xiaochuan, don’t you recognize me? It’s me. It’s your Uncle Xu.”

Of course I remembered him.

But a mischievous streak flared up inside me, and I wanted to mess with him.

Kitting my brows, I forced a blank, bewildered look onto my face. “I don’t know you.”

Xu Yu froze completely. He stared at me in stunned silence, the tips of his fingers trembling faintly.

For a second, my heart softened. I was just about to laugh and tell him I was joking when he suddenly turned away. Grabbing a pen and a notepad from the nightstand, he bowed his head and began writing something with intense concentration.

A moment later, he held up the paper. Written across it in neat, deliberate handwriting were a few lines:

Holding the paper, Xu Yu actually attempted to tuck it into the pocket of my hospital gown.

It was so childish it was almost absurd.

Yet it made my eyes sting with sudden tears.

I couldn’t keep up the act for another second. Lurching forward, I wrapped my arms tight around his neck and planted a messy, fierce kiss straight onto his lips.

“You idiot, I was joking! How could you actually fall for that?”

His arms clamped around my back like iron bands.

I bit and sucked at his lips without restraint. So what if I was stubborn, bossy, and had a foul temper? At the end of the day, I had Xu Yu.

He would always be my sanctuary.

Two months later.

Chi Hang brought his older brother to the hospital to pick me up for my discharge. The second he saw me, he threw an arm over my shoulder, chuckling smugly. “Miss Xu, why don’t you just get a VIP membership card for the hospital while you’re at it?”

The guy truly couldn’t open his mouth without asking for a beating.

I immediately threw a punch at his ribs. “Get lost, you foul-mouthed prick!”

Chi Hang laughed out loud, helping me into the car.

Xu Yu was driving today. Since Chi Hang and I had snagged the back seat, Chi Yan had no choice but to take the front passenger seat.

The two men up front talked business as Xu Yu navigated the roads. Meanwhile, Chi Hang and I huddled in the back, meticulously planning a vacation itinerary.

It was a pact the four of us shared: clearing out one full month every year to travel and indulge ourselves completely.

Laughter and chatter filled the cabin. Everyone was looking forward to the days ahead.

The sun hung high in the sky.

A gentle, warm breeze swept through the open windows.

The road ahead stretched out long and clear.

And the people I loved, alongside the people who loved me… were all right by my side.

I had the entire world in the palm of my hand.

Perhaps…

There was no better happy ending than this.

The very first time I met Xu Chuan, she was just a tiny little thing.

She gripped the hem of my trousers, looking up at me with big, tear-brimming eyes, looking like she was on the verge of sobbing her heart out.

I hated kids. Especially the crybaby type. Naturally, I knit my brows and took a cold step back to create distance.

The Xu household was already enough of a chaotic nightmare to give me a migraine, and now someone had dumped another piece of baggage right onto my doorstep.

Her father had taken off abroad to live his best life, casually tossing his daughter to me like a piece of misdirected mail.

Frustration throbbed against my temples. I lit a cigarette, staring down as I tried to figure out how to deal with this brat. Before the smoke could even clear, a tiny hand appeared in my line of sight.

In her small palm rested a single piece of candy.

I raised my head.

She’d somehow trotted over to stand right in front of me. She was clearly terrified, yet she stubbornly kept her arm outstretched, offering the treat.

“Mom said… when you’re sad, you should eat something sweet.”

At the mention of her mother, the light in her eyes dimmed instantly.

Xu Chuan’s mother had passed away from a severe illness two years prior.

I remained silent. Anxious, the little girl tugged at her hemline, summoning all her courage to gesture for me to bend down.

Extinguishing my cigarette, I yielded to a rare impulse and stooped down to her level. She grew even more nervous, tiny beads of sweat breaking out on her forehead.

Just as I thought she was going to turn and run, that small hand reached out and gently smoothed the space between my eyebrows.

“Frowning means you’re sad.”

Then, she threw her arms around my neck. It was a clumsy, tiny hug, but it was earnest beyond words.

“If you’re sad, you need a hug.”

My entire body went rigid. The tips of my fingers trembled. In my entire life, no one had ever treated me like that. The thick ice encasing my heart melted by more than half in that single instant.

I took the candy and popped it into my mouth. The sweetness spread across my tongue—richer and sweeter than any cigarette.

From that day on, I quit smoking.

Xu Chuan’s eyes crinkled into happy crescents. I patted her head and said, “My name is Xu Yu. From now on, you belong to me.”

Years later, as Xu Chuan grew up, I realized I could no longer look at her as just a child.

She yelled at me, hit me, and glared at me. Yet to me, every single bit of it acted like an addictive drug.

I began losing control. I became pathologically obsessed with everything that belonged to her. I installed hidden cameras in her bathroom. She was mine. Her body, her soul—every last piece had to belong to me.

There were times I genuinely believed I was a monster.

A psycho.

A pervert who belonged in the deepest depths of hell.

I hid in the shadows, greedily watching Xu Chuan. On the surface, I took meticulous, gentle care of her. But behind closed doors…

My eyes were glued to her fair, slender neck, my mind filled with unspeakable, filthy thoughts.

I didn’t understand love. No one had ever taught me how to love another person.

All I knew was…

I wanted to be by her side.

Even if it meant dying.

Even if I fell into hell, I would drag her down with me.

I used to think I was nothing more than a discarded, half-burnt cigarette butt tossed into the gutter.

Until Xu Chuan appeared. She looked at me and said: “You’re not a cigarette butt. You’re fireworks.”

She barged recklessly into my pitch-black world.

Want to escape?

Not a chance.

Xu Chuan belongs to me.

She can only ever be mine.

I love Xu Chuan.

A lifetime is very long.

I will use every remaining second of my life to prove to her just how deeply I love her.