What to do if you're forced into love by a powerful man?!

As soon as he finished eating, Xie Zhizhou jumped off his chair and habitually scurried towards the game room. He had only taken two steps when Zong Ran gently grabbed him by the back of his collar.

Zong Ran's voice came from above: "Where are you going?"

"Playing games!" Xie Zhizhou turned around confidently, counting on his fingers, "I behaved so well today, I didn't pick at my food for dinner, I didn't talk back to you, and I even told you about Shen Yan'an—shouldn't I get a reward? I don't ask for much, just two hours, and after that I'll take a shower and go to sleep, I absolutely won't play any more."

Zong Ran raised an eyebrow: "Don't play games at night, it's not good for your little brain."

Xie Zhizhou's eyes widened, and he shook his head like a rattle: "It's good for my head! Playing games trains reaction speed, improves hand-eye coordination, and can also cultivate tactical thinking—Teacher Xiao said that flute students need to react quickly. I'm practicing my profession in a different way. You don't understand."

"You've got a whole bunch of fallacies." Zong Ran laughed at his sophistry, but didn't loosen her grip at all. "Playing games at night gets your brain too excited, affecting your sleep. Haven't your parents ever told you that?"

"My parents have never controlled me like this!" Xie Zhizhou said indignantly. "My dad said that as long as my grades don't fall behind, I can play games as long as I want. My mom said that I've worked hard enough practicing the flute, so it's good for me to relax by playing games. You see, my parents support me. But you, you control freak, even control me when I play games."

Zong Ran looked at him, who was like a cat with its fur standing on end, pinched the back of his neck, then suddenly let go and walked to the side room, leaving behind the words: "Your parents don't care about you, but I will. No playing games at night. Come here, I'll show you something more fun."

Xie Zhizhou stood there hesitating for a while, watching his back warily, his mind racing—last time he said "something more fun," and ended up taking him to the boxing ring, which was indeed quite exciting, but what if this time it was a trap? What if it was some kind of scheme?

He hesitated for a long time, but curiosity eventually won out, and he jogged after him: "What's more fun? Don't lie to me—tell me what kind, indoor or outdoor? Does it require exercise? Which is more exciting, this time at the boxing ring—"

Zong Ran walked through the corridor and pushed open a door that Xie Zhizhou had never entered before. Behind the door was a staircase leading to the ground. Xie Zhizhou followed behind Zong Ran, looking around curiously, muttering to himself about what it was.

At the end of the stairs, the space opened up before Xie Zhizhou. The space was much larger than he had imagined. On the right wall was a huge transparent gun cabinet, which neatly displayed various types of pistols and rifles.

Xie Zhizhou stopped in his tracks. He remembered hearing gunshots on the phone that night. So Zong Ran was here...

Zong Ran walked to the gun cabinet, took out a small silver pistol, skillfully checked the magazine and safety, then turned his head and beckoned to Xie Zhizhou, a faint smile on his lips: "Come here, let me teach you how to use this."

He looked at Xie Zhizhou's slightly tense shoulders and said, "Don't be afraid, I'm here. Once you've learned how, no one will dare to bully you, and you'll be able to protect yourself—of course, I prefer you to stand behind me and let me protect you."

Xie Zhizhou stepped forward, hesitated for a moment, and reached out his hand. As soon as his fingertips touched the cold metal surface, his fingers curled slightly and then relaxed.

Zong Ran gently placed the butt of the gun in his palm, then pressed it against his back.

His chest pressed tightly against Xie Zhizhou's back, completely sealed without any gaps. Xie Zhizhou could feel the outline of his chest through the thin fabric of his shirt imprinted on his back, and he could even feel the pent-up power in his waist and abdomen ironing his lower back.

Zong Ran's arm went around his side, his palm covering the back of Xie Zhizhou's hand that was holding the gun. When he spoke, his lips were almost touching Xie Zhizhou's ear, his steady breath brushing against the most sensitive skin behind his ear, warm and tingling.

Xie Zhizhou could smell that familiar scent on him, which, mixed with the faint smell of gunpowder in the shooting range, had become an even more dangerous aura, making his heart beat faster involuntarily.

Zong Ran placed his other hand on his waist and gently and slowly stroked his side, as if to soothe him or to remind him to concentrate.

But Xie Zhizhou couldn't concentrate at all; his back was pressed against a hot, strong body.

Zong Ran helped him raise his arm, aim at the target in front, and placed his finger on Xie Zhizhou's index finger that was pulling the trigger. With a light press, "bang," the bullet hit the bullseye. The recoil made Xie Zhizhou's body sway slightly backward, and Zong Ran's arm tightened around his waist.

Zong Ran then released his hand from Xie Zhizhou's back and took a half step back, giving him enough space.

His arm remained loosely wrapped around Xie Zhizhou's waist, not completely leaving.

"Fire like this, remember the feel from before." Zong Ran patiently instructed, "Grip firmly, but not too hard. Use your fingertips when pulling the trigger, slowly, don't rush, understand?"

Xie Zhizhou took a deep breath and nodded.

He raised his arm again, gripped the gun handle tightly as Zong Ran had just taught him, with his thumb and forefinger pressed together and his index finger extended, aiming at the target in front of him.

The warmth of Zong Ran's body still lingered on his back, and the area on his earlobe where Zong Ran's breath had brushed against was still slightly hot. He forced himself to focus on the sights and pulled the trigger—"bang!" The bullet flew out and hit the edge of the target. Although it didn't hit the bullseye, at least it didn't miss, leaving a small bullet hole on the target.

"Hit!" Xie Zhizhou put down his gun, turned to look at Zong Ran, and was as excited as if he had just gotten a rare piece of equipment in a game. "Look, look! I shot it myself! It was a bit off, but at least it didn't go outside the target area—hitting the target on my first shot, wouldn't you call that a special talent?"

Zong Ran smiled as he watched Xie Zhizhou's excited expression, which made him almost jump for joy. He stepped forward, took the gun from Xie Zhizhou, and readjusted his grip. He gently rubbed his thumb on the back of Xie Zhizhou's hand and said, "Not bad. It's good that you hit the target on the first shot. Keep going."

Xie Zhizhou received praise and became even more confident. He raised his gun and fired several more shots, each one getting closer to the bullseye than the last. By the last shot, he was able to hit the inner edge of the target steadily.

He put down the gun and moved his wrists, which were slightly numb from the recoil. Then he turned around, put his hands on his hips, raised his chin slightly, and had an undisguised smug look on his face: "See? This is what you call talent. I used to be good at archery. Back then, the adults said I had a good aim. It's the same with guns. It's all about aiming. For me, it's just a matter of changing the tool."

Zong Ran chuckled softly, amused, and reached out to rub the back of his head: "Hmm, a naturally gifted player. But you almost hit the target next to you with one shot just now. Was that part of your talent too?"

Xie Zhizhou choked for a moment, then pursed his lips and pulled Xie Zhizhou's arm off his head. He turned around and raised his gun again, aiming at the bullseye: "That shot doesn't count. Watch this shot—this one will definitely hit the bullseye. Let your target see what real strength is."

Zong Ran stood beside him, watching his profile as he narrowed his eyes slightly, a smile spreading across his face, growing ever stronger.

More and more bullet holes appeared on the target paper, and Xie Zhizhou's progress was visible to the naked eye. Watching the little guy go from nervous to excited, from unfamiliar to skilled, he felt that his decision tonight was absolutely right.