He tricked the female lead into becoming his boyfriend, but then went on to criticize the male lead.

The next second, a deep, melodious, yet gentle singing voice slowly filled the empty living room.

He sang the birthday song carefully, word by word, his voice rich and pleasant, shedding his usual coldness and hardness, and filled with a gentleness that was uniquely his.

Sang Jiuning stood there, feeling a warmth in her heart. She looked at the man in front of her who was earnestly celebrating her birthday, his eyes full of smiles, and her heartbeat slowed down gently.

The moment the song ended, Sang Jiuning closed her eyes, made a sincere wish, and then bent down to blow out all the candles in one breath.

"call--"

The moment the candle went out, the once pitch-black living room of the villa was suddenly as bright as day.

Uncle De, the butler, stood by the light switch, bowed respectfully, and said with a gentle smile, "Happy birthday, Miss."

The sudden bright lights were so dazzling that Sang Jiuning blinked unconsciously, her attention completely focused on the birthday cake on the table. She was filled with the joy of her birthday and didn't notice at all that the tenderness in Fu Yanchen's eyes had completely disappeared.

His dark eyes locked onto her figure, a deep, oppressive gloom churning within them, hidden so well that it was impossible to catch.

Sang Jiuning was completely unaware of anything amiss. She picked up a knife and happily prepared to cut the cake.

Just then, Fu Yanchen's phone rang; it was a video call notification.

He casually tapped the screen, and instantly the gentle faces of Sang's mother, Fu Xulan, and Sang's father, Sang Tingyan, appeared on the screen.

The couple looked at their vibrant and beautiful daughter in the camera lens, their eyes filled with doting affection.

Fu Xulan spoke first with a smile, her voice gentle and affectionate: "Happy 20th birthday, my darling!"

"Happy birthday, Ningning. My little girl has grown another year older." Sang Tingyan's voice followed closely behind, gentle and doting.

Sang Jiuning smiled broadly at the screen, her heart filled with warmth: "Thank you, Mom and Dad."

Looking at his daughter's obedient appearance, Sang Tingyan smiled gently and teased her, "Daddy won't be giving you a red envelope this year."

Sang Jiuning paused for a moment, then looked up at the screen.

Sang Tingyan added matter-of-factly, "Dad's money is all for your mother to spend; we need to spoil her."

Sang Jiuning couldn't help but chuckle softly.

She was used to it and wasn't surprised at all.

She nodded obediently, "It's okay, Daddy, I understand, thank you, Daddy."

Fu Xulan gave Sang Tingyan a reproachful look, then looked at her daughter gently: "Don't listen to your father. Mom gave you a big red envelope. Buy whatever you like. Don't worry about saving money."

"Thank you, Mom!" Sang Jiuning's eyes lit up with joy.

After hanging up the video call with my parents, my phone kept ringing with message notifications.

It was a big birthday red envelope from my grandparents, followed by blessings and red envelopes from my uncle and aunt. Every word was full of care and love.

The last two messages that popped up were from her younger brother, Sang Jiuyang.

The little guy was quite thoughtful; he used his saved allowance to send her two red envelopes, one for 66.66 and the other for 88.88.

Along with a childlike yet earnest message: Happy birthday, sister! May you be safe and sound every year!

Looking at the screen full of blessings and red envelopes, Sang Jiuning felt her heart melt and was filled with happiness.

This is probably what it feels like to be loved by family—safe and warm.

She happily replied to everyone's messages, ate a sweet birthday cake with Fu Yanchen, and leisurely finished her dinner.

Uncle De tidied up the dining table and kitchen, then quietly left, closing the living room door behind him.

The spacious living room of the villa instantly fell silent.

In the vast space, only Sang Jiuning and Fu Yanchen remained.

The warm atmosphere gradually faded, and a heavy sense of oppression quietly spread through the air.

Sang Jiuning's originally relaxed mood suddenly became slightly tense for some reason.

She subconsciously put down her water glass, feeling inexplicably flustered, and vaguely guessed what was about to happen.

The silence lasted for a long time.

Fu Yanchen sat on the sofa opposite, his posture upright, his whole being calm and devoid of any warmth.

He looked up, his dark, deep eyes fixed on Sang Jiuning's face, his gaze steady yet sharp, as if he could see through all her little thoughts and secrets at a glance.

He parted his thin lips slightly, his voice flat and emotionless, revealing neither joy nor anger, yet carrying a heavy sense of pressure: "You haven't broken up with him yet?"

The "he" in this context needs no further explanation; Sang Jiuning knows better than anyone that it refers to Wen Zhaoci.

In an instant, Sang Jiuning's heart sank a lot.

What was bound to happen has finally happened.

All her joy and happiness vanished in that instant, leaving only panic and guilt.

She didn't dare to look up into Fu Yanchen's eyes, didn't dare to meet his deep gaze, and could only subconsciously lower her head, her fingertips tightly gripping the hem of her clothes until they turned slightly white.

She felt panicked, confused, conflicted, and tormented.

But she really couldn't bear to part with Wen Zhaoci.

Wen Zhaoci was gentle and patient, always accommodating her, understanding her little moods, and showering her with affection and tenderness. He was the first person she had ever truly liked and couldn't bear to let go of in both of her lives.

But Fu Yanchen was someone who cared for her and protected her, and she never wanted to disappoint him or make him angry.

The difficult choice weighed heavily on her mind, making her throat tighten slightly.

Sang Jiuning pursed her dry lips, her voice soft and timid, lacking confidence: "Um... we haven't split yet."

After a two-second pause, she took a deep breath, mustered her courage, and said what she had kept in her heart for a long time: "Brother, I don't want to break up."

The moment the words left his mouth, the living room fell into complete silence.

Fu Yanchen continued to look at her quietly, the last bit of warmth in his dark eyes completely dissipated, leaving only boundless coldness.

He remained silent for several seconds, without an angry roar or a accusatory rebuke, simply watching her guiltily avoid his gaze.

The more carefully she protected others, the more turbulent his heart became.

Fu Yanchen's eyes were filled with layers of dark emotions, which were already churning with turmoil, but his face remained calm and expressionless.

The next moment, he pursed his thin lips and snapped his fingers lightly.

"Snap—"

The crisp sound was particularly clear in the quiet living room.

Sang Jiuning hadn't yet realized what this meant, and even wanted to look up and say a few more words of explanation.

Suddenly, a dark figure emerged from the shadows, moving so fast that no one could blink.

The person was wearing a black mask and holding a clean handkerchief. He quickly walked to Sang Jiuning's side and, before she could exclaim in surprise, gently covered her mouth and nose with the handkerchief.

A faint, light scent enters the nasal cavity; it has no pungent odor, but it has a very strong numbing effect.

Sang Jiuning's mind went blank for a moment, and all her strength was quickly drained away.

Her pupils dilated slightly, her consciousness rapidly dissipated, and she didn't even have the strength to struggle.

Through her blurry vision, she could only see Fu Yanchen sitting quietly on the sofa opposite her, his expression indifferent, his eyes fixed on her without a trace of emotion.

It turns out... he had already made all the preparations.