Jin Boyuan appeared at the top of the staircase, his hair slightly mussed as if he'd been working in his study. His sharp eyes immediately took in the scene: his sister in her nightclothes looking half-wild, Mei Lanhua sobbing against the wall, the tension thick enough to choke on.
"What happened?" he demanded, descending the stairs two at a time, his voice edged with worry. "I heard screaming."
"Nothing," Zhou Yuxi said automatically, the lie coming easily despite everything. She didn't have time to explain, didn't have the patience for questions or concerns or family dynamics. "Nothing important."
She turned toward Jin Boyuan, something in her expression making him stop mid-step.
"Can you drive me back to the Mu Mansion?" Her voice was steadier now, but underneath it ran a current of barely suppressed desperation. "I can't let Father accompany me back this late."
