Zhou Qi's injuries were not light. My sister insisted on asking me for money to treat him. I had no choice but to let my sister wait outside the restaurant where I worked while I advanced my salary.

I entered the restaurant alone and found a corner seat where I could see my sister's location.

Before long, Zhou Ran and Zhou Xun walked out of a private room, just as I expected. There was also a slender figure following them.

The moment I saw the man's face, my eyes widened in shock—it was Zhou Qian!

This was an unexpected turn of events. I originally considered Zhou Qian as my last trump card. If all seven sons of the Zhou family fell in love with my sister without exception, I would eliminate them all and leave only Zhou Qian.

Firstly, he was easy to control. Secondly, in my previous life, he was the last one to fall in love with my sister, and it happened after Zhou Xun disabled his legs.

While I was contemplating, it was already too late to prevent their encounter. The three of them pushed open the restaurant door and collided directly with my sister at the entrance.

Zhou Ran was the first to react and exclaimed with delight, "It's really you!"

My sister, with messy hair, saw the three of them hastily putting on a pair of black-framed glasses and approached to get a clear look at their faces.

Zhou Qian furrowed his brows and discreetly took a step back.

Zhou Xun asked his younger brother, "Do you know her too?"

Zhou Ran's expression changed instantly. "She bumped into me outside the billiard hall this afternoon."

Zhou Xun smirked. "Coincidentally, she also bumped into me at the ward entrance."

My sister, wearing a cheap black T-shirt that was wrinkled and had rolled-up sleeves, nervously tugged at her clothes and bit her lip, gazing at the three of them timidly.

"Mr. Zhou, what a coincidence," she said.

Zhou Qian looked at my sister coldly and said in a deep voice, "I warned you all. Whether you believe it or not is up to you."

After speaking, he walked away.

I don't know if it was just my imagination, but I felt like he glanced at me before leaving.

After Zhou Qian left, Zhou Ran and Zhou Xun exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion and doubt in each other's eyes.

With no one paying attention to her, my sister, with teary eyes, murmured, "Did I do something wrong...?"

Zhou Ran pursed his lips and, despite his resentment, patiently comforted her, "It's not your fault... We have something to do, so we'll leave first."

Zhou Xun nodded at my sister and followed Zhou Ran's footsteps.

After everyone dispersed, I seized the opportunity to pretend to be in a hurry and ran out while holding a stack of money.

"Sister, I've received my salary."

My sister, who had just looked innocent a moment ago, changed her expression as soon as she turned her head.

Taking the money without hesitation, she frowned and said, "Why is it so little?"

I sighed helplessly and said with a bitter face, "I haven't been working here for long... The salary for cleaning is not much to begin with... I also..."

Before I could finish my sentence, my sister interrupted me.

"Alright, I know. There's no need for so much nonsense," she said.

That's just how she is. If you yield an inch, she takes a mile. But if you stand your ground, she becomes submissive.

"I wanted to say that you and Zhou Qi are not young anymore. Our family has done a lot for him... Why don't you two get married? It would be a guarantee for our family as well," I suggested.

My sister stopped crying and lowered her head, seemingly considering my proposal.

"Sister, you know I would never harm you. Think about it, you and Zhou Qi have been on and off for so many years. Now that you've finally reached this point, isn't getting married a joyous occasion?"

My sister nodded, hesitatingly saying, "I asked Zhou Qi, and he said we should get married after he inherits the Zhou family's property..."

I slapped my sister'sface abruptly, my anger boiling over. "Do you think you can really inherit the Zhou family's property? You're delusional!" I shouted at her.

My sister recoiled in shock, her hand covering her stinging cheek. "Why did you hit me?" she cried out.

"Because you're a fool! Can't you see that they're just using you?" I yelled, my voice filled with frustration.

She looked at me with tear-filled eyes, her voice trembling. "But Zhou Qi loves me. He promised that we would be together."

I scoffed, unable to contain my anger. "Love? Do you really believe that? They're playing with you, all of them! Zhou Qi, Zhou Ran, Zhou Xun—they're all in on it. They're manipulating you to get their hands on the Zhou family's wealth."

My sister's face contorted with disbelief and hurt. "No, you're lying. Zhou Qi would never do that to me."

"Wake up, sister!" I shouted, grabbing her shoulders. "Zhou Qi is just using you as a pawn. He doesn't care about you. All he cares about is the money and power that comes with being the heir to the Zhou family."

My sister pushed me away, her eyes filled with anger and sadness. "You're just jealous! Jealous that I found someone who loves me."

I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself. "I'm not jealous, sister. I'm trying to protect you. I've seen this all before. In my previous life, they destroyed our family, and they will do the same to us again if we let them."

She looked at me, her expression wavering between doubt and confusion. "What do you mean, your previous life?"

Realizing my slip of the tongue, I quickly backtracked. "I mean... I've seen this happen to other families. I don't want it to happen to us."

My sister's eyes narrowed, suspicion evident in her gaze. "There's something you're not telling me," she said, her voice cold and distant.

I hesitated for a moment, then decided to reveal the truth. "Fine, you want to know? In my previous life, I was trapped in a cycle of death and rebirth. I witnessed the downfall of our family at the hands of the Zhou brothers. I came back to change our fate, to save us from that tragedy."

My sister's face paled, and she took a step back. "You're... you're crazy," she whispered.

"I know it sounds insane, but it's the truth," I pleaded. "Please, sister, believe me. We can't let history repeat itself. We have to be strong and fight back."

She shook her head, tears streaming down her face. "I can't... I can't believe this. I trusted Zhou Qi, and I won't let you destroy that."

With those words, she turned and ran, leaving me standing there, alone and defeated.

I watched her retreating figure, my heart heavy with sorrow and regret. I had failed to save her from the clutches of the Zhou family once again. But I wouldn't give up. I would find another way to protect her, even if it meant facing the Zhou brothers head-on.