In the private room of the restaurant, I confirmed one last time that Zhou Qian hadn't made any mistakes.

After receiving a positive reply, I finally relaxed and started beating around the bush with Zhou Qi.

"It's not that I don't want to get married. It's just that under the current circumstances, I can't provide happiness to your sister," I earnestly said. "Our family isn't afraid, we just want an assurance. We don't want to invest so much and end up with nothing."

Zhou Qi's face turned cold, and he turned to his sister and said, "Do you all not trust me?"

His sister panicked and quickly grabbed Zhou Qi's arm, saying, "That's not it, that's not it... sis, let's forget about it, okay?"

I coldly replied, "That's not possible. Either repay the money or get married."

Zhou Qi was furious, his face turning pale, and he pushed away his chair and walked out.

His sister hurriedly got up to stop him but accidentally knocked over a few chairs.

In the midst of the chaos, the door to the private room swung open.

"It's you?"

All eyes turned and converged on the entrance. Three brothers—Zhou Qian, Zhou Ran, and Zhou Xun—were surrounding a middle-aged man. Zhou Ran was the one who had just spoken.

Seeing this, the waiter quickly apologized, saying they had taken the wrong route. They were about to leave when the middle-aged man spoke.

"Qianqian..."

The middle-aged man's eyes fixed on Zhou Qian, his gaze unwavering. Both Zhou Ran and Zhou Xun were taken aback.

"Dad, she's not Mom, she just looks like her," Zhou Xun reminded, only to be slapped to the ground by Zhou Pengkun.

"I don't need you to say!"

After saying that, he pointed at Zhou Qian and gestured to the bodyguard, saying, "Take her away."

The bodyguard nodded and approached, seizing Zhou Qian's arms.

Zhou Ran wanted to intervene but was blocked by the bodyguard. He could only watch helplessly as his sister was taken away.

It was then that his sister realized what was happening and cried out in desperation:

"No! Let go of me! No! Sis, sis, save me—"

She was dragged out of the restaurant, thrown into a car, and no one dared to stop them.

Zhou Qi cowered in fear on the side—he was afraid of Zhou Pengkun.

"I've taken your sister away. Name your price," I chuckled lightly and didn't hold back, casually naming a figure with eight digits.

Without blinking, Zhou Pengkun tossed a check at me and then left with his men.

Zhou Qian walked behind them, and in that moment when our eyes met, his gaze softened imperceptibly.

The farce ended, and I paid no attention to the collapsed Zhou Qi. I picked up the check and left without looking back.

——

Hotel rooftop.

It was silent between Zhou Qian and me until the sun set and a phone call interrupted the silence.

Zhou Qian answered and hung up after a few seconds.

"I have to go. Zhou Pengkun wants to see me," he said.

I nodded, then suddenly paused:

"Wait, Zhou Pengkun? Your father?"

Zhou Qian frowned, seemingly displeased with the address, but he still nodded.

I remembered something and suddenly felt ecstatic. "I know!"

"Know what?"

"In my previous life, Zhou Qi's most hated person was Zhou Pengkun! His character in the novel was extremely ruthless, and he almost killed Zhou Qi!"

Zhou Qian also understood, "You mean..."

I nodded, finally seeing a glimmer of hope:

"Exactly! If there's anyone who can legitimately get rid of both of them, it's Zhou Pengkun!"

"In my previous life, my sister and Zhou Pengkun never met, but according to the typical Mary Sue novel plot, Zhou Pengkun is likely to be interested in my sister!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qian also realized, "Your sister looks alot like Zhou Pengkun's deceased wife, right?"

"Exactly!" I exclaimed. "If we play our cards right, we can use this resemblance to our advantage. Zhou Pengkun might be willing to help us get rid of Zhou Qi."

Zhou Qian's expression turned serious as he contemplated the plan. "But how do we approach Zhou Pengkun? He's a powerful and dangerous man."

I smiled cunningly. "Leave that to me. I have a few connections in the underworld. I can arrange a meeting with Zhou Pengkun and present your sister as a potential love interest. We'll create a situation where Zhou Qi becomes a threat to their relationship, and Zhou Pengkun will take care of him for us."

Zhou Qian hesitated for a moment but then nodded. "Alright, let's do it. We can't let Zhou Qi ruin our lives any longer."

We spent the next few days strategizing and making preparations. I reached out to my contacts, ensuring everything was set for the meeting with Zhou Pengkun. Meanwhile, Zhou Qian worked on convincing his sister to participate in the plan.

Finally, the day of the meeting arrived. Zhou Qian's sister, who we decided to call Zhou Yan, was nervous but determined. She understood the importance of this opportunity to free herself from Zhou Qi's control.

We met Zhou Pengkun at a private villa, where he had agreed to have dinner with us. Zhou Yan played her part perfectly, captivating Zhou Pengkun with her resemblance to his deceased wife. As the evening progressed, Zhou Qi's jealousy grew apparent, and we subtly fueled his anger.

Finally, when Zhou Qi couldn't contain himself any longer, he confronted Zhou Pengkun. The tension in the room was palpable, and Zhou Pengkun, with his imposing presence, stared at Zhou Qi with cold eyes.

That's when Zhou Qian made his move. He pleaded with Zhou Pengkun to protect his sister from Zhou Qi's aggression, painting a picture of an abusive brother who would stop at nothing to control Zhou Yan's life.

Zhou Pengkun's expression hardened, and he turned to Zhou Qi. "Is this true? Are you mistreating your sister?"

Zhou Qi's face paled, and he tried to defend himself, but his words fell on deaf ears. Zhou Pengkun had made up his mind.

"I won't allow you to harm Zhou Yan any longer," Zhou Pengkun declared. "Consider yourself banished from the family."

Zhou Qi was shocked, unable to comprehend what had just happened. He was no match for Zhou Pengkun's power and influence.

As we left the villa, Zhou Qian and Zhou Yan couldn't hide their relief and joy. They were finally free from Zhou Qi's control.

However, we knew our journey wasn't over yet. Zhou Qi was cunning and vengeful, and he wouldn't give up so easily. But with Zhou Pengkun on our side, we had a powerful ally who could protect us.

We continued to plan our next moves, aware that the battle against Zhou Qi was far from over. But for the first time in a long while, we felt hope and determination, ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead.

Little did we know that our actions would set off a chain of events that would change the course of our lives forever.