Extortion

**Chapter 7: Extortion**

Zhou Wei's breath hitched. He couldn't even bother to confront his sister at this point. The lingering alcohol in his system seemed to evaporate instantly as he forced a dry laugh at Shen Xiuyi. "Brother Xiuyi, it's all a misunderstanding, really!"

He suppressed the pain coursing through his body and maintained a strained smile. "I had no idea this was our dear niece Jiayi! It's all my fault. I deserve to be punished!"

Though Shen Xiuyi said nothing, the weight of his gaze was enough to make one's scalp tingle.

His eyes swept past Zhou Wei and landed on Zhou Ying, his tone even colder. "Is this how you take care of Jiayi?"

"I…" Zhou Ying panicked, taking two steps back, utterly at a loss.

After all, she was his beloved younger sister, doted on for twenty years. Zhou Wei couldn't bear to see her flounder. He gritted his teeth and stepped forward. "Brother Xiuyi, it's not Xiao Ying's fault. I drank too much today and made our niece feel upset."

His gaze fell on the digital watch on Luo Shiyi's slender wrist. It was plain, with no recognizable brand, more like a cartoonish watch a child would wear.

Zhou Wei paused. "Does our niece need a watch? I have a few Patek Philippe limited editions at home that are perfect for young ladies. I'll pick a few out for her as an apology."

Luo Shiyi continued to cling to Shen Xiuyi's arm, letting out a small *tsk*. "How could I possibly accept that? Little Uncle?"

She lightly shook Shen Xiuyi's arm, deferring the decision to him.

After all, Zhou Wei was Shen Xiuyi's friend. It wouldn't do to push things too far.

Shen Xiuyi naturally reached out to pat her head. "Since Uncle Zhou is offering, you should accept."

Luo Shiyi understood and flashed a bright smile. "Thank you, Uncle Zhou."

Seeing Zhou Wei visibly relax, Luo Shiyi's lips curled into a sly smirk. Her gaze fell on the watch on Zhou Wei's wrist. "Uncle, the watch on your wrist looks really nice…"

Zhou Wei's facial muscles twitched.

*Of course it's nice! It's worth tens of millions of yuan!*

It was a rare vintage Patek Philippe from last century. He had worked hard to track it down and only recently managed to buy it from a Swedish collector. He had planned to keep it for himself, and today he had brought it out to show off. Now, this little girl had her eyes on it.

Under Shen Xiuyi's gaze, Zhou Wei couldn't bring himself to refuse. He reluctantly took off the watch, his expression pained. "Since our niece likes it, I'll give it to her as an apology."

Luo Shiyi smiled sweetly and innocently. "Since it's Uncle Zhou's kind gesture, I'll accept it!"

She took the watch and tried it on her wrist with satisfaction. The vintage design of the watch exuded an understated luxury, making her wrist appear even more dazzlingly white.

Seeing Zhou Wei's expression of agony, Luo Shiyi nodded contentedly. *It feels great to fleece someone!*

With the presence of a younger family member in the room, Zhou Wei naturally dismissed the accompanying girls. The room was no longer as noisy and chaotic as it had been when they first arrived.

Everyone in the room was a childhood friend of Shen Xiuyi's, but now they all seemed eager to curry favor with him.

Luo Shiyi obediently greeted everyone, then quietly settled into a corner of the sofa. After a while, Zhou Wei, still unwilling to let it go, handed her a bottle of alcohol. "Here, my niece. You're an adult now, right? Have a drink with your uncle."

Luo Shiyi could tell he was deliberately trying to get her drunk.

*Challenge me to a drinking contest? I've never been afraid of that!*

She took the bottle, a playful smile on her lips. "Sure."

Zhou Wei beamed. "That's the spirit!"

Just as Luo Shiyi filled her glass and was about to clink it with his, a long, elegant hand reached over and took the glass away.

"She doesn't drink."

Zhou Wei glanced at Shen Xiuyi's icy expression and immediately backed down. "I was just joking with my niece!"

He turned to Luo Shiyi, adopting a serious tone. "My niece, remember this: always be wary of men who offer you drinks. Never casually accept a glass from a man like this again!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhou Wei quickly made himself scarce.

Luo Shiyi: "…"

She glanced at the man beside her, who was still cold and expressionless, and sighed in exasperation. "Little Uncle, I'm already an adult."

Shen Xiuyi's sharp brows remained furrowed, his eyes dark. "Just because you're an adult means you can drink recklessly? Aren't you afraid of what might happen if you get drunk?"

Luo Shiyi instinctively retorted, "How could anything happen? Even if I get drunk, I can still protect myself…"

As she spoke, her expression turned strange, and she remembered the spiked drink from before and how she had been forced to seek out a stranger to relieve herself…

Luo Shiyi's face shifted through several emotions before she finally nodded meekly, like a quail. "I won't drink recklessly ever again…"

Shen Xiuyi didn't respond. Instead of rejoining his friends, he sat down beside her and downed the glass of alcohol in one go.

The strong scent of his masculine aura, mixed with a faint trace of tobacco, invaded her senses, making Luo Shiyi feel incredibly uneasy.

Her phone vibrated in her bag—a call was coming in. She had a new number, and only a few people had it. She guessed it was probably Shen Jiawen, the third young master of the Shen family.

Speaking of Shen Jiawen, he was just as notorious as Zhou Wei in Nan City, known for his womanizing ways. Yet, he was the apple of Old Master Shen's eye and had been indulged in his reckless behavior for years.

The phone rang once, and Luo Shiyi didn't answer. But the calls kept coming, one after another, as if they would never stop.

Luo Shiyi stood up. "Little Uncle, I'm going to the restroom."

Shen Xiuyi lazily glanced at her and pointed to the corner. "It's in the room."

With that, he actually stood up, seemingly intending to follow her.

Luo Shiyi gave him a strange look but didn't say anything. She quickly entered the restroom and locked the door before answering the call.

"Hey! Where the hell have you been? I've called you several times! Don't forget who hired you!"

Luo Shiyi rubbed her temples and whispered, "Little Uncle took me out to meet some people."

Shen Jiawen's voice instantly paused, his anger dissipating. "Old Four? Why is he taking you to meet people?"

Luo Shiyi shrugged. "How should I know?"

Shen Jiawen didn't expect her to have an answer anyway. He pondered for a moment and then said, "Oh, right. When Big Brother was around, Old Four was closest to him. Now that he thinks you're Big Brother's child, he'll probably take extra care of you. Just play along, but don't let him suspect anything. And remember whose side you're on. Report to me every two hours. Don't make me hunt you down…"

Luo Shiyi was initially patient, but the more she listened, the more it sounded like nonsense. She casually found an excuse to end the call.

*A spoiled young master trying to control her?*

Luo Shiyi clicked her tongue in annoyance.

If it weren't for the fact that the fourth master of the Shen family was so hard to approach, she would never have resorted to associating with Shen Jiawen.

She washed her hands normally and pushed open the restroom door, only to bump into someone as she stepped out.

Her nose hurt. "You—"

Before she could finish her sentence, she caught a familiar whiff of tobacco.

Luo Shiyi reacted quickly. "Little Uncle? Why are you standing here?"

She turned her head to look at the restroom, half-joking. "You're not really worried I'd disappear in the restroom, are you?"

Shen Xiuyi looked at her, his gaze deep and unreadable. "What if I am?"