The sharp crack of a slap echoed in the room, but it wasn't my face that was struck—it was Zhou Sihan's. He had suddenly stepped in front of me, taking the full force of Madam Qiao’s blow. The impact snapped his head to the side. I stared, stunned, at Zhou Sihan’s tall, straight back. It wasn’t the first time he had shielded me like this. It felt like he was always protecting me. I started to move