I emerged from my room and found four of them engrossed in the TV show, unaware of my presence. Vivian and Zain must still be concerned, although they conceal it well.

Both of them are 3 years younger than me, yet at times, they display a maturity beyond their years.

Mom must be preparing dinner. It's also time for our tutor to arrive. He occasionally tutors Yuriya and Aria as well. I freshened up by washing my face and grabbed a quick bite before diving into my homework.

Wanting to complete at least one or two assignments before the tutor's arrival, I sat down to work. While this routine is familiar, but this is the third assignment I've tackled today.

Despite my best efforts, my studies had also been affected by those haunting dreams of darkness. The shadows of fear and uncertainty often lingered in my mind, making it challenging to focus on my schoolwork. Yet, I was determined not to let my grades suffer, pushing myself to excel even in the face of misery.

I snapped back from my thoughts due to someone's intense staring. Glancing to my side, I saw Yuriya's two pairs of eyes fixed on me. Her gaze, sharp and probing, seemed to cut through the haze of my distractions, bringing me back to the present moment and the tasks at hand.

Before I resumed my assignment, I inquired of Yuriya, "Do you have something to say to me?" Her response was a simple nod, indicating she was gathering her thoughts before posing her question. I smiled lightly as I waited for her question.

After a few moments, she finally spoke up with a question, "Are you okay?"

Her question caught me off guard, and my eyes widened briefly. I hadn't expected her to ask this. Composing myself, I replied, "Of course, I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Big sis Vivi and brother Zain always seem sad when they look at you. And you always have nightmares. That's why," she explained.

"They're just dreams. Don't you have nightmares?" I questioned her back.

"I do, but not as often as you," she replied.

"That's because you're still young. You'll experience them when you're older," I teased her playfully.

Her expression momentarily paled, but as she heard  my laughter, she frowned at me. I ruffled her hair to reassure her and said, "I'm fine, and you won't have those nightmares. Now, go back and finish your homework; I need to complete mine."

She left the room without further questions. Growing up in our intense family environment had made Yuriya mature. At least she and Aria retained more innocence at their age than Vivi and Zain, who had matured prematurely.

Setting aside these thoughts, I glanced at the clock. "Is he going to be late again?" I muttered under my breath.

Over the past few months, our tutor had not been giving us the time we needed. While I could have overlooked it if he were only teaching me, his increasing lack of responsibility in his tutoring was concerning, especially considering that Vivi and Zain also depended on him. 

The delay in his arrival troubled me. While he was a competent tutor at first, of late, his demeanor had grown increasingly aggressive. Particularly towards Zain, punishing him for the most minor of mistakes.

I voiced my concerns to my parents, but the outcome of our conversation left me disappointed. 

Even my parents seemed to agree that his physical discipline as a means to correct Zain's behavior. Despite my objections, their opinion remained unchanged. I could have accepted verbal scolding, but the physical abuse inflicted by him was unbearable.

He defended his actions, claiming to discipline Zain only once per incident. However, the aftermath always left Zain's skin marked with bruises.

…Ding….Dong….

I sneered upon hearing the doorbell. "Speak of the devil."

Vivi and Zain dashed to the study room at the sound of the doorbell, their expressions lacked any smiles. They had always expressed their indifference towards this teacher, but...

He stayed outside, probably talking with my mom. Being late wasn't his only problem; now he was just chatting instead of teaching.

After a few minutes, he finally made his way into the study room. The smile on his face fade away as soos as he entered. It puzzled me how my parents remained oblivious to this.

Half an hour had elapsed, and I was still engrossed in my assignment. Occasionally, he offered assistance, but most of his attention was directed towards Vivi and Zain. Both of them working diligently, so they could escape any form of punishment.

After another 20 minutes, he explored into a rage at Vivi simply for overwriting. Zain and I was attempted to say something, but he was swiftly struck Zain on the back with a stick. As the teacher raised his hand for another blow, I instinctively pulled Zain close to me.

"Bian, move aside," he barked at me with anger.

I glared at him. "That's enough. What do you think you're doing?"

"What?" He seemed taken aback by my gaze.

"All Zain did was try to explain. There was no need to resort to such extremes..."

Before I could finish, my eyes fell upon the stick, stained with blood. Shocked, I turned to look at Zain's back. His clothing was torn, and blood came out.

Enraged by this, I started to shout. "Are you insane? How could you strike him so forcefully that he's bleeding? You piece of shit!"

"W..w..what? How dare you speak to a teacher in that manner? What I did was..." His voice rose in anger.

"Don't talk shit about teaching methods," I cut him off.

"You__"

…Click...

Mom entered the room, she must have heard My loud outburst.

"What do you think you're doing, Bian?" Mom's tone conveyed her displeasure with my behavior.

In an attempt to manipulate the situation, he began, "Did you witness, Ma'am? Look at your daughter. How's she..."

Before he could continue with his excuses, I intervened. "Is it your job to beat my brother until he bleeds?”