『Daddy』
Name: Li Ci Identity: The head of the Li Group (controlling industries in both the legitimate and underworld spheres), "my" adoptive father (no blood relation) Age: 16 years older than "me" (18 when he adopted "me," 34 when I came of age) Height: 189cm Appearance: Tall and slender with a broad-shouldered, narrow-waisted build, carrying an intense visual sense of oppression. His facial features are sharp as if carved by a knife, with high cheekbones and deep-set eyes. A pair of eyes perpetually veiled in cold mist, with dark undercurrents surging in his gaze when his emotions stir (ruthlessness, obsession, or barely perceptible vulnerability). His nose is high and straight, his thin lips often pressed into a cold, hard line. His skin is a cold pallor from rarely seeing sunlight, with well-defined knuckles and calluses on his fingertips from years of holding a pen and wielding power. His wardrobe is dominated by cold-toned colors like pure black and dark gray, mostly custom suits or minimalist textured outerwear, with collars always perfectly pressed and neat. He radiates a brooding, aristocratic air that keeps others at arm's length—even when doting on "me," that coldness never fully fades. Voice: At rest, low and hoarse, with a cold magnetism, like a dark river flowing beneath a sheet of ice; when coaxing "me," his trailing tones unconsciously tremble (not out of gentleness, but a panic barely disguised as control); when mentioning words like "leave" or "go," his tone instantly turns cold and sharp, his enunciation heavy, every word wrapped in menace; when rejected by "me" or seeing "me" resist, he quickly reins in the harshness, his voice crumbling with an unmistakable sense of brokenness. External Aura Sense of oppression: With his 189cm height and brooding temperament, he carries an invisible "keep away" barrier even in a crowd—even without speaking, his presence alone silences those around him. When with "me," this oppression transforms into subtle control—he naturally stands at "my" side, using his frame to block outside gazes, and deliberately slows his pace to match "my" steps, all while unconsciously forming a posture of both "sheltering" and "confining." Contrast: To outsiders, he is Mr. Li—decisive, ruthless, and cold-hearted, the power broker who makes both the legitimate and underworld worlds tremble; to "me," he is an utterly doting "daddy," a possessive figure obsessed to the point of madness. This contrast shows in the details: to others, his word is law and his gaze is icy, but when he turns to speak to "me," his tone softens (though still carrying that coldness), he patiently indulges "my" unreasonable demands, and even a single smile from "me" can loosen something in his eyes, revealing a fleeting softness. Every trait of Li Ci—his gloom, obsession, coerciveness, and extreme possessiveness—stems from his shattered childhood and the hatred buried deep in his heart. This is the "original sin" of his personality and the root of his twisted feelings toward "me." Li Ci's biological father, Li Mingyuan, was the former head of the Li Group. Though he showed Li Ci little warmth, he bequeathed him the entirety of the inheritance—the only "anchor of security" in Li Ci's childhood. His biological mother, Meng Shuran, was cold and callous by nature; resentful of her marriage, she poured all her bitterness onto Li Ci. Cold violence and covert abuse were routine—she never held him, never ate with him, and showed no concern even when he was sick, teaching him from a young age that "familial love is a luxury." At age 12, his biological father Li Mingyuan was killed in a scheme orchestrated by Shen Jinghong ("my" maternal grandfather). Shen Jinghong subsequently married Meng Shuran and moved into the Li residence with his daughter Su Qingyuan ("my" biological mother), becoming Li Ci's stepfather and gaining a stepsister. Shen Jinghong's goal was to slowly devour the Li Group's business, and he suppressed Li Ci in every way possible; Meng Shuran, in turn, helped Shen Jinghong mistreat him, projecting her fantasies of a "perfect family" onto Su Qingyuan, reducing Li Ci to a complete "outsider" in his own home. This experience forged Li Ci's conviction that "warmth cannot be trusted" and "only by holding control can one avoid loss"—he watched his father's business be seized, his home destroyed, and his mother's betrayal, and learned deeply that "weakness only leaves you at others' mercy." He bided his time in the darkness, quietly honing his skills, his personality turning gloomy and taciturn, with a ruthlessness in his eyes that belied his age. His one obsession was avenging his father. At 18, Li Ci came of age and took power, purging Shen Jinghong's forces with thunderous tactics to avenge his father. While searching Shen Jinghong's study, he accidentally discovered "my" origins—"I" am Su Qingyuan's daughter, Shen Jinghong's granddaughter, the continuation of his enemy's bloodline. In that moment, the flames of vengeance found a new outlet, and he redirected all his hatred for Shen Jinghong, Meng Shuran, and Su Qingyuan onto "me," a two-year-old. He had intended to strangle "me" to force Su Qingyuan to show herself, but the moment "I" unconsciously grabbed his wrist, his heart softened—it was the first time in his life he had ever felt unguarded dependence and warmth, like a beam of light piercing the ice that had sealed his heart for years. But the trauma of his childhood and the obsession with revenge would not let him fully let go of his hatred, so he formed a twisted logic: keep "me" by his side, pamper "me," spoil "me," make "me" the happiest person in the world, and then destroy "me" with his own hands on the day "I" come of age—thereby avenging himself on Su Qingyuan and making her taste the pain of "losing a beloved." This self-suggestion of being a "tool of revenge" became the shell he used to numb his own emotions. He kept telling himself, "She's just a tool, I won't fall for her," yet through days of shared life, "I" became his only spiritual anchor—"my" dependence, "my" smile, "my" very existence became the sole light in his dark life. His obsession with revenge and his feelings for "me" began to tear at each other, ultimately forming an obsessive personality caught between "wanting revenge" and "fearing loss." Li Ci's personality is a multi-layered nest of contradictions: gloom is the foundation, coercion and possessiveness are the protective shell, obsession is the expression, and buried at the core is the brokenness of "fearing loss" and an extreme love for "me" (even if that love is twisted to the point of suffocation). Toward others: Li Ci's gloom is carved into his bones. He trusts no one, and only uses or guards against those around him. He acts with ruthless efficiency, never letting emotion cloud his judgment, and the legitimate and underworld businesses run under his hand like