Master Pei! Don't force yourself into a circle that doesn't want you to.

The door hinges creaked softly. The iron door slowly opened, and a blast of cold, damp air rushed out, carrying with it an even stronger, fishy smell. He instinctively held his breath and squinted to peer inside.

Unexpectedly, it wasn't the snake den he had imagined.

The lights were very bright, almost blinding.

One wall was covered with screens of all sizes, each divided into dozens of small squares, displaying different images: the villa's corridors, living room, backyard, and even the bar he and Song Yiyang frequented.

Shen Jicheng's pupils contracted slightly, and his heart suddenly raced.

He recognized one of the images; it was the scene from yesterday when they were questioning the hotel receptionist. In the image, Song Yiyang was standing with his hands on his hips, yelling at the receptionist, while he stood to the side, his brow furrowed.

So that's how it is. No wonder the hotel staff suddenly changed their story; they weren't mistaken, but someone had given them advance notice. And who else but Pei Lin could silence the entire hotel in the time it takes to eat a meal?

His gaze shifted from the screen to a row of shelves in the center of the room. Neatly arranged on the shelves were glass containers of various sizes, containing things he couldn't quite make out. But what sent a chill down his spine was the enormous glass cabinet in the corner.

Inside, the large, jet-black snake lay curled up, quietly coiled, seemingly asleep. The snake that "doesn't bite" was now obediently staying where it was supposed to be.

Who put that thing that appeared on his bed the night before?

The answer speaks for itself.

Shen Jicheng clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white. He recalled Pei Lin's gentle admonition, "Baby, please don't go to those two places, okay?"

That wasn't concern; it was clearly a warning to him not to get close to the truth.

Pei Lin is a liar!

He suddenly turned around and was about to walk out.

But at the iron gate, they bumped into a wall of people.

Pei Lin had appeared there at some point. He was wearing a dark suit, his face expressionless, and he was simply looking down at Shen Jicheng, his dark eyes reflecting the other's panicked face.

"I did say that," Pei Lin's voice was very soft, like a feather landing on the tip of one's heart.

"Never come to these two places."

He paused, and a meaningful smile slowly appeared on his lips.

"Why are you so disobedient, baby?"

Shen Jicheng's back was pressed against the cold wall, his heart pounding like a drum. He wanted to say something, but it felt like something was choking him, and he couldn't make a sound.

"What did you see?"

Shen Jicheng bit his lip and did not answer.

Pei Lin chuckled softly, raised her hand and pinched his chin, forcing him to look up and meet her gaze. There was no anger in those dark eyes, but rather a hint of pleasure, as if she were enjoying a long-awaited show.

"It's okay," Pei Lin said softly, gently stroking Shen Jicheng's lower lip with his thumb. "Even if you see everything, it won't change anything."

He leaned down slightly, close to Shen Jicheng's ear, his voice as soft as a sigh.

"After all, we signed a contract, you can't run away."

Shen Jicheng froze. "What contract...?"

Pei Lin chuckled softly, remaining silent. He released his grip, flipped to the first page of the agreement he was carrying, and casually reminded him...

"The first rule is that you must obey your master's orders during the agreement period."

He raised his eyes, his extremely cold gaze sweeping over the figure frozen in place.

"You disobedient brat, why aren't you coming over here?"

The moment he dropped his pretense, Shen Jicheng was completely stunned. He strode over angrily and demanded, "You played me?!"

Pei Lin loathed this unreasonable behavior. His expression turned cold, and his icy gaze fell on Shen Jicheng's face, each word like a poisoned knife.

"What? You're allowed to deceive and fool others, but others aren't allowed to treat you the same way?"

Seeing Shen Jicheng's angry expression, he suddenly laughed, "Isn't this the life you wanted? You drugged me for money before, and then played hard to get?"

Shen Jicheng was completely stunned. "You actually knew..."

"certainly."

If that's the case, then Pei Lin did it on purpose from the moment they met at the bar. He deliberately lured him into a trap, and he foolishly jumped into the fire. That bottle of water he "accidentally" drank wasn't some employee mistake; it was clearly part of a setup!

After figuring it out, Shen Jicheng trembled with anger. Perhaps because this was the first time in his life he had been so thoroughly played, he clenched his fists, glared angrily at Pei Lin, and wished he could pounce on him and bite him a few times.

"So angry?" Pei Lin took in his emotions and continued speaking calmly.

"Actually, it's really unnecessary."

"You just want money, right? I have it. As long as you behave, I'll give it to you."

These words completely enraged Shen Jicheng. He clenched his fists, ready to charge at Pei Lin, but before he could even get close, a man appeared out of nowhere, grabbing his arms and forcefully pinning him down. His knees slammed uncontrollably to the ground. He struggled desperately, but the other man's grip was ridiculously strong, rendering him completely immobile. He could only glare fiercely at the man standing leisurely in front of him.

"Jiang Jin," Pei Lin said casually, "You used too much force and hurt my little pup."

The man called Jiang Jin had no expression on his face, and his grip on his hand didn't loosen in the slightest.

Pei Lin leaned down, raised his hand and pinched Shen Jicheng's chin, forcing him to look into his eyes.

"What? Am I wrong?" His voice was very soft.

"When you came here, didn't you think about how you would be treated? When you signed the contract, didn't you think about... what is this?"

He stared intently at the pair of sparkling eyes before him and smiled.

"See, you thought about it. You knew it was a sugar daddy arrangement, but you still signed the contract. Since you signed it, you should be prepared to be treated however you want."

His fingertips gently caressed the lips in front of him.

"If you behave, I might not make things difficult for you if I'm in a good mood."

I gently pressed my fingertip against my lips.

"If you don't listen—"

He paused, his voice lowering, carrying a dangerous undertone.

"I'll teach you a lesson."

The voice just fell.

My finger was suddenly bitten.

Shen Jicheng was restless at heart. He was already furious because he had mistaken someone for someone else, and now, after being maliciously humiliated by the other party, his rebellious nature was brought to the surface. He bit Pei Lin's finger viciously, his teeth sinking deep into the flesh, and the sweet, metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

But the man in front of him didn't change his expression at all.

He stared at Shen Jicheng coldly, as if the hand that had been bitten was not his own, but something unrelated to him.

Only those deep, dark eyes stared straight at him.

Unfathomable depths, revealing no emotion.

until--

Fresh blood flowed down Shen Jicheng's lips.

His cheek was suddenly gripped tightly by a brute force, the pain forcing him to open his mouth. But he still glared defiantly at the person in front of him, his eyes practically burning with anger.

"How stubborn."

Pei Lin's tone was indifferent, as if he were commenting on a disobedient pet.

"In that case..." He leaned back on the sofa and instructed the man behind Shen Jicheng, "The little darlings in the backyard must be quite lonely. They'll definitely like this new friend."