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

Shen Jicheng's eyelashes trembled.

"Baby, do you love me?"

"..."

"Shi Jiaming. Do you love him?"

"..."

Pei Lin looked at him for a long time, but received no answer.

He smiled faintly. A very slight smile, but there was no smile in his eyes. He released his grip, stood up, and the warmth in his eyes gradually faded, leaving only coldness.

"I won't interfere with you, but it's time to settle the old scores."

"There's no reason for you to spend my money to sleep with other men."

Shen Jicheng looked up abruptly, about to speak in his defense, but was silenced by Pei Lin's next words.

"You want money, don't you? Name your price. How much for one time is up to you."

His gaze fell coldly on Shen Jicheng. "Take stock of how much you've spent on me. If I owe you, I'll pay you back. If you owe me..."

He paused, then said coldly, "Then you'll have to stay. Until you pay it all off."

"Feel free to voice your opinions."

Shen Jicheng swallowed his words of explanation, lowered his eyes, and tried to remain as dignified as possible.

"no."

That afternoon, Pei Lin sat on the sofa in the living room for a long time.

He changed the teacup twice, taking only a sip of each before putting it down. His gaze kept sweeping towards the stairwell every now and then, but the figure never appeared. He didn't wait for Shen Jicheng to come downstairs to negotiate; instead, he saw Zhang Xu coming down from upstairs.

"What did he say?" Pei Lin looked up, his voice devoid of any inflection.

Zhang Xu stood three steps away, his tone tinged with a cautious unease, "Mr. Shi didn't say anything. He only said... it's up to you, President Pei, to decide."

Pei Lin paused for a moment. He tapped his fingertips lightly on the sofa armrest. "Okay."

He said, "Since I'm the one who calls the shots, then tell him I'm very dissatisfied with his performance in bed. He's worthless."

Zhang Xu's heart skipped a beat. Even if their CEO Pei dared to say those words, he wouldn't dare listen. Everyone knew these were just words spoken in anger. But he was just a messenger; what right did he have to offer advice?

He could only grit his teeth and reply, "...Yes."

Q: Why is it worthless?

Zhang Xu: Because it is priceless.

When these words reached Shen Jicheng's ears, he was sitting on the edge of the bed. After listening to Zhang Xu's retelling, his face showed little emotion; he simply lowered his eyes, suppressing his turbulent emotions beneath his eyelashes. After a long while, he pursed his lips and coldly uttered two words, "Whatever."

The next day, a document was delivered to him.

Pei Lin stood on the other side of the table, looking at him across the large surface. "These past few months, all your food, clothing, and expenses have been on my tab, plus the allowance I gave you, totaling 37.32 million. I'll round it down to 40 million for you."

Shen Jicheng stared at the contract written in black and white, without saying a word.

"Any objections?" Pei Lin asked.

Shen Jicheng didn't even glance at him. "No."

"Alright." Pei Lin nodded, his expression unreadable. "Then sign it. You'll pay back the money you owe me with your labor. I'll let you go when you've earned enough."

This time, he pushed the contract closer, giving Shen Jicheng enough time to read it carefully. But Shen Jicheng picked up the pen, didn't even turn the page, went straight to the last page, and decisively signed his name.

After signing the papers, his relationship with Pei Lin completely changed. He still lived in Beishan Villa, but he was no longer a guest; he was now a servant.

Shen Jicheng could have refused to sign, but he did anyway. No one knows what he was thinking; perhaps he thought that this would offset the lies he had told.

...

Zhang Xu handed him a neatly folded towel, hesitated for a moment, and then added, "This is what President Pei instructed. Please clean the entire villa floor before President Pei returns."

Shen Jicheng took the towel, looked down at the piece of cloth in his palm, and said nothing.

These days, Pei Lin has been assigning him all sorts of chores: wiping the handrail, washing the mop, cleaning the dust in the study. He's gradually gotten used to it. But mopping the floor is a first for him.

The villa is too big.

The lobby on the first floor alone was enough to deter anyone from even entering, let alone the several floors above and below. Shen Jicheng bent over, wiping each section one by one, from the stairwell to the end of the corridor, and then back again. His knees ached so much they were almost trembling, and his wrists were twisted and painful. He wiped two whole floors before he was too exhausted to straighten up.

He stood up, supported his lower back with one hand, and took two deep breaths.

Just then, the low hum of a car engine came from the yard, almost half an hour earlier than usual.

Shen Jicheng glanced down at the floor below, where most of the floor remained untouched, his brows furrowed deeply. This was clearly a deliberate attempt to make things difficult for him. Mopping with a towel was slow enough; how could he possibly finish cleaning the entire villa in thirty minutes?

Footsteps echoed up the stairs, one step at a time. Shen Jicheng didn't turn around, continuing to bend over and wipe the floor until the pair of shiny leather shoes stopped in front of him.

Shen Jicheng paused for a moment.

Pei Lin's cold voice came from above, "I said I wanted to clean all the floors of the villa before I came back. You've only cleaned two layers, it's not clean enough."

Shen Jicheng raised his head, his tone not very friendly, "Then Mr. Pei, why don't you give it a try yourself?"

Before he could finish speaking, his chin was suddenly gripped. Pei Lin's fingertips dug into his cheek, forcing him to look up and meet those cold eyes.

"Is this how you talk to your creditors?" Pei Lin narrowed his eyes, his voice low and cold. "Or perhaps the servants haven't taught you proper manners these past few days?"

He paused, a cold smile appearing on his lips. "In that case, every time you make a mistake, I'll deduct their wages."

Shen Jicheng paused for half a second, then reacted, "Why deduct other people's wages? This is my own business, it has nothing to do with them."

Pei Lin remained unmoved. "I'm very dissatisfied with the work you completed a few days ago. Either the quality was poor, or it took too long. In order to correct your habit of slacking off, there has to be a system of punishment."

He released his grip, looking down at Shen Jicheng. "If you make a mistake, the servants will have their pay docked. That's settled."

Shen Jicheng clenched the towel in his hand, his knuckles turning white. This was clearly forcing him to comply.

Pei Lin ignored his anger, leaving a cold order before turning away, "You're not allowed to sleep until you finish cleaning tonight. Otherwise, the servants will be punished along with you."

The sound of leather shoes faded into the distance.

Shen Jicheng stood there, his chest heaving several times before he could barely suppress his anger.

He took a deep breath and squatted down again.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Shen Jicheng's bangs were soaked with sweat and clung to his skin. Beads of sweat slid down his back and soaked his collar. His wrists ached as if they had been twisted, and his knees were numb with pain, but he still gritted his teeth and finished cleaning the last small section of floor.

He leaned against the wall to stand up, his back making a series of soft cracking sounds.

The clock on the wall points to one in the morning.

Shen Jicheng rubbed his sore eyes, draped a towel over the stair railing, and dragged his leaden legs toward his room.

The corridor was dark, with only the dim yellow light of the corridor lamp illuminating it. He was so sleepy that he was almost floating as he walked, and he didn't notice the tall, slender celadon vase placed at the corner.

"Bang—!"