Mr. Pei! Don't force yourself into circles you can't fit into.

Pei Lin didn't speak, but his fingers hanging at his sides curled slightly.

Chu Haonan took a deep breath and softened his tone, "I know you don't want to suspect him, but this is no small matter. If it really is related to him, what you're doing... isn't that like raising a tiger to cause trouble?"

He had said all he needed to say. As for what Pei Lin thought, that was his own choice; after all, it was his own business. The decision ultimately rested with him.

Chu Haonan turned to leave, but was stopped.

"etc."

He stopped in his tracks, assuming Pei Lin had come to a change of heart or had heeded his advice. But unexpectedly…

Don't tell him.

Chu Haonan: "?"

I didn't want to scare him about my illness.

Chu Haonan laughed in exasperation, "I'm truly impressed." He then turned around, closed the door, and left without even stopping.

Zhang Xushou hesitated, "President Pei... this..." So should we investigate Mr. Shi or not?

Pei Lin frowned and remained silent for a long time. After an unknown amount of time, his low, husky voice finally echoed in the room.

"The last time..."

"Yes!" Zhang Xu's footsteps quickly faded away at the end of the corridor.

The room became completely quiet.

Pei Lin raised his hand, his fingertips touching the knob of the bedside lamp, turning off the last bit of light.

The darkness came sooner than he had anticipated.

Pei Lin lay on his back with his eyes open, his gaze fixed on the ceiling where he could see nothing.

The familiar feeling resurfaced, and a chill that seeped into the bones spread from the torso to the limbs, piercing to the bone.

He seemed to hear the sound of the sea again, the sound of waves crashing against the rocks, rising and falling, covering all his hearing.

Pei Lin closed his eyes.

He didn't know how much time had passed.

His bodily sensations were completely disordered; cold and heat were intertwined, and weightlessness and heaviness alternated. He also lost the last bit of consciousness.

...

Shen Jicheng was woken up by hunger.

He groggily turned over, his eyes not fully open yet. His hand instinctively reached to his side, his palm landing on the empty sheets, leaving no trace of warmth.

He paused for a moment, then reached forward with his finger to make sure no one was beside him. Only then did he open his sleepy eyes, only to see that there was no dent in the center of the pillow, indicating that Pei Lin had not come back to sleep at all.

"Where's Pei Lin?" Shen Jicheng sat up with a frown, muttering to himself.

Are they still working so late?

He put on his coat and went outside. He glanced at the study, where there was no light at all. He then peeked into the living room downstairs, where the wall lamps were off.

Just as I was about to look upstairs, I heard a more noticeable breathing sound coming from the second bedroom.

Shen Jicheng frowned slightly. Seeing that the door to the second bedroom was ajar with a narrow crack, he reached out and pushed it open, squeezing in sideways.

But then he saw a figure lying on the bed; it was Pei Lin.

Shen Jicheng only saw clearly when he got closer that Pei Lin's brows were tightly furrowed, his forehead was covered with a fine layer of cold sweat, and a few strands of hair clung to his skin.

My breathing is a little erratic. Did I have a nightmare?

Shen Jicheng couldn't help but frown and whispered his name.

"Pei Lin?"

There was no response. He called out again, raised his hand to touch Pei Lin's cheek; it was cold.

He then touched Pei Lin's hand resting on the pillow, his knuckles clenched tightly, the joints bluish-white, and it was icy cold to the touch.

"Pei Lin, wake up!" Shen Jicheng shoved him. It's so cold, we need to find another room to sleep in.

However, he did not get it working.

Shen Jicheng squatted by the bed and watched him for a while, hesitating whether he should carry Pei Lin to the master bedroom, but after thinking about it, he decided against it. It would be too much trouble.

It's just for warmth, how can it be as warm as his body?

Finally, he simply lifted a corner of the blanket and crawled inside.

Without hesitation, she wrapped her arms and legs around Pei Lin and hugged him tightly.

Pei Lin seemed to sense something in his dream, his body tensed slightly as if in an instinctive defensive posture. But as the warmth seeped in little by little, his shoulders slowly relaxed, and his clenched knuckles gradually unfurled.

Shen Jicheng was so sleepy that he snuggled into Pei Lin's arms and felt incredibly tired. He closed his eyes and his breathing quickly became long and even.

In his dream, there was an endless sea, chilling to the bone. Pei Lin's limbs were stiff as if frozen, and he couldn't paddle no matter what he did; he could only sink, into endless darkness below.

He didn't know how much time had passed when a warmth gradually spread from his chest, and his stiff limbs slowly regained feeling. He began to swim towards the shore, but he felt a heavy weight on his body, as if something warm and soft was weighing him down, making it impossible for him to move.

Pei Lin struggled to wake up from his dream.

His vision cleared from blurry to sharp; it was still dimly lit, probably around dawn. He instinctively looked down, and his body suddenly stiffened; there was someone curled up in his arms.

That bit of wariness vanished the moment he saw the top of the other person's head.

A fluffy head was pressed against his chest, its warm, even breath falling on his heart through the thin fabric. It must have been fast asleep, its entire face buried in his chest, only half of its cheek showing the imprint left by his touch.

Pei Lin's gaze softened.

He reached out and gently pinched the cheek with his fingertips.

Soft.

The person in his arms frowned, gave a muffled hum, and snuggled deeper into his arms, as if annoyed, or as if reluctant to leave this source of warmth.

Pei Lin looked at him for a while, feeling the warmth in his heart swell even more. He pulled him closer to him, his voice low.

"Baby, no matter what, I believe in you."

The next day.

Pei Lin sat on the sofa in the living room, his fingers tapping idly on the armrest, his expression unreadable. Zhang Xu stood beside him, cautiously reporting to his superior.

"President Pei... we've questioned him, and the security guard said... after you left, Mr. Shi pretended to be sick and went out."

Suddenly, the breathing in the living room became quiet.

Those long, slender fingers paused slightly, then his dark gaze swept over Zhang Xu.

Are you sure?

"Could the security guard have made a mistake?"

"Or perhaps..." he paused, his tone cold, "that someone is trying to frame my precious child?"

Zhang Xu: "..." He hesitated for a moment before awkwardly speaking, "President Pei, it's probably not very likely... After all, there were witnesses at the time, and Young Master Pei was also there. It's said that Mr. Shi left in Young Master Pei's car."

Pei Lin narrowed his eyes. "Oh? So the culprit who framed my darling has been found?"

Zhang Xu: "??"

"Bring the culprit, Pei Shuli, here."

Zhang Xu felt ashamed and replied, "Yes." He silently felt a chill for Young Master Pei, the unlucky kid.

Pei Shuli was still somewhat dazed when he was brought to Beishan Villa. Zhang Xu implied that he might be in big trouble, but after thinking it over carefully, he realized that he hadn't done anything wrong. If he had to say he had...

That means it can only be about chatting with Shen Mingxiao.

Could it be... that my second brother found out?!