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

Pei Lin sat on the sofa, legs crossed, one hand resting on the armrest, staring coldly at Pei Shuli kneeling before him.

"Pei Shuli, you should confess to the wrongdoings you committed."

"If you still want to hide it," Pei Lin's gaze swept across his face, her tone threatening, "I don't think I have that kind of good temper."

Pei Shuli's knees went weak when he heard those words. Looking at his brother's interrogation-like demeanor, what else didn't he understand?

Judging from his expression, he definitely knows everything he's done! Moreover, he's been here so long and hasn't even seen a trace of Shi Jiaming. What does that mean? It means his brother already dealt with Shi Jiaming and is just waiting to settle things with him!

Those who know the current affairs are handsome.

After Pei Shuli understood, his knees buckled, and he knelt down completely with a thud. He looked up, his face contorted in grief, tears welling in his eyes, his voice filled with misery.

"Second brother! Let me explain!"

"It's all Shi Jiaming's fault!"

Pei Lin's brows furrowed involuntarily. He put down his teacup, his gaze towards Pei Shuli now revealing undisguised disdain.

"Just admit your mistakes, why drag others into it? You have no manliness at all. You've already confessed everything before we've even had a chance to interrogate you. If this happened decades ago, someone like you would be a traitor. A collaborator who betrays his comrades."

Pei Shuli shrank back, looking somewhat aggrieved.

"I only said two sentences, how did I become a traitor...?"

Just as Pei Lin was about to say something, Zhang Xu cautiously coughed, stepped forward half a step, and whispered,

"President Pei... the most urgent thing now is to find out the reason." He felt that if he didn't stop him, this second young master Pei might really be thrown into a snake pit.

Upon hearing this, Pei Lin barely suppressed his anger, leaned back on the sofa, and resumed his usual cold tone, "Continue."

Although it was said to be true, those imposing gazes remained fixed on Pei Shuli, making him dare not lie. Pei Shuli swallowed hard and honestly confessed.

"I'm telling the truth! Shi Jiaming said the other person is the one below! But from what I've learned these past few days, he's not! Second Brother! I only chose him because I had no other choice!"

He became more and more agitated as he spoke, kneeling on the ground and grabbing Pei Lin's trouser leg, tilting his head back and making solemn vows.

"I promise! I will never have anything to do with the Shen family again."

Before he could finish speaking, Pei Lin impatiently interrupted him. He pulled his leg back, disdainfully patted the trouser leg that Pei Shuli had grabbed, and said irritably,

"Who asked you that? I don't care who you sleep with or who sleeps with you."

Pei Shuli was stunned: "...?"

"I'm asking you," Pei Lin's gaze returned to his face, "what did you say to Shi Jiaming yesterday? Why did he want to leave?"

Pei Shuli blinked twice before belatedly realizing that his brother hadn't brought him here to ask about that matter, but rather this one. He instantly breathed a sigh of relief, his whole body slumped slightly, and hesitantly said,

"You brought me here... just to ask me this?"

Pei Lin glanced at him indifferently, his eyes conveying a clear message: try saying another word.

Pei Shuli immediately sat up straight. "I know! I'll tell you!"

So he recounted everything that had happened yesterday. He said he overheard someone plotting to harm Pei Lin on the way, that he rushed over to deliver the message, that Shen Jicheng pretended to be sick and ran away after hearing it, and that Shen Jicheng risked being caught by the gatekeeper just to go find Pei Lin.

He only came back temporarily because he realized that someone had deliberately set a trap for him, so he listened to Pei Lin's advice and stayed at home obediently.

Of course, these are all Pei Shuli's own interpretations.

Upon hearing these words, Pei Lin's expression visibly softened, and even a barely perceptible layer of relief appeared in his eyes.

"My baby is so smart, he knows that someone is stirring things up."

They used his idiot brother to spread misinformation, thankfully his precious brother didn't fall for it.

He lowered his head, his cold gaze returning to Pei Shuli before him. The tenderness that had just arisen vanished instantly, replaced by undisguised disdain.

"More trouble than it's worth."

"They dare to spread anything here. Don't they have any brains? If they were really plotting something, who would be talking about it on the street?"

Pei Shuli felt wronged after being scolded, but dared not argue back. He could only mutter softly, "I was just worried about you... How was I supposed to know that someone was using me..."

Pei Lin felt annoyed just looking at his face, and waved his hand, "Take him away, he's an eyesore."

Pei Shuli was being dragged out by the arms, shouting as he turned back.

"Shi Jiaming gets pocket money! What's wrong with giving me some? I don't need much! It's only ten thousand!"

Pei Lin glanced at him coldly, her tone leaving no room for negotiation, "If I give you ten thousand, my darling will lose ten thousand."

Pei Shuli: "..."

After the living room door closed, the world finally became completely quiet. Zhang Xu stood there in silence for a moment before cautiously speaking.

"President Pei, according to the Third Young Master, someone is indeed deliberately trying to lure Mr. Shi away from here, thereby causing a conflict between you and Mr. Shi... but we don't know who would do this."

Pei Lin didn't answer immediately. He lowered his eyes, watching the water droplets condensing at the rim of the glass slowly slide down the side. After a long while, he finally spoke, his voice several decibels deeper than before.

"The Shen family."

"The Shen family has always been at odds with me, and this time their failure to keep our appointment was probably intentional. Their reluctance to show up suggests that my injury last time was indeed related to the Shen family. And now they've sabotaged things on the yacht and are trying to sow discord between me and my darling..." He paused, his fingers unconsciously tracing the rim of his glass.

"Presumably, someone in the Shen family knows that I have PPD." Their purpose is to use his treasure to trigger an attack of his condition.

Zhang Xu was slightly taken aback: "But how did the Shen family know...?"

Pei Lin pinched the bridge of his nose and fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

A moment later he raised his eyes, his gaze cold.

"The full moon... is related to the Shen family."

Zhang Xu's pupils trembled slightly. The full moon. If the full moon was related to the Shen family, then many things would make sense. The fact that the eldest young master of the Shen family had been frequently visiting the full moon recently was probably more than just a social engagement.

"Then, President Pei... what should we do now?" Zhang Xu asked in a low voice.

Pei Lin's fingers tapped absentmindedly on the armrest, then paused for a moment.

"Send someone to keep an eye on Yuanyue. If Shen Mingxiao continues to visit Yuanyue frequently in the coming days, it means he can't escape involvement."

A cold glint flashed in his dark eyes, and a bloodthirsty smile played at the corners of his lips.

"Then... it's time to pay back the knife you owe me."