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

Zhang Xu pondered over and over what President Pei meant by "having a clear understanding."

Should I investigate Mr. Shi myself, or interrogate him first? Should I prepare something in advance? Like... a snake pit? Or... a burlap sack to throw into the sea?

Forget it, let's not ask for now and see how things go.

Just then, a dial tone came from the back row. Pei Lin had already opened his eyes, put the phone to his ear, and his tone was unreadable.

"Honey, I have something to ask you tonight. Wait for me to come back."

Zhang Xu felt a chill run down his spine.

Judging from his tone, it seems that President Pei is really angry this time.

Come to think of it, getting involved with the Shen family would be disastrous. But... how reliable is the information they got from Yuanyue? And is that brother really calling Shen Mingxiao?

Zhang Xu shook his head, clearing away these chaotic thoughts. Anyway, President Pei would handle this matter; he could just watch from the sidelines.

When Shen Jicheng answered the phone, he sensed something was wrong from Pei Lin's businesslike tone. He was filled with suspicion, worry, and tension. What had happened?

Pei Lin's tone sounded so serious. Could it be that he discovered that Pei Lin had secretly thrown away the half-box of condoms last night?

Hmm...that's going to be a bit tricky.

When Pei Lin returned, Shen Jicheng was already sitting obediently on the sofa waiting. Seeing Pei Lin enter the living room, a bright smile immediately spread across his face, almost too enthusiastically so, as he said, "You're back!"

Pei Lin raised an eyebrow slightly.

Shen Jicheng readily made way for him, and he didn't refuse. He sat down in the middle of the sofa and then saw Shen Jicheng standing straight in front of him, looking guilty, his fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of his clothes, and his gaze shifting.

"Uh... I know I'm good-looking," Shen Jicheng touched his face, forcing a dry laugh, "but you don't have to stare at me like that, do you?"

The main reason was that Pei Lin's gaze was too oppressive, making his scalp tingle.

Pei Lin looked away, but bent down and pulled something out from under the coffee table. Shen Jicheng stared at it and his back straightened instantly.

Isn't that the same ruler he "played" with before?

Pei Lin took it in his hand and slowly clapped it in his palm, making a crisp "smack" sound.

Shen Jicheng immediately sensed something was wrong.

Oh no, oh no, oh no! What did he do to deserve this? His mind raced, going over all the possible charges against him.

Did they know he secretly grilled and ate the most expensive ornamental fish? That can't be right; he buried the bones in the flowerpot.

Did he spend too much money? That can't be right; Pei Lin is always generous with his money. It couldn't be… that he didn't satisfy Pei Lin last night? He thought back carefully; last night clearly lasted quite a while.

Just as she was thinking this, Pei Lin's emotionless voice rang out, "You know you were wrong?"

Shen Jicheng's back stiffened, alarm bells ringing in his mind. He had been found out after all. He thought for a moment and decided that it was more important to take the initiative to admit his mistake, so he honestly confessed, "I was wrong... I shouldn't have broken that vase last night."

Pei Lin glanced at him. "No."

Shen Jicheng racked his brains again, "Have I been spending too much money lately?"

"no."

Shen Jicheng bit his lip, then suddenly realized, his expression becoming subtle. "Or...did I not scream loud enough last night?"

Pei Lin's hand holding the ruler visibly paused for a moment.

Seeing that he remained silent, Shen Jicheng assumed he was on the right track and continued to guess, "Or... do you know that I roasted and ate your red koi?"

"..."

"Did you find out I took your clothes to use as a doghouse for Aunt Chen's dog?" Shen Jicheng frowned, looking puzzled.

"No, Aunt Chen promised me she wouldn't tell on me."

Shen Jicheng wanted to continue speaking, but when he looked up, he met those dark eyes. He instantly covered his mouth and blinked innocently.

"You know... I've suffered a lot and been cold a lot since I was a child, so I couldn't help but feel sorry for the puppy when I saw it was cold... That's why I gave it your clothes to use as a bed."

Pei Lin looked at him for a few seconds with his eyes lowered, and finally spoke slowly, his voice slightly cold, "I heard..."

"You call Shen Mingxiao 'brother'?"

The moment those words were spoken, Shen Jicheng froze on the spot.

He felt as if all the blood in his body had frozen, and even his breathing became light. The only sound in the living room was the ticking of the wall clock.

It’s over.

When Shen Jicheng met Pei Lin's dark eyes, he felt a chill run down his spine, and sweat seeped out from his back.

He opened his mouth, but it took him a while to find his voice. He forced a calm reply and said, "Who...who told you this nonsense?"

Of course, he can't admit it now! His birthday hasn't come yet, and Pei Lin hasn't promised him that condition of agreeing to anything!

Pei Lin narrowed his eyes and stared at him, making no attempt to hide anything. "I found out from Yuan Yue. Someone said they heard you call Shen Mingxiao 'brother'."

"What? Didn't you tell me before that your relationship with Shen Mingxiao wasn't like ours?"

Shen Jicheng cursed Yuanyue a thousand times in his heart.

What does it mean for disaster to strike from the sky? This is it. How could he possibly call Shen Mingxiao "brother" on the full moon? He never even saw his older brother on the full moon! This is clearly a frame-up!

He rushed over, plopped down on Pei Lin's lap, wrapped his arms around his neck, and cried out urgently, "Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! Let me explain—"

Before he could finish speaking, Pei Lin raised her hand and pulled away the arm that was wrapped around her neck, her tone indifferent, "What's there to explain?"

Shen Jicheng's heart skipped a beat, and he felt a chill run down his spine. "?"

Pei Lin said, "I didn't believe it."

Shen Jicheng: "..."

"I know they're making this up." Pei Lin casually placed the ruler on the coffee table, and the probing and coldness in his eyes slowly disappeared. "Yuan Yue and the Shen family are trying to sow discord between us."

Shen Jicheng stared with his mouth agape, unable to express his feelings for a moment.

It felt like a sigh of relief, but at the same time, it felt like a heavy stone was pressing on my heart.

He wanted to say something, but his lips moved and he ultimately said nothing.

Zhang Xu, who had been waiting patiently in the corner, awaited the second round of questioning from their CEO, Pei.

Logically, this kind of thing shouldn't be so easily dismissed, right? But after waiting for so long, all they got was a single sentence from Pei Lin.

"Alright, it's getting late, let's go back to our rooms and rest."

Zhang Xu: ? ? ? That's it? That's it?

Shen Jicheng was stunned for a few seconds, then smiled, leaned over and gently pressed his cheek against Pei Lin's. "Then I'll go take a shower first. Don't work too late, go back to your room early."

Pei Lin agreed.

After Shen Jicheng disappeared down the stairs, the living room fell silent again. Zhang Xu took two steps forward and finally couldn't help but speak in a low voice.

"President Pei... Young Master Pei's matter is related to Mr. Shi..." He carefully chose his words, but before he could finish saying the words that couldn't be separated from the fact that they were related, he was interrupted by Pei Lin.