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

Shen Jicheng's jaw tightened even more. His hands, hanging at his sides, slowly clenched into fists, his knuckles turning white.

Pei Lin saw all of this, and the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, but it wasn't a smile; it was a cold, scrutinizing curve.

"What? You're not convinced?"

Shen Jicheng remained silent.

Finally, he lowered his head, loosened his fist, and stepped aside. He didn't look at Zhang Xu or Pei Lin, and walked straight out of the e-sports room.

The footsteps faded into the distance.

Zhang Xu breathed a sigh of relief, quickly locked the door to the e-sports room, and respectfully handed the key to Pei Lin.

The bedroom was dimly lit.

When Pei Lin pushed open the door, Shen Jicheng was already lying on the bed. The blanket was pulled up high, only revealing the back of his hairy head. He was lying on his side, facing the window, with his back to the door, and there was more than half a bed between him and Pei Lin.

Pei Lin didn't say anything. He went to the bathroom to wash up, changed into his pajamas, and lay down on the other side of the bed.

The lights were turned off.

Then, the person next to him suddenly sat up.

Pei Lin opened his eyes and looked at him.

"I want to sleep in separate rooms." Shen Jicheng looked at Pei Lin, and under his sharp gaze, even in the darkness, he repeated himself.

"I'm not sleeping with you anymore."

Pei Lin laughed in anger, but the laughter gradually faded away.

"You can try it." The threat in his words was undisguised.

Shen Jicheng understood.

He was both angry and annoyed, a burning sensation in his chest that made him uncomfortable. He really didn't want to sleep with Pei Lin, but he was also afraid of the consequences of angering Pei Lin.

Finally, he threw the pillow on the ground and lay down.

Pei Lin: "..."

Pei Lin laughed in exasperation. It was a laugh that was both helpless and slightly indulgent.

"Okay," he said. "You go to sleep."

He turned over and stopped talking.

The bedroom fell silent again.

Time passed slowly.

Shen Jicheng lay on the floor, initially feeling quite tough, but it wasn't long before the floor began to teach him a lesson. The cold floor seeped through his thin T-shirt, the chill spreading from his back to his limbs.

He curled up even tighter.

To make matters worse, my stomach started growling.

"Gurgle—"

The sound was particularly loud in the quiet night. Shen Jicheng quickly covered his stomach and strained his ears to listen to the movements on the bed. Pei Lin didn't react; his breathing remained even.

Shen Jicheng breathed a sigh of relief, but his stomach wouldn't listen. After another ten minutes or so, the gurgling sounds became more and more frequent, his stomach felt empty and burning.

I haven't eaten anything since noon, except for lunch. I was so engrossed in playing games that I even forgot about dinner.

Now look what's happened, I'm starving.

Shen Jicheng turned over, facing the ceiling, staring at the ceiling whose outline was indistinct in the darkness, and was having a fierce internal struggle.

Should we get up and find something to eat?

But that would definitely alert Pei Lin... and there's no guarantee they'd find anything to eat, since the servants are already asleep at this hour, and who would cook for him without Pei Lin's instructions?

Just bear with it, you won't be hungry once you fall asleep.

He closed his eyes, trying to fall asleep.

Thirty minutes later.

Shen Jicheng was so hungry he was seeing stars, feeling like he was about to become an immortal. The hunger in his stomach had turned into a dull ache. He curled up on the floor, clutching his stomach, feeling like he might be the first person to starve to death because of a fit of pique.

How much is integrity worth? Can it be exchanged for a bowl of rice?

Shen Jicheng gave himself one last internal struggle, but his pride was defeated by hunger.

He slowly got up from the floor, hugged his pillow, and walked barefoot to the bedside step by step.

In the darkness, he stood on Pei Lin's side, looking down at the person on the bed. Moonlight shone through the gap in the curtains, illuminating Pei Lin's profile—his sharp features, high nose bridge, and slightly pursed thin lips. His eyes were closed, his breathing even, and he appeared to be truly asleep.

Shen Jicheng hesitated for a long time, and finally called out softly with a hint of frustration and reluctance.

"Pei Lin..."

"Gurgle—"

Pei Lin didn't move.

Shen Jicheng called out again, this time his voice was louder.

"Pei Lin... I'm hungry."

Still nothing.

Shen Jicheng bit his lip, squatted down, rested his chin on the edge of the bed, and said in a pitiful tone that even he found embarrassing,

"Brother~ I'm so hungry I can't sleep."

There was a two-second silence.

Pei Lin turned over.

Those dark eyes shone brightly in the darkness, showing no sign of sleepiness. He looked expressionlessly at Shen Jicheng, who was squatting by the bed, looking pitiful like a begging puppy.

"Who just said we'd sleep in separate rooms?"

"It wasn't me..." Shen Jicheng muttered in protest, then clutched his stomach, "I'm so hungry..."

Pei Lin looked at him, remained silent for a few seconds, and finally threw off the covers and got up.

She walked straight out of the bedroom. Shen Jicheng quickly got up from the ground and followed behind barefoot, like a little dog wagging its tail.

Downstairs kitchen.

Pei Lin opened the refrigerator and took out some vegetables. Shen Jicheng was peering into the kitchen from the doorway, but he shrank back after being glanced at by Pei Lin.

Shen Jicheng was somewhat surprised. He didn't expect Pei Lin to cook for him personally. He thought that at most the servants would make him something to eat, or some snacks to fill his stomach.

She watched Pei Lin's movements intently. He skillfully cracked the egg into the pan, his movements fluid and graceful, splitting the eggshell perfectly in two without a single crumb falling in.

Finally, a steaming bowl of noodles was placed in front of Shen Jicheng.

"There are no other ingredients, so let's make do with this for now." After saying that, Pei Lin returned to the kitchen.

The aroma of the noodles filled the air, and Shen Jicheng couldn't wait to pick up his chopsticks. He practically wolfed down the whole serving, and it was surprisingly delicious.

Just as he put down his chopsticks, a glass of milk was placed in front of him. Pei Lin wiped his hands and instructed him...

"Go upstairs and sleep after you finish drinking."

Shen Jicheng did not refuse and immediately finished the drink.

As he was about to go upstairs, he turned around and saw Pei Lin standing in the kitchen, tidying up the stove.

The man was wearing dark loungewear, the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, revealing his well-defined wrists. The warm yellow light from the kitchen fell on his shoulders, making him appear much softer.

At that moment, Shen Jicheng suddenly felt that this person wasn't so scary after all.

After eating and drinking his fill, Shen Jicheng returned to his room, glanced at the pillow on the floor, and finally silently picked it up and put it on the bed.

Shen Jicheng waited for a while before Pei Lin returned to the room and lay down beside him. He tentatively moved closer to him, but stopped when he touched Pei Lin's arm.

In the darkness, he asked curiously,

"Mr. Pei, you can cook?"

After receiving no reply for a long time, just when Shen Jicheng thought the other party wouldn't pay any attention to him, a cold voice came.

"I used to live alone, and there was no one to cook for me."

Shen Jicheng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly remembered some information about Pei Lin: his mother died early, his father remarried, and he grew up in the Pei family, a place that devoured people.

He didn't ask any more questions, but simply said "Oh" softly.

In the darkness, Shen Jicheng turned over, facing Pei Lin. With unknown emotions, he suddenly spoke.

"May I call you by your name?"