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

Upon hearing the sound of the chair being moved, Shen Jicheng felt his blood rush to his limbs. He quickly turned around and hid in the corner of the corridor, his back against the wall, his heart pounding as if it would jump out of his throat.

Pei Lin knows he is Shen Jicheng? When did he find out? How did he find out?

He clearly hadn't given himself away. Given Pei Lin's personality, if he had known all along that he was from the Shen family, considering the long-standing feud between the two families, he wouldn't still be alive. Pei Lin would have thrown him into the sea to feed sharks or into a snake pit, instead of building him a gaming room and getting up in the middle of the night to cook him noodles.

unless……

Before he could think it through, the footsteps were already getting closer.

Shen Jicheng took a deep breath, rubbed his face to bury his panic and shock, and then walked out from around the corner, just in time to meet Pei Lin face to face.

"Baby, you're awake?" Pei Lin smiled, as if nothing had happened.

Shen Jicheng rubbed his eyes, pretending to have just woken up, and mumbled an "Mmm".

"Let's go, come downstairs with me to meet an important guest," Pei Lin said.

He didn't say who the guest was, only vaguely referring to them as "an important guest."

Shen Jicheng suddenly understood something.

If Pei Lin had already confirmed his true identity, he wouldn't have used such ambiguous language; he would have revealed his true identity directly. But this statement was clearly a test. Pei Lin wasn't sure if he was Shen Jicheng; he only suspected, so he set up this scheme today, arranging for Shen Yanhe to come to the door and then for Shen Jicheng to come downstairs for a "chance encounter."

He wanted to see Shen Jicheng's reaction.

Shen Jicheng followed Pei Lin downstairs and sat on the sofa. His gaze fell on Shen Yanhe, who was drinking tea with her head down opposite him.

Shen Yanhe did not look at him.

He held the teacup steadily, his posture relaxed, his gaze fixed on the tea, as if savoring it carefully. From the moment Shen Jicheng came downstairs until now, he hadn't even glanced at him.

Shen Jicheng understood instantly.

His second brother gave him the choice.

If he admits it now, Shen Yanhe will immediately stand up and confront Pei Lin head-on, taking him away at all costs. If he doesn't admit it, Shen Yanhe will continue to play the role of a "representative of the Shen family who came to negotiate," finish her tea, talk things over, and leave as if she never saw him.

Everything was up to him in a single thought.

Shen Jicheng lowered his eyes, his eyelashes trembling slightly.

The living room was quiet for a few seconds, with only the aroma of tea wafting silently between the three people.

Shen Jicheng took a deep breath, raised his head, and his face now wore that innocent and bewildered expression. He walked down the stairs with light steps, went straight to Pei Lin's side, and naturally sat on the armrest of the sofa, leaning slightly towards Pei Lin.

"Mr. Pei, is this your guest?" He tilted his head and glanced at Shen Yanhe, his gaze carrying just the right amount of curiosity.

Shen Yanhe looked up, her gaze as calm as if she were looking at a stranger. He even smiled slightly, polite yet distant, and said, "Hello."

Shen Jicheng felt a pang of sadness, but he didn't show it on his face and nodded with a smile.

"Hello there."

Pei Lin's gaze swept between the two of them, but he didn't say anything.

Shen Jicheng leaned against Pei Lin, his voice tinged with a hint of coquetry, "Didn't you say you were going to take me to meet a guest? Is this the one?" He glanced at Shen Yanhe.

"This gentleman is very handsome. Is he Mr. Pei's business partner?"

Shen Yanhe paused in her tea-serving hand.

Pei Lin turned his head to look at him, a hint of amusement in his eyes.

Shen Yanhe put down his teacup, his expression unchanged, but Shen Jicheng noticed that his knuckles tightened slightly.

"Mr. Pei," Shen Yanhe spoke, her voice still gentle and unhurried, "I'm looking for my younger brother, Shen Jicheng. I wonder what the meaning is of you bringing a strange gentleman with you?"

Pei Lin smiled and said, "I'm so sorry, I mistook you for someone else." He didn't explain much.

But both Shen Jicheng and Shen Yanhe knew perfectly well that this was just an excuse.

Shen Yanhe remained silent for a moment, her tone carrying the coldness of someone who had been mocked.

"Mr. Pei, you've got some tricks up your sleeve. You deliberately used this excuse to lure me here. Since my brother isn't in your hands, I won't bother you any longer."

He stood up.

Without the slightest regret.

When Shen Yanhe reached the door, she paused for a moment, without turning around, but instead turned half her face to the side and spoke slowly.

"Mr. Pei, if you ever see my brother, please tell him that his family misses him very much. When you've had your fun, come home."

Shen Jicheng's eyes immediately reddened.

He gripped the sofa armrest tightly, his nails digging into the leather, trying not to make a sound.

Pei Lin's hand naturally rested on Shen Jicheng's shoulder, and he smiled, "If I'm in a good mood, I'll pass on the message."

After Shen Yanhe left, Shen Jicheng's eyes were still red, but Pei Lin seemed to be in a good mood.

Shen Jicheng knew perfectly well that he wasn't in the right state of mind. His eyes were red, and there were still tear stains on his eyelashes. If Pei Lin saw him like this, it would definitely raise some unnecessary questions. He had to strike first.

Pei Lin lowered his head, a gentle smile still on his face, his tone soft.

"Honey, didn't you want to go out? From today onwards, you're free. You can come and go as you please at Beishan Villa. Don't worry, no one will stop you."

It should have been the happiest thing ever, but Shen Jicheng couldn't smile.

He understood the subtext behind those words. Pei Lin had kept him locked up at home before because he suspected his identity and his connection to the Shen family. Now that Shen Yanhe had come, and he had pretended not to recognize his own second brother in front of Pei Lin, Pei Lin had confirmed that he "wasn't a member of the Shen family," so he finally set him free.

A bittersweet feeling welled up in Shen Jicheng's heart.

Pei Lin's gentleness is genuine, but so is his scheming. He can spoil you rotten, but he can also drag you down at any moment and smash you to pieces.

Pei Lin's gaze fell on his slightly reddened eyes. He paused, narrowed his eyes, and asked with a hint of inquiry in his tone, "You..."

Before he could voice his doubts, Shen Jicheng abruptly pushed him away.

The push was quite forceful; Pei Lin, caught off guard, swayed slightly. Shen Jicheng took two steps back, his eyes red as he glared at the person before him, his voice choked with emotion, as if he had suffered a tremendous injustice.

"Pei Lin, you've been lying to me all along, haven't you?"

Before Pei Lin could speak, Shen Jicheng started talking again, one sentence after another.

"From the very beginning, you've been lying to me! You said this would be my safe haven as long as I obeyed. But that's clearly a lie! You don't believe me at all, and you always think I have some kind of relationship with that guy surnamed Shen. I just heard it all; that person is looking for his younger brother, Shen something-or-other. You're just using me!"