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

"Brother, could you give me some money to spend?"

The ancestral hall was filled with incense smoke, and the memorial tablets stood solemnly. Shen Jicheng knelt on a prayer mat, grabbing Shen Mingxiao's leg tightly, his voice filled with desperate pleading.

"I really can't live without money! I didn't even have a proper dinner... Brother, please, I promise I'll behave from now on!"

He spoke with utmost sincerity, and tears were almost streaming down his face.

But Shen Mingxiao knew his younger brother all too well.

Shen Jicheng was the youngest in the family and had been spoiled rotten since childhood. He was always causing trouble and getting into mischief. If he continued to be indulged like this, he would eventually make a huge mess of things.

"Take your hand away." Shen Mingxiao's voice wasn't loud, but it carried an undeniable authority.

Although Shen Jicheng was a troublemaker, he didn't dare to truly disobey his elder brother in this family. He awkwardly let go and obediently knelt down.

Shen Mingxiao's expression softened slightly. "Shen Jicheng, tell me yourself, how much trouble have you caused over the years? I used to think you were just young and immature, but now that you've graduated, you still want to use immaturity as an excuse?"

Shen Jicheng knelt there dejectedly, muttering to himself, "What trouble have I gotten myself into...?"

In his eyes, things that can be resolved aren't considered trouble. Only things that can't be resolved are considered trouble.

These words ignited Shen Mingxiao's anger. "What trouble have you caused? Who poisoned all the fish in the viewing pond?"

Shen Jicheng's voice was even lower, "...Didn't we lose three million to the boss?"

"And last month, your sister went on a date with her boyfriend, why did you go and cause trouble?"

Shen Jicheng puffed out his cheeks, unconvinced. "I just asked, 'Why do you look different from last time?' How is that considered causing trouble? I was just stating the facts."

"That's a good fact. Then tell me, why did you and that kid from the Song family delete the hotel's surveillance footage the week before?"

Shen Jicheng: "..."

Seeing his reaction, Shen Mingxiao knew he was right. His tone turned serious. "Shen Jicheng, the family usually turns a blind eye to your little things and lets you do whatever you want. But now you're becoming more and more reckless, acting entirely on your own whims. Do you know how much trouble you've caused the Song family? And to make matters worse, there were people from the Pei family there that night."

His voice was even lower, carrying a clear warning.

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from the Pei family? The Pei family and our Shen family have always been at odds. If you really mess with them, you won't even know how you died."

Upon hearing the words "Pei family," Shen Jicheng's heart pounded. He tilted his head back and tentatively asked, "Big brother...that surveillance footage?"

Shen Mingxiao said with a sullen face, "Uncle Song guessed it was the two of you who did it, and made up an excuse, saying the surveillance cameras were broken."

Shen Jicheng secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But the next second—

"I've discussed it with Uncle Song. To avoid future trouble and to teach you both a lesson, I've decided to send you out for some time to hone your skills."

Shen Jicheng's smile froze on his face. "What do you mean...?"

Shen Mingxiao lowered his head, his deep gaze falling on him.

"That means, starting tomorrow, you are no longer the young master of the Shen family. You are an independent young man who has to rely on yourself for everything."

Shen Jicheng's shoulders slumped down.

"Of course, it's not too late for you to come back when you've changed your ways and are no longer so spoiled."

As dusk settles and the city lights begin to twinkle.

"Stop drinking!" Song Yiyang snatched the wine glass from Shen Jicheng's hand, stopping him from getting drunk.

Shen Jicheng frowned with a look of melancholy. "Don't worry, I won't get drunk." He reached out to grab it, but Song Yiyang dodged him.

Song Yiyang spoke awkwardly.

"If you keep drinking, we'll really run out of money."

Shen Jicheng: "..." Ouch.

"Hey, don't be so down. I'm here with you!" Song Yiyang, already aware that Shen Jicheng had been stripped of his young master status, pushed his wine glass aside and comforted him.

"Besides, don't we have a backup plan? If we're with Pei Lin, why would you still care about Young Master Shen's status?"

Mentioning this, Shen Jicheng was both frustrated and confused. "But why hasn't he found me yet? It's been a week. Even if it takes forever, he should have found me by now, right?"

Song Yiyang rolled his eyes. "Are you stupid?! You left a pair of underwear behind, how are people supposed to find them? Are they going to search everyone's underwear all over the street?"

Shen Jicheng: "..."

"In my opinion, I have a good idea!"

Shen Jicheng looked over curiously, "What idea?"

Song Yiyang beckoned and whispered a few words in his ear. Shen Jicheng frowned more and more as he listened, "Will it work?"

"Take my advice, you can't go wrong!"

-

"Mr. Pei, as per your request, the entire schedule for the next few days has been released." Zhang Xu adjusted his glasses, his gaze sweeping casually across a corner of the bar before returning to his report.

"Since you entered this bar, sixteen people have been staring at you. Eight are women, five are men around thirty years old, and three are young people in their early twenties. We can't rule them out at this time..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a lazy voice.

"Excluding women."

Zhang Xu remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he was in turmoil. Could it be that the person that night... was a man?

Pei Lin slowly swirled the wine in his glass, his thin lips slightly parted, "Also, keep an eye on those five men; they're most likely spies planted by Pei Laosan."

"Yes." Zhang Xu replied, quickly calculating, "Then... there are only three people left now."

Pei Lin chuckled softly, his tone nonchalant, "Yes, there are only three left."

"Who is the one?"

His gaze swept through the crowd and landed on the bar not far away.

There sat a young man, holding a Bloody Mary, its color as red as blood. He had a bewitching face, his almond-shaped eyes naturally expressive, gazing at everyone with deep affection. A wild, unrestrained smile played on his lips, as dazzling as the warm sun.

As he spoke to the person next to him, he bit his straw, his luscious lips opening and closing, incredibly alluring.

Something was churning in Pei Lin's eyes.

I want to bully, I want to coerce, and even more...

— Destroy.

Shen Jicheng was extremely anxious.

Holding her wine glass, she glanced anxiously in a certain direction and muttered to herself, "What should I do? He doesn't seem to recognize me!"

He'd been sitting there for so long, and the other person acted as if they hadn't seen him at all, showing no reaction whatsoever. Time ticked by, and his patience was wearing thin.

Song Yiyang thought for a moment, "I think... you could give him a little reminder."

"A reminder?" Shen Jicheng pondered for a moment, then decisively put down his wine glass. "Wait for my good news."

The moment he walked toward Pei Lin, several people around him became wary, including his assistant Zhang Xu.

As Pei Lin's assistant, Zhang Xu was always ready to deal with any unexpected situation. He stared intently at the young man approaching, unable to discern his intentions, and could only wait and see.

Just then.

The young man stopped not far from their CEO, Pei. Instead of approaching him directly, he turned to face the customer sitting next to him and gave him a polite smile.

He spoke, his voice not loud, but clear enough.

"Excuse me, may I ask—"

"Did you see my pink underwear?"