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

Shen Jicheng lay by the pool coughing for a long time before finally catching his breath. He wiped the water from his face; his wet hair clung to his forehead, water droplets trickling down his chin. He raised his head and spoke with an air of self-righteousness.

"Huh, no way..."

After saying that, he seemed to remember something, and hurriedly looked up at Pei Lin. His clear black and white eyes held a hint of resentment, and he added in a coquettish tone,

"So if I ever offend you in any way, please don't throw me into the sea to feed the sharks. Can you give me another chance?"

These days, he has been subtly probing Zhang Xu quite a bit.

It's said that nine out of ten people who offended Pei Lin were thrown into the sea and met a tragic end, their bodies never to be found. He certainly didn't want to be thrown into the sea; not only could he not swim, but he also suffered from thalassophobia.

The truth is often told in a joking tone.

At this moment, Pei Lin took it as just casual coquetry. Seeing his pale lips and the fact that he still had the mind to joke, she couldn't quite describe the feeling in her heart. She felt a little sorry for him, but also a little amused.

He lost all interest in swimming, got ashore, picked up a dry towel, and gently wiped Shen Jicheng's wet head. His words, however, were harsh and unforgiving.

"You offended me and you expect me to forgive you? That's ridiculous!"

Shen Jicheng lowered his eyes and remained silent, obediently letting him dry his hair.

Pei Lin's voice, tinged with a warning, reached her ears, "So, don't offend me. Otherwise—" He paused, his tone turning colder.

"I will definitely throw you into the sea to feed the sharks. I won't give you any chance."

His words were resolute, leaving no room for negotiation.

Once unfaithful, never trusted again.

But his hand gently cupped Shen Jicheng's hair, with just the right amount of force, without hurting him in the slightest.

"Let's go, I'll take you back to change your clothes." Pei Lin put down the towel and naturally took Shen Jicheng's hand.

Shen Jicheng didn't break free and followed Pei Lin into the villa. Just as they reached the living room, Zhang Xu rushed in from outside, his steps hurried, carrying a document.

"President Pei, there's something I need to report to you." After Zhang Xu finished speaking, he subconsciously glanced at Shen Jicheng beside him.

Shen Jicheng knew this meant he was being asked to avoid the situation, so he proactively released Pei Lin's hand. "Then I'll go upstairs and change my clothes first."

Pei Lin did not refuse and nodded slightly.

Shen Jicheng went upstairs, his footsteps disappearing around the corner on the second floor. Pei Lin then sat down on the sofa, his posture casual, his tone indifferent, "What is it?"

Zhang Xu handed over the documents in his hand and respectfully began to speak.

"Mr. Pei, the young master of the Shen family has been found. Yesterday, reporters took photos of the young master returning home with the eldest son of the Shen family."

Pei Lin raised an eyebrow and reached out to open the document. Attached inside was a photograph of two people walking side-by-side through the side gate of the Shen family's old mansion. On the left was Shen Mingxiao, tall and imposing, dressed in a suit and tie, his profile cold and stern. On the right was a young man of about twenty, wearing a white T-shirt and light-colored jeans, his hair slightly curled, his skin fair, and a faint smile on his face.

Zhang Xu continued, "I've already sent people to investigate. The person next to Young Master Shen is the youngest son of the Shen family, Shen Jicheng. It's said that this young master went to another city to play some time ago, and was only caught and brought back by Young Master Shen a few days ago. He has been strictly forbidden from running away again. These days, Young Master Shen has been watching him almost every step of the way."

Pei Lin held the photo in his hand, staring at the two people walking side by side in the picture, his eyes narrowed.

"Do you think it's possible that this photo is fake?"

Zhang Xu was taken aback, then realized, "I've investigated. This person didn't just appear recently. Young Master Shen had a photo with the person in the picture several years ago. It doesn't seem like someone was temporarily hired to impersonate him."

Pei Lin raised an eyebrow. "Is that so...?" It seems he was overthinking it.

He was examining the photo when footsteps came from the stairs. Shen Jicheng, having changed his clothes, came down wearing a loose, off-white sweatshirt. His hair wasn't completely dry, and the ends were slightly sticking up.

Pei Lin showed no intention of putting the photos away. Instead, he patted the spot next to him, gesturing for Shen Jicheng to come over. Shen Jicheng didn't stand on ceremony and went over, sitting directly next to Pei Lin and naturally leaning against him.

My gaze naturally fell on the photo spread out on the coffee table.

Shen Jicheng remained outwardly calm, but his heart tightened slightly. He recognized the boy standing next to Shen Mingxiao in the photo as Shen Yu'an.

The boy that his older brother had once sponsored had a pitiful background and was destitute. His older brother had been sponsoring his schooling, but to avoid causing unnecessary trouble, he had never made his existence public.

Countless thoughts raced through his mind, but his brows furrowed suddenly, and he pointed a finger at the boy in the photo, accusing him in an unfriendly tone.

"Who is he? What's wrong? Do you have a new love interest?"

Zhang Xu thought that President Pei would take this opportunity to test Mr. Shi, but to his surprise, President Pei not only did not test him, but patiently explained to Mr. Shi.

"No." Pei Lin pulled Shen Jicheng's hand, the one pointing at the photo, and held it, her tone smiling.

"What new love? This is Young Master Shen's younger brother, Shen Jicheng."

Shen Jicheng: "..." It seems like he's starting to get a brain...

Pei Lin pointed to Shen Mingxiao and explained to him, "This is Shen Mingxiao, the eldest son of the Shen family and the president of Tiansheng Group. This is his youngest brother."

Shen Jicheng nodded in agreement, but his mind was racing. It seemed that his elder brother had asked Shen Yu'an to impersonate him and confirm the news that "the young master of the Shen family has been found." In this way, Pei Lin would no longer suspect him.

His family hasn't contacted him these days, probably because they think the same thing he did: they're afraid Pei Lin is monitoring his phone and they're worried that contacting him rashly might expose his true identity.

"Oh..." Shen Jicheng looked uninterested, leaned lazily against Pei Lin's shoulder, and shifted his attention away from the photo.

Pei Lin closed the file, handed it to Zhang Xu, and said in a calm tone, "If you found it, you found it. Don't worry about it, I have my own arrangements."

"Yes." Zhang Xu took the document and left.

The living room fell silent. Shen Jicheng was lost in thought when he suddenly felt a chill on his wrist. He looked down and saw Pei Lin carefully fastening a watch onto his wrist. The silver dial and silver metal chain gleamed softly under the light.

He instinctively tried to pull his hand back, but Pei Lin gently grasped his wrist. "Don't move."

Pei Lin lowered his head, his slender fingers adjusting the watch strap to the right length and fastening it. His movements were very gentle.

"You won't let me send people to follow you, I agree." Pei Lin's voice was calm and unhurried.

"This watch is custom-made and has a GPS tracking feature. If I encounter any danger in the future and can't be contacted by my phone, I can press the side button and the location will be automatically sent to my phone."

Shen Jicheng looked down at the watch on his wrist, momentarily at a loss for words. The silver dial pressed against his slightly cool skin, the metallic texture delicate and distinct.

Pei Lin seemed to understand what he was thinking and added a sentence on his own initiative.

"You don't need to worry about being watched all the time. Emergency mode will only be activated when you press the button. The rest of the time, you are free."

Shen Jicheng pursed his lips, his fingertips gently stroking the smooth watch face. He didn't look up at him, but simply asked softly,

"No matter when...no matter what the circumstances...will you come whenever I press the button?"

"Yes."

"I will come."