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

The air seemed to freeze instantly. Zhang Xu felt an extremely oppressive gaze fall upon him, chilling him to the bone, as cold as the wind in the dead of winter.

"What?"

Zhang Xu forced himself to repeat, "Evidence of Mr. Shi's infidelity..."

"Shut up." Pei Lin's voice was icy.

Zhang Xu immediately shut his mouth and sighed silently in his heart.

Pei Lin held out his hand. "Give it to me."

Zhang Xu quickly handed the document to him. Pei Lin took the document, glanced at it, and saw that the cover was intact, clearly unopened. His fingers hovered over it for two seconds, then without opening it or even looking at it again, he simply tossed the document into the nearby trash can.

The document fell to the bottom of the bucket with a dull thud.

Pei Lin sat down on the sofa, crossed his legs, and spoke in a cold and arrogant tone.

"He's just jealous of me."

Zhang Xu was stunned for a moment.

"He's jealous that I have a beautiful and alluring baby. He wants to sow discord between me and my baby, to make him give up on him."

Zhang Xu silently lowered his head, "...Yes."

Outside the gate, Pei Shuli's angry roar as he was stopped by the gatekeeper could be heard clearly, even through the iron gate.

"Pei Lin! Where's your brain?!"

Pei Lin picked up the teacup on the coffee table, took a slow sip, and didn't even lift his eyelids.

The Shen family's old house is hidden deep in the night.

When Shen Mingxiao arrived home, it was past midnight, and the corridor lights were dim. The whole house was so quiet that only the sound of his own footsteps could be heard. There was no one around, and all the lights were off, except for a few wall lamps that were left on, glowing softly.

He hadn't slept much these past few days, and a faint bluish tinge appeared under his eyes. He raised his hand to pinch the space between his eyebrows, his fingertips cool, and as he turned the bedroom doorknob, his movements revealed an undeniable weariness.

Steam rose in the bathroom, and hot water washed away all the fatigue.

The sound of water had just stopped when there was a knock on the door.

Shen Yu'an stood outside the door, her fingers nervously twisting together, her nails unconsciously digging into the soft flesh of her fingertips.

There was a moment of silence inside the door, then a deep voice came from inside.

"Wait a minute."

Shen Yu'an stood there obediently and waited. He didn't know how much time had passed when the lock clicked open and the door was pulled open from the inside.

Shen Mingxiao had clearly just finished showering; a bath towel was loosely wrapped around his waist, and water droplets slowly slid down the lines of his shoulders and neck. He held a white towel in his hand, casually drying his half-dry hair.

Seeing that it was Shen Yu'an outside the door, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes. "So late, is something the matter?"

Shen Yu'an shrank back, her fingertips still unconsciously picking at the edge of her nails, stammering, "I...I..."

Before he could finish speaking, Shen Mingxiao stepped aside to clear the doorway, casually draping a towel over his shoulder. "Come in and talk."

Shen Yu'an followed him inside, sat down on the sofa with her back ramrod straight, and said, "Brother Shen, I... ran into Brother Cheng outside today."

Shen Mingxiao was picking up a teacup from the table when he heard this, he paused slightly, and looked up at him.

"How is it? Did he say anything?"

"Brother Cheng is very worried about you, and he's also concerned about the Shen family," Shen Yu'an said carefully, speaking slowly. "He asked about things at home, but I was afraid he would act impulsively if he found out, so I didn't dare say too much."

Shen Mingxiao nodded, his expression unchanged, but his gaze darkened. "Yes, don't tell him yet. There's still a chance for this. He's already in danger in the Pei family; we can't drag him into this."

He paused, his gaze falling on Shen Yu'an, his tone becoming more serious, "I thank you on behalf of the Shen family for keeping Shen Jicheng here. Once he returns, you will be free. Thank you for staying here all this time."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yu'an hurriedly waved her hand.

"Brother Shen, please don't say that! If it weren't for your financial support back then, I would have lost my life long ago. Doing anything for the Shen family is something I do willingly."

Shen Mingxiao didn't say anything more, but his eyes held a hint of gentleness as he lowered his head and took a sip of tea.

Shen Yu'an was silent for a moment, then seemed to remember something and clenched the fabric on her knee with her fingers. "But Brother Shen, when I left today, I noticed someone was following Brother Cheng."

Shen Mingxiao's brows furrowed immediately. "Who is it?"

"I'm not sure," Shen Yu'an shook her head, her tone filled with worry. "I was worried about Cheng-ge's safety, so I followed that person for a while to see what he was up to. But... he went into an entertainment venue."

Shen Mingxiao put down his teacup, the sound of the bottom hitting the table being particularly clear in the quiet room. "What place?"

"I think it's called... Full Moon?" Shen Yu'an tilted her head to recall for a moment, then nodded firmly, "Yes, it's Full Moon."

Shen Mingxiao tapped his fingers lightly twice on the edge of the table. This place was well-known in City A; although it was called an entertainment venue, its inner workings were far more complex than they appeared. The owner behind it remained a mystery, and it was not under the jurisdiction of any force; no one could get close to it.

He had heard that the place was divided into three levels: the first level was for ordinary food, drink, and entertainment; the second level had more special abilities—whatever you wanted, you could get it as long as you could afford the price. As for the third level, no one knew what was inside.

"You mean, the people following Shen Jicheng are from the Moonlit Night?" Shen Mingxiao asked, raising his eyes.

Shen Yu'an hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. "I'm not sure if he's from Yuanyue, but I did see him go in. Whether he's from Yuanyue or someone wants to go in to investigate something... I don't think it's good for Brother Cheng."

These words struck a chord with Shen Mingxiao. Shen Jicheng was now standing on the edge of a knife; any slight movement could draw the Pei family's suspicions to him. The consequences would be unimaginable.

After a moment's thought, he made a decision: "I'll go to Yuanyue tomorrow."

"Brother Shen, I'll go with you," Shen Yu'an immediately replied. "I recognize that person. If the person with Brother Zongcheng is indeed from Yuanyue, I can recognize him."

Shen Mingxiao glanced at him but did not refuse.

The next morning.

The sky was just beginning to brighten, and the thin mist had not yet dissipated. Shen Mingxiao, wearing a black trench coat, stood in front of the car, the hem of his coat fluttering in the morning breeze. He glanced down at his watch, the hands ticking slowly and steadily.

Just then, hurried footsteps came from the other side of the stairs. Shen Yu'an practically ran and jumped down the stairs, but she missed a step and fell forward.

Shen Mingxiao reacted quickly, striding over and grabbing his arm to steady him.

Shen Yu'an gasped for breath, her cheeks flushed with panic.

"Sorry, Brother Shen, I overslept..."

Shen Mingxiao loosened his grip, but his brow remained furrowed. "No need to rush if you're late. What if you fall?"

As he spoke, he turned and opened the car door. Just as he was about to get in, he suddenly stopped, turned back, and said, "Outside, you are Shen Jicheng. Don't call me Brother Shen, just call me Brother."

Shen Yu'an paused for a moment, then smiled and replied, "Okay, big brother."

The car door closed, the engine gave a low hum, and the black sedan drove into the morning light, heading towards the full moon.