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

The round moon gate doesn't look ostentatious from the outside; its gray-black facade is nestled on a street corner. But once you push the door open, the inside is completely different from the outside.

The crystal chandeliers, layered upon layered, refracted tiny specks of light onto the dark marble floor.

Shen Mingxiao's gaze swept quickly across the entire room without pausing. Shen Yu'an followed half a step behind him, her fingers involuntarily clenching as she warily surveyed her surroundings.

The receptionist saw them approach and gave a slight bow. "Do you gentlemen have an appointment?"

"No," Shen Mingxiao said calmly. "I'm looking for your boss."

The waiter's smile remained unchanged. "The boss doesn't serve guests. May I ask your name, sir?"

"Shen Mingxiao".

The waiter hesitated for a moment, then said, "Please wait a moment."

A moment later, he led the two through the hall, around a narrow door hidden to the side of the wine cabinet, and up the stairs. The stairs were narrow, the wall lamps were dim, and the dark wooden steps creaked slightly underfoot.

The waiter stopped at the door, knocked twice, then stepped aside, bowed his head, and turned to leave.

The door opened from the inside.

The interior space was much more spacious than I had imagined, yet the furnishings were surprisingly simple, without any unnecessary decorations; everything was just right. White gauze curtains partially obscured the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The most eye-catching person was the woman standing by the window.

She wore a long black velvet dress with a very low neckline, and a thin silver chain pendant hung from her collarbone, swaying gently as she turned. Her features were bright and sharp.

She held a thin, white porcelain teacup in her hand, slowly stirring the floating leaves with the lid. Seeing Shen Mingxiao walk in, she raised an eyebrow slightly, and a smile appeared on her lips.

"Oh, what a rare guest." She put down her teacup and walked over unhurriedly. "What brings you to my 'Full Moon' brothel, Young Master Shen?"

Before Shen Mingxiao could speak, her gaze had already slid to Shen Yu'an beside him. Her gaze carried a scrutinizing and playful warmth, as if she were examining an interesting little trinket.

She approached with a smile, reached out, and lightly flicked Shen Yu'an's chin with her fingertips, a casual yet flirtatious gesture.

"This must be young master Shen, right?" She tilted her head, her smile deepening. "He's even more handsome than in the photos."

Shen Yu'an's face flushed red instantly, the tips of her ears burned so brightly they were almost translucent, her lips were pressed tightly together, and her gaze darted to one side in a panic, unsure of where to look.

"She's just a little shy," she chuckled, withdrawing her hand, "and easily teased."

Shen Mingxiao stood in front of Shen Yu'an.

"My brother is timid," he said calmly and steadily. "Boss, don't scare him."

Linglong withdrew her hand, not annoyed, but instead chuckled softly, raised her hand to tuck a stray hair behind her ear, her eyes revealing a composure that comes with years of experience.

"Young Master Shen, you've graced us with your presence, surely not just to bring your younger brother here for tea?" She rested her chin on her hand, looking over with interest. "Speak, what is it?"

Shen Mingxiao didn't beat around the bush and stated his purpose directly. At the end, he added that money was not a problem, and he was willing to pay any amount.

Linglong didn't answer immediately. Her gaze swept between the two of them, as if weighing something. After a few moments, she smiled, but there was a layer of intriguing meaning in her smile.

"That's not difficult," she said, her fingertips slowly tracing the rim of the glass. "I can tell you who went in and out of the Full Moon last night. But..."

She changed the subject, her gaze returning to Shen Mingxiao.

"I have a condition."

Shen Mingxiao remained expressionless. "Please speak."

"The full moon has its own rules. Since you're here to gather information, you should follow the rules of the full moon." Linglong said, standing up and reaching out to pull back the white gauze curtain behind her.

The curtains slid open to the sides, revealing a huge mahogany cabinet behind it. The cabinet was divided into dozens of small compartments of the same size, each containing a dark wooden box. The boxes were smooth and unmarked, except for a gold-stamped number on the top edge, arranged neatly from one to one hundred.

Linglong turned around and gestured towards the cabinet.

"The second floor is rarely open to the public, but I'm making an exception for you today. But on the condition that you leave a secret about yourself."

Shen Mingxiao frowned slightly. "What kind of condition is this?"

There is no perfect phase of the moon, just as there is no perfect person.

Linglong smiled, but her eyes were more serious than before. "I believe that even you, the young master Shen who controls the Tiansheng Group, have another side."

As she spoke, she picked up a pen and a folded piece of white paper from the table and gently pushed them in front of Shen Mingxiao.

"Each wooden box here contains a secret. Anyone who comes to the Full Moon to inquire about information must exchange a secret for it. Don't worry, these secrets will not be made public; they will only be exchanged among those who enter the second floor. Even if you are unlucky and someone else takes your secret, it won't be signed, and no one will know whose it is."

Shen Mingxiao looked down at the paper and pen in front of him without saying a word.

Shen Yu'an grew anxious, gently tugging at his sleeve, and whispered, "Big brother, maybe we shouldn't..."

Shen Mingxiao turned his head to look at him, his eyes filled with reassuring intent, and gently patted the back of his hand that was clutching his sleeve. "It's okay."

He picked up the pen without hesitation. As the pen touched the paper, it made a fine, even scratching sound, each stroke steady and deliberate. The moment he put pen to paper, Shen Yu'an turned away, her back to him.

Linglong also turned slightly to the side, her gaze fixed on the window, not peeking out.

A moment later, the sound of pens stopping ceased.

"alright."

Shen Mingxiao folded the paper in half and handed it over. Linglong smiled and took it, but didn't open it. Instead, she took the folded paper and walked towards the mahogany cabinet. There was a narrow gap on the top of the cabinet. She reached out and slipped the paper inside, then turned back to explain.

"This is equipped with a self-service separator that shuffles and redistributes all the slips of paper. So even I wouldn't know whose secret it is."

Shen Mingxiao capped the pen, put it back in his breast pocket, and said calmly, "Now, boss, can you tell me?"

Linglong walked back to the table, picked up the tablet, and swiped her finger across the screen a few times to bring up a surveillance video. The image froze on a man's profile, his features distinct, with an indescribable gloom between his brows and eyes.

She turned the tablet around so the screen faced Shen Mingxiao. "Based on Young Master Shen's description, this is the only person who fits the description last night."

"The third young master of the Pei family, Pei Shuli."

Shen Mingxiao's gaze lingered on the screen for two seconds, not immediately shifting. Pei Shuli. The animosity between Pei Lin and Pei Shuli wasn't a secret in the industry, but at this critical juncture, Pei Shuli's stalking of Shen Jicheng was either an attempt to find fault with him or to investigate his background. Either way, it was extremely detrimental to Shen Jicheng.

He tensed up even more.

"Thank you for informing me, boss." He stood up, his tone still calm. "I have other matters to attend to, so I'll be leaving now."

He turned and walked towards the door, and Shen Yu'an followed closely behind. Before leaving, he glanced back at the mahogany cabinet, his gaze sweeping over the wooden boxes with blurred numbers for a moment before quickly looking away.