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

His eyes quickly reddened.

"Brother, I admit it, I lied to you." His voice was choked with emotion, and a thin layer of tears clung to his eyelashes.

"Actually, it's because I was afraid you wouldn't believe me. I heard a couple of days ago that Pei Shuli came here again and gave you a document. He's definitely trying to smear me, so I was afraid you'd believe him and not me... so I thought I'd come to the basement to look for it."

He sniffed, wiped away non-existent tears from the corner of his eye, and lowered his voice, "After all, he's your own brother... and I'm nothing..."

Pei Lin frowned slightly but remained silent.

"You know, I've lacked love and security since I was little," Shen Jicheng's voice trailed off, "That's why I didn't tell you about it..."

Before he could finish speaking, Pei Lin had already expertly tossed the little black snake back to Jiang Jin. The snake twisted in mid-air before landing steadily in Jiang Jin's hand. Pei Lin didn't even glance at it again, instead stepping forward and pulling Shen Jicheng into his arms.

His arm wrapped around Shen Jicheng's shoulder and back, tightening slightly.

I still felt sorry for her in the end.

"I didn't believe Pei Shuli." Pei Lin's voice came down from above, much gentler than before. "I didn't even glance at the document he gave me. I already had it thrown in the trash."

He lowered his head, gently resting his chin on the top of Shen Jicheng's head, his voice incredibly gentle, "It's my fault, I didn't consider your feelings. Baby, I've made you suffer."

Shen Jicheng really didn't intend to cry.

But when he finished speaking, his eyes instantly welled up with tears.

Pei Lin trusted him unconditionally. He didn't ask for evidence, didn't check the surveillance footage, and didn't even look at the documents Pei Shuli sent, throwing them directly into the trash. Just because he cried and said, "I'm afraid you won't believe me," Pei Lin really believed him.

Shen Jicheng buried his face in Pei Lin's chest, his nose stinging with tears. He didn't know what to do.

The lies snowballed, growing bigger and bigger. Every time he tried to confess, Pei Lin's gentleness would stop him. He couldn't bear to push him away, nor could he bear to expose him.

That night, Pei Lin coaxed Shen Jicheng for a long time before finally getting the person in his arms to sleep. After gently covering Shen Jicheng with the blanket, Pei Lin slowly got up and walked out of the room.

The door closed.

Pei Lin reached the corner of the corridor and spoke to a certain corner, his tone inscrutable.

"Jiang Jin, I don't want this to happen again."

The person hidden in the corner paused slightly, but his face remained expressionless as he replied, "Master Pei, my test has been answered. Mr. Shi's explanation is utterly absurd."

You shouldn't believe it.

Pei Lin didn't answer immediately. Instead, he lit a cigarette, biting it between his lips. The bitter taste of tobacco filled his mouth, and the swirling smoke blurred his profile.

"But he said he loved me." The initial meeting was delightful, and the longer they were together, the more their hearts fluttered.

"I am willing to believe what he said and the explanation he gave."

Jiang Jin was about to say something more when Pei Lin raised his hand, interrupting him.

"I've already said, since he's one of my people, you should treat him the same way you treat me."

"Let's leave it at that; I don't want to pursue this further."

Jiang Jin remained silent for a few seconds, then finally stopped arguing, simply lowered his head, and replied, "Yes."

Pei Lin didn't immediately return to his room. The corridor was empty. He stood under the wall lamp, finishing a whole cigarette. The smoke rose from his fingertips and was dispersed by the cold wind. His gaze was fixed on a point in the void, unfocused. No one knew what he was thinking.

-

Because he had been discovered once before, Shen Jicheng had been extra cautious these past few days, not daring to enter the basement casually again, for fear of being framed by someone who disliked him. Although it couldn't really be called a frame-up.

But it did make him a little wary.

As the appointed time with Shen Yu'an approached, he dared not go to the appointment, fearing that he would be caught red-handed. He could only ask Song Yiyang to pass on a message to Shen Yu'an, telling him not to come anytime soon.

He rarely went out anymore, and most of the time he would wander around the yard alone, thinking about how to help the Shen family get through this calamity.

Just as his thoughts drifted away, a sinister voice came from outside the door.

"You're really capable."

"They actually dared to blatantly deceive Pei Lin?"

One sentence made Shen Jicheng's heart pound like a drum. He turned his head and saw Pei Shuli, who had arrived at some point. Pei Shuli still liked to wear a dark purple suit. The tailoring was neat and made him look tall and straight. His outfit was very noble. His features were also good. It was just a pity that he had a mouth.

"If he finds out you went to a place like Yuanyue, how long do you think you'll live?" Pei Shuli's tone was cold, his brown eyes staring straight at Shen Jicheng.

Shen Jicheng clenched his fists, his expression indifferent. He denied it, "What are you talking about? I don't understand." Of course, he couldn't admit it.

There are surveillance cameras everywhere here. Pei Shuli is clearly up to no good! He's either trying to trick him into revealing information or he's setting a trap for him to fall into.

Now we can't let him continue talking; we have to change the subject. But how can we change the subject so that Pei Shuli won't pursue this matter any further?

After much thought, an idea suddenly flashed through Shen Jicheng's mind, and his eyes lit up.

He hurriedly interrupted Pei Shuli as he was about to speak.

"You framed me just to get revenge! It's all because I found out you like pink underwear, isn't it?"

Pei Shuli was slightly taken aback, then his face filled with anger. He lunged forward, gripping the railing tightly, "What the hell did you say?!?!"

Seeing his reaction, Shen Jicheng knew he had guessed correctly. He immediately raised his chin smugly, a provocative smile on his face. "What? Am I wrong?"

The reason he was so certain was because the information he had gathered could not possibly be wrong. It was information he and Song Yiyang had obtained from Yuanyue, a place brimming with secrets.

He said with a smile, "If Young Master Pei dares to slander and frame me again in the future, then I won't mind spreading the fact that Young Master Pei likes other people to wear pink underwear to everyone."

Pei Shuli's face turned red with anger, his chest heaved violently, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked. He looked as if he wanted to pounce on the person in front of him and beat him up.

But in the end, he turned away in anger.

Shen Jicheng breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally gotten rid of the person. His relationship with Pei Lin was already somewhat unstable. If someone else came to ruin their relationship, who knew what the consequences would be?