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

When Shen Jicheng woke up again, it was already the next morning. Sunlight squeezed in through the gap in the curtains, shining brightly on his eyelids. He subconsciously raised his hand to shield his eyes, and it took him a while to slowly open them.

He lay on the bed staring at the unfamiliar crystal chandelier for a few seconds before the memories of last night slowly came flooding back.

Shen Jicheng suddenly sat up.

He glanced down at himself; he was still wearing the same clothes as yesterday, unchanged, with a few tiny scratches from the snake pit still visible on his collarbone. Without thinking, he threw back the covers, got out of bed, and walked barefoot to the door, reaching for the doorknob.

It won't turn.

He paused for a moment, then twisted it harder, but it still wouldn't budge.

He looked down at the door lock and saw something he had never seen before: a silver-gray panel with a ring of small red lights, and neatly arranged keypads for the password input.

Electronic lock.

The kind that can only be opened from the outside.

Shen Jicheng's face turned pale instantly. He took a half step back, stared at the door for two seconds, then raised his hand and pounded on it a few times, his voice hoarse from just waking up and filled with barely suppressed panic, "Pei Lin! Let me out!"

There was an immediate response from outside. The door opened, and two unfamiliar bodyguards stood in the doorway, tall and expressionless. One of them spoke in a formal, businesslike tone.

"Master Pei has instructed that Mr. Shi should spend the next few days reflecting on his actions inside. Your phone has been confiscated. If you are bored, you can watch TV to pass the time. Three meals a day will be delivered to your door."

Shen Jicheng's mind went blank for a moment. Finally understanding what was happening, he pointed at himself incredulously, "Pei Lin wants to imprison me?"

The bodyguard did not answer him. The door closed again, and the electronic lock engaged automatically.

He had been restricted in his freedom before. Back then, Pei Lin at least allowed him to move around the entire villa, to go downstairs and into the yard, and to sit in the living room and bask in the sun. But now? He can't even leave his room.

He spent the entire morning oscillating between anxiety and boredom.

He was worried about the Shen family, worried that Pei Lin might take action against them, and worried about when he would be able to leave. He tried knocking on the door and shouting, but the bodyguards outside ignored him.

He considered jumping out of the window, but the security bars on the window stopped him from doing so.

At noon, the maid, Aunt Chen, brought him lunch. But Shen Jicheng had no appetite at all. He grabbed Aunt Chen's arm, his tone urgent.

"Aunt Chen, where is Pei Lin now? When will he see me? Or let me out?"

Aunt Chen shook her head, looking troubled. "Mr. Shi, I don't know either..."

Shen Jicheng could tell from her expression that she wasn't unaware, but simply afraid to speak. He released her hand and thanked her softly. Aunt Chen bowed her head and left, the door closing behind her.

And so, he was locked up for three whole days.

For three days, apart from the bodyguards who took turns guarding the entrance and Aunt Chen who delivered meals on time, he didn't see anyone. He had watched that TV series on repeat countless times, and he could recite the lines by heart.

On the afternoon of the third day, Shen Jicheng sat on the edge of the bed, staring blankly at the television on the wall that was still playing a familiar plot. Then he suddenly stood up and banged on the door.

"I need to see Pei Lin! I have something to tell him! Can you please pass on his message?"

He was certain that if he were kept locked up like this any longer, he might go insane.

The door opened a crack, and the bodyguard, still with that businesslike expression, said, "No. Master Pei will see you when he returns."

Shen Jicheng retreated angrily, pacing back and forth in the room for a few steps before suddenly stopping. There was something wrong with that statement. The bodyguard had said, "Master Pei will naturally see you when he returns," not, "Master Pei hasn't returned yet."

The former implies that Pei Lin may already be at Beishan Villa, but is simply unwilling to come and see him.

If he's home but doesn't show up, that means...

Shen Jicheng raised his head, his gaze sweeping over every corner of the room, inch by inch. The corners of the walls, the edges of the ceiling, above the curtains, the side of the desk.

He grew up in the Shen family, and the instinct to be watched was ingrained in his very being. Sure enough, he found a tiny bulge, almost the same color as the fabric, in the folds of the curtain rod in the corner.

Hidden camera.

Shen Jicheng stared at the little thing for a few seconds, his lips twitched, and then slowly curved into a smile. He looked away, turned around without a word, and walked back to the bedside to sit down as if he hadn't noticed anything.

But a plan was already taking shape in my mind.

That evening, Pei Lin sat in the downstairs living room. The light from the computer screen reflected on his face. He picked up his coffee cup, took a sip, and spoke in a calm tone.

"How was your day?"

Zhang Xu stood aside and reported truthfully, "Mr. Shi's appetite is better today than the past two days; he ate something. He didn't make a fuss about seeing you this afternoon either."

Pei Lin's lips twitched slightly, the curve cold and indifferent.

"Looks like they've learned their lesson. They know it's useless, so they won't waste their energy."

He put down his coffee cup and reached for the monitoring software on his computer.

The moment the screen lit up, his hand holding the cup suddenly froze.

The image on the screen made his pupils shrink. Shen Jicheng was lying on the large bed, the neckline of his thin T-shirt torn and messy, revealing a dazzlingly white collarbone and shoulder. The hem of the shirt was also deliberately lifted up, revealing a dazzlingly white waist.

His pose was too deliberate, his two slender legs crossed, the skin at his ankles gleaming faintly under the light. The camera was pointed directly at the bed, capturing every deliberately slowed movement of his face clearly.

Immediately afterward, sound came from the computer speakers. Pei Lin's brows furrowed into a tight knot.

"Well……"

The person in the picture hummed softly, with a perfect touch of languor and ambiguity.

"Um……"

The voice was soft and sweet.

"Brother Pei Lin~ I miss you so much~"

The last syllable was drawn out, carrying a clearly deliberate, seductive quality.

Pei Lin's face was so black it looked like ink could drip from it.

With a loud "smack," he slammed the laptop down, the force so great that the coffee cup on the table shook. He turned his head, his gaze falling on Zhang Xu, who hadn't yet managed to leave.

"You saw it?"

Zhang Xu immediately stood up straight and hurriedly shook his head, "I didn't see it! I didn't hear it!"

Pei Lin didn't say anything, expressionless, picked up the laptop, and strode upstairs.

Zhang Xu stood there watching his boss's figure disappear at the top of the stairs. After a long while, he slowly exhaled and silently lit a candle for the person upstairs in his heart.

Pei Lin walked into his bedroom, closed the door behind him, placed the computer on the table, and turned it back on.

He brought up the surveillance footage, turned up the brightness, and turned the volume up to the maximum.