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

"You're finished! You smashed the antique vase that Pei Lin bought at a high price! You'll have to pay for it!" Pei Shuli added fuel to the fire while dodging.

No sooner had he finished speaking than another mug shattered.

"Look! You smashed his mug too!"

Shen Jicheng was so angry his liver ached. He'd never been so blatantly framed in his entire life. He caught whatever Pei Shuli threw, and if he couldn't catch it, he'd throw something else back at him. The entire living room was filled with the sounds of shattering porcelain and their mutual insults.

By the time the servants heard the commotion and rushed over, it was too late.

"Mr. Shi! Stop hitting him!"

"Stop! That's Mr. Pei's cactus, you can't smash it!"

"Bang—!"

The cactus, pot and all, crashed to the ground, shattering into pieces and scattering dirt everywhere. Pei Shuli hopped around the flying shards, patted his chest with lingering fear, and made a face at Shen Jicheng.

Seeing his face, Shen Jicheng was furious and bent down to pick up a vase to throw at him.

Pei Shuli jerked back, shouting menacingly, "You dare hit me! You're finished when my brother gets back!"

"So you think you're the only one with a brother?" Shen Jicheng said through gritted teeth, holding up a vase.

Seeing that he didn't throw it at him, Pei Shuli became even bolder, and a sly smile appeared on his lips. "What a pity, your Pei Lin brother doesn't want you anymore."

These words were like a needle, precisely piercing the softest spot in Shen Jicheng's heart.

He had to save face. In front of Pei Shuli and so many servants, he absolutely could not show the slightest sign of embarrassment.

So he put the vase down, raised his chin, and coldly replied, "That's because I didn't want him."

The living room suddenly fell silent.

Pei Shuli shut his mouth, even slowly lowering the half-eaten water glass he was holding. The servants hunched their shoulders, and the entire space seemed to have been paused, even their breathing seemed to stop.

then.

A cold voice came from behind.

"Yeah?"

Shen Jicheng's back stiffened.

He didn't turn around. But he could feel that gaze falling heavily on his back, carrying an indescribable chill that spread from his spine all the way to his fingertips.

No one in the living room dared to move.

The heavy footsteps approached from behind, finally stopping in front of him. Shen Jicheng lowered his head, staring at the gleaming tips of the leather shoes, remaining silent. He clenched his fists, his nails digging into the soft flesh of his palms; on the surface, it looked normal, but underneath, it burned ever hotter.

Pei Lin stood before him, his dark gaze fixed on the boy's lowered head, his tone carrying an unyielding command, "Answer."

Shen Jicheng remained silent. He didn't know what he was being stubborn about, but he just didn't want to speak.

Pei Shuli's eyes lit up. He immediately moved closer to Pei Lin, his tone carrying just the right amount of grievance and indignation, "Second Brother! That's exactly what he meant!"

He pointed to the mess of broken pieces on the floor and, speaking rapidly, embellished the story, "I only said a few words to him because I saw how little he cared about you. Who knew he would have such a bad temper? I only said two words, and he started hitting me."

Pei Shuli flicked a shard of broken porcelain at his feet with the tip of his shoe, looking utterly heartbroken.

"Look, he smashed all of this."

Shen Jicheng's fists clenched so tightly they cracked. He offered no explanation, not uttering a single word.

Pei Lin's gaze swept indifferently over the mess on the floor, lingering briefly at each spot, his expression unreadable. Finally, his gaze returned to Shen Jicheng, his voice even colder than before.

"What? Is it hard for you to repeat it?"

Pei Shuli nodded vigorously beside him, "Yes, yes, is it so hard to say a word? My second brother trusted you so much, and you did this. Sure enough, outsiders can't compare to your own brothers."

Hmph, serves you right for pretending to be a green tea b*tch back then. Pei Shuli felt incredibly satisfied, and he could barely suppress the smirk on his face.

Shen Jicheng finally raised his eyes. He first gave Pei Shuli a cold glare, then turned to Pei Lin and repeated the sentence clearly and slowly, word by word, "That's also—I don't want you."

He emphasized each word.

Pei Lin's dark eyes visibly darkened.

Shen Jicheng pretended not to see it, or perhaps he did see it but did so on purpose. Didn't you want to hear it? Then I'll tell you all you want.

He knew that if he stayed in the living room any longer, he would definitely lose control and do something even worse than smashing things to Pei Shuli. So he didn't look at Pei Lin again, turned around and left, walking through the corridor straight to the courtyard outside.

Pei Shuli froze for two seconds, then immediately shouted at Pei Lin, "Second Brother! You're just going to let him go like that?! You should have beaten him up! Throw him into a snake pit!"

No one cares about him.

Shen Jicheng walked into the courtyard with a belly full of anger, but his steps suddenly stopped.

In the fishpond, the ornamental fish that were usually so colorful and swimming happily were now all floating belly up on the surface of the water. They floated one after another, densely packed, their bodies gleaming a lifeless silvery-white in the sunlight.

His mind went blank.

Suddenly, Pei Shuli's casual "You wait" rang in my ears.

Shen Jicheng stood by the fishpond, staring intently at the fish floating on the surface of the water. His chest heaved violently, and his fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

He gritted his teeth, "You really think I'm easy to bully, huh?"

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and walked back. The string of "reason" in his brain snapped completely when he saw the pool of dead fish.

In the living room, Pei Shuli was still putting on a show for Pei Lin, saying, "Second brother, you really have to teach him a lesson this time! Otherwise, with his arrogance, he might even dare to hit you one day."

Pei Lin's expression was gloomy, and he remained silent. His gaze was fixed on the direction Shen Jicheng had left, and the furrowed brows between his brows never relaxed.

Nobody noticed.

Like a gust of wind, Shen Jicheng rushed back.

Pei Shuli felt his collar being suddenly gripped tightly, and a strong force pulled him backward. Before he could even regain his balance, he was punched hard in the cheek. The force was fierce and solid, causing him to stagger back two steps, and half of his face instantly went numb.

"Holy crap!! Are you crazy?!" Pei Shuli covered his face, staring at the person in front of him in disbelief. He had never expected that Shen Jicheng would dare to make a move in front of Pei Lin.

Shen Jicheng didn't give him any time to react. He grabbed his collar, shoved him to the ground, straddled him, and rained down punches.

"Yes! I'm insane! Who the hell do you think you are! Daring to frame me? Young Master Pei? What kind of trash are you—!"