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

After Shen Jicheng patiently explained the situation, Pei Shuli finally breathed a sigh of relief, leaned back in his chair, and his expression visibly relaxed. "It turns out I misunderstood."

Shen Jicheng stared at his face for several seconds.

Pei Shuli's expression remained unchanged, and he didn't even ask any further questions. Shen Jicheng, on the other hand, began to feel uneasy.

Why is this person so calm? Did he see through my tricks?

He glanced at Pei Shuli hesitantly, then tentatively asked,

What are you thinking?

Pei Shuli gave him a strange look, as if he found the question absurd. "What else could I be thinking? Of course, I'm thinking about earning back that fifty million!"

Shen Jicheng: "..." Okay. After a pause, he asked more directly.

"So... have you decided on someone yet?"

He went to great lengths back then, doing all sorts of inquiries and scouting, finding out exactly what the person liked to eat and drink before daring to make a move. Pei Shuli, on the other hand, didn't ask any questions at all?

"What's there to be sure about?" Pei Shuli raised his chin dismissively, his tone carrying an innate sense of entitlement.

"If I'm going to find someone, I'll definitely find the richest one." He then gave Shen Jicheng a defiant look.

"And they'll definitely find someone better than you."

Shen Jicheng: "..." I'm speechless.

He took a deep breath, swallowed the swear word back, and adopted a tone that was almost hypocritically patient.

"Aren't you going to find out... what your preferences are based on when you choose that person?"

He was incredibly curious. Who would Pei Shuli choose? He was already racing through his mind, figuring out how to subtly offer some dirty tricks after Pei Shuli revealed his choice.

But he clearly underestimated Pei Shuli's shamelessness.

Pei Shuli smiled slightly, raised his chin, and looked at him with an almost pitying gaze. "Preferences?"

He pointed to his face with his finger, saying, "My face reflects the other person's preferences."

Shen Jicheng: "..."

He remained silent for a full three seconds, but ultimately chose to give up. Talking to someone like Pei Shuli was a waste of breath.

Pei Shuli, satisfied with the answer, stood up contentedly, dusted off non-existent dust from his clothes, and strode towards the door. Halfway there, he turned back and waved to Shen Jicheng.

"Wait for my good news. If your method works, I'll consider putting in a good word for you with my second brother."

Shen Jicheng gave a forced, insincere smile.

Pei Shuli quickened his pace as soon as he stepped out the door. He took out his phone, made a call, and gave a brief, concise explanation. Not long after hanging up, his phone screen lit up, and a document was sent to him.

He tapped the screen and scanned it as he walked.

"The Pei family, the Shen family, the Song family, the Qi family..." He frowned and muttered to himself, "These are the wealthiest families that meet the requirements."

He crossed out the Pei family first. Are you kidding me? Does he have a death wish?

The Shen family was crossed out again.

The Shen family and the Pei family have always been at odds. If my second brother knew that I had provoked the Shen family, he would probably really throw me into the sea.

Next is the Song family, with their only son, Song Yiyang.

Pei Shuli flipped through the documents, shook his head, and said, "This won't do. This person is more ambitious than me, indulging in eating, drinking, and having fun."

In the end, only the Qi family remained.

He clicked on it and almost dropped his phone.

Forty years old? Married? With a son?

"What a joke!" He immediately called back and launched into a tirade of abuse.

"Can't you give me something normal! They're either enemies of the Pei family or too old! Who am I? Are they even worthy of me?!"

The person on the other end of the phone shrank back, sounding very aggrieved.

"Third Young Master, you only said you wanted to find the richest... Our Pei family is the richest ourselves. Besides, don't we have some young ones too? Master Qi's grandson is eighteen this year..."

Pei Shuli laughed in exasperation, "I want someone who can spend my money! Someone who can control the finances! Like my second brother!"

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then a soft voice said, "Well... there's nothing we can do. Only the eldest young master of the Shen family meets the criteria."

Without a second thought, Pei Shuli replied, "No way! What if my second brother finds out—"

"Then let him not know," the person on the other end muttered quietly.

Pei Shuli stopped in his tracks.

He stood under the streetlight, holding his phone, his expression shifting from resistance to hesitation. He looked down at Shen Mingxiao's profile on the screen and narrowed his eyes.

That's not without reason.

Shen Jicheng sat in the living room for most of the night, his curiosity growing stronger with each passing night. Who would Pei Shuli choose? Given his proud and arrogant nature, he would never choose someone of lower status than himself, so the range narrowed down to the four major families.

Let's rule out the Pei family first. That's for sure.

Let's rule out the Shen family as well. The Pei family and the Shen family are at odds, so it's unlikely that Pei Shuli would actively provoke Shen Mingxiao.

That leaves the Song family and the Qi family.

Shen Jicheng couldn't help but smile at the thought of Pei Shuli possibly approaching Song Yiyang. The image was simply too beautiful; just imagining it made him chuckle.

But the smile only lingered on his face for a few seconds before slowly fading away.

He thought of his current situation again. Pei Lin didn't want to see him, and even when they bumped into each other in the corridor, Pei Lin pretended not to see him. He rested his chin on his hand, staring at the clock on the wall. The minute hand moved slowly, ticking away, making him feel suffocated.

You can't really expect Pei Shuli to speak well of you, can you?

he does not want.

At 10 p.m., Shen Jicheng stood outside Pei Lin's room.

The corridor was quiet, the light from the wall lamps dim and yellowish. He clenched his fingers, his knuckles twisting together, a feeling of tension mixed with unease washing over him.

He took a deep breath, raised his hand, and gently knocked on the door twice.

There was no sound inside.

He waited a few seconds, then knocked again. He lowered his eyes, his remaining courage slowly leaking away. Just as he turned to leave in despair, a soft click came from behind him.

The door opened a crack.

Pei Lin stood behind the door, seemingly already asleep. His hair was slightly disheveled, and the collar of his pajamas was loosely open, revealing a glimpse of his collarbone. He leaned against the doorframe, his voice still carrying a hint of lingering languor.

"What's up?"

Shen Jicheng paused for a moment, then kissed him with pursed lips.

"May I... come in and sit for a while?"

He was secretly plotting something: maybe if he called her "brother" a couple of times and did it again, their relationship would improve.

"cannot."

The refusal was swift and decisive, without the slightest hesitation.

The light in Shen Jicheng's eyes dimmed instantly. It seemed that Pei Lin was determined not to reconcile this time, not even letting him set foot in the room.

He stood at the door for a short while, hesitated for a moment, and finally couldn't help but ask in a low voice,

"Then... what will it take for you to forgive me?"