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

Shen Jicheng practically smashed the door open with his body.

His chest heaved violently, his gaze sweeping frantically across the room before finally settling on Pei Lin, who lay weakly on the bed with his eyes closed and his lips slightly pale. Pei Lin's arm, which was outside the blanket, was visibly red and swollen, with two small, faint marks visible on it.

Shen Jicheng disregarded everything else and rushed to Pei Lin's bedside, reaching out to grab Pei Lin's arm.

"Pei Lin! What's wrong with you—!"

Pei Lin did not open his eyes; his usually sharp and stern face was now covered by a layer of softness, a facade of weakness.

Seeing him lying motionless on the bed, Shen Jicheng burst into tears without warning, large tears landing on Pei Lin's face. "Wake up!"

Pei Lin's eyelashes fluttered.

When he opened his eyes, Shen Jicheng's tears fell onto his cheek, warm and wet. Pei Lin looked at those red, tear-filled eyes before him, and felt as if something had struck his chest hard, a sharp, throbbing pain spreading from his heart.

He had originally intended to feign illness to lure people into revealing their hidden thoughts, but seeing Shen Jicheng crying like this, he found himself... reluctant to pretend to be sick.

Pei Lin sighed inwardly: It's over, Pei Lin, you're completely finished.

Shen Jicheng was extremely anxious, and tears kept falling down his face.

"Let's go to the hospital! Everything will be alright!" Shen Jicheng hastily wiped away his tears and tried to stand up, but Pei Lin grabbed his wrist, her voice filled with helplessness and heartache.

"It's alright, it's okay." He raised his hand to wipe away Shen Jicheng's tears, his fingertips caressing his face with tenderness and adoration.

"Jiang Jin is lying to you."

Shen Jicheng refused to believe it, thinking that Jiang Jin was just trying to comfort himself. Why would Jiang Jin lie to him for no reason?

Seeing his appearance, Pei Lin completely abandoned his idea of ​​forcing him to confess. He lifted a corner of the blanket, fully exposing the "injured" arm. The red and swollen edges had been coated with a light-colored ointment, and the marks of two small holes were still visible, clearly indicating that they had been treated. There wasn't even any gauze wrapped around it.

"See, it's all taken care of. There's no danger to his life," Pei Lin said slowly and patiently. "He's really alright."

Shen Jicheng stared at that arm for a long time before his tears slowly stopped. But he looked down at the hand he was still tightly holding Pei Lin's.

He suddenly realized that his reaction just now had given everything away.

The room was quiet for a while.

Pei Lin didn't urge him, but waited quietly for him to speak.

After a long while, Shen Jicheng finally raised his head, pursed his lips, and spoke.

"Pei Lin... I like you."

He breathed a slight sigh of relief after saying that.

A faint smile appeared in Pei Lin's eyes, warm and bright. He looked steadily at Shen Jicheng, his voice filled with undisguised joy.

"Finally admitting it?"

Shen Jicheng nodded sullenly, then added after thinking for a moment.

"It's not what you say. Not just anyone can do it." He raised his eyes, his gaze settling seriously on Pei Lin's face.

"It's just you. It's because it's you that I'm willing to do that."

Pei Lin reached out and pulled him into his arms, resting his chin on the top of his head and gently patting his back with his palm. His voice was lower and hoarser than before.

"I shouldn't have said that. Those words hurt you, didn't they?"

Shen Jicheng neither nodded nor shook his head, but simply buried his face in his shoulder.

"But baby," Pei Lin's voice was very soft.

"I don't want you to do that. Even if that person were me, I wouldn't want you to do those things for me. I can't bear it."

Shen Jicheng leaned against him, hearing his heartbeat grow louder and louder, pounding against his chest as if it were about to jump out of his throat.

Pei Lin did not let go, maintaining the embracing posture.

"I've been thinking about it, and I think I can't bear not seeing you. I wish I could monitor everything you do all the time, see what you're doing, see if you're eating properly, see if you're wearing enough clothes because it's getting cold. See if you're bored, see if you miss me."

"I can't be indifferent when you call me 'brother' either. I wish you would call me that every day. Every time you do, I want to throw you on the bed and bully you. That's why I don't let you call me that. I'm afraid I won't be able to control myself and will forgive you."

Pei Lin's fingertips caressed Shen Jicheng's lips, which were gradually swelling down. His eyes were filled with tenderness. "I bit your lips last night when I was drunk. I wanted to kiss you gently, but when I thought of that recording, I got angry and upset. So I returned the pain you caused me in this way."

He paused, his gaze falling on Shen Jicheng's eyes, his tone so gentle it was almost unlike his own.

"Baby, I love you, both physically and emotionally."

"So let's turn the page on those things."

Shen Jicheng's eyes welled up again. He blinked frantically, but the stinging sensation still surged up uncontrollably. When the last sentence reached his ears, his tears finally slid down his cheeks, past his chin, and dripped onto Pei Lin's shirt.

"Have you...forgave me?"

Pei Lin reached out and ruffled his hair, letting out a sigh of helplessness mixed with indulgence.

"It's all the Shen family's fault."

"They lured my baby with money."

"You are innocent."

Shen Jicheng understood the meaning behind those words.

Pei Lin couldn't accept betrayal and deception, so he shifted the blame from Shen Jicheng to the Shen family. This way, his precious son remained innocent, having never betrayed him. This was Pei Lin's way of saving face, and also the excuse he gave himself.

Shen Jicheng knew perfectly well that the more gentle and indulgent Pei Lin was at this moment, the tighter the shackles on his heart would become, making it hard for him to breathe.

He smiled, a bitter smile playing on his lips, a smile he himself didn't even realize. But Pei Lin didn't notice.

His tone became more serious the next second, and his dark pupils stared fixedly at Shen Jicheng.

"Honey, you know I don't like being lied to. So if there's anything you've kept from me before, tell me now, and I won't pursue it."

"But..." Pei Lin paused, then changed the subject.

"If I find out again that you've been hiding things from me or lying to me..."

He was silent for a moment, then his tone turned cold.

"I would really throw you into the sea to feed the sharks."

"And I will never forgive you."

Shen Jicheng's body trembled violently. He didn't look into Pei Lin's eyes, lowering his eyelashes.

"it is good."

Pei Lin didn't urge him. The room fell silent again, with only the sound of their breathing mingling.

Shen Jicheng spoke.