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

Shen Jicheng stood guard at the door, his ear pressed against the door panel, listening intently to the sounds outside. He hoped that after he left, Pei Lin would quickly resolve the matter and stop pursuing it; otherwise, any further investigation would uncover things that shouldn't have been found.

When he heard footsteps in the corridor, he immediately turned around, jumped barefoot onto the bed, pulled the blanket over himself, and wrapped himself up tightly, leaving only the back of his head facing the door.

The door was gently pushed open. Pei Lin's gaze fell on the bulging blanket on the bed, a faint smile appearing in his eyes.

He walked over, bent down to pick up the slippers that had been kicked and were lying askew on the ground, and placed them neatly at the foot of the bed. Then he lay down on his side next to Shen Jicheng.

"Baby, are you angry with me?" Pei Lin's voice was gentle, no longer showing the coldness and indifference of downstairs.

Shen Jicheng remained silent.

A warm chest pressed against his back, and a pair of strong arms wrapped around his waist, pulling him tightly into their embrace.

Pei Lin rested his chin on his neck, his warm breath brushing against his earlobe, and his deep, magnetic voice sounded in his ear, "I don't mean to blame you. It's just... I don't want you to get too close to Pei Shuli. He's unpredictable, and I'm afraid he'll lead you astray."

Shen Jicheng silently scoffed to himself. Who's he going to corrupt? Could he possibly corrupt me?

"Moreover..." Pei Lin's voice lowered slightly.

"Your first choice to drug him was him. I'm also bothered by that."

Shen Jicheng remained silent for a moment. When he heard Pei Lin say that, a strange feeling welled up inside him, something he couldn't quite describe, but it just didn't feel right.

He finally turned over and embraced Pei Lin, resting his head against his chest, his voice deep and resonant.

"That's because I hadn't met you before, I didn't know..." He paused, his voice trailing off.

"I didn't know you were so kind. Don't worry, this won't happen again."

He lifted his head and placed a light kiss on the corner of Pei Lin's mouth.

"From now on, no matter what happens, you'll be my first choice. Okay?"

A smile flickered in Pei Lin's eyes. "Really?"

"Hmm!" Shen Jicheng nodded, then added, "If I go back on my word, you can throw me into the sea to feed the sharks."

Pei Lin chuckled at his confident demeanor, reached out and pinched his cheek, then pulled him back into her arms.

"I really can't bear to part with such a cute baby."

He paused, as if remembering something, and added, "I've already given the order that Pei Shuli isn't allowed to come over these next few days. If you want revenge on him, just tell me directly; you don't need to do it yourself."

In Pei Lin's view, the reason Shen Jicheng gave Pei Shuli this idea was simply to get revenge on him.

Upon hearing this, Shen Jicheng's heart tightened, and he quickly looked up.

"If you don't let him come over, who will keep me entertained? Then I'll lose all my fun!"

Most importantly, he had only just added the contact information, hadn't received the peace charm yet, and couldn't send messages home through Pei Shuli. If Pei Shuli was confined outside Beishan Villa, wouldn't his connection be severed?

Pei Lin seemed to have anticipated his reaction, raising an eyebrow and speaking in a calm and unhurried tone.

Don't worry, I won't let you get bored.

Shen Jicheng blinked.

"I'll let you out." Pei Lin couldn't bear to keep Shen Jicheng locked up for too long.

He thought his precious child was bored being cooped up at home and had nothing to do, so he could only deal with annoying people like Pei Shuli to relieve his boredom.

Shen Jicheng froze for a moment, then widened his eyes in disbelief, "You... you're not going to lock me up?"

He was probably surprised that Pei Lin agreed so quickly; his face clearly showed his astonishment. Only after Pei Lin nodded did Shen Jicheng finally realize what was happening, and he suddenly threw himself into Pei Lin's arms, his smile radiant.

"Pei Lin, I love you!"

Pei Lin raised an eyebrow, his eyes almost overflowing with tenderness. He took Shen Jicheng's hand, but his tone deliberately turned cold.

"But don't get too excited," he warned, feigning indifference. "You have a criminal record, and I can't let you go anywhere you want. Someone will be following you. So, honey, you'd better behave yourself. If I find out you're not behaving properly..." He narrowed his eyes.

You'd better be careful.

Hearing someone follow him, Shen Jicheng wrinkled his nose reluctantly, but ultimately didn't object. He knew this was the biggest concession Pei Lin could make. He nodded repeatedly.

"good!"

And so, Shen Jicheng was free again.

He originally planned to go out and ask Pei Shuli to return the peace charm, but with Pei Lin by his side, he couldn't openly go to Pei Shuli. He was also afraid that Pei Lin would ask about the peace charm later, and he wouldn't be able to explain its origin.

He had no choice but to put the matter aside for now, planning to ask Pei Shuli for it back later.

However, once he actually went out, he realized that the difference between this freedom and no freedom was not much. There was always a pair of eyes following him, and he was being watched no matter what he did. He didn't even dare to go to Song Yiyang.

After wandering aimlessly around the streets for a while, feeling utterly bored, I listlessly returned to Beishan Villa.

When Pei Lin returned home in the evening, he was somewhat surprised to see him sitting in the living room early. Normally, he wouldn't be seen until after nine o'clock at night.

"What's wrong? Why are you back so early today?" Pei Lin loosened his tie and walked over to the person on the sofa.

Shen Jicheng slumped on the sofa, seemingly uninterested, even ignoring Pei Lin. "It's nothing... I just don't want to shop." What else could he say? He couldn't very well say that he was afraid to go to Yuanyue because Pei Lin had sent people to follow him, could he?

Pei Lin sat down next to him, sized him up for a moment, and said, "You seem so bored, why don't you come with me to the Full Moon Festival tomorrow?"

Shen Jicheng's eyes lit up for a moment.

But when he turned his head and met Pei Lin's probing gaze, he immediately suppressed his excitement and put on a listless expression. "Why are you going to the full moon... I think I'm not going."

Who knows if they're just trying to trick him?

Pei Lin didn't try to hide it from him, casually scrolling through her phone as she explained in a calm tone.

"I recently found out some information about Shen Mingxiao's whereabouts. He never goes to those kinds of places, but he went there several times this time. I want to go and see what's going on."

Shen Jicheng's heart skipped a beat. He pressed on calmly, "Ah...what was he doing there?"

Could it be that his elder brother had tracked down his previous movements? As he pondered this, Pei Lin's deep gaze fell upon his face, his tone carrying a profound meaning.

"Tell me, honey, who knows if he's after what I own?"

Shen Jicheng silently shut his mouth, not daring to reply.

Pei Lin was about to get up and go upstairs when Shen Jicheng reached out and grabbed his sleeve, looking up at him with a thoughtful expression.

"I've thought about it, and I still want to go with you. Not because I want to see the full moon, but because... I want to spend more time with you."

Pei Lin was amused by the reason he came up with, and he said casually,

"Sure. I'd like to know who's there too." He was the one who kept his darling playing so late, reluctant to go home.

Shen Jicheng: "..."