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

Pei Lin didn't answer Shen Jicheng's question. He simply put the folded note into his palm and turned to walk towards the stairwell. Shen Jicheng quickly followed, pressing close to him and craning his neck to try and reach for his hand.

"Let me see! What's written on this? Let me see your secret!"

Pei Lin ignored him. Shen Jicheng, undeterred, tugged at his sleeve again, looked up, and adopted a pitiful expression.

"Brother~ let me see it~"

Pei Lin still didn't turn around.

"Brother~ Brother Pei Lin~ Please~ Just one look, please~"

Pei Lin paused, turning his head to look at the upturned face. The face was bright and ingratiating, with a fawning smile. He stared for a moment, then finally couldn't resist and handed over the note.

Shen Jicheng took it, beaming with joy, his steps quickening with excitement. He eagerly unfolded the note, but when he saw its contents, he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

"PPD?"

He frowned and looked at it again and again to make sure he hadn't misread it.

He looked up and called out to Pei Lin's retreating figure.

"Pei Lin, did you write it wrong! It should be PowerPoint! Did someone put a PowerPoint presentation on you?"

The sound of his footsteps echoed in the corridor as he chased after her, but Pei Lin didn't turn his head.

Shen Jicheng took a few more steps, tilting his head as he pressed for an answer.

"Is that right, Pei Lin? Say something!"

Pei Lin, annoyed by his questions, stopped, turned around, grabbed Shen Jicheng by the back of the neck, and pushed him forward, her tone tinged with exasperation at being bothered, "Aren't you annoying? Huh? You never stop asking."

He reached out and pulled the note from Shen Jicheng's fingers, tore it into pieces in a few quick movements, and casually threw it into the trash can at the end of the corridor.

"I'm gone."

Pei Lin strode towards the stairs, the hem of his trench coat brushing against Shen Jicheng's hand. Shen Jicheng stood by the trash can for two seconds, watching the scraps of paper fall to the bottom, before finally jogging after him.

The two figures disappeared one after the other around the corner of the stairs, and the light of the full moon returned to calm behind them.

After the corridor quieted down, the heavy white gauze curtain at the back was lifted a crack from behind. A figure stepped out from behind the curtain. He wore a black leather jacket and a black mask, revealing only a pair of gloomy and indifferent eyes. A silver hoop earring hung on his left ear, reflecting a slender beam of light under the lamplight.

Linglong stood up almost immediately from behind the counter, took a step back to make way for the head of the table, and softly called out, "Boss."

The man didn't respond, but simply sat down in the spot she had just been in, picked up the Rubik's Cube on the table, and casually turned it a couple of times.

"How so?" he asked, his voice low and barely audible through his mask.

Linglong reported truthfully, "Mr. Pei is here to inquire about Young Master Shen." She paused, glanced at his expression, and seeing no reaction from him, continued.

"I refused as you requested."

She paused for a moment, "And as per the rules, he was allowed to draw a number. However, it wasn't Mr. Pei himself who drew the number, but rather the woman next to him, Shen..."

The man's fingers paused for a moment on the Rubik's Cube. Linglong immediately realized she had let something slip and quickly corrected herself, "It was the young gentleman next to him."

The man didn't look up; he continued to turn the Rubik's Cube with his fingers.

A few seconds later, the Rubik's Cube was perfectly solved in his hands, all six sides neat and without the slightest error. He placed the cube on the table, raised his cold eyes, and said, "Next time, I don't want this kind of mistake to happen again."

Linglong lowered her head. "Yes..."

The man's gaze fell on the note on the table that hadn't been put away yet. He reached for it, unfolded it, glanced at it, and casually asked, "Did he write it?"

"Yes." Linglong nodded.

The man let out a cold, ambiguous snort. "Looks like even the head of the Huajin Group has secrets. Just like that, that's how people are."

Linglong hesitated for a moment before speaking, "Mr. Pei seems to have written... a PPD? Or a PPT? I heard the other gentleman say that."

"PPD?" the man repeated, his gaze lingering on the note for a moment before he murmured softly.

"Paranoiac personality disorder..."

Linglong paused for a moment, then seemed to remember something and asked about the important matter, "Boss, what you predicted didn't happen. What should we do next? Should we continue to subtly remind him?"

The man didn't answer immediately. He toyed with the note in his hand, his tone undisguisedly sarcastic, "Did he manage to keep the pregnancy going? He managed to get away with that?"

Linglong thought about it carefully and answered truthfully, "As far as I know, Pei Yunlang's second wife did indeed have a miscarriage saved back then."

The man stood up. "No need for reminders. I'd rather he discover the truth himself than be reminded. Unveiling it layer by layer—that's what makes it interesting, isn't it?"

He turned around, his back to Linglong, his voice so low it was almost a soliloquy.

"When the lies are peeled away layer by layer, my dear brother will surely have no chance of survival."

Linglong's expression changed slightly, and she hesitantly asked, "Younger brother...?"

She was met with a gaze as cold as ice. Linglong immediately lowered her head and quickly tried to salvage the situation, "It's...it's my younger brother."

Why isn't he considered a younger brother?

But she couldn't help herself and added another sentence.

"However, boss... given the current situation, Mr. Pei deeply loves your brother, so I'm afraid he won't really go all out."

"Is that so?" The man turned to look at her, his mask covering most of his face, only his eyes revealing a cold light. "If it were before, of course not. But now..." He paused, not finishing his sentence.

He took something out of his pocket and gently placed it on the counter.

"I've got it," the man said, pushing the item forward. "This belongs to the young master of the Shen family."

Linglong reached out and took it in her hand, wanting to say something, but hesitated.

When she looked up, the man had already turned and walked towards the door.

"Why are you doing this?" Linglong spoke from behind him, her voice lower. "He poses no threat to you."

The man stopped. He stood at the door, his back to her, and remained silent for a few seconds before turning his head to the side, revealing only half of his face covered by a mask and a silver earring that swayed slightly under the light.

"He has so many brothers, what's wrong with giving me one?"

He didn't say anything more, pushed open the door and went out.

Linglong sat in the empty room for a long time. She looked down at the amulet in her hand, examining it repeatedly, but couldn't discern anything special about it. Leaning back in her chair, she gazed at the ceiling and suddenly couldn't help but sigh.

"How foolish of me..."

"Why did you kill him? Turn him to your side! With his clever little brain, coming up with ideas for you would be a piece of cake. He even managed to handle the ruthless Second Master Pei, what can't he handle?"