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

Shen Jicheng could not remain completely indifferent.

After hesitating for a moment, he finally mustered up the courage to speak, "Um..."

"Is there another possibility, such as this being a frame-up? A frame-up of the Shen family? Or a frame-up of Shen Jicheng?" He really couldn't think of anything else.

He believed that neither his eldest nor second eldest brother would resort to such extreme measures. Despite their long-standing feud with the Pei family, they had always maintained an open and fair competition for resources, and would not resort to underhanded tactics.

In his view, Pei Lin's injury could not possibly be related to the Shen family, so the only possibility is that he was framed.

Pei Lin placed his hand on his forehead. He didn't refute, his tone cold, "That's a possibility, which is why I need to meet with the Shen family. If it really was the Shen family's doing... then it's a pity." He shook his head, looking regretful.

"He must pay for this."

Shen Jicheng asked somewhat nervously, "Then...how do you tell?"

At this point, Pei Lin curled his lips into a smile. "Simple."

"Although that person stabbed me, I pulled off his earring and it fell into the sea."

Shen Jicheng: "?" He hesitated for a moment, "You mean go to the sea to retrieve his dropped earring?" The murderer was wearing an earring? That definitely wasn't someone from the Shen family. No one in his family wore earrings.

No, there is one.

His sister, Shen Qingcheng, but that's even more impossible now.

Pei Lin's eyes held a mixture of helplessness and doting affection. "Silly."

"We can basically confirm this by checking if any members of the Shen family have any injuries on their ears. If not, then I've misunderstood. If they do... then we haven't wronged the Shen family."

Shen Jicheng suddenly realized, "That's good."

I doubt my older brother and the others would refuse to meet, as this would prove the Shen family's innocence and also their own.

Upon hearing Shen Jicheng's words, "That's good," Pei Lin raised an eyebrow slightly, turned to look at Shen Jicheng, and his dark eyes held a probing gaze.

"Hmm? That's good?"

He then turned and joked with a smile.

"What, are you afraid I'll indiscriminately kill innocent people?"

Shen Jicheng chuckled awkwardly, "That's not entirely true..."

Pei Lin reached out and ruffled Shen Jicheng's hair, his tone casual, "If it really was the Shen family who did it, I won't let them get away with it. Of course, if it wasn't the Shen family... I only need to settle my previous scores."

Shen Jicheng: "..."

Thus, Pei Lin instructed Zhang Xu, "Go and contact Young Master Shen, and arrange a meeting this Sunday."

Zhang Xu nodded, "Okay, President Pei."

-

Shen family.

Shen Mingxiao was slightly surprised when he received the call. He hadn't expected Pei Lin to contact him first, even though she hadn't said anything, only asking him to meet with... Shen Jicheng. The details would be discussed in person.

He had a vague guess in his mind that it was probably related to Shen Jicheng, otherwise why would he want to see his brother?

Now that Shen Jicheng is in his hands, and he wants to see "Shen Jicheng" again, it means that Shen Jicheng's identity has not been exposed yet. So it can't be because of this matter. It's for something else... As for something else, what other reason could there be?

A while ago, Pei Lin didn't go to the company for a week, but they couldn't find out why. After thinking about it, they wondered if it was because of this.

see.

Of course I want to see him.

Whether it was for Shen Jicheng's sake or for Pei Lin's past actions against the Shen family, he had to see him.

And so, that very evening.

Shen Mingxiao called Shen Yu'an. These past few days, Shen Yu'an hadn't come to the Shen family home because she was preparing for exams. However, she would call him every night to tell him about her day. He knew Shen Yu'an fairly well.

When Shen Yu'an arrived at the Shen family's old residence, it wasn't too early, around ten o'clock. Everyone else in the Shen family was asleep. Only Shen Mingxiao's room had the light on.

"Knock knock—" There was a knock on the door.

Shen Mingxiao walked over and turned the doorknob.

Upon seeing Shen Yu'an standing at the door, dressed in only a thin beige sweatshirt, her fair face flushed red from the wind, her large, round eyes sparkling, she tilted her head back and called out timidly.

"Big brother..."

Shen Mingxiao frowned and stepped aside, "Why are you dressed so scantily?"

"Come in quickly."

After Shen Yu'an walked in, Shen Mingxiao closed the door.

"Didn't you wear the clothes I bought for you before?" Shen Mingxiao turned around and looked at Shen Yu'an's clothes, which were all his own clothes and obviously not new ones.

As he spoke, he poured him a cup of hot water and handed it to him.

Shen Yu'an took it and obediently sat down in the seat next to him. He turned to face Shen Mingxiao, seemingly hesitant to speak, and finally answered irrelevantly, "I have... lots of clothes..."

Shen Mingxiao frowned, about to ask something, but when his gaze fell on Shen Yu'an's ear, he tightened his brows, "What happened to your ear?"

There was a clear scratch on my ear, like it had been pulled... and it was a bit red and swollen, like it was inflamed.

Shen Yu covered her ears in a panic, "It's okay, big brother. I... I'm fine, don't worry."

However, his explanation only made Shen Mingxiao frown. He then grabbed Shen Yu'an's wrist, trying to forcefully pull him away, but Shen Yu'an gasped.

Shen Mingxiao paused, then directly lifted Shen Yu'an's sleeve, revealing a scarred arm. The crisscrossing blue and purple wounds were a shocking sight. Shen Mingxiao's brows furrowed, and his tone deepened.

"Shen Yu'an, tell me the truth."

Shen Yu'an's eyes flickered. Under Shen Mingxiao's stern gaze, he murmured softly, "There are some thugs outside the school. After they found out I was from the Shen family... they wanted money... so they stopped me, trying to get money from me. At first, I was afraid of making a big fuss, so I gave them money. But later they weren't satisfied and wanted more... so I stopped giving them money."

"Then they attacked me...and stole my things." He lowered his eyes at the end, his voice hoarse, "The clothes my older brother bought for me were all stolen."

"My ear... was also injured by them."

After listening, Shen Mingxiao stared intently at the person in front of him with his deep eyes, his tone becoming even more serious, "Didn't I tell you before that you should tell me promptly if anything happened? Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Without hesitation, he lifted Shen Mingxiao's shirt, revealing a back covered in crisscrossing wounds, not a single unscathed spot. Shen Mingxiao's hands clenched instantly, a rare flash of anger appearing in his eyes.

"That time... at the hotel, because of the medication, I couldn't control myself and upset my brother, so I thought... if I could bear it, I would... I didn't want my brother to worry anymore..."

Shen Mingxiao released his clothes, turned him around, and said seriously,

"I told you, I don't take that incident to heart."

"But you should have told me about this."

After saying that, he immediately took out his phone, ready to make a call, "Leave this to me."

But Shen Yu'an stopped him at that moment.