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

Meanwhile, a low-key yet luxurious black Porsche was driving on North Shore Road. Shen Mingxiao, dressed in a black suit, had stern and deep features, his dark eyes fixed on the road ahead, and his slender fingers on the steering wheel.

"Big brother, you've been driving for so long, let me drive again," Shen Yu'an, who was in the passenger seat, said at this moment.

Shen Mingxiao did not agree. His voice was indifferent. "No need. We'll be there soon."

After saying that, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Shen Jicheng was touching his shoulder. He frowned and asked, "What's wrong? Does your arm still hurt?"

Although I've been applying medicine to Shen Yu'an every day, the injury is still quite severe, and there are still some bruises on her arm.

Shen Yu'an shook her head, pursed her lips, and then said somewhat shyly,

"No, it's a bit cold with the window open, brother."

Seeing that Shen Mingxiao had closed the window, Shen Yu'an picked up a water bottle next to her, took a sip, then capped it, unscrewed another bottle of water, and handed it to Shen Mingxiao.

"Brother, have some water."

Shen Mingxiao was indeed a little thirsty, but he didn't refuse. He reached out and took the drink, then handed it to Shen Yu'an.

...

Pei Lin arrived at the agreed location at exactly 4:50.

He was always punctual and never kept anyone waiting. Of course, he had no patience for waiting either. Standing on the deck of the yacht, the sea breeze, carrying the chill of early winter, rushed into his collar. He glanced at his watch; the hour hand was slowly sliding toward five o'clock.

It was exactly five o'clock. The sea was calm, and the pier was deserted.

Pei Lin's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"President Pei." Jiang Qing strode over from the other end of the cabin, his footsteps echoing on the deck. "We didn't find Young Master Shen's car at the dock, nor any sign of the Shen family. Have we... been tricked?"

Pei Lin did not answer immediately.

He lowered his eyes, tapped the railing lightly with his fingertips, the sea breeze ruffling the hem of his coat. His voice was indifferent. "I know Shen Mingxiao. He's a punctual person. He wouldn't agree to meet and then break his promise." He paused. "Besides, it was him who wanted to see me in the first place."

"Give him another thirty minutes." Pei Lin withdrew his gaze, his tone indifferent. "After thirty minutes, I won't wait any longer."

Jiang Jin replied with a "Yes" and turned to leave.

Pei Lin stood alone at the bow of the ship, his hand resting on the cold metal railing, his gaze fixed on the gray-blue horizon where the sea met the sky in the distance.

The wind grew stronger, carrying with it the distinctive salty smell of the sea. He closed his eyes and pulled his coat tighter around himself.

That night resurfaced without warning.

In his memory, there was always the same dark, bottomless sea, with huge waves crashing against the rocks, and nothing to hold onto. He always tried to ignore it, always forced himself not to think about it, and even came to the seaside again and again, trying to use physical habits to overcome the psychological rift that could never be healed.

Every time he stood on the shore looking at the rolling gray-blue expanse, he could remain expressionless, as if unmoved.

But only he knew that the wound in his heart had never truly healed.

The wind grew colder. Pei Lin stood there for a while, finally turning to return to his cabin, but just as he lifted his foot, Jiang Jin's voice came from the other end of the corridor, his hurried and flustered footsteps preceding his words.

"Master Pei, something terrible has happened!" Jiang Jin rushed to him, panting, and pointed towards the cockpit.

"The autopilot system has been tampered with; the yacht is veering off course and heading in the opposite direction!"

Pei Lin's face suddenly darkened.

He strode into the cockpit. The red warning lights on the instrument panel were flashing wildly, and the autopilot lock light was blindingly bright. He quickly made a few movements on the control panel, but the screen remained unresponsive. The system had been remotely taken over, and all manual commands were disabled.

"Disconnect the autopilot power." Pei Lin's voice was low and cold.

Jiang Jin immediately went to operate the distribution box, and after a moment looked up, "No, it's locked."

Pei Lin stood in front of the control panel, his gaze sweeping over each instrument, his mind racing with calculations. The yacht was deviating from its planned course, heading towards the open sea, its speed slowly increasing.

He raised his hand and pressed the emergency communication button a few times, but there was only a hissing sound from the walkie-talkie, and the communication was cut off.

"Is there a spare rudder on the ship?" Pei Lin asked.

"Yes, in the lower deck."

"Take me there."

The two ran down to the lower deck one after the other. The stairs were narrow and steep, but Pei Lin's steps remained steady. He pushed open the lower deck door, but before he could touch the switch for the spare rudder, a strange noise came from under his feet.

Pei Lin stopped moving.

He looked down. In the dim light, a thin layer of water was seeping in from the cracks in the bulkhead, slowly spreading along the floor's texture, already covering the soles of his shoes. The icy seawater sent a chill through his shoes.

Pei Lin's face darkened completely.

He crouched down, dipped his fingers into the water, and touched the slowly rising surface. The water continued to seep upwards.

Jiang Jin also saw it, and his voice tightened, "...Master Pei, someone has tampered with the bottom of the ship."

Pei Lin straightened up, his gaze falling on the leaking seam in the cabin wall, his fist slowly clenching. He closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them again, the last trace of hesitation in his eyes had completely vanished.

"Abandon ship." He turned and walked up to the upper deck, his steps quick and steady. "Swim back."

Jiang Jin followed behind, hurriedly saying, "Master Pei! It's so cold today, and your injuries have only just healed—"

"There's no other choice." Pei Lin interrupted him, having already taken off his coat and stuffed his phone and wallet into a waterproof bag tied around his waist. He walked to the ship's railing, glanced down at the gray-black sea below, where waves surged and rolled unseen.

His dark eyes darkened slightly, and then he jumped into the sea without hesitation.

"Master Pei—!" Jiang Jin jumped down from behind.

The moment he entered the water, seawater rushed into his nose and ears. The icy water trickled down his forehead and into his eyes, stinging painfully. The wind swept across the sea, carrying the sound of the surging waves.

In his memory, he had once swum tirelessly like this, in the same biting cold. He searched and searched, calling out tirelessly, but he could not change anything.

"Mother..." Pei Lin murmured in a low, hoarse voice.

When seawater enters the mouth, it only tastes fishy and salty.

He was somewhat disoriented about his current situation, as if he had returned to that night of rising tide.

He hysterically shouted for the only person who loved him on the beach, tirelessly going into the sea to search again and again, but in the end he found nothing and his body was never recovered.

Fate cruelly took away the person who brought him warmth.

He seemed to hear someone calling his name. He turned his head, and the seawater that had filled his ear rushed out, and the voice suddenly became clear.

"Ah Lin." A gentle voice drifted on the wind.