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

The other person was silent for two seconds, then smiled and answered with a hint of amusement in their tone, "Yes, that's me."

Shen Mingxiao felt those hands rise again, the cool fingertips gently resting on the side of his neck. The voice, now distorted, drew closer, its misty breath brushing against the skin behind his ear.

"How about it? Want to consider becoming the proprietress of Yuanyue?"

Shen Mingxiao's brows furrowed even more.

His head tilted more, and his jawline formed a sharp, hard curve.

The rejection in that gesture was so obvious that the other person clearly sensed it. Their fingers stiffened slightly for a moment, then pressed down with a hint of defiance, grabbing his chin and forcing him to turn his face.

Then something warm touched his lips.

Very brief. A fleeting touch.

Shen Mingxiao's lips pressed into a straight line, the skin around his eyes covered by the ribbon tightened slightly, and his whole aura turned cold.

"roll."

The other party stepped back a bit, but didn't seem to have been scared away.

Shen Mingxiao heard him lick his lips, the sound coming through the voice changer with a faint electrical buzzing, "It tastes really good."

Shen Mingxiao clenched his fists.

"However, we can make a deal," the man continued unhurriedly, his tone regaining its usual confident ease.

"You must come to the full moon every night for a week. After a week, I will return your brother to you in his entirety."

"If you don't come..."

"For every day you miss a day, I'll whip your brother that many times."

Shen Mingxiao's breath hitched. He faced the direction from which the voice came, and even though he couldn't see it, the oppressive feeling was still very real. "You're going against the Shen family."

"How could that be?" The voice laughed. "Yuanyue wants to be friends with the Shen family. The condition is that you have to cooperate."

The air was still for a few seconds.

Shen Mingxiao didn't answer, and the other person didn't press further. He simply stood up and retreated towards the door. He paused at the door, as if remembering something, and turned back.

"By the way, I've arranged for someone to untie the ropes on your wrists. The car keys are in your pocket; you should know the way back."

The door was pulled open, and a gust of wind swept in from the corridor, lifting a few strands of hair that were hanging down Shen Mingxiao's forehead.

The voice behind the voice changer added with a hint of amusement.

"See you tomorrow, my dear young master Shen."

After the door closed, a staff member hurriedly stepped forward, leaned close to the man's ear, and whispered something.

"Boss, something's happened at sea. Someone's tampered with the yacht and it's taking on water."

-

Shen Jicheng was restless in the villa in Beishan.

It was completely dark. Pei Lin had said they'd meet at five o'clock, and that time was well past, yet he hadn't even made a single phone call. He couldn't make any calls either to Pei Lin or to Jiang Jin, which he had Zhang Xu call; neither went through.

He couldn't help but worry. Could it be that his guess in the afternoon was wrong, and that the Shen family was really going to take action against Pei Lin?

The more he thought about it, the more chaotic and random thoughts arose. Shen Jicheng even began to wonder if Pei Lin knew something—that he knew about the amulet, his identity, and the little schemes he and Pei Shuli had conspired against, which was why he was deliberately not coming back.

The moment the thought crossed his mind, he cursed himself inwardly.

impossible.

If he had known, he would have come back and thrown himself into the sea to feed the sharks.

But what if something happens to Pei Lin?

Once that thought popped into his head, Shen Jicheng could no longer sit still.

He turned and ran outside. Just as he reached the gate of the yard, headlights shone in from outside.

Two beams of warm white light pierced the night, followed by a familiar low hum of an engine, exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

Shen Jicheng's feet suddenly froze on the spot, his eyes fixed on the black sedan that was driving into the courtyard.

The car door opened.

As soon as Pei Lin got out of the car, Shen Jicheng rushed towards him, running quickly and hurriedly. He bumped straight into Pei Lin's arms, his forehead pressed against the front of Pei Lin's coat, his face sullen, and he wouldn't even lift his head.

"Why did it take you so long to get back?" The voice was muffled, buried in his chest, carrying an undisguised complaint, but the last syllable trembled slightly, and even he himself was unaware of the worry that he couldn't hide.

Pei Lin's body swayed slightly from the impact, but he quickly regained his balance.

He didn't push Shen Jicheng away; instead, his arms naturally pulled him into a tight embrace. After a few seconds, he spoke, his voice lower than usual, "There was traffic on the way, so I got back late. Don't worry."

Shen Jicheng buried his face in his chest and took two deep breaths.

There was no smell of blood or medicine on the coat, and his heart was half relieved. But he was still worried, so he looked up, took a half step back, and tugged at Pei Lin's sleeve, examining him carefully from head to toe.

Shen Jicheng's gaze slid from his shoulder to his waist and abdomen. Pei Lin was not annoyed by being looked up and down like this. He just stood quietly and let him examine him, with only endless tenderness in his eyes.

Shen Jicheng carefully examined him twice, confirming there were no other injuries, before finally letting out a sigh of relief and releasing his grip on his clothes.

"...How did the talks with the Shen family go?"

Pei Lin lowered his eyes, reached out and gently rubbed the back of his head. "Let's go inside and talk."

The two entered the living room one after the other.

Pei Lin sat down on the sofa and then spoke, "I waited for about half an hour, but no one from the Shen family came. They stood me up."

Shen Jicheng's eyes widened. "Breaking the promise? How could that be..."

As soon as he finished speaking, Pei Lin glanced in his direction. Shen Jicheng immediately bit his lip. "What I mean is, the Shen family clearly agreed, so why would they break their promise? If they were going to break their promise... they shouldn't have agreed in the first place."

Pei Lin's eyes held little emotion as he lowered them. "There's something wrong with that yacht."

"Did the Shen family do this?" Shen Jicheng blurted out. He kept his tone relatively steady, but his fingers hanging at his sides were already curled up, his nails digging into his palms.

It was impossible not to be nervous. He couldn't believe his older brother would do such a thing, but all the clues pointed to the Shen family.

Why has my elder brother disappeared? Was Pei Lin's injury last time really caused by the Shen family?

Otherwise, he simply couldn't understand why this situation had arisen.

Pei Lin paused for two seconds, holding the water glass, his gaze returning to the slightly rippling surface of the water. Then he shook his head.

"It's not certain yet."

He put down his cup, looked up at Shen Jicheng, and spoke in a calm and gentle tone.

"Don't overthink it. I'll investigate this matter thoroughly. I have some things to discuss with Chu Haonan tonight, so you should go and rest. Don't wait for me."

Shen Jicheng opened his mouth, the words swirling around in his throat. He wanted to say he would stay with him, and he also wanted to ask what had happened to him today, but the faint weariness between Pei Lin's brows caught his eye, and all his questions stuck in his throat, replaced by a nod.

"...Okay." Shen Jicheng stood up, took a couple of steps, then turned back and said, "Then you should get some rest too."

Pei Lin's lips curved slightly. "Okay. Go to sleep."