Bzzzz
The phone vibrated rhythmically, dragging Bai Mao out of another nightmare.
He rolled over with a frown on his delicate brows. A pale, slender arm reached out from under the quilt, fingers fumbling across the nightstand for quite a while before finally catching hold of the phone.
“Hello?” His voice, usually clear and pleasant, was now hoarse from sleep.
“Xiao Bai? It’s already this late, and you’re still in bed? That welcome banquet last night, surely it didn’t go on until dawn, right?” His agent teased on the other end.
“Or is it that the Bai family’s beds are different? Even someone as self-disciplined as you is sleeping in. So? Soft? Comfortable?”
Bai Mao yawned: “It’s alright.”
He slowly drew his cold arm back under the blanket. Winter in North City was brutally harsh.
It was only November, and the temperature had already dropped below zero.
Propping himself up, he swept a glance around the vast, empty guest room. His gaze fell on the heater, where a red light was flashing, broken, no longer producing warmth. With a careless thump, he collapsed back onto the bed and muttered lazily:
“No different from some trashy hotel.”
A month ago, Bai Mao had joined a livestreamed talent show.
Thanks to his striking looks, he gathered a wave of fans, stirred up a little popularity, and caught the Bai family’s attention.
They came knocking at his door, claiming he was their long-lost son who had been missing for eighteen years.
He hadn’t believed them until the DNA test results came back.
“Hey, don’t say that. A rich family’s house is still different from a hotel. You’re a rich second-generation now. The Bai family’s loaded! You won’t have to worry about eating your next meal or scrounging for rent money anymore. You can even pay back debts. By the way, what did your parents say? Did they hug you, weep with joy, tell you how much you’ve suffered and beg you to hurry back to inherit the family fortune? Hahahaha.”
The agent was still prattling away with mockery in his voice, but Bai Mao hardly listened.
Lying on his side, he heard the word parents and his long lashes trembled like crow feathers. His thin shoulders and the curve of his protruding shoulder blades made him look even more fragile.
This was already the third night he had suffered the same “nightmare.”
Each night, the exact same dream replayed: frame by frame flashing across his mind. And because the dream always started the same way as his real life, Bai Mao could no longer dismiss it as imagination.
He had to admit, what he dreamed might actually be true.
This world was a harem-style BL novel.
The novel’s protagonist was Bai Sheng, the adopted son who had lived in his place for eighteen years.
As the “chosen child,” Bai Sheng carried the aura of a protagonist. He was talented, exceptional, the shining pride of the Bai family. To protect him, the Bai family blurred the truth of his birth. No one knew he was adopted; everyone assumed he was their biological son.
And everyone loved him.
Except for the occasional jealous villains. Every named character in the book, no matter how powerful or important, fell under the spell of his gentleness and kindness.
And then Bai Mao appeared.
A sudden intruder. An “enemy” who dared to snatch away Bai Sheng’s spotlight and affection.
He was the most hated villain in the story.
Now, thinking it over, Bai Mao realized he really was redundant. Unwanted.
For example, though the Bai family had only “found” him a month ago, and even though the DNA test proved he was their real son who had been lost for eighteen years
Last night when they finally brought him home, they gave him a half-cleaned guest room. A room where the heater didn’t even work.
As for the room that should have been his, Bai Sheng still lived in it.
Another example, during this whole month, every time he met his parents or his elder brother, their attitude toward him was cold, distant. They scrutinized his every action only to criticize him, to show their disapproval.
Whenever they looked at him, he could see it in their eyes: They were comparing him to Bai Sheng. And each comparison only confirmed their belief that Bai Sheng was the valuable one.
Bai Mao clicked his tongue.
If the dream’s development really mirrored reality, then after this month-long “observation,” the Bai family would soon declare him unworthy.
They would ship him off to the Yu family, where he would serve as Bai Sheng’s substitute.
No! Just a plaything at the side of the Yu family’s youngest son.
But a substitute would always be a substitute! Never cherished.
The Yu family’s young master would look down on him, and in casual conversation, even “share” him with his friends to play with.
No normal person could endure such a life.
Within two years, Bai Mao would collapse, broken and mad, and be sent to a mental hospital. One year later, he would die from taking the wrong medication.
A toy?
A mental hospital?
That was it? That was supposed to be his life’s end?
Bai Mao let out a short laugh.
Curling himself into a ball under the quilt with the help of his foot, he asked, “Dongming-ge, do I have a commercial shoot today?”
“Yes,” replied Xu Dongming, his agent.
“I’m heading to the Bai house right now. You tidy yourself up, grab some breakfast, and wait for me. Oh, and don’t forget to let your parents know about your schedule. You haven’t seen them in eighteen years, so of course it feels distant. Relationships take time to build. Don’t be afraid…”
“Got it,” Bai Mao cut in casually.
Relationships? Under Bai Sheng’s blinding halo, no relationship could ever be built.
Expecting the Bai family to suddenly grow a conscience and treat him well? Hah. Better to put that hope into charity donations like those Project Hope programs funding poor kids to go to school. At least then he might get a heartfelt “thank you.”
Just like that “long-legged uncle” who once sponsored him.
After washing up, Bai Mao went downstairs.
Chen Ayi, the housekeeper who had worked in the Bai family for over a decade, was sitting on the sofa watching TV. When she saw him, she stood up politely. Her tone was mild enough:
“Good morning, Young Master Bai Mao.”
Adjusting his scarf, Bai Mao asked, “Morning. Where are they?”
Hearing that he hadn’t addressed them as Father, Mother, or Brother, Chen Ayi’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly. Still, she explained:
“Master, Madam, and the two young masters are in the dining room right now. Since today is your first morning here, we didn’t know what time you’d wake, what you’d like to eat, or what you might avoid. So breakfast wasn’t prepared for you… Shall I go make something now?”
Bai Mao’s hand paused on his scarf. Then he chuckled.
Just because they didn’t know his preferences they decided not to make him anything at all?
What kind of bizarre logic was that?
But he understood. To survive so long in the Bai household, Chen Ayi clearly had sharp instincts. The way the Bai family treated Bai Mao was the way she would treat him.
And clearly, her little move hadn’t drawn any objections from the Bai family.
Whether it was genuine neglect, indifference, or a deliberate attempt to put him in his place
Bai Mao didn’t bother guessing. Nor did he care.
“No need,” he said lightly. “Let the family enjoy their meal together.”
Chen Ayi smiled: “Alright. If you get hungry, just tell me anytime.”
Her hands remained still. She hadn’t moved to cook before, and now, hearing his words, she was even more relieved. But when she saw Bai Mao heading toward the door, she suddenly remembered the instructions she had been given earlier.
Hurrying forward, she blocked his path and deliberately raised her voice:
“Young Master Bai Mao, Master instructed earlier, you are not to leave the house.”
Bai Mao froze.
Not allowed to go out?
House arrest?
“First day back, and this is the grand gift you give me?”
His expression turned cold in an instant.
“Move.”
Chen Ayi didn’t dare let him pass.
She gave an awkward little smile, waving her hand as if brushing off his words, “Second Young Master Bai, what are you saying? No, no, nothing like that. It’s just that tonight is a bit special. I’m getting on in years, don’t make things difficult for me.”
Bai Mao’s mood instantly soured.
So this is what the Bai family had come to? Pulling tricks without shame just to reach their goal?
According to the dream’s plot, tonight, he was supposed to be taken to the Yu family’s young master’s birthday banquet where he’d be paraded in front of the little heir Yu Wantian, like some pet to be “inspected.”
Naturally, Bai Mao had zero intention of following the script. He had already planned to shoot his commercial and then not come back at all.
But the Bai family, apparently, had gone even further, they’d locked him in.
“Bai Mao.”
A cold, deep voice suddenly sounded from behind him. Bai Mao turned his head and saw his oh-so-perfect elder brother stepping out of the dining room.
This elder brother was Bai Jing, the Bai family’s heir apparent. Barely out of his teens, yet already following their father into the company, learning to run things.
He was the one who doted on Bai Sheng the most and when he’d found out Bai Sheng wasn’t actually related to them by blood, he’d even had some secret, unmentionable thoughts.
Too bad Bai Sheng only ever treated him with pure brotherly affection.
To put it simply: another character whose backside was firmly planted in Bai Sheng’s camp.
Bai Mao lifted his eyelids lazily and said nothing.
“What? You see me and don’t know how to greet me? Not even a ‘Brother’?”
Bai Jing’s expression was cool, his tone laced with judgment, “No manners.”
Manners?
Locking him up was the Bai family’s idea of manners?
Bai Mao was about to retort when his phone buzzed in his pocket, his agent Xu Dongming, no doubt urging him about the commercial.
At the same time, Bai Jing spoke again.
“You’re not going out today.”
He said it unhurriedly, adjusting his cufflinks with an air of leisure, “After last night’s banquet, word has already spread through the circle, the Bai family’s long-lost young master has been found. Tonight there’s another important banquet. If you don’t attend, tongues will wag, and it won’t be good for your own position either. So today, you’ll stay home, change into something appropriate, try on a suit. Tonight, you’ll come with me and meet people properly.”
On the surface, it all sounded so reasonable. If Bai Mao hadn’t already known the Bai family’s true intention, he might have been fooled.
He needed to get out quickly, but he knew brute force wouldn’t work. If he could get this guy’s consent.
A thought flickered across Bai Mao’s mind, and suddenly his whole aura shifted.
In the original story, Bai Jing adored it whenever Bai Sheng softened his voice, eyes shimmering with tears, calling “Brother” in a pitiful, heart-tugging way. Whenever that happened, Bai Jing would agree to anything.
Maybe that was his weakness.
Bai Mao discreetly pinched himself to summon tears, then stepped closer. His eyes glistened like autumn water, rippling with unspoken grievance. His voice trembled as he whispered:
“Brother…”
That single word made Bai Jing’s hand still in mid-motion. He looked over.
There was no denying it, Bai Mao had inherited the Bai family’s flawless genes. His features had sharpened into striking beauty, the kind that was all the rage in the entertainment industry.
Strong, defined lines; dark brows drawn together; lashes fluttering over eyes so luminous they seemed ready to spill tears any second.
Fingers interlaced before his chest, Bai Mao put on his best pleading face:
“Brother, I have a commercial to film today. This chance is really, really important to me. I promise I won’t delay the banquet tonight… ”
His voice softened, honey-sweet and coaxing:
“Brother, please let me go. Just this once? Please?”
The sound was gentle, clear, almost musical. His gaze locked on Bai Jing, as though his entire world could only be saved by this one man.
That wholehearted look made Bai Jing’s heart skip despite himself. If the boy really could be back by evening, filming just a commercial shouldn’t be a big deal…
But the thought had barely circled once in his head when,“Brother!”
A crisp, cheerful voice rang from the dining room doorway. Bai Jing turned.
There stood Bai Sheng, clinging to the doorframe, his eyes shining brightly:
“Brother, I need to tell you something! My classmates asked me to go to the amusement park today, half the class will be there! This outing is super, super important to me. I promise I won’t miss the banquet tonight… ”
Hands clasped before his chest, he put on the same pleading puppy-dog look, “Brother, please let me go? Just this once?”
Bai Jing’s expression was still cool, but if one looked closely, there was the faintest trace of softness, “What did Dad say?”
“Dad told me to ask you! As long as you agree, I can go. Brother…”
And there it was, the exact same pose Bai Mao had just struck.
“…Alright, alright.”
This time Bai Jing’s tone carried a warmth that had never been offered to Bai Mao. “If Shengsheng wants to go, how could Brother refuse? Just make sure to stay safe.”
“Yay! You’re the best, Brother! I love you!”
Bai Sheng whooped in delight.
Then, glancing toward Bai Mao, Bai Jing’s face chilled once more.
“Bai Mao. Watch your words and actions. You may have just returned, but as the Bai family’s second son, you must carry yourself with dignity. This pitiful, spoiled look who are you putting on a show for? I don’t want to see it again. Don’t shame our Bai family.”
His brows furrowed. “As for the commercial, tonight’s banquet is truly important. You’d best stay at home obediently.”
And with that, Bai Jing strode off without waiting for a reply. As he passed Bai Sheng, he ruffled his hair with big-brotherly indulgence, scolding gently:
“Shengsheng, I saw your breakfast wasn’t finished.”
“…I’m full, I don’t want any more. Brother, you eat it for me.”
Bai Sheng tugged at his sleeve with a giggle, then darted a curious glance at Bai Mao. But before he could even say hello, Bai Jing had already ushered him back into the dining room.
…
Bai Mao stood frozen, dumbfounded. Then he rolled his eyes so hard they nearly fell out.
Oh, so when Bai Sheng batted his lashes and acted cutesy, it was fine. Say the exact same words, same pose, and suddenly it was adorable, worthy of indulgence.
But when did Bai Mao it? Unacceptable. Shameless. Disgraceful.
Got it. Double standards, right here in my own house.
Bai Mao seethed inwardly, muttering in his head: So it’s true. With protagonist halo protection, Bai Sheng can never be wrong. As for me? Even my acting cute isn’t worth a dime.
He glanced back, sure enough, Aunt Chen was still stationed firmly at the main door, guard-dog mode fully activated.
“Young Master Bai.”
Their eyes met. She smiled politely.
“Why don’t you head upstairs and wait? The styling team will be here soon.”
Bai Mao shrugged,“Fine. Oh, by the way, the Heater’s broken. Remember to call someone to fix it.”
“Alright.”
Without hesitation, Bai Mao headed upstairs.
Aunt Chen, thinking he’d finally resigned himself, relaxed. After reporting to the family still eating inside, she happily went back to her TV drama.
In his room, Bai Mao’s stomach growled. Loudly. Hungry.
He pulled out his phone.
【To Dongming-ge: You in the neighborhood yet? Get me a jianbing guozi. Extra egg, extra sausage.】
Message sent, Bai Mao walked over to the window.
The Bai family villa had been built “for aesthetics” meaning no security bars. Slipping out was child’s play.
He looked down. Second floor. Not too high, but jumping straight down could mean a broken leg.
So he yanked the sheets off the bed, twisted them into a rope, tied a firm knot to the bedframe, and dangled it out the window. Testing the length, he grinned, grabbed hold, and swung himself out.
One careful slide, two
Feet hit the ground with a solid thud.
Safe landing!
Bai Mao’s eyes curved into crescents.
“Hah! I really am a genius.”
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Cresvynia
[Translator]
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Next →
ChaptersChapter 1 · A Nightmare or Reality?Chapter 2 · Yu family’s BanquetChapter 3 · I know your Secret..Chapter 4 · Becoming A Stand-InChapter 5 · Real IntentionChapter 6 · Yu XiangchenChapter 7 · Moved into new houseChapter 8 · Why he’s so perfect?!Chapter 9 · Role stolenChapter 10 · Four Times a WeekChapter 11 · Wrong Message?Chapter 12 · Flower protectorChapter 13 · Study MaterialChapter 14 Part 1 · I don’t have that kind of worldly desireChapter 14 Part 2 · I don’t have that kind of worldly desireChapter 15 · Four thousand yuan has arrived in AlipayChapter 16 · In the River?Chapter 17 · Boss like him, People would ready to do OvertimeChapter 18 · Does Mr. Yu have two faces?!Chapter 19 · Now we can begin to express our gratitude.Chapter 20 · Split Personality!Chapter 21 · Mr. Yu is busy and may not have time to comeChapter 22 · Call duration: 0:12Chapter 23 · He’s not Worth itChapter 24 · Mr Yu on film setChapter 25 · You can consider me if you decided to leave Mr. YuChapter 26 · Big Sister has unique hobbyChapter 27 · Really? I’m actually the young master of the Bai family?Chapter 28 · Bai Sheng is Pitiful?Chapter 29 · Someone took a picture of themChapter 30 · Your little one is hereChapter 31 · Mr. Yu asked me if I had a stiff neckChapter 32 · The little lucky butterfly’s wings flutteredChapter 33 · Mr. Yu, you came here just once at the beginningChapter 34 · The door wasn’t lockedChapter 35 · You’re an adult nowChapter 36 · Are rooms still available by scrambling?Chapter 37 · I’m definitely going to watch this variety show!Chapter 38 · Who asked Bai Sheng for money to support Bai Mao?Chapter 39 · How many zeros are there?Chapter 40 · You have to be careful with your methodsChapter 41 · Let’s get MarriedChapter 42 · I’m obviously just coveting your body!Chapter 43 · Does what we’re doing count as Sneaking?Chapter 44 · You want to change rooms?Chapter 45 · Isn’t Bai Sheng’s scheming way too deep?Chapter 46 · Mr. Yu in front of me has become calm and composedChapter 47 · You care a lot about Yu Yutian?Chapter 48 · Bai Sheng has found someoneChapter 49 · How to fall in loveChapter 50 · Uncle Long LegsChapter 51 · Bai Mao, I’m a little scaredChapter 52 · I simply told them the truthChapter 53 · That was far too mercilessChapter 54 · Your fans mention it in your fan forumChapter 55 · In your dreamsChapter 56 · Hello, UncleChapter 57 · Verified account had repliedChapter 58 · Maomao, you don’t need to be afraid of themChapter 59 · What a headacheChapter 60 · It’s a bit… tragicChapter 61 · I’m waiting for you at homeChapter 62 · That’s just too much!Chapter 63 · Is this watch really that expensive?Chapter 64 · Tian CityChapter 65 · They’re easy to get along with.Chapter 66 · Want to have a relationship with marriage in mind?Chapter 67 · Is this the joy of being someone’s “little uncle”?Chapter 68 · Has the protagonist finally figured it out?Chapter 69 · I miss youChapter 70 · That whole family is something else.Chapter 71 · Then comfort meChapter 72 · What about sincerity?Chapter 73 · There’s also 10% of the company’s sharesChapter 74 · So called conservativeChapter 75 · I thought you’d be walking with a limpChapter 76 · They’ve been brainwashedChapter 77 · We got marriedChapter 78 · CongratulationsChapter 79 · You already knew it was me?Chapter 80 · You look very good in a shirtChapter 81 · Did you used to like Bai Sheng?Chapter 82 · I never liked himChapter 83 · Uncle is super niceChapter 84 · Extra 1Chapter 85 · Extra 2Chapter 86 · Extra 3