Naxi State.
In the top-floor office of the casino, heavy soundproof doors completely cut off the clamor from outside.
“Master Bai, I won’t do it again! I’ll definitely pay back my gambling debts, just give me three more days.” The person kneeling on the floor was covered in blood.
The man standing before him was 190 centimeters tall, with well-groomed short blond hair and a pair of deep sea-blue eyes that were calm and restrained.
He leaned against the desk, slowly sipping coffee, while two burly bodyguards stood beside him.
Bai Yanzhou, twenty-five years old, was born into a Mafia family and was the sole heir to the Bai family.
“Shu’an.” Bai Yanzhou slowly set down his coffee cup.
Lu Shu’an was primarily responsible for managing the casino. The two had grown up together; he was steady and efficient.
“Master Bai, Master Bai… mmph…”
The man had been given chances before, but he was incorrigible. A few days ago, under the guise of an internship, he had lured recently graduated college students onto a ship. Two of the students, unable to endure the humiliation, had jumped into the sea.
“…”
After the matter was handled, Lu Shu’an wiped the blood from the back of his hand. “Master Bai, the Madam sent word for you to return.”
Bai Yanzhou lowered his eyes. It seemed some things could no longer go unresolved.
The Bai family’s ancestral home was located in the southeast. The mountain road required a thirty-minute drive, and the path was lined with armed guards.
As Lu Shu’an drove, Bai Yanzhou closed his eyes to rest.
“Brother Bai, why don’t you just tell the Madam the truth? It’ll save her from getting so worked up.” Lu Shu’an glanced through the rearview mirror.
Bai Yanzhou slowly opened his eyes. “Do you want to watch me take a bullet?”
“…”
Upon arriving at the Bai estate, the guard stationed at the entrance stepped forward to open the car door. “Young Master, the Madam is waiting for you in the main courtyard.”
The wooden gates made a heavy sound as they opened. Bai Yanzhou’s face was cold; what was bound to come would finally arrive.
Inside the courtyard, the path was paved with bluestone, decorated in an antique style. A nearby welcoming pine tree was already a century old.
Bai Miaomiao was wearing a cheongsam with a black suit jacket draped over her shoulders. She fanned herself with a round silk fan left behind by her mother as she sat on a rosewood chair in the courtyard. When she saw Bai Yanzhou approach, she furrowed her brows.
Her wonderful son had suddenly brought a child home this year, claiming it was his own flesh and blood from an affair. When asked who the mother was, he stubbornly refused to say a word, and even resorting to family discipline had been useless.
“Madam, good afternoon,” Lu Shu’an bowed, greeting her politely.
Bai Miaomiao looked at Bai Yanzhou. Seeing his grim expression—as if she were the one who owed him money—made her blood boil. “Still refusing to speak?”
A maid brought over a chair, and Bai Yanzhou sat down in a leisurely manner. Some things could be said, while others could not.
“You’re twenty-five this year. How can you be so reckless!” Bai Miaomiao had a weak heart; fortunately, she had taken her medicine in advance, or she would have surely fainted from anger.
Lu Shu’an and the other man didn’t even dare to breathe loudly.
Bai Yanzhou looked up, his brow arching. “How was I reckless?”
Bai Miaomiao threw the fan in her hand directly at Bai Yanzhou’s face. “I’m giving you one month to bring the child’s mother back. Since you did the deed, you must take responsibility for her—whether she wants it or not is another matter.”
“I can’t bring her back,” Bai Yanzhou said, naturally crossing his legs. His father had nearly beaten him to death over this; since he had already endured the punishment, he certainly wasn’t going to talk now.
Bai Miaomiao clutched her chest. “I’m truly going to be infuriated to death by you.” She had nearly lost her life to have this child.
He was so cute when he was little, but he grew up to be such a rascal.
Lu Shu’an leaned down to pick up the fan. “Madam, it’s not worth ruining your health over. Since Brother Bai doesn’t want to say, don’t force him.”
“You’re obedient, you tell me,” Bai Miaomiao said, looking up at Lu Shu’an.
He and Bai Yanzhou had grown up as close as brothers; if anything happened to Bai Yanzhou, he was the first to know.
Lu Shu’an bowed with an apologetic look. He would never betray his brother.
Bai Yanzhou lowered his deep eyes, making his sharp features appear even more defined. “Mom, you said you wanted a grandchild. I gave you one.”
“In one month, I want to see the mother. Also, your sister is reporting for her freshman orientation tomorrow; go pick her up.” Bai Miaomiao stared at Bai Yanzhou. “Don’t push me over the edge!”
Bai Yanzhou knew his mother was issuing an ultimatum. He had to find a way to smooth this over.
Lu Shu’an turned away, his shoulders trembling slightly. The thought of that “little ancestor” coming… she was the only one who could handle Bai Yanzhou.
Bai Yanzhou’s father, Si Xiang, had been adopted by the chairman of the Pei Group, Pei Xiuyan, at the age of ten and renamed Pei Kaixin. Pei Xiuyan also had a biological son, Pei Lan.
The girl he was about to pick up was the daughter of his uncle Pei Lan: Pei Wanyou. The two were siblings in name, but they shared no blood relation at all.
Bai Miaomiao was still a bit uneasy. Her son was cruel and violent; no matter how many times she tried to manage him, he never listened.
When he could easily throw someone into the sea to feed the sharks, he insisted on chopping off their legs first. It was simply unbearable to watch.
“Don’t you dare bully Youyou, or I’ll never hear the end of it with you. I’m not joking.” Bai Miaomiao adjusted her glasses.
Aside from her husband’s connection, Youyou was the daughter of her best friend. She loved the girl like her own daughter, doting on her so much she feared even a slight bump or scratch.
Bai Yanzhou stood up, supporting himself on the armrests. “If you’re so worried, go yourself.”
“…”
Pei Wanyou lay on a private jet, wearing comfortable bear pajamas and a silk eye mask. Her beautiful eyes were misty; it seemed she had just woken up.
“Miss, the plane is about to land,” a maid whispered beside her.
Pei Wanyou yawned. She wanted to live in the dorms, but her uncle and aunt were worried and insisted she live at home. The thought of seeing Bai Yanzhou made her feel restless.
“Miss, would you like to change your clothes?” the maid asked.
Pei Wanyou shook her head. It depended on who she was seeing; if it was Bai Yanzhou, there was no need.
Bai Yanzhou was already waiting with his men. In fact, they had only been apart for a few days—less than half a month.
Just as he was becoming impatient, Lu Shu’an reminded him that she had arrived.
Pei Wanyou was a very picky eater, so she was less than 160 centimeters tall. Her long black hair draped over her back, making her look quite small.
Bai Yanzhou stood up. With his 190-centimeter height and short blond hair, it was hard to ignore him.
“Brother Bai, long time no see. I missed you.” After saying this, Pei Wanyou opened her arms with an enthusiastic expression.
Bai Yanzhou pulled her directly into his arms.
Pei Wanyou tilted her head up, her youthful face wearing a heartwarming smile. Her hand reached behind his back and gave his waist a sharp pinch. “I got into your dream school. Praise me.”
She was intentionally trying to annoy Bai Yanzhou. He had wanted to go to Aster University but failed to get in by only three points.
Bai Yanzhou felt a sharp pain in his waist, and his eyes darkened. “I haven’t seen you in half a month, but it seems my sister has grown taller.”
“…”
Was there any difference between that and kicking a cripple’s good leg?
To others, it looked like a scene of deep sibling affection, but in Lu Shu’an’s eyes, it was a miracle they hadn’t started fighting.
After getting into the car, Bai Yanzhou drove personally. Pei Wanyou sat in the passenger seat, chatting with her friends on her phone.
“Why did you only tell me the child was born after the fact?” Now that no one else was around, Bai Yanzhou stopped pretending.
Pei Wanyou put down her phone and looked at him. “You were the one who got drunk. Due to my health, if I had aborted that child, I might never have been able to have another. I like children. What’s wrong with me giving birth?”
Bai Yanzhou’s brow furrowed. Aside from his elders, Pei Wanyou was the only one who dared to speak to him like that. She had never been afraid of him since they were young.
“You don’t think I did it on purpose, do you? If I had screamed back then, with the whole family present, how would we have ended the situation?”
Bai Yanzhou couldn’t win an argument against her, and his face grew even more somber.
Pei Wanyou rubbed her stomach. “My postpartum month isn’t even over yet, and school is starting.”
“My parents want me to bring the child’s mother home and take responsibility,” Bai Yanzhou said, glancing at her while waiting at a red light.
Pei Wanyou tapped on her phone. “Don’t bother. What’s our relationship? Besides, I would never marry you.”
Bai Yanzhou’s personality was too terrible. When others said “I’ll kill you,” they were usually joking, but he actually meant it.
She liked mature and steady men, preferably the refined and scholarly type, not someone like Bai Yanzhou who lost his temper if two sentences didn’t go his way.
“Better that way,” Bai Yanzhou said, gripping the steering wheel tightly.
If his parents found out that he had gotten drunk and ruined their precious darling, spending half his life in a hospital bed would be considered a light punishment.
Crucially, if Pei Wanyou’s parents found out he had not only ruined her but that she had given birth to a child, it would be the end of the world.
Their identities were also extremely awkward; in the eyes of outsiders, they were brother and sister.
“I want ice cream.” Pei Wanyou hadn’t eaten anything cold in half a month. Having just woken up, she felt a restless heat in her chest.
Bai Yanzhou turned to the passenger seat. “Didn’t you just say your postpartum month isn’t over? You’re eating ice cream now?”
“What’s it to you?” Pei Wanyou’s face immediately fell. While she was lying in the hospital, he had simply sent someone to pick up the child without even glancing at her.
The two bickered all the way back to the Bai residence. As for the ice cream, she could eat it in her dreams tonight.
Bai Miaomiao had an important meeting, and since Pei Wanyou wasn’t an outsider, she left word for the butler to prepare her favorite dishes and then left.
After getting out of the car, Pei Wanyou saw Lu Shu’an moving her suitcases. “Brother, there are very important things in there. Can you help me bring them to my room?”
She was intentionally ordering him around.
Bai Yanzhou had no choice. This was the Bai household; he had to listen. He walked over to Lu Shu’an and whispered, “I can’t go out today. Take care of things for me.”
He had a dinner meeting tonight, but since Pei Wanyou had arrived, he couldn’t leave.
“Brother Bai, about the child, I think you should really think it through.” Lu Shu’an felt that something this big couldn’t be kept secret forever.
The thought of the situation depressed Bai Yanzhou. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. “Don’t talk nonsense.”
Lu Shu’an fell silent. “Why didn’t I have any reaction when I drank?”
Bai Yanzhou took the suitcase. “If you don’t need your tongue, you can donate it.”
Lu Shu’an looked at Pei Wanyou. He had never seen a face more beautiful than hers. Bai Yanzhou was a man of lust but refused to admit it.
Pei Wanyou had grown up in the Bai household; being here was no different from being home. She lay on the wooden sofa, remote in hand, covered by a thin blanket. “Help me get an ice cream, thanks.”
“Are you really going to make a scene?” Bai Yanzhou looked at the nearby butler. “Throw away all the cold drinks and ice cream in the house.”
Pei Wanyou lay there, her whole body feeling uncomfortable. “I want ice cream!”
The butler looked conflicted. These two little ancestors were at it again.
Bai Yanzhou walked over with a dark face. Seeing this, Pei Wanyou tried to hide further into the sofa, but he picked her up anyway.
“Let me go!” He smelled of tobacco, which she didn’t particularly like.
Smack—
Bai Yanzhou’s large hand fell hard on Pei Wanyou’s bottom. He couldn’t out-argue her, so he relied on his physical strength.
Pei Wanyou was wearing thin pajamas. After being struck a few times, tears of pain began to fall.
The butler and maids stepped forward but didn’t dare to stop him. The Young Master’s temper always responded to soft words, never to force.
Lu Shu’an poured himself a glass of water, watching the scene with interest.
This matter was actually easy to solve. As long as Bai Yanzhou coaxed Pei Wanyou into registering their marriage, they could then tell both sets of parents that they were truly in love and had a baby after “tasting the forbidden fruit.”
Even if the elders were unhappy, what could they do if the two were in love and already had a child?
But instead of coaxing her, Bai Yanzhou was cutting off all his paths of retreat.
Pei Wanyou already disliked him, and now he was getting physical. He’d see how he’d regret it later. This little ancestor wasn’t someone who was easily appeased.
He was bringing this on himself.
Pei Wanyou lay facedown on the wooden sofa, her body trembling. Large tears fell from the corners of her eyes. She kicked her legs, her crying growing louder.
Bai Yanzhou sat in an armchair, watching her make a scene.
“Young Master, the Master is back,” the butler reminded him from the side.
Hearing this, Pei Wanyou cried even harder. Her support had arrived.
Bai Yanzhou put down his newspaper, stood up, and scooped up the short girl who was kicking wildly on the sofa. “If you cry again, I’ll feed you to the sharks in the backyard.”
Si Xiang knew Pei Wanyou was arriving today, so he had ended his meeting early. This daughter of his brother’s was a hard-won child, and since he and his wife had no daughter of their own, he adored her beyond measure.
Bai Yanzhou threw her onto her bed. “Don’t let her out until she’s finished crying.” After saying this, he stood up and straightened his tie.
The maid nearby blinked rapidly. Wasn’t this putting her in a difficult position? But she knew the Young Master’s temper all too well…
Pei Wanyou bit her lip, her tears falling pitter-patter. If it weren’t for the sake of staying by her daughter’s side, she would definitely find a way to leave this place and stay far, far away from a jerk like Bai Yanzhou.
Si Xiang sat on the sofa downstairs. “Where is Youyou?”
“…”