After flushing the toilet, Bai Yanzhou opened the bathroom door. In his hand was Pei Wanyou’s phone, its case plastered with a bunch of flashy stickers.
“I’ve confiscated her phone, otherwise she won’t focus on her homework,” he said as he walked over to Xu Lu, his expression natural and not the least bit flustered.
Xu Lu glanced at the bathroom, where the door was wide open: “…”
“During the last meeting, Group Five openly challenged us,” Bai Yanzhou said as he put away Pei Wanyou’s phone.
Xu Lu snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Bai Yanzhou: “He called me a while ago, but I didn’t answer.”
Bai Yanzhou took a cigarette out of his pocket and handed it to Xu Lu: “Brother, even if you become the clan head, I have no objections. I just want enough freedom and room to do my thing.”
Xu Lu took the cigarette and patted Bai Yanzhou’s head: “You’ve worked hard.”
Bai Yanzhou took a drag from his cigarette, tilting his head slightly, his expression clearly dissatisfied.
Xu Lu smiled gently, his eyes full of affection. He reached out and ruffled Bai Yanzhou’s hair, making the golden strands stand on end: “Act a little spoiled, and I’ll help you take care of Group Five.”
“Pei Wanyou’s lack of discipline is mostly learned from you,” Bai Yanzhou said with a dark expression, flicking the ash from his cigarette.
Xu Lu slipped one hand into his pocket and said softly, “The child was born by Wanyou, right?”
“Why don’t you say the child was born by me?” Bai Yanzhou wasn’t like Pei Wanyou, who would give herself away with just a few words. If he didn’t have at least this much skill, how would he take over the Bai family in the future?
Bai Yanzhou was certain that Xu Lu had no evidence and was only testing him. Otherwise, he definitely wouldn’t be chatting with him so calmly right now.
Xu Lu’s anxious heart slowly settled. It seemed Wanyou really just wanted to steal Yanzhou’s child…
“Yanzhou, Wanyou has grown up now, and her behavior might cross the line, but I hope you can keep things within proper bounds. In the eyes of outsiders, you and I are both her older brothers.”
It’s hard to command respect from others if you can’t even leave your own sister alone, even though they aren’t related by blood.
Bai Yanzhou could roughly guess why Xu Lu was saying this: “You don’t know about her habit of pinching people?”
“But she doesn’t pinch my leg,” Xu Lu said, lowering his gaze.
Bai Yanzhou crushed the cigarette butt: “If you’re not at ease, take her away.” He couldn’t teach her well, and she didn’t want to listen either.
The two walked side by side as they talked. Both were around 190 centimeters tall, one wearing a white suit, the other a white shirt paired with black suit pants, with two buttons undone at the collar, looking very casual.
A maid couldn’t help but steal a few extra glances. It wasn’t until the head maid coughed twice that she snapped back to reality and silently lowered her head.
As they passed through the moon gate, Bai Yanzhou’s anger was evident when the topic turned to education.
“She was spoiled by the elders growing up. If I don’t teach her, someone else will. By then, feeling sorry for her will be useless,” Bai Yanzhou said as he opened the dining room door.
Xu Lu looked at Bai Yanzhou: “But you still have to use the right method. What started as good intentions could end up making you the villain. Talk to her properly. She’s like you—she responds better to kindness than force.”
“You’re wrong. She responds to neither kindness nor force.”
“…”
The butler pulled out a chair: “Miss Alma said she wanted to cook herself and is busy in the kitchen right now.”
“Go look for the young lady,” Bai Yanzhou said as he sat down in the chair.
Xu Lu sat at the head of the table and looked at Bai Yanzhou: “How far have things progressed between you and Miss Alma?”
“As you can see, we’re preparing to discuss marriage.” Bai Yanzhou spoke casually; otherwise, with his suspicious nature, he would immediately start probing the little fool for information, and every question would hit the mark.
Just then, Pei Wanyou, who had just entered, overheard this. She exclaimed excitedly, “Brother, have you finally come to your senses? You’re finally going to marry Miss Alma!” She was absolutely thrilled.
“Where did you run off to?” Bai Yanzhou immediately grew stern. What was she so happy about?
Pei Wanyou looked puzzled. “My stomach was upset, so of course I went to the restroom.”
Xu Lu pursed his lips and said softly, “Yanzhou has already told me about your situation…”
Bai Yanzhou poured a cup of tea and took a sip, his deep blue eyes darkening slightly. Sure enough, he still wanted to pry information from the little fool.
Others were easy to fool, but Xu Lu alone had eight hundred schemes in his mind.
“You already know…” Pei Wanyou pouted, and tears instantly welled up in her eyes…
“Yesterday, he checked my homework. My best friend sent me some inappropriate content, and he happened to see it. He told me to get out, said I was hopeless, that I shouldn’t return to the Bai family anymore, that he doesn’t acknowledge me as his sister, and that it would be best if I died outside and was eaten by wild dogs.”
Bai Yanzhou’s hand paused as he poured tea. He looked up at Pei Wanyou standing before the table, her eyes red and tears streaming down her face—she looked utterly pitiful.
“…”
Exaggerating and adding details—who taught her to tattle like this?
Pei Wanyou sniffled and finally burst into tears, her voice trembling with grievance. “I… I was afraid of causing you trouble, so I didn’t want to… to tell you…”
Xu Lu stood up and walked over to Pei Wanyou. He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks with his sleeve. “You’re still young. He’s afraid you might see things you shouldn’t, imitate them, and be deceived by bad boys outside.”
Bai Yanzhou leaned back in his chair, idly toying with his teacup.
“Hmph, now you’re happy!” Pei Wanyou pinched Bai Yanzhou’s arm hard—let him laugh!
Xu Lu pressed his lips together, a hint of amusement in his eyes. So Bai Yanzhou had a day like this too…
Bai Yanzhou placed his teacup upside down on the dining table.
Pei Wanyou was so frightened that she immediately hid behind Xu Lu. “Brother, look at him! Look!” Then she stuck her tongue out at Bai Yanzhou, taunting him.
Just then, Alma entered the dining room carrying dishes. “Try my cooking. It’s been a while since I last cooked.”
“Sister-in-law, my brother said the two of you are getting closer to tying the knot!” Pei Wanyou was overjoyed—she was one step closer to taking Shushu away.
Alma blushed instantly. “Try… try my cooking.” She placed the dish in front of Bai Yanzhou.
Xu Lu sat at the head of the table, with Pei Wanyou on his left. Alma brushed aside a stray strand of hair near her temple and elegantly took a seat to Bai Yanzhou’s right.
“Brother, since the start of the semester, she hasn’t been doing her homework. The professor made her stand in front of the class and publicly criticized her.” Bai Yanzhou picked up his chopsticks. Weren’t you happy earlier?
Pei Wanyou’s lips parted slightly. Was he still a child? How did he learn to tattle too!
Xu Lu looked at Pei Wanyou.
“I’ll make it up,” Pei Wanyou said, lowering her head while mentally cursing Bai Yanzhou from head to toe.
Alma watched Bai Yanzhou with adoration in her eyes. He usually seemed aloof, but she never expected him to openly confess his feelings in front of Mr. Xu.
There was a touch of cuteness in his pride…
“Try this.” Alma picked up some beef with her chopsticks—a gesture that was both intimate and improper in etiquette. But since he had already acknowledged their relationship, why be shy now?
Xu Lu was watching, and Bai Yanzhou had originally been worried that the little fool might be tricked into saying something, so he casually mentioned it. But unexpectedly, the little fool ended up adding fuel to the fire.
Alma watched as Bai Yanzhou ate the beef she had served him, her heart blooming with joy. If they could be together, what did the position of Summerfield’s clan leader matter? Wouldn’t it be even better to become the future mistress of the Bai family?
Pei Wanyou was practically ready to applaud. Well done!
However, she decided she would keep her distance from Bai Yanzhou from now on. She planned to move to another courtyard, leaving the two of them some space to be alone.
If Bai Yanzhou had a baby with his lover, then Shushu would be hers alone.
The more she thought about it, the happier she became.
“Cough, cough—”
Xu Lu reached out and patted Pei Wanyou’s back. “Drink slowly.”
This meal left Bai Yanzhou feeling stifled, but he couldn’t show it.
Pei Wanyou was feeling smug. While eating dessert, she kept wiggling her little waist, making it seem as if she were about to reveal her true form.
Alma found Pei Wanyou’s actions utterly adorable and took out her phone to snap a few photos. How could there be such a cute girl? If her younger sister were still alive, she would probably be around the same age…
Xu Lu was chatting casually with Bai Yanzhou when his phone suddenly rang. After glancing at it, he stood up. “I just got back, and there are still some things I haven’t finished. I should get going.”
Pei Wanyou pouted, reluctant to see him leave.
“Really not coming back with me?” The two of them argued whenever they met, and he still wasn’t at ease.
Bai Yanzhou stood up. “It’s enough that she torments me. You go ahead and take care of your business.” As he spoke, he glanced down at Pei Wanyou.
Pei Wanyou stood up. She had to stay by Shushu’s side—after all, she was the one who had found her such an unreliable father.
“…”
Xu Lu got into the white Bentley. He seemed to carry an innate air of nobility, his every movement exuding gentleness and grace.
Pei Wanyou looked at Bai Yanzhou beside her. “…”
Bai Yanzhou casually pinched the back of Pei Wanyou’s neck. “Why are you looking at me like that, huh?” She actually looked disgusted.
“Sister-in-law, you’ll have to keep him in check after you’re married.” Pei Wanyou intentionally reminded Bai Yanzhou that he was now an engaged man and shouldn’t be so hands-on.
Alma clasped her hands in front of her. How would she dare to control Bai Yanzhou?
Bai Yanzhou placed his other hand on Pei Wanyou’s forehead and forcibly pulled her into his arms. Why was she so hot?
Pei Wanyou had been running a high fever yesterday and had even bled. Although she had taken medicine and slept, it had only delayed the symptoms. She had been holding on, afraid of worrying Xu Lu.
Pressed against Bai Yanzhou, her body was burning with fever. “I’ll go back, take some medicine, and sleep it off.” As she spoke, she elbowed him.
He carried a faint, indescribable scent—like the crisp, clean fragrance of an unmelted iceberg, refreshing and pure.
Alma walked over and pressed her forehead against Pei Wanyou’s. “You’re burning up. I’ll ask the butler to call a doctor.” With that, she hurried off to find the butler.
She knew Bai Yanzhou cared about Pei Wanyou. To secure her place in the Bai family, she had no choice but to please her.
Bai Yanzhou bent down and scooped Pei Wanyou up in his arms. “I advise you not to dream. No matter who I marry in the future, I will never hand Shushu over to you.”
Pei Wanyou struggled. “If you like babies, you can have another one. Shushu is the only child I’ll ever have. Put me down, I can walk myself.” She pushed against his shoulder with her hand.
“Shout a little louder, let everyone hear.” Bai Yanzhou carried Pei Wanyou as he walked toward Snow Bamboo Courtyard: “Do you think everyone is like you, getting pregnant just like that?”
“What do you mean by that!” Pei Wanyou protested: “Did the child just run into my belly by itself?”
“How the child got in there, aren’t you clearer about that than I am?” Bai Yanzhou lowered his voice: “Do I need to help you remember how shameless you were that night?”
Pei Wanyou felt dizzy, a strange sense of shame washing over her. Why had she hugged him that night and said so many shameless things? “…”
Seeing Pei Wanyou quiet down, Bai Yanzhou felt much more comfortable. Weren’t you quite happy just now?
Why aren’t you laughing now?
Pei Wanyou’s heart ached faintly. So in Bai Yanzhou’s eyes, she was just like those women who would do anything to climb up, cheapening herself, shameless.
Bai Yanzhou placed Pei Wanyou on the bed. Through her clothes, he reached out and touched her belly: “Here, does it hurt?”
“Don’t touch me, it’s disgusting.” Pei Wanyou pulled the blanket over herself. Now whenever she thought of that night, she felt nauseous.
Of course it wasn’t just Bai Yanzhou’s words—it was also her own actions that night. He was right, she was cheap.
Bai Yanzhou got up and sat on the sofa: “Do you think I like touching you? Who was it in the bathroom just now, staring at me without blinking?”
Pei Wanyou’s head throbbed painfully. Hearing Bai Yanzhou’s words, she sat up and threw a pillow at him: “Yes, I am cheap! I like staring, I wish I could hold you, kiss you, hug you to sleep every day! Are you satisfied now!”
Bai Yanzhou leaned sideways against the armrest of the sofa. The pillow brushed past his shoulder and fell to the floor: “Unreasonable.”
Pei Wanyou burrowed under the covers and cried “wuwu.” She felt suffocated, his words like a sharp blade stabbing into her heart.
What was even more unbearable was the humiliation.
Bai Yanzhou got up, picked up the medical book he hadn’t finished reading, and continued. He wasn’t very good at comforting people—it was troublesome. If she wanted to cry, let her cry. She’d stop when she got tired.
Pei Wanyou cried until she could hardly breathe. Fortunately, the butler and Alma arrived with a doctor.
Bai Yanzhou opened the bedroom door and asked the butler and Alma to wait outside.
Down the mountain was the hospital run by the Bai family. The doctor, carrying a medical kit and wiping sweat from his forehead, had jogged all the way from the main gate.
Bai Yanzhou pulled back the blanket—the smell of blood was strong. Pei Wanyou was curled up inside, her lips pale, still crying softly.
Seeing this, the doctor immediately took out a stethoscope and thermometer: “Young Miss, what happened?”
“She’s had enough of living, seeking death.” Bai Yanzhou said as he reached out and pulled her into his arms. He had never seen someone so stubborn—he thought she’d cry for a while and then stop, but she was crying as if she wanted to die.
Pei Wanyou saw scissors in the medical kit and grabbed them without thinking, stabbing toward her own neck…
Someone like her didn’t deserve to live. She couldn’t set a good example for Shushu and had brought shame upon her parents.
Blood instantly dripped down: “…”