In the evening, Brady had dinner in the neighboring courtyard. Alma was worried that Bai Yanzhou would take his life as soon as he saw him.
His bad temper was no rumor—she had witnessed it firsthand.
In the dining room.
Pei Wanyou sat on a chair with her legs crossed, one hand propping up her chin while the other held a spoon. She couldn’t bring herself to take a single sip of the nourishing soup in front of her.
“Will you drink it yourself, or shall I pry your mouth open and pour it in?” Bai Yanzhou set down his chopsticks and wiped the corner of his mouth.
Pei Wanyou stirred the soup with her spoon. “Go ahead and pour it. I really can’t drink it…”
The chair scraped heavily against the floor as Bai Yanzhou stood up and walked over.
“Can’t you take a joke?” Pei Wanyou lowered her head, stuck out her tongue, and took a tiny lick. “It’s foul…” She looked up at Bai Yanzhou with pitiful eyes. “Don’t believe me? Try it yourself.”
Bai Yanzhou picked up the bowl and gripped Pei Wanyou’s chin with one hand. “Hold your breath.” He was about to pour it in.
Pei Wanyou tilted her chin slightly, her watery eyes blinking at Bai Yanzhou. “Brother, don’t I look like the modern-day Dalang being forced to drink poison…”
Bai Yanzhou slammed the bowl onto the table, splashing soup everywhere. Drink it or not—he didn’t care.
The butler stood nearby, holding Shushu and suppressing a smile. The young master’s temper truly needed the young lady to temper it.
Pinching her nose, her heart pounding, Pei Wanyou finally drank the bowl of “all-purpose nourishing soup.” It was a murky green color—who knew, it might actually be poisonous. “…”
Bai Yanzhou picked up Shushu and said calmly before leaving, “Starting today, you’ll drink a bowl every day.”
“I’ll sue you for attempted murder!” Pei Wanyou slumped in her chair, sliding down. What a jerk—why didn’t he drink it himself?
As soon as Bai Yanzhou carried Shushu into the Snow Bamboo Courtyard, Alma arrived. She wore a black nightgown, revealing large areas of her skin.
“You promised me…” Alma’s face flushed red, her hands clasped nervously in front of her.
Bai Yanzhou sat in a chair, his scrutinizing gaze sweeping over Alma from head to toe. “You’re really willing to go all out to climb the ladder.”
Alma raised her head. The tragic deaths of her mother and sister were still vivid in her mind. Just because she was a woman, even as her father’s only child, she had to step aside. What else could she do but go all out?
Shushu kicked her legs, clutching Bai Yanzhou’s shirt with her tiny hands, her mouth bubbling as if she were straining with effort.
Bai Yanzhou rubbed Shushu’s cheek with his thumb. “When your aunt returns, let her experience it. Let her experience it.”
Alma froze. Bai Yanzhou seemed like a completely different person, gentle and soft. Her gaze shifted to the baby in the pink infant clothes kicking her legs.
Her eyes gradually dimmed…
Pei Wanyou entered the courtyard humming a tune, a small cake in her hand. She saw Alma in a black nightgown, her hair tied up at the back—both sexy and elegant.
Especially her chest—it was impossible not to envy it.
“Sister-in-law’s nightgown is so beautiful,” Pei Wanyou said with a smile. The day had already been unpleasant enough, and she needed to find a way to ease the tension.
Sigh—
Without her, this household would fall apart.
“If you like it, I’ll have someone send one over tomorrow,” Alma replied, looking at Pei Wanyou. Though, such a style might not suit her very well…
Bai Yanzhou’s steady voice rang out. “Don’t humiliate yourself. Come here.” With that, he stood up.
Pei Wanyou shot Bai Yanzhou a glare. She understood now—he was the very embodiment of annoyance. As long as he was breathing, he was annoying!
She picked up the small cake and walked over. “What’s that smell…”
Bai Yanzhou handed Shushu to Pei Wanyou. “Help me change Shushu’s diaper.” Then he turned to Alma, who was standing nearby. “Come with me.”
Pei Wanyou set down the cake and took Shushu, holding her close to her nose to sniff carefully. “Oh my, you little stinker!”
Bai Yanzhou led Alma into the side room. Wasn’t she always clamoring to take the child away?
Pei Wanyou carried Shushu back to the main room. The moment she removed the diaper, she fell silent. “Sweetie, eating a lot and pooping a lot is a blessing, but it’d be even better if I didn’t have to clean it up.”
Shushu seemed to understand, flailing her arms and kicking her legs with such enthusiasm.
“Hey, hey, stop moving!” Pei Wanyou fumbled in a panic. She grabbed a wet wipe, but it was too late—Shushu had kicked it everywhere.
Pei Wanyou nearly lost her composure. She tossed the soiled diaper aside, but it fell open and landed with a wet splat on the floor.
The pink bedsheet was now a mess, and Pei Wanyou was covered in it too. Shushu’s chubby little legs kept kicking, her tiny bottom wiggling along.
“Brother, come quick!” Pei Wanyou grew frantic. She didn’t mind for herself, but Shushu was covered in filth—it was disgusting!
After a while, a maid standing outside the courtyard heard the commotion and hurried into the main room. There, she found Pei Wanyou with tears dripping “plop, plop” down her cheeks, still holding a wet wipe and looking utterly helpless.
“Miss, it’s alright. I’ll go fetch some water right away,” the maid said, heading toward the bathroom.
The young master was really something—Miss had never been a mother before, how could she know how to do these things?
Afraid Shushu might catch a chill, Pei Wanyou had already wrapped her in a blanket. She felt like a terribly inadequate mother, filled with guilt and sorrow.
After the maid fetched the water, she gave Shushu a bath. “Miss, it’s really okay. She’s just a baby—look, she’s clean and sweet-smelling in no time.”
“Please watch her for a bit. I need to take a bath,” Pei Wanyou said, as she was covered in mess too.
The maid placed Shushu in the crib and began changing the bedding for Pei Wanyou. She had been careless earlier and nearly made a huge mistake—this time, she had to do better.
Pei Wanyou lay in the bathtub, the water rising above her head. She understood Bai Yanzhou’s meaning—she couldn’t even change a diaper properly, yet she still dreamed of taking Shushu away…
Only when the air in her lungs grew scarce did she emerge from the water. The overwhelming sense of suffocation made her grip the edge of the bathtub, gasping for breath. What had been wrong with her lately?
When she finished her bath and stepped out, she saw the maid returning from outside with a flushed face. Curious, Pei Wanyou walked over. “What happened?”
“N-nothing,” the maid stammered, feeding Shushu the prepared formula. This time, she didn’t dare be careless and held Shushu securely in her arms.
Pei Wanyou, still curious, opened the door and stepped outside.
The side room wasn’t soundproof. From inside, Alma’s embarrassed moans could be heard. Under the lamplight, intertwined shadows were cast onto the window.
The maid’s face flushed red. Though she knew what was happening, it was still so early—how could the young master not restrain himself…
What’s more, Alma, who was usually so quiet, was making such loud noises. One could only imagine what was happening inside the room.
Pei Wanyou felt her heart suddenly sink, inexplicably feeling stifled. But it was just as well—Shushu’s arrival hadn’t affected Bai Yanzhou’s marriage.
She casually closed the door. “You should rest early too. I’ll hold Shushu to sleep tonight.” With that, she walked over to the crib.
The maid nodded. “Miss, the young master is about to get married. You should discuss with your mother later about moving to another courtyard.” She was five years older than Pei Wanyou and understood more than her.
“Mm.” Pei Wanyou sat down on a small chair.
The maid placed Shushu in the crib. “Miss, if you need anything, you can ring my bell.” As she spoke, she handed her pager to Pei Wanyou.
“Leave it there.” Pei Wanyou reached out to play with Shushu. The baby’s chubby little hand gripped her finger, and her legs still kicked happily.
The maid withdrew. The sounds outside hadn’t stopped yet. Blushing, she hurried out of the courtyard. The young master had such a robust physique—he probably knew how to wear someone out…
Pei Wanyou rested her cheek on her arm, her black hair draped over her shoulders, her body slightly tilted as she continued to play with Shushu. “Baby, Mommy will work hard. When the time comes, you’ll leave with me, okay?”
Shushu had just finished her milk and was blowing bubbles, her little body wriggling.
“Then I’ll take that as your agreement.” Pei Wanyou stroked Shushu’s tender little face. For some reason, the thought kept surfacing in her mind: “Let’s die together. The baby will face gossip in the future. You brought her here—you should take her away.”
When she snapped out of it, she was drenched in cold sweat.
Shushu had tired herself out from kicking and had already closed her eyes, ready to sleep. Pei Wanyou felt an inexplicable fear and panic. She placed her finger under Shushu’s nose, and only after feeling the warm breath did her heartbeat gradually steady.
She sat there like that, watching Shushu for a long time before finally getting up.
Before going to sleep, she opened the door. Faint sobbing came from the side room. She roughly understood what was happening and silently closed the door again.
Fortunately, the main house had good soundproofing, or she wouldn’t have been able to sleep all night…
In the latter half of the night, she got up once to feed Shushu and change her diaper. The lights in the side room were already off—they must have fallen asleep.
Early in the morning, Alma emerged from the side room. Traces from the previous night lingered on her neck, and her walking posture was also strange.
Pei Wanyou was sitting in the courtyard eating breakfast. She hadn’t gone to school for two days, and now that her body wasn’t feeling as unwell, she didn’t want to fall behind and was afraid she wouldn’t be able to catch up later.
“Good morning, little sister.” After greeting her, Alma tugged at her nightgown, trying to cover the marks on her body. “I, I have things to do, so I’ll head back first.”
Pei Wanyou didn’t know what to say, so she simply nodded in response.
Bai Yanzhou came out of the side room, dressed neatly in a suit. “The sun must be rising from the west.” He didn’t need to be called to get up today.
“Mm.” Pei Wanyou responded softly.
Bai Yanzhou walked over. Pei Wanyou was wearing a light blue dress with a white blazer over it, looking utterly well-behaved. He reached out his hand, but she instinctively flinched away as if avoiding some virus. His hand hung in mid-air.
Such a strong sense of distance. Bai Yanzhou frowned, pulled out a chair, and sat down. He glanced up at the maid. “How many milliliters of milk did Shushu drink last night?”
“One hundred twenty,” Pei Wanyou replied calmly.
Bai Yanzhou didn’t understand what tantrum Pei Wanyou was throwing again: “I have a meeting at the company later. You stay home with Shushu.”
“I need to go to school.” Pei Wanyou stood up as she spoke: “I’m leaving first.”
Bai Yanzhou drank his porridge, thinking she was unhappy about having to take care of Shushu alone for just one night…
As he was eating breakfast, his phone rang: [Hello.]
Bai Miaomiao had just woken up, her hair a mess. She already knew about the Bai family mobilizing patrol drones earlier, but instead of calling Bai Yanzhou, she had asked Xu Lu.
What could she do? It was her own son who was so rebellious.
[I gave you a month. Have you made up your mind?]
Bai Yanzhou replied in a low voice: [I’m with Alma now. I’ll marry her into the Bai family next year.]
A year later, he would tell her it didn’t work out. As for the child’s mother, he’d deal with that later—he could stall for a year.
Bai Miaomiao was shocked: [Didn’t I tell you not to get involved until the marriage is settled? Are you ignoring my words?]
She never expected her own son to become the type of person she despised most. Before even resolving the issue with the child’s mother, he had already been with Alma.
Bai Yanzhou leaned back in his chair: [I’m not a child anymore. It was consensual. Why are you so anxious?]
Bai Miaomiao took a deep breath: [I can’t control you, and I won’t anymore. Just don’t regret it later. But I’m warning you—don’t corrupt your sister. Get her a separate courtyard.]
Corrupt Pei Wanyou?
Bai Miaomiao waited a moment, but when Bai Yanzhou didn’t respond, she continued: [The election is coming up soon. Tone down your behavior. Also, since you’re with Alma now, you must properly handle the matter of Shushu’s mother. If you dare to two-time, get out of the Bai family.]
As soon as she finished speaking, Bai Yanzhou hung up. Regarding Shushu’s mother, he wanted to say she died in childbirth, but felt it would be cursing Pei Wanyou, so he hadn’t spoken up.
“…”
Next door, Brady sneered when he saw the marks all over Alma’s body. Women were naturally men’s playthings.
“You’re really shameless. Screaming so loudly last night, afraid no one would hear. Usually acting like a lady, but when you get wild, you’re no different from a whore.” Brady wiped his mouth as he spoke and stood up.
Alma bit her lip, then said: “Tell Father he can rest assured.” She was exhausted now and just wanted to go back to sleep.
Brady took out his phone and showed Alma a picture: “Have you seen this person?” His voice was very low, audible only to the two of them.
Alma shook her head: “No, I haven’t.”
“She’s Pei Wanyou’s only friend. Her name seems to be Jiang Lu. I’ve already had my buddy’s girlfriend invite her out.” Brady put his phone away as he spoke: “If she goes, Pei Wanyou might go too.”
If he tried to invite Pei Wanyou directly, she would definitely be suspicious.
But Jiang Lu wasn’t like that. According to his investigation yesterday, she loved making friends and talked a lot. Invite her out a few times first, then have her bring Pei Wanyou along—there was an eighty percent chance it would work.
If not, he’d think of another way.
He was determined to have her. Just thinking about that beautiful face made him burn all over. Last night, listening to Alma’s voice, he had fantasized about Pei Wanyou the entire time.
If this were anywhere but the Bai family’s place, Pei Wanyou would have already been his. Even the most reserved woman, once given a pill, would turn into a cheap slut like Alma.
He had already ordered the drug last night. Once Pei Wanyou drank it, how he wanted to play with her would be entirely up to his mood…