Bai Yanzhou stood at the door, glancing at his expensive wristwatch. The moment ten minutes were up, he would simply pull her out of bed and toss her into the car.
Pei Wanyou slept for five minutes, then squinted at her phone. She could still squeeze in another two or three minutes of sleep. She turned over, hugging the blanket between her legs and clutching her pillow. Who could understand this feeling—sleeping on edge, wanting to get up but unable to?
Just as Bai Yanzhou was about to step forward and pull her out, Pei Wanyou quickly sat up in bed. Before heading to the bathroom, she grabbed a dress from the closet.
Bai Yanzhou bent down and picked up two plastic film-like objects from the floor.
Pei Wanyou took two steps back and snatched them away: “Pervert.”
Bai Yanzhou raised an eyebrow: “…”
Using the bathroom, washing up, slipping on her clothes, putting on a wig, and braiding it into pigtails—she did it all in one go, taking no more than three minutes.
Bai Yanzhou was still thinking about the meeting when a little pink figure emerged from the bathroom. He casually tugged at her hair: “What is this?”
“Ouch!” Pei Wanyou reached up to grab her wig: “Why are you pulling my hair?”
Bai Yanzhou loosened his grip, and the wig landed squarely on Pei Wanyou’s head. Her taste was as bad as ever—such a waste of a pretty face.
Pei Wanyou wore a pretty little dress, her pale pink wig braided into pigtails that rested lazily on her shoulders. When she was little, her grandmother used to dress her like this.
“Can’t you just dress normally? Is it going to kill you?” Bai Yanzhou said as he walked out. She was already in college, yet still so childish.
Pei Wanyou slipped on her white flats and casually paired them with a fluffy bag: “Did I ask you to look? I think you’d look great in a bikini—why don’t you wear one?”
The maid standing at the door let out a long sigh of relief. These two little troublemakers were finally leaving—what a relief.
Lu Shu’an had been waiting in the parking lot for a while. No matter what, no matter how many people opposed it, he would always support Bai Yanzhou.
“Brother Lu, good morning,” Pei Wanyou greeted Lu Shu’an with a sweet smile. Brother An was so handsome—unlike Bai Yanzhou, who always seemed to carry an air of hostility, he always wore a gentle smile at the corner of his lips.
Lu Shu’an opened the car door: “Good morning, Miss.” As he spoke, he placed his hand on the doorframe to shield her head.
Pei Wanyou was about to chat with Lu Shu’an for a bit—their meeting yesterday had been too brief, and they hadn’t had time to catch up.
Bai Yanzhou lifted his foot and gave Pei Wanyou a kick on the backside, sending her tumbling into the car. Whether others were in a hurry or not, she had no sense of timing.
Pei Wanyou landed face-first on the back seat of the car. She turned her head, her beautiful eyes filled with anger: “No wonder nobody likes you.”
Bai Yanzhou got into the car and closed the door: “I don’t need them to. Sit properly.” As he spoke, he crossed his legs, took out the documents prepared in the car, and began reading them carefully.
Having played the role of an older brother for nearly twenty years, Bai Yanzhou found it hard to step out of that role. His tone still carried the air of scolding a mischievous, disobedient younger sister.
Pei Wanyou took out her phone and texted her best friend: [Lulu, I’ll be at school in about half an hour.]
Lulu: [Honey, hurry up, I miss you so much…]
Pei Wanyou played the voice message, which carried an infinite allure.
Without even looking, Bai Yanzhou snatched Pei Wanyou’s phone and tossed it into the storage compartment: “Keep it down.”
Pei Wanyou opened her mouth, ready to bite.
“Try biting me?” Bai Yanzhou said as he turned to look at Pei Wanyou, his deep eyes swirling with undercurrents.
Receiving the dangerous signal, Pei Wanyou didn’t hesitate and bit him, her gaze challenging as she looked at Bai Yanzhou…
Bai Yanzhou forcefully pulled her into his embrace. Pei Wanyou’s face flushed red with anger, and as she struggled, her wig fell off again.
“Ah—”
Pei Wanyou reached out her hand, but it was too late. Bai Yanzhou had already tossed her wig out the car window. He looked down at the little shorty lying across his lap, her hand still outstretched.
“Being difficult?”
“I didn’t wash my hair…”
Pei Wanyou lowered her head and bit Bai Yanzhou’s leg hard, leaving a saliva stain on his black suit pants.
“Smack—”
She received two more hard slaps.
Lu Shu’an held the steering wheel, feeling like an invisible presence from start to finish. However, he was somewhat worried—if Bai Yanzhou ever fell in love with Pei Wanyou in the future, what would await him?
Outside the university campus, the streets were lined with shady trees, shops and restaurants were abundant, and the bustling crowd made the area lively.
“Miss, we’ve arrived,” Lu Shu’an said, then showed an apologetic expression. “Brother Bai and I have to rush back to the company for a meeting, so we won’t escort you inside.”
Pei Wanyou was fiddling with her hairstyle on her phone, while Bai Yanzhou crossed his legs, still feeling the lingering pain from being pinched earlier.
She deliberately targeted the most sensitive spots—who taught her that!
“Brother Lu, just call me Youyou. I’m going out with friends this afternoon, so you don’t need to pick me up,” Pei Wanyou said, then shot Bai Yanzhou a glare.
Bai Yanzhou frowned. “I’ll send a driver to pick you up this afternoon. You’re not going anywhere.”
Riots could break out at any moment—who knew when they might escalate further?
Pei Wanyou got out of the car and slammed the door shut. He was so unlikable—aside from his top-tier looks and physique, there wasn’t a single redeeming quality about him.
He probably wouldn’t be able to find a wife in the future. But if Bai Yanzhou did get married, what would happen to her daughter? Would she have to accept a stepmother?
Pei Wanyou clutched her purse. That wouldn’t be fair to the girl—becoming a stepmother right after marriage. She still had to find a way to take Shushu away…
Why didn’t she think of this earlier? Only now did she realize how many problems came with having a baby.
Sigh—
“Youyou.”
A girl with a bun hairstyle, wearing a top with anime prints and a pleated skirt, stood about 1.7 meters tall.
“Lulu.”
They hadn’t seen each other for three months. Pei Wanyou opened her arms…
Jiang Lu pulled the little beauty she’d been missing into her arms and spun her around twice. “Let me see, why have you lost so much weight?”
Pei Wanyou couldn’t have been happier. She was short, but her best friend was tall!
“But your chest seems to have gotten bigger,” Jiang Lu said, staring intently. “Let me feel…”
“Don’t…” Pei Wanyou quickly released Jiang Lu and crossed her arms over her chest—there were so many people at the school gate.
Jiang Lu was the same age as Pei Wanyou. Both her parents were engineers, and she had an older sister who was already married.
She and Pei Wanyou had been classmates since childhood, and over time, they became best friends.
However, although Jiang Lu was tall now, back in school, she was just like Pei Wanyou—they were often bullied together, crying as they walked home side by side every day.
“Why didn’t your brother get out of the car?” Jiang Lu linked arms with Pei Wanyou. She knew Pei Wanyou had an older brother named Pei Yanzhou, who was blond and blue-eyed—exceptionally handsome, like an international supermodel.
Pei Wanyou nearly rolled her eyes. “I’m having an intermittent episode of brother aversion.”
Seeing Pei Wanyou’s displeased expression, Jiang Lu guessed she must have argued with her brother again. “Let’s not talk about that. What have you thought about my suggestion of renting a place together?”
“I haven’t discussed it with my family yet.” Pei Wanyou sighed. If she couldn’t even live on campus, renting an apartment together was out of the question. Her uncle and aunt would definitely not agree.
Jiang Lu sighed along with her. “The on-campus housing spots are all filled. I really don’t want to live with my love-struck older sister. Let me tell you, my brother-in-law…”
As they talked, the two walked toward the campus.
Meanwhile, things were not going smoothly for Bai Yanzhou. As soon as he arrived at the company, he was stopped by Bai Miaomiao’s secretary.
“Young Master, Madam says you are not to attend today’s meeting.”
Lu Shu’an glanced at Bai Yanzhou, whose face was dark and eyes sharp with anger. What exactly did his mother mean by this?
Ignoring the attempts to stop him, he went straight up to the twenty-first floor.
Bai Miaomiao was seated in the conference room. The atmosphere that morning was tense, and she was feeling unwell—her heart was uncomfortable, and she was having trouble breathing. At the moment, she was wearing an oxygen mask.
“Young Master, Madam is in a meeting. Please wait in the office for a moment.” The secretary outside the door stopped the furious Bai Yanzhou.
Leaning back in her chair, Bai Miaomiao listened as the leaders of other groups reported recent developments. The rioters were growing increasingly brazen; not long ago, they had opened fire without warning at the beach.
As a result, the occupancy rate at the family’s beachfront hotels had plummeted.
Bai Yanzhou roughly shoved the secretary aside.
The leader of the fifth group was in the middle of his report when he heard the commotion. He looked up, his brow slightly furrowed…
The conference room door swung open, and Bai Yanzhou strode in. Suppressing her anger, Bai Miaomiao turned to look at him. “Since you’re here, take a seat.”
“The rioters have been testing the limits of the Bai family’s jurisdiction. If we keep giving in and retreating, they’ll only become more aggressive.” As he spoke, Bai Yanzhou walked over to the leader of the fifth group, bent down, and placed his fingertip on the keyboard of the laptop.
Bai Miaomiao held her mask tightly. Bai Yanzhou was even more ruthless than his grandfather, his methods utterly brutal. If his temperament wasn’t tempered, he would surely bring about disaster in the future.
“Then, Young Master, tell us what we should do next.” The leader of the fifth group smiled, like a cunning fox waiting for its prey to fall into the trap.
Bai Miaomiao cut off the fifth group leader’s words, pointing at the door. “Get out.” He was brash and inexperienced, having never suffered any major setbacks. Everyone present had been through countless trials—how could they tolerate him giving orders?
Lu Shu’an whispered into Bai Yanzhou’s ear, “Madam isn’t feeling well. Let’s go wait for her in the office.”
Bai Yanzhou felt stifled. He clearly had solutions, but his mother refused to consider them, constantly setting obstacles and blocking his path.
The leader of the fifth group took a sip of tea and said, “Clan Leader, let the Young Master speak. We’d like to hear what he has to say.”
Bai Miaomiao’s expression turned stern as she looked at the fifth group leader, deeply displeased. Wasn’t this just throwing her son into the fire?
“Yanzhou, can’t you hear me speaking?” Bai Miaomiao’s voice grew heavy.
Bai Yanzhou bent down. The fifth group leader was acting so unusually, and his mother’s attitude was firm. Although he had his own thoughts and plans, he could only suppress them for now. “Mother, take care of your health,” he said before stepping out.
Bai Miaomiao pressed the oxygen mask to her face, leaning back in her chair. “He’s my only son, spoiled since childhood.”
“Madam, you speak too harshly. The young master is simply young and inexperienced. With more training, he will surely achieve great things.”
“The young master’s temperament is just like the First Generation Patriarch’s. Without him, the Bai family wouldn’t be where it is today. Madam, please don’t be too angry.”
The latter remark clearly carried an underlying meaning.
The First Generation Patriarch, Bai Shan, was dictatorial and domineering. Under his leadership, the Bai family nearly faced destruction. When Bai Miaomiao’s father, Bai Heng, took over, the family was plagued by internal and external troubles. It took them over a decade or two of hard work to establish a stable foundation.
However, with the onset of political turmoil, the Bai family once again fell into instability.
Remaining neutral and not taking sides was no easy task.
But her parents had already withdrawn from the affairs of the Bai family, living in seclusion in the mountains and forests, detached from worldly matters. Bai Miaomiao had no intention of asking them to return.
Bai Yanzhou took out a cigarette and lit it. His frustration was something no one could understand. If they didn’t take a stand, sooner or later, they would end up like the other major families, trapped in a passive position.
“Young master, Madam would never harm you,” Lu Shu’an comforted softly.
Bai Yanzhou exhaled a long puff of smoke. He had never doubted his parents’ love for him. If swallowing their hearts would grant him a long life, they would surely carve them out and present them to him.
“…”
After reporting in, Pei Wanyou and Jiang Lu planned to have lunch first.
“You promised to go to Hume’s self-select store with me. I’m a die-hard otaku—I’ll die if I don’t go,” Jiang Lu said, clinging to Pei Wanyou’s arm and gently shaking it.
Pei Wanyou fell silent for a moment. “But my brother said things have been unstable lately…” Though she often joked about dying, she actually cherished her life dearly, especially since she wanted to see her daughter grow up.
Jiang Lu sighed. “In times of peace, there aren’t that many fights and killings. You’ve been watching too much news.”
“Come on, come on,” Jiang Lu said, rubbing her face affectionately against Pei Wanyou’s soft cheek.
Pei Wanyou had no choice but to give in. “Fine, but you have to listen to me. We’ll go quickly and come back soon. Otherwise, if my brother finds out, he’ll beat me again.”
“Your brother actually hits you? That’s not someone you should marry. It could easily turn into domestic violence,” Jiang Lu said, her expression turning strange. He looked so charming—how could he be the type to resort to violence?
Of course, if he enjoyed using a belt to spank… well, she’d take back what she said.
After lunch, the two headed straight to Hume’s self-select store.
The Bai family’s driver and bodyguards followed closely behind their car. If anything happened to her, swallowing a bullet would undoubtedly be their best option.
Hume’s self-select store was an otaku’s paradise, stocked with exquisitely crafted Magic Wands, props, and everything needed for photo shoots.
Jiang Lu pulled Pei Wanyou over to pick out a Magic Wand. “Youyou, you’re just like…”
A deafening “Boom!” echoed through the air.
“Ah, an explosion! Run!”
The store staff hurried to evacuate the crowd, but most of the customers were young. At the sound of an explosion, they scrambled to flee in panic.
“Boom!”
Pei Wanyou was pushed out by the surging crowd…