After Pei Wanyou finished washing up, she was called into the study. Bai Miaomiao first asked if she was injured, then told her that things outside were not peaceful and advised her to avoid dangerous places as much as possible.
“Auntie, I promise I’ll be obedient from now on and won’t run around recklessly,” Pei Wanyou stood in the study, her eyes reddening. She didn’t want her aunt to worry, especially since her heart condition was already fragile.
Bai Miaomiao walked over to Pei Wanyou and took her hand. “Once this period passes, our Wanyou can go wherever she wants.”
Si Xiang approached Bai Miaomiao’s side. Ever since hearing about Wanyou’s near-danger today, his heart had been uneasy.
“Go wash up now. Your uncle and I still have an online meeting to attend. Tell the housekeeper what you’d like for dinner tonight,” Bai Miaomiao said with affectionate eyes, reaching out to pat Pei Wanyou’s head.
Just as Pei Wanyou reached the door, she thought about how Shushu had come into their lives. If she knew the truth, her heart would ache even more.
After leaving the study, she saw Bai Yanzhou wearing a black silk robe, holding Shushu in his arms as she drank her milk. The evening glow filtered through the window, casting a gentle light on him.
Shushu was dressed in a lovely milky-white outfit, kicking her little legs restlessly while drinking her milk—just like her mother had done as a baby.
Hearing the sound, Bai Yanzhou lifted his deep, thoughtful eyes, the milk bottle still in his hand. “Your little aunt is here.”
Those words felt like a bucket of cold water poured over Pei Wanyou, chilling her to the bone.
“The little miss resembles the eldest miss a bit. She’ll surely grow up to be a great beauty,” a maid said with a smile, her hands clasped in front of her.
Hearing this, Pei Wanyou’s heart tightened. Yes, Shushu would grow up…
“Get out,” Bai Yanzhou said coldly, placing the milk bottle aside. What did it matter whether his daughter was a beauty or not? Was that even a compliment?
The maid, realizing she had spoken out of turn, lowered her head and left.
Pei Wanyou didn’t want to engage with Bai Yanzhou, but she longed to hold her daughter, so she walked over anyway. “Let me hold her.”
Afraid she might drop Shushu, Bai Yanzhou motioned for her to sit beside him. “Don’t be so stiff. Relax.”
“She’s so tiny. Her hand isn’t even as big as my palm,” Pei Wanyou sat on the sofa, a sweet smile curling at the corners of her mouth. At the sight of the adorable baby, all the regrets from the late nights seemed to vanish.
Bai Yanzhou leaned his elbow against the back of the sofa behind Pei Wanyou, his body slightly tilted forward. His robe fell open, revealing the clear lines of his muscles. “Mother gave me a deadline of twenty-eight days. What do you plan to do?”
Pei Wanyou lowered her head, gazing at the adorable Shushu in her arms. Tears began to fall uncontrollably. “…”
She didn’t know why, but sometimes tears would come without warning.
If her parents and aunt and uncle found out, she truly wouldn’t be able to go on living.
Bai Yanzhou’s thumb brushed against Pei Wanyou’s cheek. “Why are you crying?”
Pei Wanyou turned her head away. “Then… what if we say we’re truly in love…” Even as she said it, she didn’t believe it herself.
The thought of spending decades with someone like Bai Yanzhou made her heart feel suffocated.
He was absolutely not the kind of person one could spend a lifetime with.
“You can’t even lie convincingly. Do you think I could fall in love with you?” Bai Yanzhou had considered it, but even if his parents agreed, what would the outside world say?
Explain it to everyone one by one?
“I might as well just die,” Pei Wanyou wiped away her tears.
Bai Yanzhou’s chest heaved as he pinched Pei Wanyou’s cheek. “Is this how I usually teach you?”
“What’s there to be proud of? Thinking you’re such a great teacher,” Pei Wanyou muttered under her breath.
Bai Yanzhou’s voice unconsciously turned cold. “Nothing is more important than your life. You’d better carve those words into your bones.”
“Brother, my arm’s gone numb. Hold her for a while.” Pei Wanyou’s face was red from the pinch, the finger marks clearly visible.
Bai Yanzhou leaned closer. He smelled pleasant, carrying a cool, refreshing scent—like flowers blooming on a glacier, fragrant but not cloying, yet giving off an unapproachable chill.
“Hold her steady. Don’t drop the baby,” Pei Wanyou reminded from the side.
Bai Yanzhou turned his head, his voice softening considerably. “You think I’m like you?”
“Ouch—damn it—”
Pei Wanyou pinched the inside of Bai Yanzhou’s thigh hard. “Are you done yet? Just because you’re a few years older than me, you think you’re something special? Lecturing me all day, acting all high and mighty.”
“Let go.” Bai Yanzhou winced in pain—she knew exactly where to pinch.
Pei Wanyou let go and stood up. “I know I was wrong, but you can’t scold me!” Her tone was bold, even if her reasoning wasn’t.
Shushu blinked her big eyes, watching…
Bai Yanzhou stood up, holding Shushu. “Just you wait.” With that, he headed toward the study.
Pei Wanyou immediately ran off in her slippers. Did he think she was stupid enough to stand there and wait for his revenge?
Although the Bai family’s estate was large, where could Pei Wanyou possibly run? In less than ten minutes, Bai Yanzhou caught her.
“Let me go.” Pei Wanyou hung upside down, clutching tightly to Bai Yanzhou’s robe. “I won’t do it again.”
Bai Yanzhou’s thigh still throbbed with pain. Was he the kind to let things slide?
“Weren’t you feeling pretty proud of yourself just now?” Bai Yanzhou strode forward with long steps, carrying Pei Wanyou—dressed in her little bunny pajamas—over his shoulder. When she was obedient, her sweet talk could charm anyone to death. When she was infuriating, you’d want to strangle her on the spot.
The butler saw but didn’t intervene—clearly, he was used to it.
Bai Miaomiao stood in the front yard holding Shushu. Seeing Bai Yanzhou carrying Pei Wanyou past her, she sighed. “Take it easy…”
“Who do you think he takes after?” Bai Miaomiao frowned. Although there were rough characters in the family, none were quite this rough.
Si Xiang spoke slowly. “I don’t know about the rest, but his unreasonable side definitely comes from me.”
Bai Miaomiao slowly looked up at Si Xiang. “…”
“You’re sleeping in the study alone tonight. I’m sleeping with Shushu.” Bai Miaomiao stormed off angrily.
Si Xiang quickly followed, a smile on his lips. With a temper like that, she still wondered who Bai Yanzhou took after.
“…”
Pei Wanyou was thrown onto the master bedroom’s large bed.
“I’m not messing with you anymore.” Pei Wanyou pressed her hand against Bai Yanzhou’s chest. “You were the one who yelled at me first. Are you even reasonable?”
Bai Yanzhou leaned down, one knee resting against the edge of the bed. “You should be glad I didn’t hit you.”
Pei Wanyou: “It hurts…”
Bai Yanzhou: “Still dare to pinch me?”
Bai Yanzhou let go, straightening up to adjust his robe—partly to hide his discomfort.
Pei Wanyou bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes. She turned over and buried her face in the blanket, pounding the bed twice with her fist.
“I dare! Next time, I’ll pinch you even harder!”
A muffled voice came from under the blanket, tinged with tears. Bai Yanzhou finished adjusting his robe, watching the little troublemaker’s series of defiant actions.
“I’m not joking with you. Starting today, you have to report to me wherever you go. If I don’t allow it, you’re not allowed to go.” As he spoke, he opened the door, intending to sit in the courtyard for a while to calm down.
Pei Wanyou turned her head, her face pressed against the pillow: “Then you have to report to me too, otherwise it’s not fair. Wherever you go, you also need my permission.”
Bai Yanzhou was about to leave, but hearing Pei Wanyou say this, he turned and walked toward the bed…
Pei Wanyou quickly scrambled off the bed, leaning against the cabinet behind her: “Go ahead, hit me. Even if you do, I still won’t listen.”
Just being stubborn.
Bai Yanzhou stopped in his tracks: “Do you think I enjoy managing you?”
“Then just don’t bother, okay?” Pei Wanyou’s thigh still hurt from earlier. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her eye rims were red.
Seeing her leaning against the cabinet like a pitiful little thing, Bai Yanzhou suppressed his anger and walked out, slamming the door with a loud “bang.”
Pei Wanyou secretly raised two fingers in a “V” for victory. Was she just going to take the pinching for nothing? Anyway, angering someone to death isn’t a crime.
Of course, she wouldn’t run around recklessly anymore—it was too frightening.
Bai Yanzhou sat in the courtyard as Lu Shu’an and Liu Yanxing, the leader of the second team, walked in from outside.
“Brother Bai.” Liu Yanxing’s background was somewhat special—he had two fathers but no mother, so he was adopted.
Bai Yanzhou leaned back in his chair, crossing his legs, holding a medical book he was reading: “Hmm, is everything settled?”
Liu Yanxing reached into his pocket as he spoke: “I can’t get it out…”
“You should have said so earlier, I’ll help you.” Lu Shu’an said, reaching out to unzip Liu Yanxing’s pants. Thankfully, he was wearing underwear.
“Damn—”
Bai Yanzhou closed the book, a slight curve lifting the corner of his lips, making his features appear even more defined…
“Brother Liu.” Pei Wanyou clung to the doorframe, poking her head out. She had originally planned to lie down for a while, but hearing the commotion in the courtyard, she couldn’t resist coming out to play.
Liu Yanxing adjusted his pants: “Last time I passed by an accessory shop, I saw a pair of pink hair clips that would suit you perfectly. Knowing you were home, I brought them along.”
“No wonder you said you couldn’t get it out—you were hiding something.” Lu Shu’an said, draping his arm over Liu Yanxing’s shoulder. He had long noticed that Liu Yanxing had feelings for Pei Wanyou.
Pei Wanyou’s lively and adorable personality, coupled with her angelic face, had won over more than just one or two hearts.
Pei Wanyou walked over in her slippers. She took the hair clips and turned around: “Who says pink hair clips are only suitable for me? They suit my brother too.” With that, she clipped them directly onto his head.
“Nonsense.” Bai Yanzhou frowned in displeasure and reached to remove them.
Pei Wanyou gently kicked him. She wasn’t clueless—Liu Yanxing clearly had feelings for her, but she had absolutely no interest in him.
Although Bai Yanzhou frowned, he didn’t throw the hair clips on the ground: “We have serious matters to discuss.” The implication was that she should go back inside.
Liu Yanxing sighed inwardly. She wasn’t grown up yet, still acting like a child.
“Let me listen. Maybe I can help you?” Pei Wanyou said as she sat down on a chair, casually picking up Bai Yanzhou’s teacup to pour herself some tea.
Bai Yanzhou leaned back in his chair: “The Bai family’s affiliated industries absolutely must not be affected. Security measures must be fully implemented.”
Pei Wanyou rested her chin on her hand, her gaze fixed on Bai Yanzhou. He was quite charming when he was serious, especially with his unique voice—mature and steady, no longer carrying the naivety of youth.
“Don’t worry,” Liu Yanxing said as he removed Lu Shu’an’s hand from his shoulder, too lazy to deal with it.
Pei Wanyou fiddled with her teacup, feeling drowsy as she listened to them discuss serious matters.
Bai Yanzhou reached out his hand. “Don’t break it.” Drink tea properly—why can’t she keep her hands still? He had suspected she had hyperactivity disorder since childhood.
“I won’t, I just…” The cup danced on the table, suddenly spun around, lost its balance, and fell to the ground with a “crack,” shattering into pieces.
Bai Yanzhou pursed his thin lips. She never got a beating for nothing.
Pei Wanyou shifted her butt slightly to the side on the chair. “It’s just a cup. I’ll buy you ten tomorrow.”
“Hmm?” Bai Yanzhou’s voice was low and filled with anger.
Just then, the butler entered the courtyard carrying Shushu. “Madam said that the young miss will be staying with the young master from now on. She also said that tomorrow morning, the Sommerfield Family will bring Miss Alma over.”
Pei Wanyou froze. The Sommerfield Family intended to form a marriage alliance with the Bai family. She had met Alma before—a beautiful young lady with golden hair, a perfect match for Bai Yanzhou, and around the same age. She was a gentle, well-mannered noblewoman.
“I understand,” Bai Yanzhou said, reaching out to take Shushu. He would raise his own daughter—there was nothing to argue about.
Lu Shu’an gave Bai Yanzhou a meaningful look. Would he ever come to his senses? Being his friend was truly exhausting…