Bai Yanzhou leisurely sipped his porridge while the butler stood silently nearby, waiting.
Pei Wanyou yawned, dressed in a light purple half-sleeved top paired with a gray high-waisted pleated skirt, knee-high socks, and a ponytail, looking as if she were about to fall asleep.
“Brother, why haven’t you gone to the front hall yet?” she said as she sat down in a chair, crossing her legs and reaching for a steaming meat bun.
Bai Yanzhou frowned slightly. “Wasn’t it just yesterday you had a stomachache?” She hadn’t even finished her postpartum recovery, yet she was already wearing such a short half-sleeved top—if she stood up, her stomach would be exposed…
“Isn’t it pretty?” Pei Wanyou pouted, her cheeks stuffed full. She had to eat quickly, or she’d be late.
Bai Yanzhou’s eyelids twitched. “Shut up.”
Even if she wore a sack, she wouldn’t look ugly.
Pei Wanyou glanced at him disdainfully. Who was he to talk, with his suits practically welded to his body? Couldn’t he wear a bikini for once?
At the thought, she couldn’t help but let out a snicker.
Bai Yanzhou looked at Pei Wanyou, saw her lecherous expression, and disdainfully averted his gaze. Who knew what went on in her head all day?
“Young Master, Miss Alma is still waiting in the front hall…” The butler bent slightly and whispered a reminder.
Bai Yanzhou finished his breakfast while holding Shushu and leaned back in his chair. “What’s the rush?” Then he looked at Pei Wanyou. “Are you done eating?”
“You go ahead with your business. The driver can take me.” Pei Wanyou was actually a little worried. What if Alma couldn’t accept Bai Yanzhou having a child?
It was only natural for her not to accept it, but wouldn’t that be unfair to Bai Yanzhou?
Things she had never considered before were now laid out before her one by one, and Pei Wanyou was so troubled she felt like pulling her hair out.
Bai Yanzhou stood up, still holding Shushu. “I have important matters to attend to. Let them wait.” Then he glanced at her. “Aren’t you bringing your books to school?”
“Well, the books were in the car, and the car got wrecked…” Pei Wanyou pursed her lips, her left foot tapping the floor lightly before adding, “Including my homework—it’s all gone.”
Bai Yanzhou held Shushu with one hand and took out his phone with the other. After finding the number, he dialed: [Hello, Professor Bolang, this is Bai Yanzhou. Pei Wanyou hasn’t finished her homework, and I hope you’ll investigate this strictly.]
“…”
Pei Wanyou lunged to grab the phone, but Bai Yanzhou, taking advantage of his height, kept it out of her reach. The key was that she was afraid of hurting Shushu, so she didn’t dare to make any big moves. “How can you be so mean!”
“Is this your first day knowing me?” Bai Yanzhou hung up the phone and looked down at the shorty in front of him, her face flushed and her lips pouted so much they could hang a soy sauce bottle.
The butler sighed. Miss Alma was still waiting in the front hall, yet the young master had the leisure to tease the young lady…
Front Hall.
Upon learning that Bai Yanzhou had gone to send Pei Wanyou to school, Bai Miaomiao took a sip of tea. He was so rebellious—whatever you told him to do, he’d do the opposite. Even now, he refused to say who Shushu’s mother was.
Neat rows of chairs lined both sides of the hall. Alma sat properly, wearing a long dress with her hands folded in her lap.
She was naturally beautiful, with soft features that gave her a gentle appearance. The corners of her eyes and lips carried a friendly smile, making her seem easy to approach.
The head of the Summerfield family, Benson, sipped his tea: “Since our parents’ generation, our two families have been close friends. I sincerely hope this relationship can continue.”
Alma’s ears turned slightly red—her father was being far too direct.
“My family has few children, and Yanzhou doesn’t have many siblings. It would be wonderful for us to visit each other more often.” Bai Miaomiao had no intention of arranging a marriage alliance for Bai Yanzhou.
A loveless marriage would only be bound by interests. She hoped Bai Yanzhou could find happiness, experiencing love and being loved in marriage, rather than marrying hastily for the sake of gain.
Benson smiled: “Alma and Yanzhou are around the same age. Why not let them spend some time together? If it doesn’t work out, they can always become like siblings later.”
“If I could become Yanzhou’s younger sister, Alma would also be happy and content.” Alma didn’t want to cause anyone trouble. She had her own plans and bargaining chips; for now, she just wanted to have a good talk with Bai Yanzhou.
They had spoken a few times at banquets. Bai Yanzhou was a mature, steady, yet witty man. He never made inappropriate jokes about women. Most importantly, their circumstances were similar, so she believed they would have plenty of common topics to discuss.
Before getting out of the car, Pei Wanyou kissed Shushu’s little hand several times: “She’s so beautiful, just like me.”
“She’s beautiful—what does that have to do with you?” Bai Yanzhou said, his expression darkening. The driver was still in the car, and if word reached his mother, she would surely notice something.
Pei Wanyou gently pinched Bai Yanzhou’s shoulder: “After you go back, have a good talk with Alma. If she feels the child is an obstacle, Shushu can be adopted under my name. I’ll take care of her…”
Listening, the driver sighed inwardly—these siblings usually bickered and fought, but when it came down to it, their bond was truly strong.
Bai Yanzhou gripped Pei Wanyou’s chin, lowering his voice: “I suggest you give up on that idea.” He would never hand the child over to her.
She could barely take care of herself.
Pei Wanyou leaned on the seat with one hand, her chin slightly raised, her eyes filled with dissatisfaction toward Bai Yanzhou. How could he be like this?
Bai Yanzhou withdrew his hand: “I’ll send someone to pick you up at noon. Don’t wander around, or I’ll break your legs.” He was afraid Pei Wanyou would forget her lesson.
“The first thing I hate is the sharks in the backyard, and the second is you, Bai Yanzhou.” With that, Pei Wanyou got out of the car.
Bai Yanzhou watched her through the car window—she hadn’t even grown up yet…
By the time he returned home, it was almost ten o’clock. He had chatted with his brothers at the foot of the mountain and shot two wild pigeons.
Wearing black leather gloves, he held the sleeping Shushu in one arm and carried the wild pigeons in the other. When the butler approached, he handed him the pigeons: “Take the wild ginseng from the storeroom and make soup for the young lady.”
His mother disliked the taste and couldn’t drink it even if forced, but Pei Wanyou was different. If she refused to drink it, he would make her.
Hearing the commotion, Bai Miaomiao stood up: “Yanzhou, you’re back just in time.” They had been sitting there for two hours, discussing the recent riots.
“Good morning, Uncle.” Bai Yanzhou greeted while holding Shushu—the little one was probably about to wake up.
Alma stood up: “Good morning, Brother Yanzhou.”
Bai Yanzhou glanced at her and nodded.
After chatting for a while, Alma whispered a suggestion, “Brother Yanzhou, I’ve heard the Bai family’s back garden is huge, with thousands of flower varieties planted. Could you accompany me to take a look?”
Bai Miaomiao remained silent. Bai Yanzhou hadn’t been disciplined enough as a child—if she spoke now, he would surely contradict her.
“Alright,” Bai Yanzhou replied, standing up while holding Shushu.
Alma noticed that Bai Yanzhou cared deeply for this child, though she wondered who the child’s mother was.
Bai Yanzhou walked ahead, while Alma slipped on her shoes. Standing at around 1.7 meters tall, she wore a long dress and walked beside him, the two appearing exceptionally well-matched.
“Mr. Bai,” Alma changed her address once they were outside, “how about we make a deal?”
“Let’s hear it,” Bai Yanzhou said, taking a sun umbrella from a maid. He wasn’t afraid of the sun himself, but the little one in his arms couldn’t withstand the harsh sunlight.
Alma hesitated, holding back her words.
Bai Yanzhou said firmly, “Wait here, no need to follow.”
The maids stopped in their tracks.
“My father only has me as his child, but as you know, it’s nearly impossible for me to inherit the family. I need support,” Alma explained, looking at Bai Yanzhou.
What kind of man was this—tall, handsome, exuding masculine charisma? Standing beside him felt incredibly secure.
Bai Yanzhou cut straight to the point, “What can you offer me?”
He didn’t engage in unprofitable deals.
“Mr. Bai could publicly claim that this child is mine, that we had a one-night affair. First, you could protect the child’s mother. Second, as the only child of both the Bai and Sommerfield families, her life would undoubtedly be smooth sailing.”
She was clever—she could see how much Bai Yanzhou cared for this child. During their earlier conversation, Mrs. Bai had subtly hinted that Bai Yanzhou was keeping someone outside but had never brought her home, intending to make Alma give up.
“Do you think my daughter needs the protection of the Sommerfield Family?” Bai Yanzhou stopped walking. “If that’s all you have to offer, forget it.”
He had better options. Even with a child, when it came to interests, who would prioritize emotions?
Alma smiled gently, “I can give you twenty percent of the Sommerfield shares.”
“If Mr. Bai feels that’s not enough, I can add more,” Alma said, glancing at Shushu in Bai Yanzhou’s arms. The child was truly beautiful—she wondered who was fortunate enough to have given birth to Bai Yanzhou’s child.
He was like a towering tree; clinging to him would ensure a worry-free life.
“We can sign a prenuptial agreement. Once I become the clan leader, I’ll leave with nothing, taking not a single penny from the Bai family.” Marrying into the Bai family was enough for her—she needed nothing else.
Bai Yanzhou slowly tilted the umbrella.
Alma smiled gently again. Indeed, Bai Yanzhou was an excellent partner. She hoped they could cooperate happily.
Seeing the two return together, with Alma even linking arms with Bai Yanzhou, Bai Miaomiao picked up her teacup, narrowing her eyes slightly.
Bai Yanzhou was ruthless and would stop at nothing to achieve his goals. How could she easily hand over the Bai family to him? Did he really think this position was so easy to hold?
Yet, constantly controlling him wasn’t a solution either. Push someone too far, and what wouldn’t they do?
“Father, Brother Yanzhou has invited me to stay at the Bai residence for a while,” Alma said, lowering her head shyly. “Is that alright?”
Bai Miaomiao looked meaningfully at Bai Yanzhou: “…”
You little rascal!
Benson was naturally willing—this country was quite open-minded anyway.
Inside Astor University.
On the first day of the semester, Pei Wanyou was punished by the professor. She and Jiang Lu stood outside the door and listened to the first lecture.
“How could you be so ridiculous? What do you mean, your brother has hemorrhoids…” Jiang Lu spread her hands, looking utterly speechless.
Pei Wanyou stood on tiptoe, her face full of grievance: “Grandma taught me that. Who knew it wouldn’t work…”
Grandma had also said that other illnesses were hard to explain, but as long as you said you had hemorrhoids, the professor would be at a loss, and it would be easier to ask for leave later, since hemorrhoids tend to come and go.
But when she said she hadn’t finished her homework because she was taking care of her brother with hemorrhoids, Bai Yanzhou directly denied it over the phone.
“And you’re talking about me…” Pei Wanyou nudged Jiang Lu with her hip: “You’re even more ridiculous. Your dog ate the computer?”
Nowadays, homework is done on computers, and she said her dog ate it.
“Between the two of us, we can’t even scrape together one brain,” Jiang Lu said, pursing her lips.
“…”
Since it was just the start of the semester, Astor was quite considerate—there were only classes in the morning, leaving the afternoon free to adjust mentally and organize personal affairs.
“Wanyou, have you talked to your family about sharing an apartment?” Jiang Lu stood at the school gate, rubbing her face against Pei Wanyou’s soft cheek: “Please, please.”
Pei Wanyou nodded: “Wait a bit. It’s just the start of the semester—my family definitely won’t agree.”
“Alright then. Your driver is here,” Jiang Lu said, looking over with anticipation: “Your brother is really something. Introduce him to me, won’t you?”
“He’s not married yet, but he already has a baby,” Pei Wanyou said seriously.
Jiang Lu sighed: “No dirty—yellow—cucumbers for me. Then, what about that gentle, smiling one? Introduce him to me?”
“You mean Brother Lu, right? Well, he’s asexual,” Pei Wanyou said, sighing as she looked at the two she had picked.
What kind of taste is this? She was already starting to worry.
Jiang Lu looked disappointed: “E—rec—tile dysfunction?” Asexual—doesn’t that mean there’s a problem…
The driver got out and opened the car door. Bai Yanzhou hadn’t come along.
“Wanyou, check your messages later. I’ll send you something good,” Jiang Lu said, winking.
Pei Wanyou nodded and got into the car.
She hadn’t slept well the night before and fell asleep shortly after getting in the car…
Bai Yanzhou was sitting in the courtyard reading a book, with Alma quietly sitting beside him, keeping him company. Si Xiang returned just before lunch, bringing Benson into the study. Bai Miaomiao had a habit of taking afternoon naps and had already gone back to her courtyard to rest.
“Young Master, the driver called. The young lady fell asleep in the car,” the butler said, holding a blanket over his arm.
Bai Yanzhou put down his book—all she does is eat and sleep.
Seeing this, Alma didn’t follow him but gently rocked the nearby cradle. The baby was sleeping soundly, looking incredibly adorable.
The butler stood nearby, watching.
Pei Wanyou rested her head on her arm, sleeping soundly. She didn’t even notice when the car door opened.
Bai Yanzhou draped the blanket over her, leaned down, and carried her out of the car.
“Brother,” Pei Wanyou rubbed her eyes: “I can walk myself.” Her complexion wasn’t good—she was severely anemic.
“Starting today, Alma will be living at the Bai residence, in the same courtyard as us.” Bai Yanzhou felt it necessary to inform her, though his tone was more of a notification.
Pei Wanyou suppressed her discomfort—waking up with anemia was truly unbearable. “Are you going to marry her?”
“Otherwise, should I marry you?” Bai Yanzhou stepped over the threshold of the main gate, wondering why her complexion looked so pale.
“…”