After everyone had gradually departed, the only people remaining at the entrance were the members of the Mo and Bai families.
Mo Yuncheng stood at the doorway like a tall, upright poplar tree. Standing very straight, he watched the cars drive away before turning around and waving Bai Nanxing over to his side.
By all reasoning, at a time like this, he should have called for Bai Yi, or at the very least, Bai Ruoning. However, Mo Yuncheng seemed to do it on purpose; he directly ignored Bai Yi and Bai Ruoning, not even granting them a single glance. He might as well have said outright, “You two are an eyesore, please stand further away.”
This kind of indirect humiliation was no less insulting than verbal abuse. The only difference was that one was subtle, while the other was brought out into the open.
But invisible humiliation stings the heart even more.
Especially for someone like Bai Yi, who was naturally sensitive and suspicious, it felt like every invisible blade was aimed at his life.
Bai Nanxing could clearly feel the death stares being thrown at him by Bai Yi and Bai Ruoning. He unconsciously curled his lips into a faint smile; these two were truly father and son. One didn’t even need to guess to know exactly what they were thinking.
“Chairman Mo,” Bai Nanxing said obediently as he walked to Mo Yuncheng’s side.
Mo Yichen was also there. His expression was much better than before, and he didn’t look forced at all; it didn’t seem like an act. Bai Nanxing didn’t know what Mo Yuncheng had whispered in his ear earlier, but he could clearly feel that Mo Yichen’s attitude toward him had shifted.
“Eldest Young Master,” Bai Nanxing greeted him as well.
Mo Yichen responded proactively, “You can call me by my name, or… Brother Chen.”
This transformation was like moving instantly from a Siberian winter into an African summer, leaving Bai Nanxing momentarily speechless.
But with Mo Yuncheng right in front of him, he couldn’t refuse the gesture. He called out tremulously, “Brother… Brother Chen.”
Mo Yuncheng asked, “Nanxing, do you want to go home, or back to school?”
Bai Nanxing naturally chose to go back to school. However, he wanted Mo Yuncheng to understand his situation; his eyes flickered toward Bai Yi from time to time, and he didn’t reply immediately.
Having spent so many years in the business world, Mo Yuncheng was an old fox. He could see through Bai Nanxing’s thoughts in a single glance. “You don’t need to worry about him. Just say what you want. I will make the decisions for you here.”
Bai Nanxing hesitated for a moment, then looked up and said, “I… I want to go back to school.”
If he went back to the Bai house tonight, even if Bai Yi let him go, Bai Ruoning would surely twist the truth in front of Qiao Qian. Moreover, the marks on his body hadn’t completely faded yet, so he didn’t plan on going back for the time being.
Having received the answer, Mo Yuncheng originally intended to have Mo Yichen drive Bai Nanxing back. However, he had assigned a task to Mo Yichen, and if he sent Bai Nanxing back first, he might not have enough time to complete it. He had to pick someone else.
“A-Yang, come here,” Mo Yuncheng called out to Mo Leyang, who was standing nearby.
Zhou Lin nudged him with his elbow. “The old man is calling you.”
“What’s he calling me for?”
“How should I know! He’s your dad, not mine!”
Mo Leyang turned to look at Bai Nanxing and noticed he was keeping his head down. Guessing that Mo Yuncheng was calling him because of Bai Nanxing, he felt a bit reluctant. But out of respect for Mo Yuncheng, he unwillingly moved his “noble” feet forward.
The son Mo Yuncheng understood the least was his third son. He felt that Mo Leyang should dislike this task, yet his expression seemed indifferent; at the same time, the vibe he gave off suggested he was quite willing. For a moment, even Mo Yuncheng couldn’t tell what Mo Leyang was actually thinking.
“A-Yang, aren’t you heading back to school in a bit?”
Mo Leyang hadn’t originally planned to, but after Mo Yuncheng spoke, he changed his mind on the spot. “I am going back to school. Don’t tell me, Old Man, that you’re going to personally drive me?”
As he said this, Mo Leyang’s gaze was fixed on Bai Nanxing, completely indifferent to what Mo Yuncheng might think.
Mo Yuncheng also turned a blind eye, acting as if he hadn’t noticed. “Personally drive you? Are you in primary school or kindergarten? Nanxing is going back to school later, and you’re going back too. You two can go together.”
Bai Nanxing looked up sharply. He wanted to go back to school, but he never imagined going back with a pervert like Mo Leyang.
He was just about to refuse when Mo Leyang beat him to it. “Sure. Since the Old Man has spoken, it would be quite disrespectful of me to refuse.”
“Do I need you to show me respect? Don’t flatter yourself.”
“Yes, yes, yes. After all, you are my old man.”
Mo Yichen spoke up, “If Nanxing is going back to school, I’ll drive him. It won’t take long, so there’s no need to trouble A-Yang.”
Mo Yuncheng looked down at the Swiss watch on his wrist and said seriously, “There’s no time. A-Yang happens to be going to the school anyway, so let him be responsible for taking Nanxing back. It’s settled. A-Yang, did you hear me clearly?”
“Mission guaranteed.”
And so, Bai Nanxing was sent by Mo Yuncheng into the car Mo Leyang was riding in.
He sat in the seat on the right by the window, while Mo Leyang sat on the left by the window, with a distance between them.
Neither looked at the other.
The driver was very good at reading the room and knew Mo Leyang’s temperament, so he didn’t dare say much. Fearing that Bai Nanxing might dislike the smell of the air conditioning, he intentionally left a small crack in the right-side window.
The heavy silence in the car felt like a pressure pump. Mo Leyang’s low-pressure aura filled the entire space, forcing Bai Nanxing to grip the hem of his clothes tightly with both hands.
“You’re quite something, aren’t you? Actually, getting the Old Man to speak up for you,” Mo Leyang suddenly remarked coldly once the car had completely left the Mo family gates.
Bai Nanxing didn’t quite understand what he meant. He tilted his head and asked cautiously, “Senior, I… I don’t understand what you mean.”
Mo Leyang didn’t believe his words at all. Resting his chin on one hand, he looked at him and sneered, “The Old Man never speaks up for others easily, and he certainly doesn’t ask me to do things lightly. Today is the first time.”
Bai Nanxing was slightly stunned.
He had thought Mo Yuncheng was simply asking Mo Leyang as a father to take him home—just like when he went to Yan Mo’s house and Yan Mo’s parents would ask Yan Mo to see him out to catch a taxi. He had never considered that Mo Yuncheng was different from other people.
Now, it was completely impossible to explain.
Bai Nanxing lowered his head and explained, “I never mentioned the matter of having you drive me back to Chairman Mo. Whether you believe it or not, I never did! If you don’t believe me, I can…”
“Have the Old Man testify for you?”
Mo Leyang let out a snort of laughter. “I really understand less and less how the Old Man took a liking to you. With this little brain of yours, aren’t you afraid of embarrassing him if you speak out?”
“You don’t believe me?” Bai Nanxing leaned back a bit, turning himself fully toward Mo Leyang with a steady gaze. “I did not mention this matter to Chairman Mo. I didn’t!”
Mo Leyang’s smile came to an abrupt halt. However, it wasn’t because of Bai Nanxing’s words, but because as Bai Nanxing leaned toward him, his body tilted forward. His excessively thin frame couldn’t fill out his clothes; as he leaned, the fabric slipped down, leaving the view of his chest completely exposed.
But it wasn’t an alluring sight. Underneath the clothes, the whip marks on his chest were clearly visible and shocking to the eye.
Perhaps some time had passed since the whipping; the marks that should have been red were now a purplish-red. In some places they had faded, turning into patches of green and blue, looking particularly out of place against his fair skin—even appearing quite eyesore-inducing.
Seeing that he wasn’t speaking and had a very serious expression, Bai Nanxing thought his words had angered Mo Leyang. He silently sat back properly and lowered his head, not saying another word.
Mo Leyang pulled his gaze back and likewise said nothing.
A strange atmosphere filled the entire space.
After a while, the two of them still hadn’t spoken.
Zhou Lin, sitting in the passenger seat, finally couldn’t help but turn his head back to greet Bai Nanxing. “Little Junior, do you still remember me?”
Bai Nanxing looked up and nodded slowly.
Zhou Lin didn’t have any particular prejudice against Bai Nanxing. However, the first formal meeting last night had surprised him; it was the first time he realized that a boy could be described not just with the word “handsome,” but also with “beautiful.” And it didn’t feel contradictory; rather, when the two were layered together, the effect was even more breathtaking.
Perhaps because of this, whenever Mo Leyang looked for trouble with Bai Nanxing, Zhou Lin always felt a bit of pity—it could be considered a bit of his own personal bias.
“It’s good that you remember. I thought you wouldn’t.”
Through the light in the car, Zhou Lin only then noticed the red mark on Bai Nanxing’s face. “Little Junior, this side of your face… what happened?”
Bai Nanxing could no longer feel the pain; the burning sensation from before had vanished. As for the mark, he knew it wouldn’t fade that quickly.
“It’s… it’s nothing.” Bai Nanxing lowered his head again.
He didn’t want others to see his moments of distress, so he always tried his best to feign a facade, even though in the end, things always became exceptionally wretched.
Zhou Lin shifted his gaze to Mo Leyang, but he knew Mo Leyang; he wouldn’t deign to do such a thing himself. Then was the person who did its Mo Yichen?
But Mo Yichen didn’t seem like someone who would do something so humiliating either. Then who could it be?
Zhou Lin wanted to ask, but he knew that asking under these circumstances would be like picking at a scab, so he simply ignored it. “As long as you’re okay. Little Junior, I heard A-Yang say you fainted during lunch. Did you not eat anything this morning?”
Bai Nanxing had eaten. He had a piece of toast—blueberry flavored, stuffed with raisins in the middle. He liked it very much and bought it almost every morning for breakfast. But he had eaten too little; he only had one piece, which wasn’t filling at all. Since lunch was so late, his body couldn’t replenish its energy in time, which was why he fainted.
“I ate a little bit,” Bai Nanxing said truthfully.
“Next time if you go over there, you can actually eat a bit more,” Zhou Lin said. “Usually at times like this, lunch is later than usual. If you don’t eat enough, your body might not hold up. However, you can tell the butler and have some pastries to tide you over.”
Bai Nanxing didn’t want to go back to that place, which felt like a prison to him, ever again. Ideally, never. But since Zhou Lin had said so, he still gave a polite word of thanks. “Thank you, Senior.”