Bai Huan no longer had a driver. Taking a taxi to their agreed meeting place would cost him a little over two hundred yuan. They had arranged to go to a billiards club first, play a few games, then spend the night at a woodland villa belonging to one of them before returning to Nancheng the following afternoon.
There were nine people in the group chat altogether, but only seven were coming. The two who weren't attending came from equally wealthy families. Since the richer people were, the more fiercely they competed academically, the two had simply announced, "We've signed up for calculus classes, so we won't be able to hang out with you guys anymore. We can't make it this time, and we won't be coming in the future either." Then they left the group chat.
Bai Huan found this rather regrettable. After all, there were now two fewer people for him to trample underfoot.
Clearly, those two were a little smarter.
The other seven had arrived at the club early and were already urging Bai Huan to hurry up in the group chat.
The club specialized exclusively in billiards. Just getting through the doors required paying for a membership, with the most basic tier costing one hundred thousand yuan. And that merely granted someone the privilege of entering the establishment. They were still a long way from earning the right to pick up a cue.
Not long ago, Bai Huan had learned that Cheng Yueqing had either suspended all his active memberships, stopped renewing them, or transferred them directly into Bai Chen's name.
His old friends must have heard about this as well. That was probably why they had deliberately arrived early, hoping he would experience the humiliation of falling from the mountaintop to the bottom of the valley the moment he showed up.
But Bai Mingzhen had already renewed his memberships for him.
The club's employees paid no attention to such matters. They greeted their guest with the same flawless smiles as always.
After thinking for a moment, Bai Huan asked, "How long did my membership get renewed for this time?"
"One moment, please. Let me check. You're no longer a regular member, actually. Last month, Lawyer Bai upgraded your previous membership to a super membership. As for the complimentary gifts that come with that tier, we'll need to trouble you to provide a delivery address. We'll have them sent to your home tomorrow."
"Oh," Bai Huan replied. "Thank you. Do you have mint water?"
"We've already prepared some for you."
"When did Wang Yitong and the others arrive?"
"About fifteen minutes before you, sir."
"But they told me they'd been here for two hours already." Bai Huan put on an expression of utter bewilderment.
The employee maintained her courteous smile.
"Perhaps they just wanted to tease you."
Their small talk ended there.
Standing outside one of the private billiards rooms, the employee knocked on the door. Someone inside called for them to enter. She pushed the door open and stepped aside.
Bai Huan walked in carrying a bag of snacks.
His heart gave a sudden, violent thump. Only then did he smile at the people sitting and standing around the room.
To the others who had apparently just arrived, he said, "Looks like I've kept you waiting."
The employee quietly closed the door and left.
The first person to approach Bai Huan was a boy named Wang Yitong, who immediately pulled him into a hug.
"We've all heard about what happened with your family. How could something like that happen to you? What rotten luck."
Wang Yitong's family was in the flooring business, and a remarkably successful business it was. His parents lived in Guangdong Province, while only he and his maternal grandmother stayed in Nancheng.
He was fat, comical-looking, and had a pair of narrow, squinting eyes. Perhaps they wouldn't have looked quite so narrow if he weren't so fat.
His ambitions, however, were lofty.
Ever since entering the school in his second year of middle school, he had been determined to join the most prestigious group on campus, the "Heirs."
Finally, in his first year of high school, he managed to earn a smile from Bai Huan, one of the group's central figures. Only then could he barely consider his lifelong ambition fulfilled.
Now, Bai Huan saw contempt in those narrow eyes.
He handed over the bag of snacks.
"Have some. They'll help you lose weight."
The other six stood not far away, holding their breath as they watched the first confrontation between the two.
The moment Bai Huan entered wearing those shabby, thoroughly unfashionable clothes, they had already been disappointed.
He was so open and unashamed about everything that it made them look downright despicable by comparison.
But despicability was a virtue among the wealthy, so none of them felt ashamed.
They were simply disappointed that Bai Huan hadn't tried to put on a show of wealth he no longer possessed.
He hadn't given them the satisfaction they wanted.
Wang Yitong set the bag of snacks aside, and nobody touched it.
The others came over to greet Bai Huan as well. Unsurprisingly, every conversation revolved around the Bai family's real and false sons.
"The world really is stranger than fiction. To think something like that could actually happen. Tsk, tsk." The boy dressed head to toe in LV shook his head as he spoke.
"We've only heard the general story. We don't really know the details. Taimi, tell us exactly what happened," said a boy with a duck-like, raspy voice, polishing a billiards cue as he spoke.
Bai Huan looked around at everyone.
"It is what it is, okay? There's nothing worth talking about."
"A few days ago, when your grandaunt celebrated her eightieth birthday, Aunt Yueqing brought Bai Chen along and introduced him to everyone. That Bai Chen doesn't look much like someone raised in poverty. He's actually pretty refined. I heard he speaks two foreign languages, too."
The fourth speaker had a head of messy hair.
The last time Bai Huan had seen him, his hair had been blue. Now it was half black and half yellow. He hadn't bothered cutting it, simply letting it grow until it nearly reached his neck.
His name was Lu Hu'an.
He was the person Bai Huan had once believed to be his very best friend.
Without exception.
"I've had dinner with Bai Chen. He's actually pretty decent."
Bai Huan took the cue that Duck Voice had just finished polishing.
"Mind?"
"Of course not," Duck Voice answered reflexively.
Only after the words left his mouth did he look at the others in astonishment. Following a brief exchange of glances, he turned his head away and rubbed his nose.
"How are we playing today?"
Bai Huan approached the billiards table. The balls were scattered across the felt and hadn't been arranged again.
He glanced around but couldn't see any employee responsible for setting them up.
Just then, the cue was pulled out of his hand.
Lu Hu'an smiled.
"Taimi, I'm running short on pocket money this month, so I can't afford to hire a server. You were the last to arrive, so it's your job to set up the balls for us. Got it?"
Bai Huan gave Lu Hu'an a long, searching look.
He had lost some weight recently, making his eyes appear even larger. They were distinctively black and white, moist and bright, with slightly downturned outer corners that sometimes gave him a pitiful, vulnerable appearance.
But not at this moment.
A moon viewed from a different angle was still a moon.
And moonlight could be cold, as sharp as a boning knife.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?"
Bai Huan curved his lips into a smile.
"I'm a super member. That service comes complimentary with my membership."
The club quickly arranged for an employee to enter and provide the service.
Bai Huan took the cue back from Lu Hu'an.
He ran his fingers along the edge of the table, speaking unhurriedly.
"Same rules as always. I'll break."
With that, he found a position, bent over, and effortlessly sent the solid number one ball into a pocket.
In the past, whenever Bai Huan struck the cue ball and successfully pocketed another ball, he would still step aside and let someone else play.
This time, however, he apparently had no intention of doing so.
He lightly nudged LV Guy out of his way, bent over again, and struck the solid number three ball.
It went into the pocket as well.
Standing nearby, Lu Hu'an tugged at his collar, finding it difficult to breathe.
When Bai Huan selected his third ball, his movements slowed slightly.
His fingers were long and slender, with knuckles that weren't particularly prominent. Every time he bent over and extended his arm, the lines of his hips and legs beneath his trousers became especially striking.
He himself seemed completely unaware of it.
The overhead lights illuminated his expressionless face.
He held his position without moving, but began to speak.
"First, I'm very happy that you're still willing to hang out with me at a time like this."
His cue shot forward.
Clack!
The two balls collided, and the number two ball dropped into a pocket.
He straightened and began selecting his fourth ball.
Bending over once again, he aimed the cue ball at the number six ball.
"Second, I knew before coming here that you weren't sincerely inviting me out to have fun."
"Then why did you agree to come?" Wang Yitong asked hesitantly.
Bai Huan didn't answer.
He pocketed the ball, then chose the number five ball as his next target.
Only then did he speak again.
"Third, the reason I came is because I wanted to teach you all a lesson."
Except for the server, everyone in the room immediately developed their own particular shade of an ugly expression.
"Taimi, haven't you misunderstood us somehow?"
This time, the speaker was a very tall boy wearing a tank top and jeans.
On the school's volleyball team, he had always been Bai Huan's most compatible partner. After every victorious match, their fists, covered in dust and sweat, would collide with force.
In those moments, it had seemed that only the two of them had the right to decide victory and defeat in this world.
Bai Huan still didn't answer.
This time, he selected the number three ball.
Just as he was about to bend over, Jeans strode forward and grabbed the cue in his hand.
"I'm talking to you."
Bai Huan's voice was indifferent.
"Let go, or I'll beat you to death right now."
Jeans stood 198 centimeters tall, a full twenty centimeters taller than Bai Huan.
By all rights, he shouldn't have been afraid of the latter.
Yet he was.
Someone who had fallen from heaven into the depths of a valley could sometimes be even more frightening than someone who had never owned anything in the first place.
Once the cue was back in his hand, Bai Huan behaved as though nothing had happened.
He aimed at the number three ball and struck the cue ball, sending it crashing into the target ball and knocking it into a pocket.
This time, he used considerably more force.
The impact sent the number three ball bouncing across the table before it dropped into the pocket on the opposite side.
Bai Huan lowered his eyes, watching the ball ricochet across the felt.
"Fourth, did I ever do anything wrong to you before? Did I ever hurt any of you?"
The boy wasn't asking because he wanted an answer.
He didn't need one.
He simply couldn't understand.
"Or is the nobility I was born with, the kind that makes all of you seem dull and insignificant, an original sin in your eyes?"
"..."
It was the number four ball's turn.
The cue ball struck it with tremendous force.
The number four ball flew straight toward Wang Yitong's face.
Unable to dodge in time, Wang Yitong took the ball directly to the bridge of his nose.
The pain was so sharp that he instinctively covered it with his hand. When he lowered his hand again, his palm was covered in blood.
"Fifth, didn't I tell you before that you should never pursue a desperate enemy?"
Then came the final ball, number seven.
It flew straight toward Lu Hu'an's cheekbone.
"Lu Hu'an, let's play a match. Five million yuan on the line."
Lu Hu'an was in too much pain to control his expression.
He opened his mouth, but Bai Huan had already tossed aside his cue and started walking toward the door.
"Check today's competition hall schedule. Lu Hu'an and I are going to have a match, and we're taking priority. No membership restrictions, no admission fees. Everyone can watch for free."
With only a staff member following behind him, Bai Huan cut a rather solitary figure as he walked down the corridor.
At last, he blinked his eyes, which had remained open and dull for so long.
His eye sockets were so dry that the movement felt as though a razor blade had scraped across his eyeballs.
He was indeed terribly sad about losing his friendships.
But he also felt exhilarated.
Once, he had possessed a vast, boundless grassland.
Now he had nothing.
So he would take a sickle, pesticides, and a plow, and personally turn over every inch of that grassland.
He knew that soon, he would have a new grassland, one bursting with even greater vitality.
Although everyone who frequented the club came from families of considerable means, nobody's money simply fell from the sky.
Usually, competitions were organized by the club and featured professional players. The so-called stakes were actually just prize money awarded by the club to the winning competitors.
If guests wanted to challenge someone to a private match, however, they had to provide the prize money themselves.
Bai Huan didn't have five million yuan.
He didn't even have fifty thousand.
But he knew he wouldn't lose.
He had never lost a single match in his life.
When it came to billiards, Lu Hu'an was no match for him.
Whether they played Chinese eight-ball or snooker, Lu Hu'an couldn't beat him at the former, and he was even more hopeless at the latter.
The Bai family had its own facilities, and whenever Bai Mingzhen had time, he would give Bai Huan a few pointers.
As for snooker, there wasn't a single person in all of Nancheng who could beat Bai Mingzhen.
Bai Huan also knew that Lu Hu'an would grit his teeth and accept the challenge even if he knew he was going to lose.
He had already seen the longing for the glory of first place in Lu Hu'an's eyes.
Someone who became absorbed in the struggle itself wouldn't necessarily lose.
But someone obsessed with rankings would find defeat becoming an everyday occurrence.
Lu Hu'an had never understood that principle.
And precisely because he didn't understand it, Bai Huan was certain he would accept the challenge.
After all, this was the only opportunity in all these years for Lu Hu'an to completely trample Bai Huan beneath his feet.
Unfortunately, they had never been particularly honorable people.
They tried to tamper with the cues ahead of the match.
But the staff refused to accept their bribe.
One employee said in a low voice, "Someone specifically gave us instructions today. Everything must be handled strictly according to the rules."
Wang Yitong had tissues stuffed into both nostrils.
He asked loudly and indignantly, "Which goddamn bastard was that?"
"Young Master Bai."
Wang Yitong's two thick, pillar-like legs trembled.
He immediately regretted blurting out that insult without first asking who the person was.
He could only pray that the man would never find out.
The expressions of the others varied.
Duck Voice was the first to react.
"Wasn't he kicked out of the Bai family? Why is Bai Mingzhen still protecting him?!"
Wang Yitong covered his nose.
"Maybe Bai Mingzhen gave the club those instructions before all this happened."
"Are you deaf? Didn't he say today? Doesn't that make it obvious that those two brothers are still as close as ever, even now?!"
This time, LV Guy had caught on too.
He immediately raised both hands and addressed the others.
"Let me make one thing clear right now. This wasn't my idea. If Bai Mingzhen comes looking for me, that's exactly what I'm going to tell him. Don't drag me into this."
Lu Hu'an said nothing.
He merely felt that the air-conditioning in the club had been turned down too low.
He put on his jacket and prepared to head to the competition hall.
Jeans grabbed Lu Hu'an's arm.
"Lu Hu'an, I don't think there's any point anymore. He hasn't really severed ties with the Bai family. Even if you win, you'll still lose."
The others nodded in agreement.
LV Guy added, "Sure, Bai Mushan and Cheng Yueqing can't stand Bai Mingzhen most of the time, but it's not like Bai Mingzhen depends on either of them. He's the heir personally designated by the Bai family's ancestors. To put it plainly, as long as Bai Mingzhen still acknowledges Bai Huan as his brother, who gives a damn whether Bai Mushan and Cheng Yueqing acknowledge him or not?"
He abruptly turned toward Wang Yitong.
"No, seriously, Wang Yitong, where the hell did you get that bullshit information? You're going to get all of us killed!"
Lu Hu'an remained silent.
He shook off Jeans's hand and followed the employee toward the competition hall.
The competition hall was particularly lively today.
Once news spread that the Bai family's false young master and the Lu family's youngest son were going to compete, it traveled faster than if it had grown wings.
Every club member with a little spare time came running to watch the spectacle.
Especially since the prize money was five million yuan.
Most of these young masters and young ladies, who still relied on their parents for money, weren't in a position to casually throw away several million yuan just for entertainment.
Neither was Bai Huan.
He sent Bai Mingzhen a message asking for money.
Bai Mingzhen didn't reply.
Bai Huan pouted, thoroughly displeased.
But the club needed to confirm that the prize money had been deposited into the prize pool before the match could begin.
Both competitors had to prepare their money in advance.
Standing beside the billiards table, Bai Huan remained perfectly calm.
He thought that if he lost his honor before the match had even begun, how was he supposed to deal with everyone else?
Lu Hu'an was also calling his family.
Perhaps because nobody in that family was a particularly decent person, whoever answered the phone agreed to his request.
A smile appeared on Lu Hu'an's face.
The announcement system in the competition hall came to life, its voice cold and slow.
It announced that five million yuan had been deposited into the prize pool.
Bai Huan pressed his lips tightly together.
His fingers gripped the cue so hard that it creaked.
His gaze was as calm and cold as two pebbles resting at the bottom of an icy lake.
In the distance, surrounded by a crowd of people, Lu Hu'an raised his phone toward Bai Huan and smiled.
The display screens assigned to the two competitors lit up one after the other.
Their names, match time, scores, and other information were clearly listed.
Finally, under the name of the competitor Bai Huan, the screen showed that his five-million-yuan contribution had been deposited.
Lu Hu'an's contribution was still awaiting payment.
Lu Hu'an stopped smiling.
Now it was Bai Huan's turn.
And Bai Huan's smile was even brighter than his.
Just then, the phone in Bai Huan's hand vibrated.
He lowered his head and saw a message from Bai Mingzhen:
Big Brother is watching from the audience. I'll be here to see you win.