Standing in the center of the classroom, Bai Xi glanced at Old Master Bai and then offered a subtle, searching look toward Yu Mo. The latter gave a nearly imperceptible nod.
It seemed that her clandestine activities with Yu Mo had been discovered by the Old Master. Bai Xi wasn’t particularly nervous. Ultimately, her reasons for these moves were to avoid the original plot and bypass Madam Bai; as for Old Master Bai, their interests didn’t necessarily conflict.
“Father, did you come to the school specifically to find me?” With a composed expression, Bai Xi walked forward and stopped two meters away from him.
“Perhaps I simply felt it was time to truly understand my son?” Old Master Bai’s gaze swept over the laptop in front of Yu Mo, his expression unreadable as he turned a knowing smile toward Bai Xi.
Two pairs of identical peach-blossom eyes met—one curved slightly with amusement, the other cool and calm. Bai Xi met his gaze without flinching. “Was that your purpose in coming here today?”
“It wasn’t initially, but it is now,” he glanced at Yu Mo, his tone devoid of any obvious emotion. “Perhaps I should have a cup of tea with President Yu?”
In the original novel, the story revolved almost entirely around the leads’ high school lives. In this reality, however, the campus was merely the tip of the iceberg. The version Bai Xi had read was a sanitized, “all-virtuous” edit. In this world, it wasn’t surprising that the head of the Bai family—who occupied the same social stratum as the Yu family—knew their dirty secrets. In fact, Old Master Bai seemed to know far more than Yu Mo or Bai Xi had anticipated.
Yu Mo’s face went pale instantly. He had always prided himself on his caution, enduring years of hardship to finally take this half-step forward, only to be exposed so effortlessly. A sense of powerlessness and dread surged through his heart. For the first time, Yu Mo felt his emotional reactions were those of a normal, vulnerable human being.
“Perhaps before that, I might have the honor of speaking with you properly, Father?” Seeing Yu Mo’s state, Bai Xi frowned inwardly. The male lead was still too young. Old Master Bai was intentionally being intimidating and enigmatic, but that was all it was. If Yu Mo could step outside his fear of the Old Master’s status, he would realize the man had no actual motive to act on those threats yet.
“Oh?” Old Master Bai raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
By speaking up, Bai Xi successfully diverted the Old Master’s attention to herself. She glanced surreptitiously at her watch. “If you can spare a moment from your busy schedule, I believe we have much to discuss.”
“You have somewhere to be?” Naturally, he hadn’t missed her checking the time. He rested his hand on her desk, understanding the implication.
Knowing he was a sharp man, Bai Xi nodded. “Just a small matter. It won’t take long.”
Standing up from the chair, Old Master Bai—whose long, slender fingers were as pale as ivory—flicked a speck of non-existent dust from his sleeve. “A father always has time for his son. Go settle your business. I’ll head to the Principal’s office first. When you’re finished, you can find me there.”
Though the Old Master was over fifty, time seemed to have left no mark on him. Thanks to an incredibly disciplined lifestyle, he maintained a mature, perfect physique that made his custom handmade suits look impeccable. He was charismatic and strikingly handsome. His features had softened from the sharp edge of his youth into a refined, gentlemanly air. With a full head of thick, dark hair and a hairline that hadn’t retreated an inch since his twenties, he was the envy of every man his age.
As Bai Xi watched him leave, she compared his lithe, upright silhouette to their thirty-something Form Teacher, Liu Xin—who was already immensely proud of simply not being bald yet. The gap between individuals was truly staggering.
“I’m sorry. Your father found out because of me,” Yu Mo’s voice, thick with self-reproach, pulled Bai Xi back to reality.
She realized then that while they shared similar backgrounds and a mutual respect, they hadn’t fully disclosed the inner workings of their respective families. Yu Mo likely still thought Old Master Bai was the one controlling her.
She waved it off, checking her watch: 11:57 AM. If she didn’t leave now, she really wouldn’t make it.
“I’ll explain later, but don’t blame yourself. The only one I need to guard against is my mother. It doesn’t matter much if my father knows.” With that, she hurried out. Luckily, she was already on the fourth floor; the rooftop was just one flight up. “I have to go. You head to lunch first.”
Yu Mo watched her run off. Recalling Chen Jingmo’s earlier words, his eyes darkened. He pulled out his phone and made a call.
Bai Xi jogged up the stairs, but as she reached the rooftop door, she heard an unexpected voice.
“Who’s this chick? Pretty cute. What’s the matter, did that coward Bai Xi get cold feet and send us a girl instead?” A disgusting, unfamiliar voice drifted from the rooftop. “Hey, girlie, how much did Bai Xi pay you to take his place?”
“Bai Xi isn’t here?” It was Ye Ying’s voice, sounding surprised. Bai Xi’s brow twitched. What is she doing here?
“Hahaha! You didn’t know? Did that coward trick you into coming?” A chorus of mockery and insults followed.
“Shut up.” The voice wasn’t loud, but it silenced the crowd. Bai Xi recognized it as Chen Jingmo. “Did Bai Xi send you?”
“No. I just came to see if she—if he—showed up. Since he’s not here, whatever. Surely you guys aren’t going to fight a girl?” Ye Ying’s voice sounded steady, but since Bai Xi was only a door away, she caught the slight tremor. Ye Ying was terrified.
Because Chen Jingmo had spoken, his followers didn’t dare cross the line. He spoke again: “I’ve cleared the area. I thought I’d let Bai Xi keep some dignity while he took his beating, but I didn’t expect him to be a no-show. Fine. I’m a reasonable man. Go back and tell Bai Xi that since he’s admitted defeat, I’ll let him slide this once.”
“Boss…” His followers sounded dissatisfied.
At that moment, Bai Xi looked at her watch. 11:59:51. Perfect.
BANG!
The rooftop door was kicked open, slamming against the wall with a thunderous crash that drew every eye.
Standing in the shadows of the stairwell was Bai Xi, wearing a loose white seven-point sleeve T-shirt and black casual joggers with white sneakers. She casually ran a hand through her messy short hair, looking at Chen Jingmo’s group with pure disdain. The thugs she had beaten previously lost their arrogance instantly, shrinking back the moment they met her gaze.
“I said twelve o’clock, and it is twelve o’clock. What’s with all the barking?” She walked over to Ye Ying’s side, her posture lazy but her words incredibly sharp.
She placed a hand on Ye Ying’s shoulder and looked down at the girl, who hadn’t taken her eyes off her since she appeared. Ah, the little female lead is scared out of her wits, Bai Xi thought with a pang of pity. She reached up and gently pinched Ye Ying’s earlobe.
She realized she hadn’t paid enough attention. While Ye Ying was clever and more composed than her peers, she hadn’t yet experienced the trials of the original novel. She wasn’t yet the battle-hardened, ruthless “Black Lotus” she would eventually become. This was likely the first time she had faced a situation like this.
“This is between us. It has nothing to do with you. Go back,” Bai Xi said, patting the back of Ye Ying’s head.
“I think I’ll stay. Someone needs to collect your corpse,” Ye Ying replied. Her initial shock had morphed into a look of “frustrated mother.” What is wrong with this person? Coming here now of all times! She’s just asking for a beating!
Hearing Ye Ying’s awkward but genuine concern, Bai Xi let out a soft laugh. Her peach-blossom eyes shimmered with a captivating brilliance, reflecting only the sunlight and Ye Ying’s silhouette. Ye Ying felt as though she were drowning in that gaze for a fleeting second.
“It’s a beautiful scene, truly, but I have to ask—are we fighting or not?” Chen Jingmo and his group were forced to swallow a mouthful of “dog food” (displays of affection). He reminded them of the day’s business, feeling like he was about to turn into beef jerky after baking in the sun for half an hour.
Releasing Ye Ying, Bai Xi rotated her wrists. “We’re fighting. Why wouldn’t we?”
“It’s just you?” Chen Jingmo peered behind her, unconvinced.
“Two of us,” Ye Ying said, stepping up beside Bai Xi and setting her backpack down. “The two of us.”
Bai Xi’s eyes widened slightly. “Are you joking?”
Ye Ying, dressed in a casual sports set and sneakers, cracked her knuckles with a crisp, satisfying sound. “Do I look like I’m joking, or do I just not look like someone who can fight?”
Reaching out a hand toward Bai Xi, Ye Ying finally dropped her gentle facade, a wild, defiant smile spreading across her face. “Give me my hair tie.”
“O… kay.” With eyes full of undisguised admiration and surprise, Bai Xi slid the hair tie off her wrist. “I’ll tie it for you.”
In an exceptionally good mood, Bai Xi spun the tie around her fingers before gathering Ye Ying’s hair and securing it into a clean, sharp ponytail. Ye Ying, who expected a mess, looked at her with an unreadable expression.