In the next second, Bai Xi and Chen Jingmo heard a chaotic flurry of footsteps. Then, from behind the crouching Ye Ying, a group of gleaming “Mediterranean-style” bald heads rushed up with incredible, agile speed. Suddenly, Bai Xi seemed to understand what was happening.
Sure enough, Ye Ying tilted toward the wall while still in her crouch. Her expression changed instantly; she clutched her backpack, looking utterly terrified. “How could you guys fight? This is terrifying! I’m just passing by, don’t look at me!”
Bai Xi thought: …I’ll be damned if I believe your nonsense!
Chen Jingmo and the others: …Impressive. Truly impressive.
When the school leadership arrived on the scene, they saw Bai Xi with one foot still planted on Chen Jingmo. All around them, people lay groaning on the ground—some from Nanlu High, others in the uniforms of the Nanlu Affiliated School. Meanwhile, at the entrance, a student crouched, visibly shaken.
Even though Bai Xi was the young master of the Bai family, this was simply too much!
Two female administrators stepped forward to help Ye Ying up, offering words of comfort and telling her to wait to the side for a moment.
Watching Ye Ying successfully infiltrate the “enemy camp” and stand in the corner—not forgetting to turn back and flash him a smile—Bai Xi felt a tightness in his chest. Had the comrade-in-arms he just fought alongside so easily defected?
“Student Bai Xi, I believe this matter must be handled with the utmost severity,” the Principal declared. Usually, he would go out of his way to avoid Bai Xi or bow and scrape before him, but now he was uncharacteristically firm.
Bai Xi tilted his head, realizing what was going on. He guessed that his nominal father was likely in the Principal’s office right now. The Principal couldn’t act like a sycophant in front of Elder Master Bai; moreover, with the Elder Master there to make the final decision, the Principal didn’t have to shoulder any responsibility.
Under Bai Xi’s indifferent gaze, the Principal looked at Chen Jingmo lying on the ground and Bai Xi’s foot still resting on him. He felt a sudden pang of heartache. Why did it have to be these two? Two “Crown Princes” fighting! This was going to be the death of a “cannon fodder” like him.
Now, the Principal looked at Chen Jingmo struggling to get up, then at Bai Xi, who was covered in injuries and blood. Both sides had suffered; they had their fun fighting, but the staff were the ones in trouble. Thinking of the “Great Deity” currently sitting in his office, the Principal’s expression turned more bitter than a gourd.
“Student Bai Xi, Student Chen Jingmo, I think it’s best to hear your parents’ opinions on this. Please follow me to the office, shall we?” Two men behind the Principal rushed forward to support them, but both were shoved away.
Bai Xi flicked his sleeve, looking displeased at the person who touched him. “I hate it when people get close to me.”
“Do I look so weak that I need someone to hold me up?” Chen Jingmo’s face was equally grim as he stood up on his own. Seeing Bai Xi standing perfectly straight beside him, he waved off the person trying to help and stood tall, gritting his teeth.
Their kindness treated as “donkey liver and lungs,” the Principal and the others didn’t get angry. They watched carefully as Bai Xi and Chen Jingmo stubbornly headed toward the stairs.
The Principal glanced at the crowd rolling on the ground. Not knowing whose lackeys they were, he gestured to his assistant. “Handle this. If they are from Nanlu, send them to our infirmary. For the others, call an ambulance and have them taken away. Then, clean up this floor. Look at this mess!”
As the assistant complied, the Principal trotted to catch up with Bai Xi and Chen Jingmo, only to see Bai Xi stop at the doorway.
“Student Bai Xi, is there a problem?” the Principal asked quickly.
Bai Xi reached out and pulled the “frightened” female student (Ye Ying) into a half-embrace. “I’m so heavily injured; do you really expect me to walk down the stairs by myself? Have you no situational awareness?”
With that, Bai Xi headed downstairs.
Chen Jingmo: 🙂
Ultimately, Bai Xi was supported by Ye Ying, while Chen Jingmo held onto the railing as they made their way to the Principal’s office.
Leaning on Ye Ying’s shoulder, Bai Xi shamelessly shifted most of his weight onto her. Ye Ying looked up at him, feeling the urge to throw the guy down the stairs. Why had she stayed behind to watch the drama instead of running away earlier?
As they approached the office, Ye Ying felt the weight on her shoulder vanish. Bai Xi had withdrawn his arm and his expression had turned serious. He even took a moment to straighten his disheveled, wrinkled clothes.
Ye Ying was surprised. Looking at the Principal leading the way, she thought it unlikely that Bai Xi would turn this serious just for a school official.
When they entered the office, she finally understood why.
The Principal respectfully opened the door but stayed outside, making way for them. Standing beside Bai Xi, Ye Ying got a clear view of the room.
Inside the bright, spacious office, four burly bodyguards in black stood on either side. Behind the central desk sat a man in his thirties, looking refined and elegant. Ye Ying looked at the man and then at the person beside her; they shared a sixty to seventy percent resemblance. Especially those “peach blossom eyes”—they were carved from the same mold.
His identity was obvious. This was the current head of the Bai family, the helmsman of the Bai enterprises, and Bai Xi’s father.
As expected, Bai Xi walked straight forward. “Father.”
“Is your business settled?” Elder Master Bai didn’t seem surprised by his “son’s” injuries. He tapped his finger on the desk, his tone calm.
“I believe there is one last thing.” Bai Xi’s gaze landed on Chen Jingmo. The fight was over; now came the negotiation phase.
Though surprised by Elder Master Bai’s presence, Chen Jingmo didn’t panic. After greeting the Elder Master, he met Bai Xi’s gaze. “We agreed before: win or lose is up to fate, and we bear the consequences. This ends here. We aren’t sore losers.”
“Better be,” Bai Xi said with a scrutinizing look, then nodded to his father. “It’s over.”
“The school doctor is here. President Bai, perhaps we should let him bandage the two young masters first?” The Principal, sweating profusely, plucked up the courage to bring the doctor in.
The man wore a plain white coat, but he carried an aura of sacred elegance. Holding a large medical kit in his well-defined hands, he walked past the school leaders and placed the kit on the desk before looking at Bai Xi and Chen Jingmo.
His features were different from Elder Master Bai’s delicate nobility; he possessed a handsome, imposing look with a high bridge of the nose, indifferent light-colored eyes, and thin lips. He looked like someone people would naturally keep their distance from.
“I don’t need it. Since I’m done here, I’m leaving.” Upon seeing the doctor, Chen Jingmo’s face turned into a kaleidoscope of emotions, and he turned to bolt out the door.
Watching him leave, Bai Xi gave Ye Ying a look, signaling her to leave as well.
After successfully sending Ye Ying away, Bai Xi sat in a chair that had been brought over and finally had the chance to size up this school doctor.
Given Chen Jingmo’s reaction, this was clearly no ordinary doctor. Bai Xi had a guess about his identity, but the more she looked, the more she doubted. She lowered her eyelids, letting him apply the medicine while she organized her thoughts.
In the original novel The Black Lotus, Ye Ying—as the female lead—naturally had more than just the male lead Yu Mo and the second male lead Yang Qi pursuing her. A “Mary Sue” setup was standard.
However, Ye Ying didn’t follow the usual path. Most female leads play games like “I didn’t know you liked me” or “I’ll remember your protection forever; in the next life, I’ll choose you.”
Ye Ying’s attitude toward her suitors was: early on, “Sorry, who are you? We aren’t close”; later on, “Don’t love me, there’s no result”; and finally, to the suitors who tried to force themselves on her, “Would you like to check out the ICU or a mental asylum?”
This school doctor was the latter type. Ever since falling for Ye Ying at first sight, he had been causing trouble—far more than the original Bai Xi ever did. He almost succeeded, too. It was a pity that while he was a top-tier villain, the female lead was “wrong.” Despite his schemes, she eventually sent him to the best psychiatric hospital in the city without a second thought.
According to the original plot, this doctor was Chen Jingmo’s young maternal uncle, Huo Yizhou. No wonder Chen Jingmo ran. Though mentioned briefly in the text, Bai Xi’s memories of the original host confirmed his “glorious” reputation. In short: he only looked human on the outside.
The thought of this late-stage villainous male lead bandaging the wounds of an early-stage villainous female lead (herself) made Bai Xi want to laugh. It was a strange feeling.
[System 002: Of course it’s strange! You’ve derailed the plot completely, how could it not be?!]
In the classroom far away, System 002 was having its daily tantrum. From the gritted-teeth tone, Bai Xi could imagine the Maine Coon cat’s expression.
Pulling her thoughts back, Bai Xi raised her eyes and met Huo Yizhou’s gaze. She flinched slightly.
“Does it hurt?” Huo Yizhou’s hand was on her arm, specifically where she had blocked a club for Ye Ying. It had hurt at the time, but now it was a horrific-looking bruise of blue and purple.
“I think you should go to the infirmary for an X-ray. I’m not sure if the bone is damaged.” As he moved his hand, his light eyes focused on her through his gold-rimmed glasses.
“I will,” Bai Xi said. She tried to pull her hand back but couldn’t. she questioned him with her eyes.
“Let me give you a simple bandage first to avoid secondary injury,” he said, not letting go. He focused intently on the wound and began to work.
When he finished, Bai Xi pulled her hand back with great discomfort. Is this villain sick? Even if she appeared to be a guy—the Young Master of the Bai family—what was with him constantly gripping her hand? Especially with Elder Master Bai watching!
After Huo Yizhou finally left, Elder Master Bai declined the Principal’s invitation to stay and took Bai Xi with him.
The “father and son” sat in the back of the car. Elder Master Bai raised the partition to ensure their conversation wouldn’t be overheard by the driver or bodyguards.
“I’m curious about what you’ve experienced over the last two years,” the Elder Master began, as if merely chatting.
Bai Xi sat with her hands crossed on her lap, looking obedient and poised. “Medical treatment and recuperation.”
“If you don’t want to say, then don’t,” he replied, surprisingly reasonable. “But I am gratified by your change. You’ve finally shown me a shadow of a Bai family heir.”
He had always wondered how two people like him and his wife had produced such a soft, kind-hearted son. Now, it seemed genetics were reliable after all; they just needed time to mature.
“I know what you’re guarding against,” he continued. “Think of this as a test. If you need anything, remember you still have a father.”
Looking at his profile, Bai Xi didn’t doubt him. In the original story, while he was somewhat hands-off, he never considered anyone else as his heir. That was why the family fell into such chaos when Bai Xi’s true identity was revealed.
Bai Xi nodded. Whether the heir was a son or a daughter didn’t matter. She had taken the headship of the Bai family in her previous life; why should this life be any different?
Finally, the Elder Master mentioned the orphanage. He planned to give up the land for the warehouse, citing “poor Feng Shui.” Bai Xi didn’t know if that was the real reason, but it didn’t matter. Her goal was to save the orphanage, and the goal was achieved.
They finished their talk and had a meal. He offered to take her to a hospital, but she refused. The Nanlu infirmary was top-tier, and she had promised Ye Ying she would practice the dance. With only two days left, she couldn’t afford to be hospitalized.
After the meal, Bai Xi returned to school. Meanwhile, in the shadows, things had already begun to quietly change.