Bai Yilong didn’t even turn his head. He continued forward with a beaming smile, completely ignoring the reporter, not deigning to grant them even a single glance.
Situations like this were common, and Bai Shi was often the one shoved full of business cards. He found it somewhat strange; logically, these people should have been able to see that Bai Shi stood in the shadows of the family’s limelight. Anyone with a modicum of discernment should have been able to sniff out the scent of an unfavored son. Yet, there were still those who persistently pressed their cards upon him. People with such a lack of intuition were likely the reason they couldn't even land a proper front-page interview.
Bai Shi had always thought this way, until one time he found cards from all sorts of riffraff among the pile—people who hadn't even been invited to the venue, who had cornered him at some random intersection to shove a card into his hand, cards still stained with un-wiped grease and dark, grimy fingerprints. Bai Shi had glanced at them and tossed them aside with the rest. It made sense; there were always bottom-feeders looking to scavenge for scraps, waiting to dig up a major scandal to skyrocket their careers. Even someone like Bai Shi was worth a gamble to them.
After receiving Pei Cangyu’s call, Bai Shi spent two days catching up on his homework. During those two days, he wrote as the sky turned dark, he wrote as it turned light, he wrote when the sky was blue, and he wrote when it was red. No matter who was dancing with colorful ribbons in the sky outside, Bai Shi was catching up on his homework. Only after finishing could they meet and he could hand it over to Pei Cangyu. It just so happened that his family was busy these few days, so Bai Shi fended for himself when it came to food and drink.
He wrote until he felt increasingly dizzy. At first, he thought it was just a symptom of wasting his life on repetitive problems he already knew how to solve, but he soon realized that wasn't it. His head was burning up.
But Bai Shi didn't pay it much mind. He drank a few glasses of cold water and pushed through until the workbook was finished. By the end, just looking at the problem numbers made him want to vomit. He set his pen down with one hand and used the other to call Pei Cangyu, not even knowing what time it was.
Despite his condition, Bai Shi forced himself up to change his clothes. He looked in the mirror; his face was a mess of flushed red. He opened his mouth and let out an "ah," only to find his voice was incredibly raspy, so he put on a face mask. He touched his forehead and realized he likely had a fever.
Just as he was about to head out, his family returned. Bai Yilong gave him a single look and instructed him not to leave, saying there was "business" later.
He didn't specify what kind of business.
Bai Shi froze, hesitating on the stairs for a moment as he watched more people arrive downstairs. Several men in suits passed by him. Bai Shi stepped aside to let them through. One of them glanced at him and asked, "Going out? There's business later."
They all headed toward the third-floor conference room. Bai Shi stood on the steps for a while longer before slowly taking off his mask and returning to his room.
Cooperating with "family business" was his duty; otherwise, who would provide for him?
He would just have to tell Pei Cangyu they needed to reschedule.
When they were arranging the time, Pei Cangyu had even dared to suggest they just forget it and wait until school started. How could Bai Shi possibly agree to that? He had demanded a specific time, and then, because he felt like vomiting again, he went to drink more cold water.
Bai Shi used the house phone to call the exit security team; they were well-acquainted with the protocol for "receiving outsiders." Feeling too dizzy to function, Bai Shi lay down as soon as he hung up. Whether it was Bai Yilong’s business or Pei Cangyu’s arrival, he would wait for a phone call to wake him...
He didn't know how long he slept. When Bai Shi opened his eyes, the sky looked pitch black. He fumbled for his phone and took a look, jumping in shock. He sat up abruptly, his vision swimming with black spots from the dizziness. He stood up and stumbled a few steps, seeing the numerous missed calls from Pei Cangyu.
He pulled open the door. The hallway was dark. He looked up; the lights in the third-floor conference room had long been extinguished. Whatever "business" Bai Yilong had mentioned, it seemed to be over.
Realizing this made Bai Shi incredibly irritable. Because of some vague "business," they had utterly disrupted his plans.
He walked through the corridor. The dark house was silent once again, his footsteps echoing through the halls. He walked quickly, already imagining Pei Cangyu being dumped somewhere by the butler and getting lost on his own.
He reached the turn in the stairs.
To his surprise, he saw not only Pei Cangyu but also Bai Jiang.
They were standing in the foyer, the only place where the lights were on. Bai Shi looked down from the stairs, shrouded in darkness. If he reached out to turn on the light, Pei Cangyu would notice him immediately.
But Bai Shi didn't move.
He watched as Bai Jiang leaned in close to Pei Cangyu and took his hand. Pei Cangyu didn't struggle; he stood there silently, motionless, watching Bai Jiang with an intense, unwavering focus. Bai Shi suddenly felt his head throb again.
Pei Cangyu was saying something to Bai Jiang. Their conversation seemed calm and ordinary. Bai Jiang, as he always did when enticing others, used perfectly measured gestures and tones, enveloping the person before him within his sphere of influence. He pressed his attentions forward aggressively, yet used a focused gaze to dress this "attentiveness" up as something special, as if he were offering genuine affection.
It was nauseating.
Bai Shi turned and left. He returned to his room, stood by the window, and clenched his fists.
His teeth ached with phantom pain.
The Bai family.
If it hadn't been for Bai Yilong’s "business," he would be meeting Pei Cangyu outside right now. If they were outside, eating or drinking something, Pei Cangyu wouldn't have run into Bai Jiang—that Bai Jiang with his "illustrious track record," the one who had to have whoever he set his sights on. No moral compass could stop him. Pei Cangyu would surely fall at Bai Jiang’s hands because Pei Cangyu was too naive; he had never seen Bai Jiang’s methods or the temptations he could offer.
The Bai family.
This place brought him nothing but misfortune.
One by one, they were all dogs that couldn't stop eating shit.
From the window, Bai Shi saw Pei Cangyu leaving in the distance. Sitting in the back seat, Pei Cangyu reached out a hand to wave toward him, pointing at his phone as a call came through. On the desk, Bai Shi’s phone began to vibrate.
He picked it up and declined the call.
His teeth ached; he didn't want to talk right now.
Footsteps sounded outside the door. It was Bai Jiang passing by.
Bai Shi turned abruptly and yanked the door open with force, catching sight of Bai Jiang’s back. He had his hands in his pockets, looking carefree and at ease.
Bai Shi spoke to him: "Hey."
Bai Jiang turned around. Seeing it was Bai Shi, his face remained expressionless. "Oh, it's you." Having said that, he turned to leave again, not giving Bai Shi a second thought.
Bai Shi stepped forward to follow him. "Hey, you."
Bai Jiang turned back impatiently. "Dammit, what do you want?"
Bai Shi walked up to him. "Hey, who the fuck told you that you could talk to him?"
Bai Jiang blinked, stunned for a moment.
He looked at Bai Shi again. This person standing under the dim hallway lights was growing fast; he would soon catch up to him in height. Although they lived under the same roof, he wasn't very familiar with this face because Bai Shi rarely drew attention to himself. Looking at him now, he had indeed inherited all the best features of Bai Yilong and Yan Baihua. Only the gloomy aura radiating from him was uniquely Bai Shi’s.
Bai Jiang hated that gloomy aura. He furrowed his brows. "Who? That kid from just now?"
Bai Shi didn't deny it.
"Ha." Bai Jiang spread his hands and laughed. "I don't know. Don't worry about it."
He turned to leave.
Bai Shi followed him.
This was Bai Jiang—extremely skilled at playing it cool, hiding his vile personality under a facade of "not caring." Unlike his perpetually angry brother, Bai Hai, Bai Jiang was a hypocritical and fickle man. He wore a fake smile and exerted a calculated charm, but nothing could change his heart, which was as coarse and dry as straw.
Bai Shi followed him all the way to the tea room. Bai Jiang picked up a cookie from a plate, and looking up to find Bai Shi still following him, he turned his face away impatiently and went to the tea table to brew a pot of black tea.
Bai Shi followed him relentlessly, questioning, "Hey, why did you talk to him?"
Bai Jiang pursed his lips—a precursor to his rage. He tucked a stray lock of hair behind his ear, his smile remaining, but his brow furrowed, giving his entire face a bizarrely distorted look. He stared at the teapot, not looking at Bai Shi.
"He came to see me. Why did you have to talk to him?" Bai Shi asked gloomily.
"I talk to whoever I want. Why else?" Bai Jiang turned his head, no longer bothering to pretend. He flicked the half-eaten cookie in his hand into Bai Shi’s face, the crumbs getting into Bai Shi’s eyes. "What kind of thing do you think you are, coming here to talk shit to me?"
Bai Shi rubbed his eyes. Bai Jiang looked down at him. "Don't just talk to me whenever you feel like it. Get it through your head exactly what kind of thing you are."
Bai Shi finished rubbing his eyes. One of them was bloodshot, but he ignored it, simply continuing his question: "If you see him again, will you talk to him?"
It was as if he hadn't heard a word Bai Jiang just said.
Bai Jiang laughed. "There are plenty of things I want to do, and plenty of things I know how to do. I'll teach them all to him." He turned to grab the teapot. "I didn't realize you had this preference. But it doesn't matter. Once I've taught him, he can serve you. You'll have to pay the fee, though. Let's see what else you have left to hock, you idiot. Fuck, hot..."
Bai Jiang was burned by the handle of the teapot. He turned to look for gloves, laughing as he walked. "Truly pathetic. It's not like he's anything special, what's the point of all these questions..."
Bai Shi followed behind him. He reached out and grabbed the scalding teapot. Bai Jiang was still saying something when the hard porcelain teapot slammed violently against his head.
The porcelain shattered with a sharp crack. Scalding tea drenched Bai Jiang’s head. He screamed, clutching at his head, and accidentally slipped, crashing to the floor. He turned to see Bai Shi looming over him with a hunched back, the palm of one hand a congested, angry red.
Bai Shi moved toward him. Bai Jiang’s vision was blurred; the hot tea was drawing heat from his scalp, feeling like blood surging and receding. Dizziness washed over him. He pushed off the floor to retreat while trying to stand.
Bai Shi grabbed him by the hair. "Dammit, one by one, dogs that can't stop eating shit..."
Then, gripping his head, he slammed it hard against the marble table leg. Blood immediately flowed from Bai Jiang’s head. The table actually wobbled from the impact. Bai Jiang’s eyes rolled back, his mouth hanging open as his hands fumbled on the floor.
Bai Shi let go of Bai Jiang’s hair and shook the water from his hand. He reached out again, but Bai Jiang dodged. Bai Jiang scrambled to his feet and kicked Bai Shi in the abdomen, knocking him to the ground. He followed up by stomping on him, kick after kick aimed at his head. "I'll kill you! Dammit! Dammit! You dare hit me! You piece of shit! Dammit! Dammit..."
Bai Shi curled up, protecting his head and rolling to the side. When one of Bai Jiang’s kicks missed, he grabbed his leg and dragged him down. He pinned him, and without a word, began slapping him over and over, until the back of his own hand was nearly bleeding.
Bai Jiang fought back with bloodshot eyes, reaching out to strangle Bai Shi. Bai Shi dodged his arms, fumbling blindly on the table until he grabbed something hard. Without looking, he slammed it into Bai Jiang’s face. Bai Jiang let out a piercing scream as the glowing hot charcoal burned him, but Bai Shi seemed unable to feel the pain. He gripped the charcoal block and struck him again and again.
The commotion finally drew a crowd.
The butler and other servants stood at the door watching. Someone went to inform the head of the house; the others had no intention of intervening.
When Bai Yilong arrived, he was draped in a black trench coat, a pipe in his hand. He glanced into the tea room, took a puff, and let out a short laugh. "Isn't this just madness?"
Yan Baihua also took a look, gave a cold snort, and walked past the tea room to go upstairs. She beckoned to Bai Yinhua, telling him to follow her.
Bai Yilong said to one of his men, "Pull Bai Jiang out."
Two men in suits stepped forward. One kicked Bai Shi away, while the other dragged Bai Jiang out.
Bai Yilong tapped out his pipe ash. "What a hassle..."
Bai Jiang, his face a bloody mess, stammered, "Dad, it was all him..."
Bai Yilong raised a hand to cut him off. He pinched Bai Jiang’s chin, turning his face to inspect it, then told the men in suits, "Take him to get looked at. There's business the day after tomorrow."
The man took the order and led Bai Jiang away.
Bai Yilong watched as several men tried to restrain the frenzied Bai Shi. Bai Shi was still trying to lunge at Bai Jiang. It was the gaze of a killer; Bai Yilong knew it the moment he saw it.
He didn't approach. He nodded with understanding. "Just as crazy as her. I knew it, sooner or later." A man in an expensive suit beside him nodded in agreement.
Bai Yilong turned away. "Send him to the Lizhi Institute."
For a prominent family dealing with a "problem child," there was no place more suitable.
