Near noon, visitors who had received the news and found the location began arriving at the hospital in a steady stream. Father Bai changed into a dark-colored casual outfit, his hair simply styled and combed back, regaining some of his vigor.
Lu Zhi took Bai Lu along to receive the guests. They were all the Bai family’s closest stakeholders, people who relied on Father Bai for their livelihoods. Some were from the main Bai family line—Shen Qing’s nominal Eldest Uncle, Second Aunt, cousins—along with several company shareholders and directors. A few CEOs who frequently collaborated also sent representatives with gifts.
Midway, Lu Zhi received a call from Father Shen, who had clearly also learned about his in-law’s collapse.
Lu Zhi took her phone and walked into the hallway.
“It’s nothing serious, he’s already awake.”
“Wait a couple of days.”
“It’s fine, really, there’s no need to come.”
“Don’t worry, I’m just watching from the sidelines, I won’t get tired.”
“Mm-hmm, okay.”
No one knew about Bai Hao’s escapades with the young models before his death except for those on that boat and Father Bai. Shen Qing’s parents didn’t know their son-in-law had such a vile side. If they did, they probably wouldn’t be so concerned.
Lu Zhi hung up and stood by the window for a while. In the courtyard below, many spindle trees were planted, their vast canopies a dense mass of leaves pressed tightly together, looking from a distance like a lush green carpet. She pushed open the heavy glass window just a crack. Fresh air rushed eagerly inside, dispersing the strong smell of disinfectant.
The sound of a door opening came from behind. Lu Zhi turned and saw Bai Lu walk out of the ward. After wiping away her tears, she had instantly transformed from a pitiful little thing back into a feisty little porcupine—the kind without any brains.
Bai Lu met Lu Zhi’s gaze, gave a spoiled snort, and purposely walked to the other side of the corridor. Head slightly bowed, her slender fingers flew across her phone screen.
After a while, the young girl put her phone down, hesitated in place for a minute, then suddenly shuffled over and asked her, “Hey, do you know… exactly what disease Dad has?”
Lu Zhi looked at her sideways. She was taller than Bai Lu, her neck slender and elegant. When she looked Bai Lu up and down, she did so with a natural condescension, enhanced today by the silver-rimmed glasses she wore, making her appear non-aggressive and scholarly, yet full of presence.
She waited until the girl was about to bristle before she spoke. “Ischemic stroke.”
Bai Lu stared with round, wide eyes, her irises a pale brown, like some simple, innocent animal.
Lu Zhi rephrased: “Cerebral infarction.”
Bai Lu let out an “ah” and then lowered her head to search on her phone. After a moment, she held up the screen for Lu Zhi to see: “It can be treated! The internet says it can be cured with timely and accurate treatment!”
Lu Zhi glanced at the screen, a Q&A page pulled up by a search engine.
Indeed, with the Bai family’s wealth and current medical technology, this condition could be dealt with easily.
If Father Bai were willing to let go of everything and retire to a life of leisure, living another ten years peacefully wouldn’t be a problem. But in reality, could he retire? With debt exceeding ten billion lying in the banks, who could he hand it over to? Handing it to Bai Hao was a son inheriting the father’s business; handing it to anyone else would require him to atone for his sins.
The Bai family was now a leaky ship, magnificent on the surface but rotten with bad debts inside. It was manageable when Bai Hao was around, at least the leadership seemed to have a capable successor. But with Bai Hao dead, the real estate projects he spearheaded, stalled for nearly two years, had transformed from lifeblood into a dead weight.
Under such immense pressure, Father Bai could never rest and recover in peace, let alone with a daughter who loved to cause trouble.
Lu Zhi glanced at Bai Lu. Perhaps the meaning in her gaze was too obvious, because the young girl’s smile faded. She sheepishly put down her phone and muttered defiantly, “What’s that supposed to mean…”
“Can you read financial statements?” Lu Zhi thought for a moment and asked.
Bai Lu didn’t quite understand why she was suddenly asking this. She pursed her lips and said uncertainly, “I should be able to…”
“Then ask Secretary Li for a copy of the company’s annual report from last year. Lock yourself in a room and study it carefully. Then you’ll know why your father is sick.” Lu Zhi paused, then added, “Don’t tell me you studied business administration and can’t even read a report.”
Bai Lu immediately bristled, her voice carrying a note of embarrassment turning to anger. “Shen Qing! What does my ability to read reports have to do with my dad being sick? Can you not take every opportunity to lecture me?”
Lu Zhi looked at the girl’s puffed-up, angry cheeks, her skin white and pink, as translucent and delicate as a peeled egg. Suddenly feeling the urge, Lu Zhi reached out and pulled Bai Lu’s cheek sideways.
After the pinch, she didn’t say anything, just watched as the right side of the other’s face visibly reddened. The girl stared at her, dumbfounded, clearly not processing what had just happened.
Being suddenly subjected to such an action by someone she wasn’t close to, someone she was even hostile towards, Bai Lu was utterly shocked. It took her a moment to recover. She abruptly stepped back, pointing at her. “You, you, you actually laid hands on me!”
Lu Zhi hooked the corner of her lips, looking very much like ‘What are you going to do about it?’
Seeing her so arrogant, Bai Lu was absolutely furious. She roughly rubbed her cheek with the back of her right hand. She was not someone who took things lying down; she always believed in paying back grievances on the spot. Immediately, she angrily raised her arm and reached for Lu Zhi’s face, wanting to settle the score.
Lu Zhi naturally wouldn’t let her succeed. She easily caught Bai Lu’s wrist, pulled it aside, and then grabbed her other incoming arm, crossing them.
Bai Lu pulled twice but couldn’t free herself.
“Shen Qing! Let go! You…” Bai Lu’s hands were pinned, and she didn’t dare kick her. She could only struggle with all her might but found the other’s strength surprisingly great. Faced with her, she felt like a little chick, which made her grind her teeth in anger.
“Lulu, Shen Qing, what are you two fussing about?”
Just as they were locked in a stalemate, a man’s voice came from behind.
Bai Lu turned her head and saw a man in a black-and-white houndstooth suit emerging from the ward, looking at them curiously.
“Qidong.” Lu Zhi greeted him first, watching the girl in front of her turn her head and glare furiously, her eyes shouting ‘Let me go now,’ all teeth and claws like a wildcat.
She smoothly released her grip. Freed from her restraints, Bai Lu didn’t have time to settle accounts. She just glared fiercely at Lu Zhi, then turned her attention back to Bai Qidong and called out, without much enthusiasm, “Cousin.”
Bai Qidong walked over. He was the eldest son from the Eldest Uncle’s branch of the family, dressed sharply in a suit, his hair combed back, exuding a meticulously groomed, elite aura.
The main Bai family line wasn’t limited to Father Bai’s branch alone. It was just that when Bai Hao was alive, he had kept these younger siblings completely suppressed. Now that Bai Hao was dead, they were all jumping out, circling under Father Bai’s nose daily, afraid he might forget that the company succession could go to someone else.
Father Bai himself had inherited his wealth and was very familiar with these ploys, and very tired of them too. But if even one of these people were truly capable, he wouldn’t be so distressed.
“Didn’t Lulu used to say your relationship was bad? Looks to me like you get along pretty well,” Bai Qidong said with a smile, looking at Lu Zhi.
Lu Zhi also smiled faintly and replied, “Mhm. Are you leaving?”
“Yes, the company called me in for something urgent.”
Lu Zhi nodded in understanding. “Then you should hurry off.”
But Bai Qidong didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he sighed. “Second Uncle’s health has been failing again and again recently, probably from overworking. Before, there was Big Brother to lend a hand, but now… ah, Lulu, you should advise Second Uncle more. His health is important. He should find people to share the burden of the company’s affairs.”
Bai Lu had been bored watching their pointless verbal sparring. Suddenly hearing Bai Qidong turn the topic to her, she naturally understood the man’s implication. She let out a perfunctory “Oh,” then turned her head and rolled her eyes dramatically.
Bai Qidong didn’t care about her attitude. He knew perfectly well that this company was crucial to Second Uncle. Although Bai Lu was his precious daughter, she was just a Rich Second Generation who only knew shopping and buying bags. Unless Second Uncle was going senile, he’d never hand things over to someone like Bai Lu. This current forbearance was only temporary. Once he seized power, dealing with this powerless little girl would be a piece of cake.
After Bai Qidong left, Lu Zhi also went back into the ward. Only then did Bai Lu remember she hadn’t gotten her revenge. Fuming, she threw a few punches at the air behind Lu Zhi’s back.
Visitors came and went. Although Lu Zhi, Bai Lu, and the secretary handled the greetings and inquiries, Father Bai was clearly exhausted. In the evening, after the two had dinner with him, they planned to let him rest early, but Father Bai stopped them.
“Lulu, you’re grown up now. Father plans to arrange a marriage for you.”
Lu Zhi wasn’t the least bit surprised when Father Bai said this. In the storyline, although Bai Lu remained single throughout, just a fangirl chasing after the male lead, when the male lead rejected her, she had cried out, “For you, I didn’t even agree when my dad forced me to get engaged to the He family! How can you treat me like this?” This showed that Father Bai had indeed intended to arrange a backup path for his daughter, at least to help her jump out of the Bai family’s quagmire. It just hadn’t succeeded.
Bai Lu was also stunned for a moment. “An engagement? I’m only twenty-one, why would I get engaged? Besides, I already have someone I like!”
Father Bai naturally knew who his daughter claimed to like. He frowned with displeasure. “What do you call that thing between you and the Zhou boy?”
“How is it ‘just something’?” Bai Lu immediately took offense, her little face scrunching up. “Dad, why do you look down on Brother Zhou Ying? He’s so outstanding, and he’s my lifesaver. Uncle Zhou is also your good friend. I really don’t understand what you’re thinking.”
Father Bai snorted heavily, his expression turning grim.
It wasn’t that he looked down on Zhou Ying; he thought too highly of him. He understood perfectly well that Zhou Ying was a venomous snake. His daughter was simply no match for him. Moreover, Zhou Ying clearly looked down on Lulu. Foolishly sending his daughter to him, even with a generous dowry, would likely just get her played to death.
What infuriated him was that his own daughter was still so eagerly infatuated with him.
Bai Lu, mindful of her father’s health, didn’t mean she was willing to be pushed around. So while she didn’t shout, she persisted, muttering her piece: “If you want to arrange an engagement for me, then my fiancé can only be Zhou Ying. Otherwise, I’d rather die than marry anyone else!”
Father Bai was so angry he nearly choked. Seeing the two about to argue, Lu Zhi stood up to intervene.
“Bai Lu is still young. She hasn’t even dated anyone else except Zhou Ying her whole life. Telling her about an engagement like this, how could she possibly accept it?”
Facing Shen Qing, Father Bai didn’t put on the airs of a Family Head. He turned his head away without speaking, but the anger on his face didn’t diminish. Bai Lu, on the other hand, looked at Lu Zhi as if she’d seen a ghost, since she was actually speaking in her favor.
Lu Zhi stepped closer. Her voice carried a calm, reasoning power. “And as for the engagement candidate, it needs careful consideration. It’s best to prepare several options for Bai Lu to choose from. After all, it’s a lifelong matter. If she doesn’t like the choice herself, wouldn’t our good intentions lead to a bad outcome?”
After speaking, she glanced sideways at Bai Lu. The refusal Bai Lu had been about to blurt out was choked back by that single, cold look.
Father Bai pondered her words for a moment, then slowly spoke. “You’re right. I originally chose the He family, but now…”
He trailed off, but it was clear he had taken Lu Zhi’s advice to heart. Still, in the end, he looked up and glared fiercely at Bai Lu, warning, “Stop following Zhou Ying around!”
Unfortunately, Bai Lu wasn’t afraid of him at all. While she didn’t talk back anymore, her darting eyes clearly showed she hadn’t taken the warning to heart.
