The secretary had been coming to the Ren family for longer than Ren Qianwei. This time Ren Qianwei purposely brought him along.
He originally thought that taking the book from Bailian’s hands would only take a sentence.
Not to mention they were offering far more than that book was worth. Just based on the Ren family’s reputation alone, he didn’t understand why Bailian rejected them with barely any consideration.
“Of course, I’m extremely petty. That you’re still able to stand here and breathe,” Bailian’s footsteps stopped and she tossed her earbuds up catching them. Glancing at him, “Is already the limit of my tolerance. So you better pretend accordingly in front of my grandpa.”
The secretary was used to flattering those more powerful and looking down on those weaker. He was willing to spare the Ji family a glance only because of Ren Qian’s regard.
Yet he didn’t expect that Bailian, whom he looked down on, didn’t give him any face at all.
His smiling mouth tightened.
In the central hall, Ji Heng wore reading glasses.
His left hand held an arm brace, while his right thumb and index finger held his new tobacco pipe.
Bailian recognized it as the one Ji Shaojun deliberately picked out for him when accompanying her shopping in Beicheng last time.
Ji Heng used his hand holding the brace to push up his glasses and looked at the people in the yard, “Is A Meng back? Come take a look at the embroidery I did for you.”
He could tell something was off with them, but didn’t say anything about it.
He only softly told Bailian.
“Grandpa,” Bailian didn’t go to her room and placed her school bag on the stone table in the yard. She went to wrap her arm around Ji Heng’s shoulder, “Why are you still embroidering today…”
He took a puff from his pipe. The faint smoke dispersed.
The secretary smelled the low quality tobacco and imperceptibly frowned.
Through the smoke, Bailian slightly tilted her head. In the haze she arrogantly raised a brow at the secretary, silently mouthing—
?Don’t cause trouble?
The secretary retracted the chill in his eyes. When he looked up at Ren Qianwei again, he was very puzzled, “Madam Ren, she…”
Which person in Xiangcheng didn’t avoid offending the Ren family?
Not even the currently rising Chen family dared be so arrogant towards him.
“Oh Madam Ren,” Shen Qing hurriedly cut in, a little afraid she’d vent her anger onto them, “A Meng is just childish. Don’t take it to heart with her. That book right, I’ll talk to her about it again tonight…”
Ren Qianwei ignored Shen Qing.
She looked thoughtfully at Bailian and greeted Ji Heng neither coldly nor warmly, “Happy birthday. I still have a meeting to attend first.”
Ji Heng puffed on his pipe giving an “en” sound.
Not until Ji Heng and Bailian went inside did Ren Qianwei glance at the secretary, “Let it go then. If not selling then not selling. I still have a meeting to go to.”
She took out her phone to reply to messages while walking out the door.
Working in fashion, Ren Qianwei was the extreme opposite of Ji Heng.
Trends versus tradition clashed. They each looked down on the other’s ways. She deeply believed all trends and developments had meaning for the times. Whereas Ji Heng’s old fashioned ways ought to change.
Yet Ji Heng persisted. Ren Qianwei couldn’t overturn it so she left it at that.
“Alright.” The secretary nodded.
He saw Ren Qianwei off.
**
Ren Qianwei took a winding route to find her car parked on Qingshui Street before calling Ren Qian.
“This is your well behaved niece?” She started the car and stopped at the roadside smiling, “Were you teasing me?”
“What happened?” Ren Qian had just come out of a meeting. His tone was surprised.
He set the notebook in his hand aside.
“I just went to the Ji family wanting to buy that book from your so-called niece with good propriety…” In the driver seat, Ren Qianwei held her phone in one hand, the other on the steering wheel. The shadows of the passing trees enveloped her.
Ren Wanxuan was destined to pursue academics. The business foothold Ren Qianwei established still didn’t have a suitable successor.
Previously upon hearing Ji Shaorong mention his niece, she thought to groom her niece.
But the Bailian described by Ren Wanxuan made Ren Qianwei hesitant.
She had assumed this niece would be Shen Qing’s type. She was weighing her considerations from the beginning.
Ren Qianwei thought of the clothes Ji Heng made for Bailian.
This niece seemed to have an innate rebelliousness, similar yet different from Ji Heng.
“She didn’t sell it to you?” Ren Qian was also surprised.
“She’s unlike Shen Qing but better than that stubborn old Ji,” commented Ren Qianwei. Then she added, “I still have a meeting. Hang up first.”
She hung up.
On Ren Qian’s end he was used to Ren Qianwei’s rushed attitude.
He called the secretary.
To inquire about this matter.
“Not just no selling,” out of the house, the secretary walked in an alley. He was too lazy to mention Bailian’s attitude. With her little manners, not even a tenth of Ren Wanxuan’s, “Simply two faced.”
“We’ll talk later,” Ren Qian was very shocked thinking back to Ren Qianwei’s words ‘innate rebel’. “Don’t take the attitude you have at the negotiation table with their family…”
Ren Qian wasn’t very clear about that book but based on Ren Wanxuan and Chen Zhuo’s attitudes, he knew it was important.
“Sir,” the secretary was Ren Qian’s confidante. The ordinary people who saw him were always prudent and conscientious. He coldly glanced back at the yard behind him, but his voice completely unrelated to his expression was respectful, expressing disbelief for Ren Qian’s sake, “Why do you lower yourself to them? As soon as you’re gone this Ji family stops pretending…”
The secretary was accustomed to making orders.
After some time, he forgot that he also started from the bottom and worked his way up step by step.
He maintained a cautious, humble attitude in front of Ren Qian. But it wasn’t like that with other people.
Ren Qian was stunned. He pondered for a while without any doubts towards his secretary, “The Ji family’s foundation has always been there. Bailian is also somewhat impulsive due to her youth. Broaden your perspective. Is it necessary to compete with them?”
Frankly put, he just felt the Ji family wasn’t worth him losing his temper over.
Ren Qian gently said, “Having her come to the Ren house, let’s set that idea aside for now.”
“I understand, Sir.” The secretary respectfully replied.
Hearing Ren Qian’s slightly displeased tone, he faintly smiled.
The Ren family had intended to invite Bailian over long ago. Today because of his one sentence, the Ren family discarded that idea.
He was Ren Qian’s first assistant, skilled with glib words.
Even seeing him, Ren Wanxuan had to call him ‘uncle’.
Yet no one dared throw attitude at him like Bailian did.
The secretary thought for a bit before taking out his phone again to report this news to Ren Wanxuan.
**
The Ji family.
Ren Qian’s secretary didn’t end up staying for the meal in the end. The rest were all family, very harmonious.
Ji Heng placed the knitting needles Bailian gifted him next to him. His left hand held the tobacco pipe from Ji Shaojun, while his right held the loose tobacco from Ji Shaorong.
Shen Qing and Bailian helped bring out dishes.
Ji Shaojun held a stack of bowls placing them by the wok to serve rice. Through the window he saw Ji Heng carefully examining the knitting needles.
“How’d you know today’s your grandpa’s birthday?” He softly asked Bailian coming into the kitchen holding dishes.
Bailian steadily held up a clay pot of soup. In today’s snow green outfit she looked even cooler. She smiled, “That’s why you secretly bought the tobacco pipe.”
“Absolutely nonsense,” Ji Shaojun immediately looked away refusing to face the question, “when was I ever sneaky about buying it?”
Bailian raised a brow and carried the soup out of the kitchen.
Shen Qing happened to be coming in. Seeing her snow white, delicate fingers holding an earthen hot pot she hurriedly said, “Why aren’t you using a towel to pad it? Give it here!”
She took the clay pot from Bailian’s hands, “Go set out the chopsticks.”
After all, she wasn’t used to daily life skills growing up in a prominent family.
Bailian scratched her nose. She didn’t feel it was hot but clearly Shen Qing didn’t believe her. She silently went to set out chopsticks.
At the dinner table, Ji Heng sat beside her.
Ji Shaorong and Ji Shaojun looked at the knitting needles Bailian made for him.
Embroidery handicrafts couldn’t keep up with the times. Knitting needles were basically lost nowadays.
Few people used them so there weren’t even shops that polished them in all of Xiangcheng.
No one knew where Bailian found someone to make them.
The cloth bag holding the knitting needles even had a faint white tiger logo embroidered on it. None of those present noticed this logo.
If someone from the Ren family was here, they’d definitely recognize it as the logo of the White Tiger Auction House!
Without the Ren family, eating was quite peaceful.
After the meal, Shen Qing and Ji Shaojun cleaned up the dishes and chopsticks. “So, did A Meng really leave the Bai family?”
In the kitchen, Shen Qing took the chance to quietly ask Ji Shaojun while the other three men weren’t around.
“Yes,” Ji Shaojun dried the washed bowls without even raising his head, “her household registration has been moved over.”
“I’ll say, what’s with you Ji people,” Shen Qing was exasperated, “did you get your wires crossed? That huge of a family, even if you don’t like them don’t leave. It’d be good to have them as backup. Don’t you think she’s silly…”
Seeing Ji Heng halfway through, Shen Qing stopped short and firmly took the bowl from Ji Shaojun’s hands.
“Get out! I don’t want to see you right now!”
In the afternoon, Ji Heng and the others were going to the Qingshui Street tree god shrine.
Since Bailian was going to Jiang He’s place, she brought her schoolbag to directly take the bus from there after paying respects to the tree god.
Shen Qing walked in the back with her. When the three men ahead weren’t paying attention, she lowered her voice, “Why didn’t you agree to what Madam Ren said at lunch? It’d be good for you too. You just came to Xiangcheng. Won’t you have to find a way to get by in Xiangcheng later on?”
Bailian listened to music while memorizing words. Hearing Shen Qing’s question, she turned the volume down a bit.
“Oh, I know what I’m doing about that.” Bailian’s red lips curved up. She reached out and took a leaf off Shen Qing’s head. Her dark eyes were breezy and nonchalant.
Shen Qing tilted her head looking at her slightly lowered long lashes. Her apricot eyes faintly downcast.
She couldn’t get the rest of her words out.
The current Bailian was much more pleasing to the eyes than what she saw a few years ago. Another prominent family. The Bai family had much deeper foundation than the Ren family.
She didn’t expect Bailian to be so polite with her and the Ji family.
The Ren family people had always looked down at them through their nose.
Having grown up in the slums since childhood, Shen Qing was used to humility before them. Used to lowering her attitude because she had seen how a single sentence from these people could alter ordinary people’s life trajectories.
Shen Qing didn’t say anything more but a bizarre thought rose in her heart.
If Ji Shaojun asked Bailian to live there right now, she probably wouldn’t refuse.
**
A manor in Xiangcheng’s city center.
Chen Ju sat very awkwardly downstairs drinking the tea he poured himself. He carefully glanced with his peripheral vision towards Jiang Fuli standing by the flower windows.
Jiang Fuli held his phone. Since he was home he only wore soft, black loungewear.
Jade white hands held black earbuds, coldly, “So it’s not enough that you people don’t think. Jiang Xizuo’s brain has also been invaded by you all?”
“……”
Chen Ju prayed for the person on the other end of the phone while thinking why he had to come today.
He clearly heard rumors that Jiang Fuli had been in quite a good mood recently.
Chen Ju held his teacup to relieve his nervousness.
Early on when Jiang Fuli started speaking, Jiang He had already squatted at the main entrance. Chen Ju desperately wanted to join him in squatting.
Just as he thought this, the sound of tires scraping the road came from outside.
Glancing up, Ming Dongheng was already walking in with a girl. With one look, Chen Ju recognized her as the girl he saw here last time.
Upon entering, the first thing Bailian saw was Jiang He squatting at the entrance.
She reached out grabbing him by the nape and pulled him up. Raising a lazy, exquisite brow she drawled, “Little illiterate, why’re you squatting here?”
Bailian didn’t purposely lower her voice. Her voice broke the spacious, tranquil, cold great hall.
Chen Ju’s eyes widened as he hurriedly gestured at her to quiet down while mourning for her in his heart.
Who would be so obtuse with that person angry?
He had just thought this when he saw Jiang Fuli lower his voice, “Have Jiang Xizuo report to me later.”
Then he hung up the call.
“Quite early,” Jiang Fuli put his phone in his pocket. His tone was calm, “Lab first.”
He left with Bailian and Jiang He.
Still holding his teacup in the great hall, Chen Ju was like he had just seen a ghost. First he looked at Ming Dongheng before carefully asking, “Mister Ming, is Young Master Jiang…”
Ming Dongheng had long become immune to this. But he only coldly gave Chen Ju four words, “Don’t ask too much.”
The obsequious Chen Ju didn’t dare say another word.
Only thinking in his heart, he should’ve been quite polite just now with the young Miss right?
“Right,” Chen Ju remembered his reason for coming, “is your master at the Heishui Street fight club?”
“En,” only then did the glum Ming Dongheng respond, “coming to me is useless too. My master won’t see me. Not even Young Master Jiang will…”
“Ah?” Chen Ju’s head hurt, “But your master is the only current eighth dan martial arts grandmaster!”
Ming Dongheng was helpless.
**
Next door.
Jiang Fuli’s lab.
He didn’t get involved himself and just stood with crossed arms watching the two dismantle a vortex collision device.
After peering inside for a while, Bailian finally understood, “So it uses the difference in friction between the outer rings to form. It should have wide applications. The energy it collides with is massive.”
“Correct,” Jiang Fuli nodded. “Mushroom clouds in daily life are created based on this principle.”
By the time the adult and child finished looking over the vortex ring, the sky was nearly dark.
“Right,” when leaving the lab Jiang Fuli sent Bailian a link, “I’ll give you a software to download. This is the invite code, all capital letters.”
As he spoke he reported out a string of keys.
He knew Bailian’s memory so he didn’t need to repeat it a second time.
Bailian and Jiang He arrived at the great hall.
People brought tea and fruit. Bailian and Jiang He sat to the side. She raised the teacup and lightly sniffed. Her eyes brightened faintly.
Ming Dongheng observed Bailian to the side and was surprised seeing her sip tea.
He had asked Xu Nanjing before. Top grade Banshang tea was expensive.
Only a tycoon like Jiang’s family could drink it so extravagantly.
This Miss Bai clearly lived on Qingshui Street yet seemed very familiar with Banshang tea?
After drinking the tea, Jiang He next to Bailian worked on a Rubik’s cube.
She recalled the link Jiang Fuli sent her and opened it directly downloading it. After it finished downloading, she saw a blue app appear on her phone—
Jiangjing University Preparatory Camp huh.
This was an app name she had heard countless times at home in the Bai family and even at Xiangcheng’s cram school after transmigrating.
The original owner had even cheated in
order to get into this app.
She tapped her phone screen with her finger, involuntarily raising her head to look at Jiang Fuli.
He sat on the sofa across from her. His left hand casually draped over the sofa armrest, speaking with Chen Ju who hadn’t left yet. Sensing her gaze, his pale eyes faintly lowered seeming to ask “What’s wrong?”
Bailian didn’t speak. She retracted her eyes. Her snow green outfit pressed against her excessively fair skin. Her eyes were vividly black and white.
Her fingertips slowly opened the app and a safety key popped up asking for input.
She entered Jiang Fuli’s given key and it went to registration page.
Under Jiang He’s watch, she languidly input her account name—
White Pick Up
Beside her Jiang He: “……”
He silently turned his head to silently work on his Rubik’s cube.
After registering she directly logged into the app. Upon opening there were three sections. Rankings on the right. On the left were “This Month’s Questions” and “Timed Challenges”.
Bailian took a look. There were two ranking columns. One was “This Month’s Points Ranking” the other was “Total Ranking”.
She tapped to open this year’s newcomer monthly points rankings from top to bottom displaying everyone’s names. Bailian slowly scrolled—
NO.1 Liang Wuyu 28896
NO.2 Xu Zhiyue 28152
……
NO.39 Song Min 21589
……
NO.464 Bai Shaoqi 17453
……
NO.552 Baijian1 0
There were only 552 people registered this year. The lower the ranking, the smaller the score difference. Those able to obtain preparatory camp spots were all geniuses, demonstrating absolute talent.
So most people used their real names. Very few were casual with their IDs like Bailian.
“See, Liang Wuyu. Hot pick for next year’s top scorer. I bet a million on him. Hope he doesn’t disappoint me,” Chen Ju instantly saw the app page. Complacently he said.
Suddenly seeing Bailian ranked 552, he hurriedly remedied, “Miss Bai jiayou2! As long as you enter the monthly top 300 rankings, you’ll have hope for Jiangjing University. I believe in you! Tonight when I get home I’ll be your fan saying you can get into Jiangjing University!”
Bailian raised a brow. Only when hearing “Total Score” did she reflexively tap open the total score ranking beside it. Upon opening her eyes were blinded—
Leave a Reply