The sickly one in F4 was the group's darling.

Bai Jiheng turned his head to look at him.

I never thought you were such a thoughtful person before.

Bai Jiheng raised an eyebrow: "What do you mean?"

"When you messaged me saying someone in your family is afraid of snakes, I thought you'd finally seen the light and come to your senses."

"What do you mean, 'iron tree blooming'? Your imagination is too rich." Bai Jiheng put the fabric booklet on the coffee table, shifted his crossed legs, and said, "Leaving aside whether anyone would even be interested in me, just look at my temper, right?" He turned to Wen Jingyao, as if seeking support from the sidelines, "Have you ever seen anyone like me?"

Wen Jingyao forced out a smile that looked more like a grimace: "Third Young Master is witty, witty."

My mind was screaming: Who am I? Where am I? Why am I getting involved in this?

"Thinking about it later," Bai Luochen continued, "your temper isn't very likable. If you really had any ideas, most people who tried to get close to you would just be thrown out. It's not that bad."

Wen Jingyao's fingers froze on the tablet, pretending not to hear anything. Only one thought occupied his mind: Help! How could a mere employee like him listen to the big boss's family affairs? He was afraid of losing his job if he heard even one more word!

Bai Jiheng was precisely choked by those words.

But who is he? He has suffered countless losses at the hands of his second brother since childhood, and has long since developed the ability to quickly retaliate.

"Second brother, I don't like hearing that. What do you mean by 'not very likable'? My name, Bai Jiheng, is full of praise—never mind, let me put it another way. You're someone who spends all day with snakes, what right do you have to comment on my temper? I'm not like you, spending all your time with snakes and neglecting social interactions. At least I know how to care for people, but your Mo Mo won't let anyone touch her except you."

"MoMo doesn't need social interaction."

"Yes, yes, yes, Mo Mo doesn't need it, and neither do you." Bai Jiheng waved his hand. "You two make a perfect pair, both aloof and arrogant. Once Mo Mo learns to use her tail to pour you coffee, you won't even need a maid."

Bai Luochen looked up at him and said, "It's smarter than you."

Bai Jiheng's smile froze for a moment.

"His temper is better than yours too," Bai Luochen added.

"MoMo rolled down my trophy last time and made a dent."

"That's because you used tweezers to pinch its tail."

"I didn't pinch it! I just gestured!"

"It felt like you were pinching it. Snakes have a very sensitive sensory system, and your 'gestures' are perceived as a threat signal by it. This is basic biological knowledge."

"Don't try to intimidate me with your biological common sense." Bai Jiheng leaned back on the sofa, his tone shifting to a meaningful tone. "But you, Second Brother, when did you become so interested in Bai Ci's affairs? From just now until now, I've been talking to Designer Wen for ages, and you've been listening in quite attentively."

Bai Luochen looked up at him but didn't say anything.

"Don't think I didn't notice," Bai Jiheng's lips curled into a smile, "You said Mo Mo is curious about Bai Ci, but I think you're quite curious yourself."

A moment of silence fell, and the atmosphere became even more subtle.

Wen Jingyao realized with despair that he could no longer pretend to be flipping through his notes; he had just turned the page over and back three times.

Taking advantage of the break, he took a deep breath, put on his best acting skills, and gave a standard professional smile: "Third Young Master, Second Young Master, I think I forgot a few design drafts with the assistant. I'll go to the door to get them and come back in a bit. I can show them to the young master later."

Without waiting for the two young masters' response, he picked up the fabric brochure and, with impeccable business etiquette, stood up, turned around, and took a step. His movements were fluid and his steps were steady and powerful, showing no sign of the frantic screaming he was inside.

As he reached the entrance, he quietly exhaled. If he stayed any longer, he feared that if he listened to any more, he would be unable to resist asking the Bai family if they could provide him with a psychologist.

He composed himself and thought to himself that he must tell his assistant when he got home tonight: from now on, for any business with the Bai family, add a 20% "mental distress fee".

Only the two brothers remained in the living room.

Bai Luochen paused for a moment, then frankly admitted, "A little."

Bai Jiheng was taken aback for a moment.

"He's changed a lot," Bai Luochen said. "He used to be practically invisible at home, but now—"

He paused, as if searching for the right words, "You all care about him."

"Isn't that obvious? He's my brother."

"It was the same before."

Bai Jiheng was caught off guard by those words. He opened his mouth, wanting to refute, but found he couldn't. It had been like that before, but he hadn't really paid much attention to it before. The shadow that huddled in the corner, head down, not daring to even speak loudly, and the Bai Ci who dared to throw his pillow, dared to talk back to him, and dared to say "toast too" with righteous indignation, were indeed like two different people.

Bai Jiheng changed the subject: "Keep a close eye on your Momo."

He said, seemingly casually, but his tone was two octaves lower than usual, "It would be safer to upgrade the lock on your terrarium. I had Zhao Shuo contact a special equipment supplier who has a ready-made physical locking and reinforcement solution. The material has a maximum twisting force of 450 kilograms, which is stronger than the current one. I've also instructed the engineering department to thoroughly check all the heating pipe wells, floor drains, and vents around Bai Ci's room, and to add anti-snake netting where necessary."

"Whatever you want." Bai Luochen picked up his teacup, paused, and said, "Just don't make a mess of it. But checking the heating pipe shafts is a good idea; I never thought of this before winter in previous years."

Bai Jiheng wanted to retort after hearing the first half of his sentence, but couldn't find fault with the second half, so he could only give a perfunctory reply.

Bai Luochen looked directly at Bai Jiheng: "Don't change the subject. What's going on? When did you start paying so much attention to him?"

He was silent for a moment, then scoffed and turned his head away.

"What else could it be?"

"So-so," he said, his tone deliberately nonchalant, as if commenting on a troublesome child. "He's incredibly weak, easily frail by the slightest breeze, and ridiculously timid. He gets terrified at the slightest noise and shrinks back at the sight of people. Now, however, he's gotten angry and dares to talk back to me, even throwing pillows."

He spoke words of complaint, but there was no hint of disdain in his tone. On the contrary, when he said, "My body is so weak, I get weak from the wind," his tone softened considerably, and when he said, "When my temper flares up," the corners of his mouth even curled up slightly.

Bai Luochen looked at him quietly, saying nothing, but her eyes clearly said: Keep making things up.

Just then, a clear and refreshing voice rang out.

"Third Brother."

Bai Jiheng's heart skipped a beat.

He slowly turned his head and saw Bai Ci standing on the steps. The morning light streamed in from the window behind him, making him look warm and cozy, and even the faint pink on the tips of his ears was clearly visible.

Finished!

He secretly criticized the person behind their back and got caught red-handed!

Bai Ci stood there, listening for an unknown amount of time.

Bai Jiheng subconsciously put his crossed legs down.