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

Bai Ci felt a slight pang in his heart, but he tried to relay the message to Bai Jiheng in a calm tone: "A caregiver goes by occasionally to help with the cleaning."

"Occasionally?" Bai Jiheng's brows furrowed even deeper. "What do you mean by occasionally? Who takes care of you when you're sick? How do you usually eat?"

"I can cook for myself." Bai Ci thought for a moment, then added, "But I'm not very good at it."

Bai Jiheng looked at him and remained silent for a long while.

He wanted to say, "Why didn't you say so sooner?" but he didn't say it. What right did he have to ask that? Even if he did, would he listen? Even if he heard it, would he care?

His throat tightened, he opened his mouth, but finally managed to squeeze out only two words: "...Never mind."

Bai Ci tilted her head to look at him.

"Let's not talk about the past. Leave the apartment there for now, and Uncle Chen can pack your things another day. You can come home for holidays; the room is ready, and the kitchen can cook whatever you want. I'll ask you in advance when you're coming back so I can pick you up, no matter where you are. I'll come pick you up personally."

Fearing Bai Ci might overthink it, he added, "My older brother will ask too."

"Thank you, Third Brother." Bai Ci smiled and said softly.

"Alright, stop thanking me. How many times have you thanked me today? If you say thank you again, I'll—"

"What?"

Looking at his innocent and harmless expression, Bai Jiheng recalled the painful experience of being manipulated by him with the "joint liability" argument earlier, and the words that were about to come out of his mouth were forcibly changed: "...I'll buy you more strawberry candies. Anyway, you like them."

Bai Ci replied cheerfully, "Thank you, Third Brother."

"Didn't I tell you not to thank me anymore?"

"But you said you wanted to buy more candy."

Bai Jiheng sighed helplessly, about to complain, when footsteps came from outside the living room door. Bai Luochen had finished his phone call and returned.

Bai Jiheng subconsciously turned to look at Bai Luochen, who had just entered, and half-jokingly asked, "Second Brother, do you have anything to say?"

Bai Luochen glanced at the two of them: "It's nothing. I just happened to see it. With just a few simple words and the tactic of showing weakness and gratitude, he easily turned you from 'giving less candy' to 'stockpiling more candy,' making you the one who always gets fleeced at the negotiating table."

Bai Jiheng: "..."

Bai Luochen walked to the sofa and sat down, then looked at Bai Ci and added, "But speaking of which, if you have any trouble in the future, just ask this busybody; he'll be happy to help you solve it."

Bai Jiheng scoffed, crossed his arms, and glanced sideways: "Fine, you're all talk. Anyway, I'm still better than someone else—always in the lab, only interested in ores and pythons, and doesn't care about anything at home."

Bai Luochen said calmly, "I won't neglect my duties, unlike some people who are all talk and no action."

The two exchanged a few words, but the atmosphere wasn't tense at all; instead, it was filled with the familiar banter between brothers.

Bai Ci sat quietly to the side listening without interfering at all. Her heart was filled with warmth and joy. In just one morning, she had managed to persuade her third brother to order custom handkerchiefs, finalize a cabinet full of snacks, and even have someone take care of her dormitory wardrobe.

He muttered to himself: Third Brother looks fierce, but he's actually very easy to coax. He's not arrogant at all. He just likes to act tough and seems like someone you can't mess with, but he's actually very soft-hearted. Most importantly, he has a low status in the family and is very easy to "extort".

When we first met, Third Brother was all barking threats and pinching people's chins, but now he seems like just a paper tiger.

Bai Jiheng glanced at Bai Luochen sideways, too lazy to argue further, then turned to see Bai Ci's barely concealed lighthearted smile: "Is it funny?"

"No." Bai Ci quickly composed herself, not daring to voice her thoughts and anger her third brother. She obediently stood up and said, "Third brother, I'll go back to my room first."

"Okay, go ahead."

Bai Ci responded and turned to leave the living room.

Bai Jiheng watched Bai Ci's disappearing figure, then turned to Bai Luochen beside him and asked, "Second Brother, do you know about the apartments in Xinghewan on Qingtong Road?"

"I know, it's a property the old man bought years ago, and it's been vacant for a long time. Why are you suddenly asking about this?"

"Before Bai Ci returned to the manor, he always lived in that apartment," Bai Jiheng's brow furrowed slightly. "So, it was a place the old man specially arranged for him?"

Bai Luochen glanced at him: "What do you think? It's normal for him to bring people back and arrange accommodations, isn't it? Bai Ci used to be like that, avoiding people, there's nothing we can do about it. However, if you think there's a problem, you can ask Uncle Chen to check the purchase records of Xinghewan Apartments and the employment files of caregivers over the years when he has some free time."

"Hmm." Bai Jiheng responded calmly, "I'll check the files later."

Neither brother spoke again, but both were on edge. The past wasn't so simple; they stopped talking and went about their own business.

......

The next morning, sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, filling the living room and dispelling the morning chill.

Bai Yanzhi deliberately canceled his morning meeting and waited in the living room from early morning, accompanying Bai Ci throughout her follow-up appointment. Bai Luochen also stayed home today, sitting on the other side of the sofa, silently keeping her company.

Dr. Qin arrived on time for the follow-up visit, and after carefully completing the entire examination, he slowly put away his stethoscope.

His gaze lingered briefly on Bai Ci's face before he looked down at the various physical data displayed on the tablet. His tone was much lighter than during the previous examinations, and his tense expression completely relaxed.

"All indicators are stable, the heart load is steady, and there are no signs of relapse. Young master, you can go back to school on time tomorrow for regular classes and boarding."

Bai Ci's eyes lit up instantly, and she was about to happily respond when Dr. Qin's instructions followed immediately.

"However, there are conditions that must be strictly followed. Take your medication on time as prescribed, avoid staying up late, strenuous exercise, and overwork. If you experience any discomfort such as palpitations or fatigue while at school, contact me immediately."

He bowed slightly and added, "President Bai specifically instructed that I will keep track of all your physical conditions at school and keep the young masters informed in real time."

"...I understand." Bai Ci nodded obediently, softly agreeing to all the rules, being well-behaved and compliant.

As Dr. Qin was packing up the equipment, Bai Jiheng came down the stairs, his hair still a little messy, clearly having just woken up.

He saw Dr. Qin packing up, paused for a moment, then casually turned into the kitchen, took out a cup of coffee, leaned against the living room door frame, and listened to Dr. Qin's instructions while drinking it, his gaze occasionally falling on Bai Ci.

Bai Yanzhi sat on a single sofa, his fingertips lightly tapping the armrest, his gaze fixed on Bai Ci.

The meeting he canceled this morning was originally a quarterly report, and several executives were taken aback when they received the cancellation notice last night—President Bai never cancels meetings at the last minute. But now, looking at Bai Ci's face, which was noticeably rosier than a few days ago, he felt that it wouldn't be too late to hold that meeting next week.

Dr. Qin stood up and nodded slightly to Bai Yanzhi: "Mr. Bai, judging from the current indicators, there are no problems. As long as you take your medication regularly and maintain a regular schedule, you can return to school. I'll head back now. Please contact me anytime if there are any issues."

Bai Yanzhi nodded: "Uncle Chen, please see Dr. Qin off."

"Yes." Uncle Chen came up from the entrance and led Dr. Qin outside.

After seeing Dr. Qin off, Bai Ci wanted to curl up on the single sofa by the French windows, bask in the sun for a while, and enjoy the last day of peace and quiet before returning to school.

But as it turned out, his idea was far too naive.