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

In a corner of the market, plastic tent stalls were filled with discounted clothes, and a sign on a cardboard sign read, "Everything from 25 yuan, no bargaining."

Bai Ci walked over and squatted down in front of the plus-size children's clothing section. A row of clothes racks were hanging with the largest sizes of children's clothing—sizes 150, 160, and 165.

He picked up a size 165 off-white sweatshirt, stood up and held it up to his waist. The sleeves reached just to his wrists, and the length was a little below his waist. It fit him perfectly.

Xiaoqi spoke up to remind her, "Bai Bai, you know this is the children's clothing section, right?"

"Hmm." Bai Ci flipped through the price tags.

Thirty-eight yuan.

Bai Ci's eyes lit up.

He then picked up a dark gray sweatshirt; it was simple in style and looked alright.

Upon unfolding it, one could see a whole tiger printed on the front and back, with four large characters next to it: "A Fierce Tiger Descending the Mountain".

Bai Ci held the hoodie, looked at the tiger, then at "Tiger Descending the Mountain," and a "this seems okay" expression appeared on his face.

Xiao Qi broke down: "No! Bai Bai, put it down! You're going to a family banquet, not to collect protection money!"

"But this tiger...it looks pretty fierce," Bai Ci argued softly. "Wasn't it supposed to be fierce?"

"Ferocity comes from presence, not from wearing a tiger costume!"

"This tiger is quite cute."

"Bai Bai, you're going to a dinner party hosted by a top family. Your three older brothers are wearing custom-made suits and handcrafted leather shoes. You're going in wearing a children's outfit with a cartoon tiger printed on the chest. Do you know what that looks like? People will just think you're weird, not that you're someone to mess with."

Bai Ci looked down again. The tiger had a round head and two small fangs, looking both fierce and harmless.

He recalled Xiao Qi's "fierce persona" and the embarrassing moment when Shen Tinglan caught him that morning, feeling that this tiger had a strange connection with his current situation.

I want to be fierce, but I can't bring myself to be.

"This is the one," Bai Ci said.

Xiao Qi said weakly, "Aren't you afraid that Bai Yanzhi will be so angry he'll die?"

He was already angry.

Xiao Qi said with a hint of teasing, "I've noticed that ever since Shen Tinglan caught you in the act this morning, your skin has gotten a lot thicker."

"I didn't," Bai Ci retorted softly.

After deciding on the tiger hoodie, he also casually picked out a pair of casual trousers with a dinosaur print.

He held up the pants and the tiger hoodie and thought the combination was very imposing.

"Very impressive," he said.

"You continue." Xiao Qi had already given up.

"If I wear this, they'll probably think I'm not someone to mess with."

Xiao Qi took a deep breath: "Bai Yanzhi told you to dress decently so you could look like a human being, not like you're going to hunt a tiger. If you wear this, he won't think you're someone to be trifled with; he'll just think you're outrageous."

Bai Ci didn't listen. He picked out a navy blue short jacket. The style was simple, without any extra patterns, and the zipper was metal. It looked normal enough.

He flipped open the collar and looked at the label on the lining, which read "Class B product." There was also a line of small print on the back: "Slight color difference, does not affect wearing."

He carried the hoodie, pants, and jacket in his arms as he approached the stall owner.

Before she could even take a step, Xiao Qi's voice boomed, "Wait, wait! Bai Bai, are you just going like this?"

Bai Ci stopped in her tracks: "What's wrong?"

"Bargain!" Xiao Qi's tone was like she was giving training to new recruits before they went into battle. "If you go in now and just pay whatever the boss says, then all those times you walked around in circles were for nothing!"

Bai Ci humbly asked for advice: "Then how should I say it?"

Xiaoqi cleared her throat, instantly switching into tactical mentor mode: "Alright, bye-bye, now let's move on to the practical bargaining phase. Remember three principles: First, find fault first. For example, loose threads, pilling, color difference, etc. Second, act like you're okay with buying it or not. Third, don't immediately respond after the shopkeeper gives you a quote; remain silent for three seconds and let her negotiate the price down herself."

Why are you silent?

"Silence is the most powerful weapon in human negotiation. If you remain silent, the other party will feel that their offer is too high and will take the initiative to lower their price. This is called psychological warfare."

Bai Ci nodded seriously, making these things a mindful memory. Then, she took a deep breath and walked towards the stall owner.

The stall owner was a woman in her forties with permed hair and bright lipstick. She was squatting behind the stall organizing cardboard boxes.

She looked up at Bai Ci, then at the clothes in his arms.

"Buying clothes for your younger brother?"

Bai Ci didn't respond to that. He put the three pieces of clothing on the stall and began to follow Xiao Qi's instructions.

"This hoodie has a loose thread on the back." He turned the hoodie over and pointed to a tiny, almost invisible thread at the back of the collar. "Is it a defective product?"

The older woman leaned over for a look, her lips twitching slightly: "That's normal! Whose clothes don't have a few loose threads?"

Bai Ci picked up the sweatpants again and turned them up to the cuffs: "These pants have some loose fibers around the knees; they might pill after washing."

The older woman raised an eyebrow: "You have a good eye. Kid, did you used to sell clothes?"

Bai Ci didn't answer. He picked up the navy blue jacket again, looked it over inside and out, and pulled out the label on the lining: "This jacket is a Class B product. The label says there is a slight color difference."

The older woman crossed her arms, her gaze shifting from "a kid buying clothes" to "kids aren't easy to fool."

Bai Ci neatly folded the three pieces of clothing and placed them on the stall. Then he followed Xiao Qi's third rule—silence.

He didn't speak, but just looked at his older sister, his gaze calm and neither humble nor arrogant. One second, two seconds, three seconds.

The older sister couldn't hold back any longer: "Fine, fine, three items for 108 yuan, I'll give you the wholesale price."

Bai Ci looked at her: "Ninety."

The older woman raised an eyebrow: "You've cut that price way too much! One hundred and fifty is the lowest I can go."

Bai Ci didn't budge on raising the price. She lightly touched the little tiger on the hoodie with her fingertips, looked up at her older sister with a clean and pure gaze, and said sincerely and calmly, "Sister, I'm a student. I'm going to see my family whom I haven't seen in a long time today, and I want to dress presentably. But this is all the money I have."

His tone was so sincere and earnest that the older sister's prepared arguments for raising prices got stuck in her throat.

The older sister glanced at his pale face again. He was thin and wearing a faded school uniform with a button missing from the cuff.

She hesitated for a moment, then waved her hand: "Ninety-five, that's the cost price. Any lower and I'll be working for nothing."

Bai Ci quickly calculated in her mind. Ninety-five yuan, plus four yuan for the bus fare and ten yuan for food, the total expense was about one hundred and eleven yuan. There were still more than ten yuan left in her card, which was enough.

"Okay, thank you, sister."

The older sister quickly folded the three pieces of clothing and put them into a plastic bag.

Bai Ci paid the money, took the bag, and said "thank you" earnestly.

After walking a few steps, the older woman called out kindly from behind, "Next time you buy clothes, don't always go to the children's section! You're old enough to wear adult clothes!"

Bai Ci paused slightly, a faint blush creeping onto the tips of her ears, before quickly leaving the market.

"Xiao Qi," Bai Ci thought to herself, "how did I do in negotiating the price?"

Xiaoqi's tone was complex, carrying a sense of relief that "my child has finally grown up": "...barely passed. But that last 'sister' was good, at least it saved you ten dollars."

Bai Ci smiled slightly, picked up the plastic bag, and walked towards the public restroom.

After changing her clothes, Bai Ci stood in front of the mottled mirror in the public restroom, examining herself.

"It fits perfectly."

"Bai Bai, do you know what you look like right now?"

"What?"

"You elementary school student participating in the school arts festival, while others are reciting 'Ode to Young China,' you're here to perform martial arts, just based on that tiger on your chest."

"Then consider it as performing martial arts."

Xiao Qi complained, "Dressed like that, I can picture it with my eyes closed—Bai Yanzhi holding a glass of red wine, turning around and seeing you walk in with a tiger on his back, a string of dinosaurs at his feet, and his face saying 'I'll bite if I'm unhappy.' He'd probably drop the glass and shatter it on the spot. Do you think he'd throw you out?"

"He's wanted to throw me out for a long time." Bai Ci folded the old school uniform and put it into a plastic bag. "There's not much difference."

He stepped out of the public restroom, stood at the market exit, and asked, "Xiao Qi, where is the family dinner location?"

Xiao Qi flipped through the database: "Bai Family Manor".

Bai Ci was stunned for a moment; he had originally thought it was just a villa or something.

Xiao Qi's tone carried an excitement of "Let me show you": "Qinglu Mountain is the city's top private estate cluster. The Bai family estate occupies most of the mountaintop. The entire mountain, from the mountainside to the summit, is Bai family property. It has complete facilities and a private mountain road leading directly to the summit. It is the top luxury family in the entire area."

Bai Ci opened the phone's navigation app, and the winding mountain road on the screen snaked through the green hills.

"It's quite big," he commented casually.

"It's more than just big! Only the Bai family lives on the top of Qinglu Mountain. All other families can only live below the mountainside. The Bai family is the ceiling here."

"Oh," he said, "then let's set off now."

Xiaoqi immediately took over the navigation: "Turn left at the next intersection, walk 300 meters, and take bus number 12. Get off at the 'Baishan Donglu' stop, and then walk."

Bai Ci turned left and took a few steps when he heard Xiao Qi add, "Remember to put in two coins, don't swipe your student card, there's no money on this card."

"......knew."