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

Qinglu Mountain.

Bai Ci got off the bus at the "Baishan Donglu" stop and stood at the foot of the mountain, carrying the plastic bag containing his old school uniform.

He looked up and saw something amazing.

A winding mountain road stretches from the foot of the road to the top of the mountain, wide enough for four cars to drive side by side.

The dark gray pavement shimmered with tiny silver sparkles in the afternoon sunlight, as if someone had scattered a handful of crushed diamonds into the asphalt.

The roadside is inlaid with neatly cut granite, and every ten steps or so there is an iron street lamp with a black lamp post and a curved top, and the lampshade is made of frosted glass.

Xiaoqi clicked her tongue in her mind: "The curvature of the lamp post, the glass of the lampshade, it's obviously custom-made. Rich people like this kind of style, it looks unassuming, but it's actually shockingly expensive."

Bai Ci took a closer look and saw that the lamp post was carved with lifelike patterns: a white falcon with outstretched wings, its sharp talons pressing down on the sword and shield patterns, exuding a fierce aura.

"This is the Bai family's exclusive family totem." Xiao Qi's voice rang out at the right time. "Bai Falcon, the Bai family's ancestors made their fortune through military achievements, and later generations cultivated the business world, making the family wealth more and more abundant. This totem has long been registered as an exclusive symbol, and outsiders are strictly prohibited from using it."

"oh."

"You just say 'Oh'? This is the heritage of a wealthy family! Look at these streetlights, look at these stones, look at this..."

Bai Ci's gaze had already shifted to the roadside trees.

The roadside is planted with precious camphor trees, with straight trunks, rounded and neat crowns, and the trees are spaced exactly apart.

Each tree root is embedded with a plaque indicating the tree number and the date of transplantation.

"These ancient trees were all carefully selected and transported from overseas," Xiaoqi exclaimed. "The thickness of each trunk is controlled to within two centimeters. Do you know how much it costs to transplant a mature camphor tree?"

"have no idea."

"Enough for you to eat for a year."

"..." Bai Ci calculated the few dollars left in her card and silently felt that "a year" might be a figurative number. "That is indeed quite expensive."

He started walking up the mountain. The road was wide, with four lanes, but there were hardly any cars on it now.

Bai Ci walked for a while, then suddenly stopped, looked down at his feet, and then looked up at what lay ahead.

"Xiao Qi".

"Um?"

"There is no sidewalk on this road."

"It's a private road after all," Xiaoqi said. "It was built by the Bai family and only leads to their hilltop estate. Normally, no one comes up here except for members of the Bai family and invited guests. Who's going to walk on the sidewalk? For the deer?"

"Get out of here," Bai Ci said.

Xiao Qi paused for a moment, then said, "You were an accident."

After walking for more than half an hour, Bai Ci's pace slowed down, and her calves started to ache, after all, she was physically weak.

He adjusted the plastic bag in his hand, switched it to his other hand, then looked up at the winding, seemingly endless road and uttered two words:

"come on."

The tone wasn't harsh, but it conveyed a stubborn determination that said, "I absolutely have to go up there today."

The outline of a building can be vaguely seen on the mountaintop in the distance, with gray spires peeking out from above the treetops, like a castle perched atop the mountain.

Xiaoqi said with concern, "Bai Bai, shall we rest for a while?"

Bai Ci didn't speak, but he stopped walking. He stood on the shoulder of the road, bent over with his knees on his hands, panting heavily.

Xiao Qi was heartbroken, her tone shifting from worry to anger: "The Bai family is really something! Such a big family, what kind of banquet do they hold without even sending someone to pick you up? When Bai Yanzhi called, couldn't he have just casually said, 'I'll send a car to pick you up'? Instead, he made you take the bus alone and walk dozens of miles through the mountains?"

Bai Ci straightened up and wiped the sweat from his forehead: "Maybe he just forgot."

"Forgot?" Xiao Qi's voice rose eight octaves. "You called to invite you to a family dinner, and then forgot you didn't have a car? Bye-bye, so you've learned to make excuses for them now, haven't you?"

"I'm not making excuses," Bai Ci said, "it's not worth getting angry at them."

Xiaoqi paused for a moment, then softened her tone: "...Have you rested enough?"

Bai Ci tried it; his heart was still racing, and his legs were still shaking. He honestly said, "No."

"Then let's rest a little longer," Xiaoqi said. "Anyway, it's still quite a distance to walk up, so ten more minutes won't make a difference."

Bai Ci leaned against a lamppost by the roadside, looking up at the highway that was still stretching upwards.

“You’re right,” he said. “They should have sent a car to pick me up.”

Xiaoqi: "...You're only realizing it now?"

"No," Bai Ci said slowly, "I mean, they should have sent a car to pick me up. But they didn't, so when we get to the banquet later, they have no right to criticize what I wear, what time I arrive, or how I look."

"Bai Bai, well said!" Xiao Qi immediately chimed in. "That's exactly right. Bai Bai, with your brain these days, I don't even need to give you any advice. Just stand tall, who's afraid of who!"

Are you praising me or insulting me?

"Of course it's praise!" Xiao Qi said confidently. "My admiration for you is as clear as heaven and earth, as bright as the sun and moon."

"The last time you praised me was when Shen Tinglan caught me in the act."

"...That's different, this time it's from the heart," Xiao Qi replied with a grin.

Bai Ci was too lazy to argue with it. He straightened up and tried to take a few steps. His legs were still a little weak, but much better than before. He continued walking uphill, the plastic bag dangling in his hand.

"Xiao Qi," he asked as he walked, "what kind of banquet is it tonight? Don't tell me it's just a meal."

Xiao Qi immediately explained seriously, "The Bai family's banquets are divided into different levels. Judging from the scale, today's banquet should be a medium-sized one. Not only are there direct descendants of the Bai family present, but also relatives from collateral branches, business partners, long-standing friends from prominent families, and dignitaries from all walks of life. There are also many people trying to curry favor and use this opportunity to attend. These people who use this opportunity to attend are the most numerous at the banquet, and also the most..."

"The most what?"

"They're masters at tailoring their approach to different people."

"Last year, we had more than 20 tables for this kind of banquet, and this year the scale will only be more grand."

"So many people?"

"Absolutely, this is a high-society event. The first half is a cocktail party, and the second half is a formal dinner. People in tuxedos walk around with champagne, talking about collaborations, building relationships, and exchanging business cards. At the dinner, when Bai Yanzhi stands there, people line up to hand him their business cards."

"Did the original owner participate before?"

"He's been here." Xiao Qi's tone deepened. "He's been every single time. Bai Yanzhi always just calls to announce the banquet, and the original owner travels alone, hikes up the mountain, and is immediately placed in a corner upon entering. He's barely noticeable, ignored by everyone, and leaves on his own after the banquet."

Bai Ci hummed in response but did not reply.

Xiao Qi paused for a moment, then said, "Do you know what's the funniest thing? Every year at the Bai family's annual banquet, there's a group photo session. All the Bai family members stand together for a family portrait. The original owner was never called up. One year, he was standing on the side, thinking he could be in the picture, but the photographer said, 'Excuse me, young man, could you move aside? You're blocking the light.'"

Bai Ci paused for a moment.

"And then?" he asked.

"Then he stepped aside," Xiaoqi said softly. "He never says no."

Bai Ci remained silent and continued walking. After a while, he spoke, his tone soft but carrying undeniable weight: "This year is different."

"What's different?"

"Those who stand up this year will not step aside."

Xiao Qi was silent for a moment, then let out a chuckled sigh: "Bai Bai, when you said that just now, you were so cool. I almost thought your 'fierce' filter was on."

"Not open."

"That's right, you're not the original owner of this body, you're a rabbit with fangs."

Bai Ci smiled slightly but didn't reply.