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

As dusk deepened, the setting sun dipped below the western mountains.

The mountain road gradually became lively. The sound of engines surged from the foot of the mountain, and one after another, expensive luxury cars sped up the wide private mountain road.

The gleaming car body reflected a dazzling light in the sunlight, and the people inside were all dressed in high-class attire. The men wore bespoke suits, and the women had their hair styled in an exquisite updo, adorned with luxurious jewelry.

The sound of an engine came from behind him, and Bai Ci naturally moved to the side of the road. The car sped past him.

Xiao Qi muttered, "They don't even slow down."

"That's normal," Bai Ci said. "They don't know me."

Bai Ci continued walking along the shoulder of the road. Another car passed by him, the wind it created ruffling his hair. He raised his hand to brush it aside, and the plastic bag swayed in his hand.

"Why are these people driving so fast?" Xiao Qi complained. "Are they in such a hurry to be reborn?"

"Rushing to the banquet."

"Going to a banquet is fine, what's wrong with driving slower? This isn't a racetrack."

Bai Ci gave a soft "hmm" without refuting. He knew that Xiao Qi was standing up for him.

A black limousine pulled up, and this time the rear window wasn't fully closed, through which two sentences could be faintly heard:

"Why are there people walking on this mountain?"

"Dressed like that, she's probably trying to sneak in and freeload a meal, right?"

The voice was made no attempt to conceal its meaning.

The black car suddenly braked close to Bai Ci's feet. Before he could back away, the rear window slowly rolled down.

A young man's face was revealed.

He was in his early twenties, wearing a shiny dark blue shirt with the collar open, his hair slicked back and shiny, and a diamond-encrusted watch and a thick gold bracelet on his wrist.

He tilted his head, his gaze lazily sweeping over Bai Ci from head to toe, finally settling on the old plastic bag.

His lips curled into a smirk, and his eyes held a flippant air of "I've finally found some fun."

"Kid, this is the Bai family's private road. Not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry can wander around here." He looked him up and down, then scoffed. "Wearing that cheap street vendor outfit, you think you can join the Bai family's banquet? You've probably come to the wrong place; are you planning to go up the mountain to sell toys?"

The driver's laughter echoed from inside the car. The young man seemed quite pleased with the effect, his arm resting on the car window, tilting his head as he awaited Bai Ci's reaction.

Xiao Qi instantly exploded: "This guy is so arrogant! He thinks he can just mock others because his family is well-off. Bai Bai, don't pay attention to this blind person. Is that a gold chain or a dog leash around his neck?"

Bai Ci did not argue hastily, but spoke clearly and humbly: "At the Bai family banquet, status matters, not clothing."

The young man raised an eyebrow, as if he had heard the biggest joke in the world.

He pulled his arm back from the car window frame, leaned his upper body out of the window, and looked closely at Bai Ci with an exaggerated and mocking expression.

"Identity?" He scoffed. "With your outfit, what kind of impressive identity could you possibly have? You probably wouldn't even be qualified to step into the Bai family's gate."

After saying that, he leaned back, crossed his arms in front of his chest, and waited to see Bai Ci's reaction.

He was certain that the poor boy walking in children's clothes would be stung by those words, would blush, and would lower his head and slink away.

Then he could add "That's right!" in the car, laugh with the driver, step on the gas and go up the mountain, bringing the joke to the party that night as a topic of conversation.

Bai Ci was not angry; she simply glanced at the person in the car.

His eyes were naturally soft at the corners, like melted amber, but there was not a trace of timidity in those light brown eyes. Instead, they exuded a calm and unmoved aura.

There was no anger or shame in his eyes, only a composure that made the other person inexplicably uneasy, like looking at a creature that was shouting loudly but couldn't reach him—a mentally challenged person.

Then he looked away, turned around, and continued walking up the mountain.

There was no argument, no explanation, not a moment of unnecessary lingering.

The young man stood frozen in front of the car window.

His prepared script completely fell apart. He thought the other party would talk back, so he could take the opportunity to mock them; or the other party would remain silent, so he could deliver a finishing blow.

Bai Ci's gaze made him more uncomfortable than any retort. It wasn't that he was too scared to speak up after being insulted; it was that Bai Ci didn't take him seriously at all.

It was as if he were a sign on the roadside that said "No Entry". Bai Ci glanced at it, thought the words were written wrong, but was too lazy to correct them, and simply walked around it.

His neck flushed slightly, and he wanted to say something, but Bai Ci had already taken several steps forward.

If he shouts again, it will seem like he's being too deliberate. What kind of behavior is it for someone in a luxury car to chase after someone in children's clothes and yell at them?

He could only swallow his words and let out a cold snort.

"You ungrateful wretch." He spat out those four words, rolled up the car window, waved to the driver, and said, "Let's go."

The car continued driving up the mountain.

Bai Ci walked a few dozen steps, and Xiao Qi's voice exploded in his mind: "Bai Bai! That look you gave him just now was amazing, even more ruthless than if you had just snapped back—look at his expression, like he'd swallowed a fly!"

After a pause, Xiao Qi's tone suddenly became gossipy: "However, I also looked into that person's background."

"Um?"

"Zhao Zi'ang, the second young master of Zhao's Real Estate. The Zhao family is in the real estate business in the south, and their cash flow has been extremely tight these past two years, so they're looking for someone to take over their properties. Tonight, he's here at the Bai family's banquet with an invitation from the Zhao family patriarch, and he's here specifically to see Bai Yanzhi."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"Let me finish," Xiao Qi said in a low voice. "Last month, Zhao's Real Estate was exposed for owing suppliers a considerable amount of money. To cover up their financial problems, they're even falsifying accounts. People in the industry are already talking about it, and Bai's risk control department should have heard about it too."

Bai Ci hummed in agreement, signaling Xiao Qi to continue.

"And this Zhao Ziang himself," Xiao Qi said with a hint of disdain, "was caught losing tens of millions in a casino in one night last year, which made headlines in the financial section. His father spent a lot of money to suppress the trending topic. This kind of person dares to act rich in front of you?"

Bai Ci thought for a moment: "So, Xiao Qi, you're telling me all this so I can expose him in front of everyone at the banquet later?"

"Of course not!" Xiao Qi exclaimed anxiously. "If you expose him now, who will believe you? You're an unloved illegitimate child. If you say the Zhao family's financial chain has broken down, people will just think you're making a fool of yourself."

"So what do you mean?"

"What I mean is, you don't need to do anything," Xiao Qi said with a hint of slyness, "he'll give himself away."

He became more and more excited as he spoke: "Think about it, someone whose cash flow is about to run out would definitely try his best to show off at the Bai family's banquet, handing out business cards and trying to get close to them. But Bai Yanzhi hates this kind of sycophancy the most. He already knows the true situation of the Zhao family, let alone invest in them, he wouldn't even give them a second glance."

"Bai Bai, when he tries to get close to you, just stand next to Bai Yanzhi," Xiao Qi said, getting more and more excited. "What will he do if you just glance at Zhao Ziang like that?"

Xiaoqi was still excitedly chattering on and on: "Just thinking about his face then will make me feel so good..."

"Bai Bai, when the time comes, you confront him directly. Come on, repeat after me—'Why aren't you laughing anymore? Don't you find it funny anymore?'"

Bai Ci hesitated for a moment: "...Do you really want to say that?"

"explain!"

Bai Ci pursed her lips: "Why aren't you laughing anymore? Don't you find it funny anymore?"

"Yes, that's it."