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

Bai Ci stood before the majestic, intricately carved bronze gate, glancing up at the white falcon totem above the lintel, its wings outstretched as if about to take flight.

After walking along the winding mountain path for most of the day, his calves were slightly sore, and his forehead was covered with a thin layer of sweat. The night wind blowing on the mountaintop made him feel clearer and more alert.

He glanced down at the jacket tied around his waist. He had tied it casually when he got hot while climbing the mountain, and when the sweat dried, he was too lazy to put it back on. So he just tied it like that all the way up.

But the Bai family's gate was right in front of him, and it would be quite undignified to walk in while wearing a jacket.

He reached out and took off his jacket, folded it twice, stuffed it into a plastic bag, and tied the bag opening casually.

Bai Ci took a gentle breath of the cool evening breeze, lifted her foot and stepped onto the first step of the manor, about to walk inside.

"Sir, please wait."

A gentle yet somewhat awkward voice came from the side.

A young waiter in his early twenties emerged from the gatehouse, dressed in a uniform dark color, with the Bai family's exclusive white falcon badge pinned to his chest, and carrying a verification tablet in his hand.

He stood upright with perfect posture, but his fingertips were slightly gripping the tablet, and there was a hint of cautious restraint in his eyes. It was clear that he had just started working and was being extra careful in his work.

The young waiter walked briskly to Bai Ci, his gaze naturally falling on him. He was wearing a loose tiger hoodie, playful dinosaur-patterned trousers, and a pair of clean old sneakers. He was also carrying a bulging transparent plastic bag.

A flicker of confusion flashed across her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it, maintaining a polite smile.

"Hello, sir, do you have an invitation to the dinner?"

"No," Bai Ci replied calmly and frankly.

The waiter's smile froze for a moment, and his expression instantly tightened.

Before the other party could ask further questions, Bai Ci looked into their eyes and spoke first, her tone calm and clear: "I am Bai Ci. Bai Yanzhi is my older brother. He invited me to attend tonight's banquet."

"Bai Yanzhi...Young Master?"

The young waiter was startled.

He knew all too well the significance of the eldest son of the Bai family.

But his gaze involuntarily fell on Bai Ci's clothes. The young master of the Bai family, dressed like this?

The boy in front of him was dressed casually in children's clothes, which was completely different from the image of a young master from a top-tier wealthy family in his mind, making it hard to believe.

"Young Master Bai... Young Master Bai Ci?" The young waiter's voice was a little unsteady, as if he was unsure whether he should use this form of address.

He dared not make a hasty judgment, and could only suppress his panic and cautiously say, "Hello, please wait a moment, I will check the list immediately."

He looked down and swiped quickly on the tablet, tapping the guest list and flipping through several pages.

There was no white resignation.

He flipped through it again.

still none.

A thin layer of sweat appeared on the young waiter's forehead.

The person in front of me claimed to be the young master of the Bai family and gave the name Bai Yanzhi, so his identity seemed genuine.

But the name "Bai Ci" was indeed not on the list he had.

What should I do?

Should we put him in? What if he isn't? He's a new guy; if we rashly let in an unrelated person, will he lose his job?

Refuse to release him? If this person really is the young master of the Bai family, can he afford to offend him?

Unfortunately, he was the only one left on duty here; everyone else had just been transferred. And just then, a man claiming to be the young master of the Bai family arrived.

His palms began to sweat, leaving a blurry fingerprint on the tablet screen.

"Young Master Bai Ci," he carefully chose his words, his voice noticeably more tense than before, "I... haven't been able to find your information yet. Perhaps you could wait a moment while I contact the main hall to confirm?"

Bai Ci glanced at him.

The new waiter in front of me wasn't deliberately making things difficult; he was simply nervous, cautious, and afraid of making a mistake.

"it is good."

Bai Ci responded calmly, showing no impatience whatsoever.

The young waiter breathed a sigh of relief, turned around and walked to the guard booth, picked up the walkie-talkie and communicated in a low voice.

His voice was very low, but Bai Ci still vaguely heard a few words—"doorway", "Bai Ci", "Young Master Bai Yanzhi", "no invitation", "dressed... uh... rather unusual".

She was dressed rather uniquely.

Bai Ci glanced down at her casual outfit.

Xiao Qi spoke softly in his mind, "Does 'particularly special' mean 'particularly ugly'?"

"No, that's not true," Bai Ci denied in her heart.

"...So what do you think it means?"

"It probably means 'I've never seen anyone wear this to the Bai family before'."

Xiaoqi paused for a moment, then said, "Doesn't that just mean 'extremely ugly'?"

Bai Ci simply shut down his microphone and didn't respond to the question.

While the young waiter was still communicating in hushed tones, Bai Ci stood quietly in front of the manor gate, neither urging nor impatient, nor looking around. His gaze idly fell on the stone falcon carvings on the gateposts, as he quietly awaited the outcome.

A night breeze swept through the porch, causing the hem of my sweatshirt to flutter gently.

He switched the plastic bag to his left hand and casually put his right hand into his pocket, his posture relaxed and indifferent.

The sound of an engine came from behind.

A black sedan slowly approached, its headlights sweeping across the porch, pausing briefly on Bai Ci before stopping at the doorway.

Zhou Yan bent down and got out of the car.

He wore a sharp, dark gray suit, his tie undone, the top two buttons of his collar casually undone, softening his seriousness and adding a touch of relaxed sophistication. His posture was upright, his features sharp and defined, and his aura calm and composed.

He was about to go inside when he inadvertently caught a glimpse of the boy's figure at the door.

The tiger hoodie, the dinosaur pants, and that clean yet youthful demeanor—it all seemed strangely familiar.

Zhou Yan paused slightly, walked around to the front, and saw the face clearly; it was Bai Ci.

His attire was even more... than when they met at the station last night. Zhou Yan couldn't find the right words to describe it.

Bai Ci also saw him, and the two looked at each other for a moment.

Bai Ci was slightly taken aback, not expecting to see Zhou Yan here again, and that he was wearing a duty uniform and standing outside the gate of the Bai family manor, looking like a completely different person.

Zhou Yan glanced at the young waiter who was still whispering to each other next to the guard post and instantly understood the situation.

"You got stopped?" He walked over, his tone casual, as if asking, "Have you eaten?"

Bai Ci nodded: "Yes, there was no invitation."

Zhou Yan didn't ask, "Why don't you have an invitation?" He walked straight to the guard booth. The young waiter, seeing his elegant attire, quickly put down his walkie-talkie and became even more respectful: "Hello, sir."

"Zhou Yan," he said, "Bai Yanzhi invited me."

Bai Ci's heart stirred slightly upon hearing Zhou Yan's words. So he knew Bai Yanzhi. No wonder he looked at me like that at the Execution Bureau last time.

The young waiter quickly checked on the tablet and nodded, "Yes, Mr. Zhou, this way please."

Just then, Zhou Yan's phone vibrated slightly in his pocket.

He took out his phone, and a message from Bai Yanzhi popped up on the screen: Have you arrived yet? Same place.

Zhou Yan looked down at the message, then looked up at Bai Ci, who was standing quietly at the door.

Bai Yanzhi was probably completely unaware that his timid younger brother was currently being blocked outside the gates of his own manor, while he himself was leisurely sitting inside, urging his guest on repeatedly.

A hint of amusement flashed in Zhou Yan's eyes. He didn't reply to the message and casually put his phone back in his pocket.

When they meet later, he wants to see what kind of expression the usually dignified and self-possessed young master Bai will have.

Pulling himself back to reality, Zhou Yan looked at the uneasy young waiter and said calmly but firmly, "He is Bai Ci of the Bai family, Bai Yanzhi's younger brother. He's family, so there's no need for an invitation."

He paused, then added casually, "Didn't Bai Yanzhi tell you this beforehand?"

A casual question made the young waiter freeze instantly, and a cold sweat broke out on his back.

He actually stopped the young master of the Bai family!

Overwhelmed by lingering fear, he immediately bowed deeply, his attitude one of utmost sincerity and remorse.

"Young Master Bai Ci, I am very sorry. It was due to my insufficient authority and oversight in the verification. I apologize for any offense caused."

Bai Ci glanced at him.

The boy's eyes were clear and calm, without anger or reproach.

The other party was simply following the rules, had limited authority, and was unaware of the situation; it cannot be considered a mistake.

"It's nothing, thank you for your hard work."

He uttered a sentence calmly and gently.

The young waiter paused for a moment, then nodded vigorously, his eyes even slightly reddening.

He'd been on the job for two weeks, living in constant fear of making a mistake. Tonight, he stopped the young master of the Bai family, and instead of getting angry, the other party said, "Thank you for your hard work."

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but Bai Ci had already turned and walked inside.

Zhou Yan followed beside him, and the two walked side by side through the porch and into the stained-glass welcoming corridor.

"You have a rare good temper," Zhou Yan suddenly said, his tone relaxed.

Bai Ci turned her head to look at him: "What's wrong?"

"He was stopped at his own doorstep for so long, but he didn't get angry or give them a hard time. He even thanked them when he left." Zhou Yan smiled faintly. "If it were your older brother, that waiter would probably be packing up to leave right now."

Bai Ci didn't respond.

The stained glass ceiling lights cast soft, colorful shadows on the ground.

"He didn't do it on purpose," Bai Ci said. "He's a new guy, he doesn't know me. Besides, I look a little different now than before."

Zhou Yan turned his head and glanced at him.

"What was it like before?"

Bai Ci thought about what the original owner looked like: bangs that were long enough to cover her eyes, always with her head down, wearing an old school uniform that had been washed until it was faded, like a shadow.

"Not very noticeable." He chose a milder way of putting it.

"Your face is unremarkable?"

Before he could respond, Zhou Yan added another sentence, with a hint of barely perceptible teasing:

"But now, with this tiger-themed hoodie, he's one of a kind on the entire mountain path, it's hard for him to go unnoticed."

Bai Ci: "..."

Xiao Qi in her mind instantly burst into laughter: "Hahaha! Captain Zhou's mouth, Bai Bai, is he praising you or laughing at you?"

"Shut up," Bai Ci silently told herself helplessly.

The evening breeze was slightly cool, and Bai Ci's ears turned slightly red, but he didn't reply.

Zhou Yan watched his reaction, a barely perceptible smile flashing in his eyes.

"Come on," he said, "your older brother is in the tea room. I'm going to see him."

After saying that, he smiled slightly, took out his phone, and said to Bai Ci, "Stand still, let your older brother see what you're wearing today."

Before Bai Ci could react, Zhou Yan had already pressed the shutter.

Then, in front of Bai Ci, he opened the chat window with Bai Yanzhi, sent the photo, and captioned it: "Your brother has arrived."

Bai Ci glanced down at his phone screen, her lips twitching slightly: "...Why did you send it to him?"

Zhou Yan put his phone back in his pocket, his tone slightly mischievous: "Let him be mentally prepared in advance."

"Let's go," he said, "Don't keep your older brother waiting."

......