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

Bai Yanzhi picked up the teacup and gently skimmed off the foam with the lid, his posture elegant, his mischievous intention to tease his younger brother perfectly concealed in his eyes.

A faint smile played on his lips as his gaze swept over Bai Ci's pitiful little face. The anger he felt because of Zhang Ma was inexplicably soothed by most of it.

Bai Ci was unaware that her older brother had already mentally sentenced her to "long-term bullying," and at this moment, all her attention was fixed on Uncle Chen, who was approaching step by step.

This usually calm and collected old butler, who was clearly not easily fooled, was steadily approaching him with a gentle yet unyielding air.

Uncle Chen bowed slightly and gestured gently, "Young Master, you see the Eldest Young Master has spoken... so please give it to him."

Bai Ci glanced at Uncle Chen's standard smiling face that said, "I'm just a tool to carry out orders," then looked at Bai Yanzhi, who was watching the show from a distance, and finally looked down at the crumpled plastic bag containing the tattered school uniform in her arms.

He was torn between his inner turmoil and his rabbit ears were practically popping out of their sockets.

"Xiao Qi! Help! My older brother is trying to steal my tattered clothes!"

"Bai Bai, just accept your fate!" Xiao Qi strategically gave up. "You can't escape it! Your older brother has already suffered enough today, he won't miss out on this tattered school uniform."

Bai Ci secretly looked up and met Bai Yanzhi's gaze.

There was no reproach in his eyes, nor the cold scrutiny he had shown before; instead, there was a... playful, cat-and-mouse-like look in his eyes.

He shuddered in fright, and thought, "Fine! If I die, I die!"

Bai Ci took a deep breath, handed over the bag like a hero going to his execution, and emphasized in a muffled voice with pursed lips, "Then you can look... but you're not allowed to laugh!"

Uncle Chen respectfully accepted it and handed it to Bai Yanzhi with both hands.

Bai Yanzhi put down his teacup, opened the bag, and first picked up the jacket and brand-new school uniform coat from the top layer, raising an eyebrow slightly: "Isn't this great?"

"This coat...someone lent it to me," Bai Ci explained softly. "The one underneath is mine."

He silently pointed to the wad of clothes below.

Bai Yanzhi casually tossed his coat aside, then pulled it out of the bag—

The old school uniform, which was badly torn, with a frayed collar, a deformed school badge, and covered in dust, was suddenly shaken open!

The crack was jagged and the rough edges were glaring; it was clear that the person had been roughly grabbed by the collar and assaulted.

Uncle Chen stood to the side, his gaze falling on the torn school uniform, his pupils suddenly contracting.

He had been with the Bai family for thirty years, and was usually so calm and composed that he would not change his expression even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him. But at this moment, a slight redness appeared in his eyes.

These marks are clearly from someone who was violently grabbed by the collar and humiliated.

Even if the young master of the Bai family is not valued, it is not up to these scoundrels outside to bully him like this!

Uncle Chen clenched his fists, bowed his head, and said in a hoarse voice, "Young Master..."

"What's going on?" Bai Yanzhi asked angrily.

"I... I accidentally scratched myself..." Bai Ci mumbled a vague excuse.

"Bai Ci." Bai Yanzhi looked up, his gaze chillingly deep. "Do you think I'm a fool? This was torn to shreds by hand."

Under his all-seeing gaze, Bai Ci felt that her excuses were as thin as paper.

He hesitated for a few seconds. If he told the truth, his older brother would definitely think he was stupid for fighting; if he didn't tell the truth, his older brother would definitely find a way to make him talk. In the end, he gave up resisting.

He had no choice but to recount his ordeal at the hair salon in the alley in detail: Huang Mao and his gang were causing trouble, they grabbed him by the collar and threatened him, and he ended up subduing them himself...

Of course, he omitted his heroic "rabbit kicking an eagle" pose, only saying that he "pushed him when he wasn't paying attention."

After listening, Bai Yanzhi remained silent for a long time. The stinginess, the poverty, the bullying... every single thing was a debt he owed for his absence.

He dared not think too deeply about it. If Bai Ci hadn't been tough enough, things might not have turned out as simple as a tattered school uniform yesterday.

An unprecedented sense of unease and lingering fear weighed heavily on him, making his breathing become even more labored.

"Where is Huang Mao now?" he began, his voice regaining its usual calmness, yet carrying a chilling edge.

"I was taken away by the Bureau of Order Enforcement," Bai Ci answered honestly. "It was handled by Brother Zhou Yan."

Bai Yanzhi suddenly remembered Zhou Yan's tantalizing words from last night, "exchanging land information for news," and his heart instantly turned cold.

It turns out that Zhou Yan knew everything all along.

I already knew that his brother had been surrounded, bullied, had his clothes torn, and had even been assaulted.

Not only did she not tell him, she also secretly watched the show and made fun of him.

Bai Yanzhi's expression remained unchanged, even his eyes were calm and composed.

But deep down, he had already made a cold note: You, Zhou Yan.

At the same time, Zhou Yan, who was chatting and laughing with others in the banquet hall, suddenly shivered without warning, a chill ran down his back for no reason, and he felt a sense of panic.

His hand holding the wine glass trembled slightly, and the champagne rippled on the glass.

A manager standing nearby asked with concern, "Team Leader Zhou, what's wrong? Is the air conditioning too strong in here?"

"...It's nothing." Zhou Yan composed himself, maintained his smile, and suppressed the strange feeling that had been there for a moment.

But a thought inexplicably surfaced in his mind. This feeling was familiar, like a premonition of being targeted by a top predator.

The last time I had this feeling was a second before someone turned his route into a PowerPoint presentation.

He subconsciously looked around and saw only elegant clothes and swaying hair; everything seemed normal.

strangeness.

Zhou Yan swirled his wine glass, attributing his ominous premonition to not sleeping well last night, and put on a polite smile again as he rejoined the social circle.

In the tea room, Bai Yanzhi looked at Uncle Chen: "Uncle Chen, give the Order Bureau a heads-up and tell them it's my idea, Bai Yanzhi's. Give those thugs a 'good welcome'."

"Understood." Uncle Chen immediately understood. With the young master's "treat them well," those people's lives were essentially over.

"In addition," Bai Yanzhi added, "have them send over ten sets of St. Andrew's school uniforms, from innerwear to outerwear, all new. From now on, we'll have four sets every month, and we'll just throw them away when they get old, no need to replace them."

Bai Ci's eyes widened: "...No need for so much."

"You'll need it." Bai Yanzhi glanced at him, his tone leaving no room for argument, but it lacked the coldness and hardness, instead showing a tenderness that couldn't be refused. "From now on, if anyone dares to tear your clothes again, you won't have to hold back."

He paused, then spoke clearly, word by word: "I'm here."

Bai Yanzhi walked up to Bai Ci, who looked up at him and instinctively wanted to shrink back.

"Next time," Bai Yanzhi reached out and flicked his forehead with his finger, the force light but carrying a hint of disappointment, "if something like this happens again, call me first. Got it?"

Bai Ci covered his forehead, somewhat bewildered. Was his older brother concerned about him?

Before his mind could process it, his mouth was already moving faster than a heart shape: "But you hung up so quickly last time on the phone, and you didn't listen when I told you..."

Bai Yanzhi: "..."

He took a deep breath and told himself, "This is my younger brother, I must endure it."

"You think I want to hang up? Your voice used to be so soft, like a mosquito's buzz, it was hard to hear you through the receiver. Now that you have more energy, you've learned to be sarcastic."

No way.

Stop arguing with the little guy and Bai Yanzhi turned around and picked up the phone that Bai Ci had just placed on the tea table.

He wanted to personally designate himself as the other party's first emergency contact person to ensure that they would know immediately if anything happened in the future.

Bai Ci panicked and reached out to grab it, but as soon as she raised her hand, Bai Yanzhi pressed it back down with a look.

Bai Yanzhi looked down and turned on the screen. The lock screen had the default wallpaper, no settings, no password, and no fingerprint. He swiped open the contacts list; it was pitifully short, easily scrolled through with one hand.

Then, his fingers suddenly stopped.

On the screen, next to his own number, were eight large characters: "Super Invincible Iron Rooster King".

Bai Yanzhi's eyes narrowed dangerously.

He was in charge of the Bai family, his word was law, and he was respected, flattered, and feared by all...

The first time I was nicknamed "King of Tightfist" was someone else's contact name, with the added phrase "Super Invincible".

He slowly turned his head and looked at Bai Ci, who was shrugging his neck and had an innocent and pure look on his face, as if to say, "I don't know, I didn't do it, don't ask me."

The tone was gentle, but it sent chills down Bai Ci's spine:

"Explain yourself, who taught you to use nicknames like 'Super Invincible' and 'King of Tightwads' in your contacts?"