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

Xu Yan withdrew her gaze from Zhou Xu, turned to stare intently at Bai Ci, and said with sarcasm, "Are you a member of the Bai family?"

He spoke as if he'd heard the biggest joke in the world, his tone sarcastic and mocking: "Just a few hours ago you were hiking on the mountain road, wearing a cheap hoodie, looking disheveled and dirty. I saw it clearly. And now you dare to impersonate a member of the Bai family? You don't even know how to think before you start bragging. When did the Bai family get someone like you?"

Looking at his aggressive and exasperated appearance, Bai Ci said in a distant tone, "The Bai family's affairs are none of the business of outsiders, and there's no need to report them to you."

"Well said!" Xiao Qi echoed in her mind. "Bai Bai is so reliable! There's no need to waste words with such unreasonable people!"

Xu Yan's cold smile froze abruptly. These words, though seemingly casual, were like a sharp blade, instantly piercing through the facade of respectability he maintained thanks to Bai Jiheng's connections.

outsider.

In the end, he was just a guest of the Bai family, an outsider who benefited from their presence, and never considered a member of the Bai family. Bai Jiheng letting them use the dressing room didn't mean they were members of the Bai family. He and Zhou Xu both understood this, but no one in the circle would point it out directly, and no one dared to say it so bluntly to his face.

"You've got a tough tongue." Xu Yan sneered and took a half-step to the side.

His gaze swept quickly across the entire dressing room, finally landing on the cloth bag on the shelf. He raised his hand to reach out and rummage through it, but Bai Ci blocked him by stepping aside.

"Don't touch my things." These five short words were cold and forceful, showing no sign of backing down.

Xu Yan's hand froze in mid-air, the playfulness in his eyes completely vanished, and his face darkened.

He narrowed his eyes, lowered his voice, and spoke slowly and heavily, carrying an overwhelming sense of pressure: "Feeling guilty? What's hidden in here? Third Young Master's secret cufflinks? A custom-made tie clip? Or some expensive watch?"

"It's none of your business if I change my clothes. But don't touch my things."

Xu Yan raised an eyebrow, his sarcasm deepening, and slowly pressed, "Change clothes? Don't you have any clothes at home? Why did you have to come all the way to Qinglu Manor, to the Third Young Master's private dressing room, to change?"

He suddenly leaned down slightly, close to Bai Ci's ear, and lowered his voice so low that only the two of them could hear it, every word carrying a naked threat.

"Let me tell you something. Any single piece of clothing or accessory in this walk-in closet could cover an average person's lifelong living expenses. Also, do you know what kind of person Bai Sanshao hates the most?"

He paused, his tone taking on a sinister chill: "A thief with dirty hands."

"Last year, someone dared to steal from his private racing club, and he personally broke three of their fingers."

"Do you think when he's dealing with a thief, he'll kindly ask your name first and give you a chance to explain?"

Xiaoqi's voice trembled with anger: "He's threatening you! Bai Bai, he's gone too far, actually using something like this to scare you! Should I—"

"It's alright," Bai Ci interrupted, cutting him off. "Let him speak."

In the small, enclosed walk-in closet, the air suddenly became still, and a sense of oppression instantly filled the space.

Xu Yan stared down at Bai Ci, waiting for him to show a hint of panic or a weakness.

But in Bai Ci's eyes, there was no fear or timidity.

"I'm not a thief, I'm Bai Jiheng's younger brother, move aside."

"You're not a thief, you're the young master of the Bai family?"

Xu Yan laughed out loud as if she had heard the most absurd joke of the year. She turned to Zhou Xu and deliberately raised her voice, "Zhou Xu, did you hear that? He said he's the young master of the Bai family. But we've been hanging out with the Third Young Master for so long, and he's never mentioned having such a younger brother!"

These words were ostensibly addressed to Zhou Xu, but in reality, every sentence was aimed at Bai Ci, both questioning him and indirectly forcing Zhou Xu to take sides and express his opinion.

After a long silence, Zhou Xu finally spoke slowly.

Unlike Xu Yan, who was veiled in barbs, he weighed the pros and cons in every word, striking the perfect balance: "Young man, we don't know if you're a member of the Bai family. But your unauthorized appearance in the Third Young Master's private dressing room certainly needs a reasonable explanation."

He paused, then changed the subject, his gaze returning to Xu Yan's hand hovering in mid-air: "Xu Yan, don't touch other people's things yet. Find out what happened first."

This statement was perfectly worded. It neither sided with Xu Yan nor defended Bai Ci. It maintained the appearance of restraint over Xu Yan while subtly upholding the position that "we also need to explain."

Xu Yan frowned, but didn't dare to refute. Zhou Xu was always like that, always leaving room for maneuver in everything he did. He was more successful in the industry than Xu Yan because of this shrewdness.

Bai Ci looked at the two people in front of him, one aggressive and the other impeccable.

"I'll repeat myself: Bai Yanzhi told me to come and change my clothes. Whether you believe it or not is not important."

He looked up, his gaze first falling on Xu Yan's face, then sweeping over Zhou Xu.

"As for who I am, you will soon find out."

Bai Yanzhi.

The three words fell lightly into the air, yet carried a weight that was entirely different, instantly making the atmosphere in the room even more somber.

Xu Yan's cold smile faltered for a moment, and he subconsciously turned to look at Zhou Xu, a hint of surprise and hesitation hidden in his eyes.

Zhou Xu's brow furrowed slightly.

Bai Yanzhi, the eldest son of the Bai family, is the true power holder of the Bai Group.

That person was always aloof and taciturn, with an indifferent temperament. He never easily meddled in private matters, and he would never allow outsiders to walk or stay in the Bai family manor without permission.

If what this kid says is true, then the people standing here questioning him are people personally arranged by Bai Yanzhi.

Xu Yan quickly understood the key point, and felt inexplicably uneasy, but he had already lost face.

But he had already lost face once when he was publicly rejected by this man in front of a woman on the mountain road that afternoon. Now that Zhou Xu was standing next to him, if he was scared off by the name "Bai Yanzhi", how could he hold his head high in the industry in the future?

"Bai Yanzhi?"

Xu Yan gritted his teeth and repeated the name, his sarcasm intensifying. But upon closer listening, one could already sense an undisguised bluster beneath his sarcastic tone: "You're quite the player when it comes to picking a backer, throwing around the young master to intimidate people. Don't you even know who the young master is, and who you are? He specifically sent you to the third young master's dressing room to change clothes? Do you even deserve it?"

Completely exhausted, Xu Yan's shoulders tensed abruptly. Without saying another word, he raised his hand and grabbed Bai Ci's collar with a fierce and provocative gesture.

"Again? Bye-bye! He's pulling your collar again! Didn't you get enough of being beaten up last time when Huang Mao pulled your school uniform? All humans have the same problem: if they can't win an argument, they resort to violence, and when they do, they grab people by the collar!" Xiao Qi's voice exploded in my mind, both anxious and angry. "These are brand new clothes! Is pulling people's collars some kind of inherited bad habit among you humans?"

Just as Xu Yan's fingertips were about to touch the fabric, Zhou Xu suddenly stood up from beside the shelf, took a quick step forward, and firmly gripped Xu Yan's shoulder.

The force was not heavy, but it was exceptionally stable, carrying a restraint that left no room for further movement.

Xu Yan's movements abruptly stopped, and his hand, which had been suspended in mid-air, slowly released itself.

"That's enough," Zhou Xu said in a low voice, stopping him.

Bai Ci lowered her eyes and glanced down at her collar, which had just been wrinkled. Fortunately, it was just a slight rub and nothing serious.

Zhou Xu and Xu Yan exchanged a glance, but didn't say anything more.

But after being together for so long, one action is enough: stop when it's time to back down, and don't let things get out of hand.

This time, Zhou Xu pressed down on him with greater force and determination; it wasn't a simple persuasion, but a real pulling and obstruction.

He had to stop Xu Yan.

If what the young man said is true, Xu Yan's action would directly offend two core figures of the Bai family, and the consequences would be far beyond what the two juniors could handle. Zhou Xu absolutely could not let Xu Yan step into this fatal minefield.

At that very moment, hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the corridor.

Her steps were quick and hurried, carrying an undisguised restlessness, and she came from afar toward the dressing room.

The next second, the door was pushed open.

The man who entered was a young man in his early twenties, wearing a burgundy custom-made suit with two buttons undone at the collar. His hair was styled meticulously, but his eyes and brows were full of impatience and restlessness.

As soon as he entered, he addressed Xu Yan and Zhou Xu, his tone clearly urging and complaining: "You're taking so long to change your clothes. The Third Young Master specifically sent me to check on you. You two are in the dressing room, eh?"

He was speaking when his gaze fell on Bai Ci, who was standing in the middle of the dressing room. She was wearing a misty white knitted sweater, had a slender figure, and a completely unfamiliar face.

He paused for a moment, then turned to look at Xu Yan: "Who's this?"