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

A series of steady footsteps approached from afar, slowly drawing near the dressing room.

The atmosphere in the room, which had been at a stalemate, suddenly became subtle.

Xu Yan's ears twitched, and he heard the commotion. His eyes immediately lit up with a sharp light, and a sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

He glanced at Zhou Xu with an arrogant and smug look in his eyes, clearly saying: "Wait and see, this kid is doomed."

Zhou Xu's face remained expressionless, but his body tensed up instinctively, his heart churning with inner turmoil, and he dared not relax for a moment.

Only Bai Ci raised his eyes and quietly looked towards the doorway, his expression calm.

The next second, a cold wind carrying a chilling aura rushed in.

Bai Jiheng stepped into the room, his black suit accentuating his cold, aloof figure. His black hair was slicked back, and his eyes were sharp and piercing. Wherever his gaze swept, the air seemed to freeze. The warm yellow light in the dressing room was still on, yet it inexplicably made one feel several degrees colder.

Zhao Shuo followed closely behind, immediately stopped, and stood sideways at the door with his hands hanging down.

Xu Yan and Zhou Xu tensed up instantly, their expressions becoming serious, and they dared not be the slightest bit presumptuous.

"Third Young Master."

Two greetings rang out simultaneously.

Xu Yan deliberately raised his voice, full of eager flattery, while Zhou Xu's voice was steady and restrained, with perfect control.

Bai Ci looked up and sized up the man in front of him, who was nominally her third brother.

In the original owner's memories, Bai Jiheng was distant, cold, and aloof, an existence that could never be touched in a lifetime.

But now, standing before him in person, he was far more imposing and oppressive than he remembered. His bone structure was cold and sharp, and his brows and eyes were arrogant, making one dare not easily offend him.

Xiao Qi's voice was filled with tension: "Bai Bai! Target's aura suppression is at its maximum! Its level is even higher than Bai Yanzhi's, extremely difficult to deal with, please be very careful!"

Bai Ci took a light breath and calmed her mind.

Before he could even speak, Xu Yan, who was standing to the side, couldn't hold back any longer. He quickly stepped forward, eager to complain and take credit, embellishing every word.

"Third Young Master! You've finally arrived!" He bowed slightly, his words rapid and urgent. "This person sneaked into your private dressing room, huddled up suspiciously inside, carrying a cloth bag from the Bai family. He was definitely trying to steal! After we caught him, he even dared to lie and claim to be the young master of the Bai family, blatantly swindling and cheating!"

To substantiate Bai Ci's guilt, he quickly produced further evidence, his tone extremely certain: "I personally saw him hiking up the mountain this afternoon! He was dressed cheaply and plainly, his shoes were almost worn out, he didn't look like a scion of a wealthy family at all! He was clearly an outsider of unknown origin, sneaking into the manor to curry favor with the Bai family and steal their belongings!"

Every word was veiled, every sentence was a dead end, determined to nail Bai Ci to the crime of "impersonating a thief".

Throughout the entire process, Bai Jiheng didn't pay a single glance to the noisy and bouncing Xu Yan.

His deep gaze remained fixed on Bai Ci from beginning to end, scrutinizing her intently, as if trying to see through her completely.

Bai Ci felt a chill run down her spine from his gaze, but her face remained expressionless.

Zhou Xu stood quietly to the side, observing in silence throughout, neither taking sides nor interrupting. He was astute; before the situation became clear, whoever stepped forward first would be cannon fodder. Quietly observing and weighing the options was the safest way to protect himself.

After Xu Yan finished speaking eloquently, he felt increasingly smug, certain that Bai Ci was doomed this time. He secretly turned his head, wanting to seek Zhou Xu's approval, but Zhou Xu's eyes were distant, and he couldn't be bothered to pay any attention to his self-righteous cleverness.

After a brief silence, Bai Jiheng slowly stepped forward.

One step, two steps, three steps.

Their pace was slow, yet carried an intense sense of aggression. Inside the cramped dressing room, the air grew thinner, and everyone's hearts were pounding with tension.

He walked straight up to Bai Ci, looking down at her and forcefully trapping her in his presence. His gaze was cold and his words were deep and chilling, carrying the oppressive force of an impending storm.

"Who are you? Say it again."

There was no angry shouting, yet it was more terrifying than harsh words.

Xu Yan was overjoyed, his eyes brimming with excitement. The Third Young Master's attitude clearly showed that he was furious! He had made the right bet; this kid was completely finished and would soon be exposed in public and severely punished!

Bai Ci, who was at the center of the storm, did not dodge or avoid it. He raised his head slightly and calmly met Bai Jiheng's extremely domineering gaze.

"Bai Ci. Bai Yanzhi asked Uncle Chen to bring me here to pick out clothes."

Bai Jiheng's eyes darkened slightly: "They said you were acting suspiciously and sneaking around."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Xu Yan stepped forward to add fuel to the fire, his confidence even stronger: "Third Young Master, it's absolutely fake! He's deliberately lying and trying to deceive us! If he were truly a legitimate member of the Bai family arranged by the Eldest Young Master, why would he need to hide? Besides, none of the elders in the circle, nor those around you, have ever seen him! He's definitely impersonating someone else to sneak in!"

Upon hearing this, a very faint, subtle change flashed across Bai Jiheng's eyes, so quick that no one noticed.

No one has ever seen it, that's for sure. Over the years, Bai Ci has been the most invisible shadow of the Bai family, hiding in a corner, unnoticed and unknown.

Immediately, Bai Jiheng's gaze swept lightly over Zhou Xu, who was standing silently to the side, and with a simple glance, he asked a question.

Zhou Xu understood immediately, remaining impartial and restrained in his tone, leaving no room for doubt: "Third Young Master, when Xu Yan and I came in to change, we did indeed see this student in your dressing room. As for the specifics, I cannot make a definitive judgment; I ask you to make your own assessment."

A single sentence perfectly protects oneself; extremely tactful, not a single bit sticks to the pan.

All eyes were once again focused on Bai Ci.

Despite the combined pressure from the two, Bai Ci remained calm and sharp-tongued, directly piercing through all the pretense.

He looked at Xu Yan, his tone cold: "You forced your way through the door, damaging the doorframe. This is Bai family property. Are you here as a guest, or to vandalize? Now, you're turning around and accusing me of theft and impersonation?"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the messy wine stains on Xu Yan's clothes, and said in a calm tone, "You were the one who deliberately revved the engine on the mountain road this afternoon, leaving me covered in exhaust fumes. You didn't get away with causing trouble for passersby on the roadside, so now you're going to continue making a scene inside? Your ability to play the victim is getting more and more adept."

Xu Yan's face darkened, and she retorted angrily, "Stop changing the subject!"

Bai Ci ignored him and turned to Zhou Xu, exposing his little scheme in one sentence: "You stood by and watched the whole thing, knowing he was being unreasonable but not stopping him, waiting for the situation to become clear before taking sides. Your plan is too clever for its own good."

This single sentence exposed Zhou Xu's hidden intention to protect himself.

Caught red-handed in his attempt to protect himself, Zhou Xu's eyelashes trembled slightly, and his fingertips tightened abruptly. He maintained a facade of composure, but inwardly he had already lost all semblance of calm, defeated without a fight.

Xu Yan, his true colors exposed, instantly flew into a rage and was about to unleash a torrent of curses: "You fucking..."

"Shut up."

Bai Jiheng's two simple words instantly silenced the entire room.

He ignored the distraught Xu Yan and the restrained Zhou Xu, his gaze returning to Bai Ci's face, his eyes deep and his emotions unreadable.

The next instant, Bai Jiheng raised his hand. His cool fingertips gently gripped Bai Ci's chin, lifting it with a slight force, not heavy, but with an absolute sense of control.

He gently turned Bai Ci's face to the left and right, scrutinizing and examining it closely, like inspecting a substandard item.

As the light fell, it swept across her slender brow bone, sharp jawline, and fair skin, revealing the pure bone structure of the Bai family. Her eyes and brows held the unique characteristics of the Bai family, but she was too thin, revealing a frail appearance due to her years of taciturnity and forbearance.

Confirmed.

This is Bai Ci, the illegitimate younger brother who has been ignored for seventeen years and lived in obscurity.

Bai Jiheng released his grip, took a half step back, and looked the man up and down again. This kid was completely different from the shadow he remembered, cowering in a corner, never daring to lift his head. Standing on his turf, wearing his clothes, he didn't flinch when his eyes met.

"You've got some nerve," he said, his eyes darkening, his thin lips parting slightly, his tone unreadable, "wearing my clothes, standing in my dressing room, on my turf, and going against my people."

He paused slightly, his gaze sharp as a knife, piercing straight into Bai Ci's eyes.

"Who gave you the guts?"