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

When Bai Yanzhi picked up Shen Tinglan on the helipad, the night wind was blowing down from the mountaintop, carrying the chill of late autumn.

Shen Tinglan brought only one accompanying secretary, dressed in a dark gray trench coat, who stood in the wind stirred up by the helicopter rotor, the hem of her coat fluttering in the wind.

"Tinglan." Bai Yanzhi went to greet her. He was the oldest among the heirs of the four major families, and the others all called him "brother," so he didn't need to be formal with Shen Tinglan.

"Brother Yanzhi." Shen Tinglan nodded slightly, his tone neither warm nor distant, maintaining just the proper familiarity between scions of noble families.

The two walked side by side towards the main building of the manor. As they passed through the dry landscape garden next to the helipad, Bai Yanzhi glanced at Shen Tinglan and got straight to the point: "Why did you suddenly come over tonight? Is something wrong with the old man?"

"It's nothing serious." Shen Tinglan walked at a leisurely pace. "The Shen family has signed the cooperation agreement for the joint development project on the south bank. I'm just bringing it over on my way."

"Is it really worth the trip for you to come all this way in such a hurry?"

Shen Tinglan pulled an envelope from the inside pocket of his suit and handed it over: "The people below delivered it late. I was just about to go out, so I brought it with me."

Bai Yanzhi took the envelope but didn't open it; he simply held it in his hand. The Shen family's cooperation filings always followed an electronic process, with encrypted emails going directly to both parties' IT departments—saving time and effort, and guaranteeing no errors. Even if paper filings were needed, that was the job of the secretaries; it wouldn't be on the Shen family heir's list no matter how many times it was scheduled.

He clutched the envelope, already knowing what was going on. Shen Tinglan hadn't come tonight for this document, but he didn't intend to expose him. Shen Tinglan had always been reserved; asking too many questions would only make him more tight-lipped. It was better to wait and see when he finally lost his composure.

"Okay, I'll keep it for now and review it again later." Bai Yanzhi lightly changed the subject and continued walking towards the main building.

Passing through the dry landscape garden and around a grove of bamboo, the two walked up to the viewing corridor leading to the banquet hall. Outside the corridor, the entire night view of Qinglu Mountain stretched out before them, with the city lights below spreading out in layers, like a shattered galaxy fallen to earth, and the surface of the nearby sea rippling with tiny silver scales in the evening breeze.

After walking in silence for a while, Bai Yanzhi suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, how are the dormitories that St. Andrew assigned to you guys?"

Shen Tinglan glanced at him sideways, seemingly surprised that he would suddenly care about this.

"When did Brother Yanzhi become interested in the school's dormitory conditions?"

Bai Yanzhi knew his question was abrupt, so he explained, "I haven't really paid attention to where Bai Ci lives before, but I thought of asking today."

In the afternoon at the teahouse, Bai Ci sat opposite him, wearing that children's sweatshirt, and said to him, "I only have eight yuan left in my card," "I took the bus to the foot of the mountain and then walked up," and "I drank the mountain stream water." Every word was like a needle, making him, the older brother, feel uneasy.

He bought Bai Ci new clothes and checked his living expenses, but to truly understand his younger brother's life, the dormitory environment was an essential aspect. Asking others was less helpful than asking Shen Tinglan; they shared a dormitory, so Shen Tinglan would know better than him.

Shen Tinglan seemed to sense the weight of those words, and suppressed her earlier surprise, replying seriously, "It's alright, not bad. It's a detached house, two stories, with a small garden. The housekeeper comes twice a week."

Bai Yanzhi nodded, then asked, "He didn't cause you any trouble, did he?"

Shen Tinglan was silent for a moment, as if recalling something. After a while, he said, "It's alright."

Bai Yanzhi didn't press the matter; it was pointless to ask Shen Tinglan about something she didn't want to talk about.

Moreover, his original intention in asking these questions was not to get anything out of Shen Tinglan. As an older brother who had been too late, he wanted to hear about his younger brother's life from someone else, even if it was just a few words, at least he would know more than he did himself.

He suddenly asked again, "Has he been acting any different at school lately?"

Shen Tinglan glanced at him, then remained silent for a longer time before saying, "It is somewhat different."

Bai Yanzhi waited a while, and after confirming that he wouldn't continue, he didn't ask any more questions.

He handed the envelope to Uncle Chen behind him and said to Shen Tinglan, "The banquet is about to begin."

"There are many guests tonight, so please make yourself at home. Bai Ci is in the VIP lounge area. If you see him, please keep an eye on him and make sure he doesn't get forced to drink."

The moment Bai Yanzhi and Shen Tinglan stepped into the banquet hall, all eyes in the hall were drawn to them.

First, the guests near the entrance stopped drinking, then the ladies in the champagne section all turned their heads, and finally even the young men chatting on the second-floor terrace leaned out halfway.

All eyes were focused on the two figures standing side by side. The eldest son of the Bai family was personally accompanying them, and the heir of the Shen family made an unexpected appearance. The combined effect of these two images was indescribable.

"Is that Shen Tinglan? What's he doing here? The Shen family shouldn't be on the guest list tonight."

"Didn't you see who personally accompanied him in? Bai Yanzhi personally went to pick him up. There aren't many people in the entire Yunliu City who can afford such a display."

"Isn't this member of the Shen family known for being low-key? He usually doesn't even bother to show up at his own family banquets. Why is he here at the Bai family's banquet today?"

"The Shen family and the Bai family have been friends for generations, but previously it was always a branch of the Shen family that visited; Shen Tinglan herself had never attended the Bai family's regular banquets. Her sudden appearance tonight suggests that the two families might be planning something big?"

"Haven't you heard? The Xu family was just publicly humiliated by Bai Jiheng, and now Shen Tinglan has personally arrived. Something big is likely to happen at this family banquet tonight."

In the VIP lounge area, Zhou Yan heard the murmurs behind him. He followed everyone's gaze to the entrance, raised an eyebrow, and said to Bai Ci, who was still eating strawberries, "Your brother brought in an acquaintance."

Bai Ci looked up, half a strawberry still in his mouth, his cheeks slightly puffed out. He followed Zhou Yan's gaze toward the door and met the eyes of the dark gray figure beside Bai Yanzhi.

Shen Tinglan.

Bai Ci almost choked on the strawberry. He swallowed the half strawberry in his mouth, hurriedly put down the other one he was still holding, and sat up straight instantly, his back taut, all traces of his relaxed childishness disappearing.

Shen Tinglan followed beside Bai Yanzhi, his cool gaze casually sweeping across the noisy banquet hall before finally settling precisely on the direction of the VIP lounge.

He didn't walk over immediately, but as he passed the waiter, he casually grabbed a glass of champagne and said something to Bai Yanzhi.

Bai Yanzhi nodded, patted him on the shoulder, and then turned to greet the other guests.

Zhou Yan saw all of this, then looked down at Bai Ci's nervous little expression, and a meaningful smile appeared on his lips.

He bent down and said to Bai Ci in a low voice, "Your roommate is here. I'm going over there to chat with Uncle Yu for a bit more. You two talk."

"Brother Zhou Yan—" Bai Ci reached out to grab his sleeve, but Zhou Yan had already turned and walked away with his wine glass in hand, his back view filled with the joy of "I love watching the fun."

Bai Ci could only watch helplessly as Shen Tinglan, carrying a glass of champagne, walked through the crowd toward him.

The lamplight cast dappled shadows on his dark gray trench coat. He stood opposite Bai Ci, glancing down at the half-eaten strawberries on the table, then at the corner of Bai Ci's mouth.

"Mouth," Shen Tinglan said, his voice clear and deep.

Bai Ci was taken aback, her eyes wide with confusion: "What?"

"Strawberry juice." Shen Tinglan sat down opposite him, picked up her champagne and took a sip. "Your lips aren't clean."

Bai Ci hurriedly raised his hand to wipe his mouth, his fingertips brushing against his skin, but there was nothing there. He looked down at his fingers, then looked up at Shen Tinglan.

Shen Tinglan held a champagne glass, the rim of which was pressed against her lips, obscuring the faint curve of her lips.

"...You lied to me," Bai Ci said.

"Hmm." Shen Tinglan took another sip of champagne. "It's clean now."