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

Xiaoqi spoke in her mind, her voice full of worry: "Bai Bai, your heart rate was way off just now! Although it has slowed down now, your physical condition is weak, and your stamina has dropped to 35%. You've exhausted yourself too much."

"Don't push yourself too hard. Go to the side room and rest properly. Eat something to replenish your sugar levels. I've already put you on low-power mode to maintain your energy. If you keep going like this, you'll be exposed soon."

Bai Ci silently replied, "I know, stop nagging like Uncle Chen."

"I'm younger than Uncle Chen!"

Bai Ci chuckled: "Is that so? So Xiao Qi is a newbie system."

"What newbie?! I'm using the latest version of the system!"

"But last time at the hair salon, you asked to turn on the 'fierce' filter, and it crashed in three seconds. You yelled 'Ahhh, he's going to hit you!' The noise was even louder than the filter effect."

Xiao Qi immediately deflated: "That's a stress response! The system gets nervous too! Besides, the filter worked perfectly throughout the whole thing, didn't it?"

"And there were three consecutive errors when I tried to redeem strawberry candy. I lost points but didn't receive the goods. When I finally managed to redeem it successfully, it turned out to be durian flavored."

"Didn't I give you two genuine strawberry candies at the end?"

"So, you're a beginner."

"I won't admit it—"

Bai Ci chuckled to herself.

"Alright, a newbie is a newbie, something is better than nothing."

Upon hearing this, Xiaoqi immediately perked up: "Of course! Don't underestimate me just because I'm a newbie. My loyalty to you is top-notch! And my learning ability is super strong. I'll never have any problems with the functions I've used before. The durian candy issue was purely accidental; it was a data matching error and doesn't count!"

"Alright, alright, I'm almost at the side hall, be quiet for a bit." Bai Ci interrupted its explanation.

"Received. Bai Ci's personal system, Xiao Qi, enter silent mode." The voice paused. "But if you need me, please feel free to contact me anytime—"

"Xiao Qi".

"Okay, I'll shut up."

Bai Ci pulled himself out of his thoughts. Shen Tinglan walked to his left, and Bai Jiheng to his right. The two walked slowly, but neither was willing to take the lead, and the air was filled with a competitive atmosphere.

He stood between them, muttering under his breath, "Can't you two walk normally? You're acting like you're escorting prisoners."

Shen Tinglan remained silent.

Bai Jiheng scoffed, "You're providing food and drink to prisoners? Have you ever seen a prisoner get to eat truffle cake and strawberries?"

"That makes sense." Bai Ci thought about it seriously, then quickened her pace. "Let's hurry up, strawberries won't be fresh if they're left out too long."

Bai Jiheng snorted coldly, and Shen Tinglan's lips curved slightly. The two of them quickened their pace in unison.

The side hall is located to the east of the banquet hall. It is much smaller than the main hall, but it is quiet and private.

Heavy velvet curtains hung from the ceiling, isolating the outside noise. Amber wall lamps cast a soft glow, and the air was filled with a faint floral fragrance mixed with the sweet aroma of pastries.

The hall was warm and inviting. As soon as I stepped into the room, the chill I had picked up along the way vanished, and I felt much more comfortable.

The group entered one after another, with Bai Ci following behind Bai Jiheng and Shen Tinglan, before they had a chance to examine the layout of the side hall.

Bai Jiheng strode to the sofa, sat down, leaned back, crossed his long legs, and adopted a lazy and comfortable posture.

Shen Tinglan didn't argue with him and went to sit down on the other side of the sofa.

Bai Ci stood still, looking at the empty space on the sofa directly in front of her.

The central spot in the semicircle formed by the sofas is the most spacious, offering the best view of the pastry stand on the coffee table and making it the most convenient place to grab strawberries. However, that spot is too conspicuous; sitting there automatically makes you the center of attention in the entire side room.

He was about to walk towards the empty seat in the corner when Bai Jiheng called him back.

"Why are you sitting so far away? Are you afraid I'll eat you up?"

Bai Ci paused in his steps.

"Come sit in the middle, we're not outsiders." Bai Jiheng raised his eyelids and gestured with his chin toward the center.

Bai Ci silently withdrew her foot and obediently sat down next to Bai Jiheng.

Opposite is a three-tiered dessert stand. The top tier is filled with bright red, plump strawberries, the middle tier has osmanthus cake, almond shortbread, and truffle cake, and the bottom tier has various exquisite small desserts.

His gaze fell on the strawberries, and he picked one up and popped it into his mouth.

Bai Jiheng caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye and teased, "You're certainly not being polite."

"You made me eat it." Bai Ci stuffed the strawberry into her mouth, her cheeks puffed out, and mumbled a reply.

"Alright, strawberry spirit."

Bai Ci ignored the teasing and focused on eating the strawberries. The juice was sweet and delicious, and he ate with great concentration, finishing one and then grabbing another, completely unaware that a ring of pink juice stained the corners of his mouth. The strawberries were sweet, and the desserts were fragrant, but after eating two or three, his eyelids began to droop uncontrollably. The strength he had been forcing himself to stay awake in the corridor dissipated, and drowsiness washed over him like a tide.

He secretly asked Xiaoqi in his mind, "Is 35% really that sleepy?"

"Of course! Your body is already weak, and your heart rate spiked so high just now. It's already impressive that you managed to walk into the side hall. Quickly take this opportunity to stuff yourself with some food to replenish your sugar levels."

Bai Ci perked up and reached for the almond shortbread again. He had just taken a bite when Shen Tinglan glanced at him, took out a dark blue handkerchief from her pocket, and handed it to him.

Bai Ci was stunned for a moment, then took the handkerchief and wiped her mouth. Looking down, she saw a light red stain left on the cloth.

"Why do you always carry a handkerchief with you?" Bai Ci asked.

"For self-defense," Shen Tinglan said calmly.

Bai Ci looked puzzled: "...What are you guarding against?"

"Beware of people who don't wipe their mouths after eating."

Bai Ci choked for a moment, feeling that this person was subtly insulting him again. But since the person had indeed given him a handkerchief, he couldn't very well retaliate. He could only mutter an "oh" and fold the handkerchief neatly, placing it on the side of the coffee table.

Bai Jiheng's gaze lingered on the handkerchief for a moment before shifting to Shen Tinglan's face, his eyebrows slightly raised.

"Shen Tinglan," he began, his tone casual, "you seem quite interested in Bai Ci."

Shen Tinglan replied, "Living in the same dorm is just a matter of convenience."

"Just reaching for a handkerchief?"

"smoothly."

Bai Jiheng clicked his tongue and didn't press the matter further. That "click" was drawn out slowly and softly, carrying more meaning than any further questioning.

Bai Ci sat between the two, feeling the atmosphere growing increasingly awkward. He looked down to take another almond shortbread, but then realized that their back-and-forth conversation was full of unspoken meanings, leaving him caught in the middle, unsure whether to eat or respond.

He put down the almond cookies, glanced at them from both sides, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Are you two having a competition to see who treats me better?"

Bai Jiheng paused in his teacup-holding motion. Shen Tinglan turned her head, her gaze falling on the window, as if she had suddenly developed a strong interest in the curtains.

The side room was silent for a full three seconds. Bai Ci looked to her left and then to her right, making sure neither of them intended to respond, before contentedly picking up the almond pastry again and stuffing it into her mouth. It seemed that occasionally speaking the truth was more effective than arguing.

The silence didn't last long. Bai Jiheng put down his teacup, his playful expression vanished, and he looked at Bai Ci with a serious gaze, his tone becoming earnest.

"Next time someone slaps you, don't dodge, hit them back."

"I confronted her." Bai Ci still had half a mouthful of almond shortbread in his mouth, and his voice was a little muffled.

Bai Jiheng's tone was firm: "Words aren't enough. I'm saying make her remember this, so she'll never dare to lay a finger on you again."

Bai Ci pondered for a moment: "But the scene will be even more chaotic."

"Let it be chaotic, the Bai family isn't incapable of fixing it."

Shen Tinglan, who was standing to the side, slowly interjected: "If Bai Yanzhi knew that you were teaching him like this, he might make you go back to school for a fresh start."

Bai Jiheng glanced at the other man sideways: "My elder brother teaches family affairs, I teach him self-preservation; our roles are different."

"So he's the one who has to clean up the mess after everything goes wrong?"

"Otherwise what? He has more experience cleaning up messes than I do."

"Being your older brother is quite a rip-off."

Bai Jiheng glanced at him, too lazy to argue, and picked up the teacup on the coffee table to take a sip.

Bai Ci, her mouth full of pastries, replied softly, "I'll remember."

Bai Jiheng hummed in agreement and said nothing more.

Just then, the door to the side hall was pushed open.

Bai Yanzhi stood at the door, his suit jacket draped over his arm, his tie slightly loose, as if he had just come from the main hall.