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

Bai Ci was still holding half an almond shortbread in her hand, with crumbs of pastry stuck to the corners of her mouth. Her cheeks were bulging as she looked up at the doorway.

Bai Yanzhi stood at the door, paying little attention to the other two, his gaze falling directly on Bai Ci.

With crumbs of pastry stuck to the corners of his mouth, and his round eyes, he looked as soft and cuddly as a small animal that had just been fed.

He breathed a sigh of relief, and his expression softened.

Bai Jiheng broke the silence first, leaning back on the sofa and asking casually, "Big brother, are you done with things in the main hall?"

Bai Yanzhi walked in and casually handed his coat to Uncle Chen behind him. His gaze swept over the mostly eaten pastries on the table, then fell on the half-eaten almond shortbread in Bai Ci's hand, and the almost untouched tea in front of Shen Tinglan.

"The guests in the main hall haven't left yet, but you're all hiding here having a good time."

He sat down on the single sofa opposite him, slowly rolling up his sleeves.

"I didn't hide." Bai Jiheng picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said matter-of-factly, "I brought Bai Ci here to eat. He was almost beaten up in the corridor just now, so I just wanted him to calm down."

Bai Yanzhi paused in his action of rolling up his sleeves, his expression turning colder: "I heard in the main hall that you struck a blow in public, the champagne tower collapsed, the ornaments were broken, and the corridor was just being cleaned up."

"That guy deserved to be hit." Bai Jiheng slammed his teacup down on the coffee table, the bottom of the cup making a crisp sound as it hit the marble surface. "His hand was already raised in his face, how could I just stand by and watch?"

Bai Yanzhi's tone was calm, but his eyes darkened: "I didn't say you dialed the wrong number. I'm asking you, why did you leave Bai Ci standing alone in the corridor, being blocked by someone?"

Bai Jiheng paused for a moment, caught off guard.

Shen Tinglan spoke up at the right moment: "It was my oversight. By the time I arrived, the damage had already occurred."

"You're a guest, you don't need to take it upon yourself," Bai Yanzhi replied calmly, looking back at Bai Ci.

Feeling guilty under her gaze, Bai Ci raised her hand to wipe her mouth, but ended up rubbing crumbs onto the back of her hand.

"Come here," Bai Yanzhi said.

Bai Ci put down the almond pastry, obediently stood up, and walked to him.

Bai Yanzhi raised his hand and held his chin, turning it slightly as his gaze swept over Bai Ci's left cheek. There was a faint red mark on his cheekbone, a scratch made by a fingernail. The injury wasn't serious, but it stood out starkly against Bai Ci's almost translucent pale skin.

"We still got caught."

"Third Brother stopped him quickly, and he didn't really get hit." Bai Ci's voice was muffled as his chin was held up.

Bai Yanzhi released his grip and turned to look at Bai Jiheng.

That glance wasn't exactly kind, but it wasn't reproachful either; rather, it carried a hint of "you're still somewhat useful."

Bai Jiheng lowered his eyelids, his fingertips fiddling with the rim of his teacup, giving off an "I can't be bothered to respond" look.

"Uncle Chen," Bai Yanzhi called out towards the door.

Uncle Chen immediately stepped forward from the door and bowed slightly: "Young Master."

"Go get the first-aid kit and tidy up the rest room next door."

"Yes," Uncle Chen replied and withdrew.

"It's just a small mark, no need to go to all that trouble," Bai Ci said softly.

Shen Tinglan, who was standing to the side, had already stood up and stepped forward: "I'll take him there to handle it."

"No need." Bai Yanzhi stepped aside and walked past him, his tone leaving no room for refusal. "I'll do it."

He turned to Bai Ci: "Follow me."

Bai Ci glanced at Shen Tinglan, then at Bai Jiheng. Shen Tinglan's face remained expressionless; she simply stepped aside slightly to make way for him.

Bai Jiheng raised his chin at him, unusually refraining from criticizing him: "Go ahead, my older brother is the most fussy when it comes to applying medicine. When I was little, if I scraped my skin, he would rub it over and over for ages."

Bai Yanzhi's voice came from the corridor: "That's because you're covered in mud. If you don't clean it, it'll easily get infected."

Bai Jiheng waved to Bai Ci: "Let's go, don't keep him waiting."

Bai Ci quickly followed him out.

The broken glass in the corridor had been cleaned up, the wine stains wiped away without a trace, and a faint scent of cleaning agents lingered in the air. New paintings had been hung on the wall where the champagne tower had left tiny scratches, as if the chaos had never happened.

Bai Yanzhi pushed open the door to the lounge, and warm yellow light poured out.

"Sit down." He gestured to the soft couch.

Bai Ci sat down as instructed. Bai Yanzhi opened the medicine box, inside which neatly arranged bottles and jars gleamed silver under the light. He took out a disinfectant swab, unscrewed the cap of the iodine solution, and his movements were so practiced that they didn't seem like those of a busy CEO, but rather like those of an elder brother who had spent years treating his two younger brothers' wounds and developed a skilled touch.

He dipped a cotton swab in iodine, bent down, and gently supported Bai Ci's chin with one hand, turning his face towards the light. The red mark became even clearer under the light, extending diagonally down from above the cheekbone, about two centimeters long, with slightly swollen edges.

"It'll be a bit chilly," Bai Yanzhi said.

The cotton swab fell, its force unexpectedly light. Bai Ci had expected it to take a long time, as Bai Jiheng had said, but Bai Yanzhi's movements were quick and precise. The cotton swab gently touched the wound, and the coolness had barely touched the skin before it was immediately removed.

"Does it hurt?"

Bai Ci shook his head.

Bai Yanzhi threw the used cotton swab into the trash can, then took out a new one and dipped it in iodine again.

He didn't rush to apply the medicine, but instead looked down at Bai Ci's face, his gaze lingering on the red mark for a long time.

"I also bear responsibility for what happened today."

He spoke, his voice a few decibels lower than usual. Bai Ci's fingers twitched slightly, but she didn't interrupt him.

"When your father brought you back, I had already taken over most of the family's affairs. You were too young then, and I didn't know how to get along with you. Later, as you grew up, I felt that you were quiet and never caused trouble, so I subconsciously thought that you didn't need me to worry about you."

He paused, then gently pressed the new cotton swab onto Bai Ci's cheekbone, applying it more slowly this time, as if tracing the outline of the scar.

"When Bai Jiheng was fourteen, he got into a fight and sent the other person to the hospital, and he was also injured. I went to the hospital to pick him up, went through the other party's parents' list of compensation claims from beginning to end, and spent three hours coordinating with the hospital director. It's not that I couldn't have settled it with a phone call, but I wanted him to see with his own eyes how much effort others would have to put into cleaning up the mess he made. When he came home that day, I made him kneel in the ancestral hall all night, and I didn't let him get up until dawn."

Bai Ci listened quietly without interrupting.

"But Bai Jiheng knows in his heart that if he causes trouble, someone will always clean up his mess. What about you?"

Bai Yanzhi held Bai Ci's chin with one hand and gently used a cotton swab to absorb the excess medicine from his cheekbone.

"You were surrounded in the alley, mocked on the mountain road, and insulted in the face, but you didn't tell me. If Zhou Yan hadn't run into you at the enforcement bureau, I wouldn't have known you were bullied."

His thumb rested below Bai Ci's cheekbone, without applying pressure, just gently touching that slightly cool skin.

"Bai Ci, do you think it's pointless to tell me?"

The warm yellow light reflected in Bai Ci's light brown eyes, and beneath the clear gaze lay a bitterness unseen by others.

He looked at Bai Yanzhi and thought of the original owner of this body.

That boy lived his whole life cautiously, always feeling out of place in his family. It wasn't that he was desperate and couldn't find anyone to help him; it was that deep down he was afraid to take the initiative.

While suffering a heart attack in the lounge, he scrolled through his contacts but ultimately didn't make a single call.

If he had received such a sentence back then, even just being asked, "Do you think it's pointless to tell me?", would he have left so quietly and coldly?

But that person is no longer here. The one standing in front of Bai Yanzhi now is him, Bai Ci, who promised to live more bravely for that person.

"I didn't dare before," he said, his voice soft and almost frankly naked. "I will in the future."

Bai Yanzhi's fingers trembled slightly. He withdrew his hand, lowered his eyelashes, remained silent for a moment, then slowly screwed on the iodine bottle cap and closed the first-aid kit. The series of movements were unhurried, as if he were using this time to slowly digest these few words.

He didn't delve into how much he didn't know was hidden in the phrase "I didn't dare before".

He pushed the first-aid kit aside, straightened up, and resumed his usual indifferent and composed demeanor: "Remember, no matter what happens in the future, tell me first."

Bai Ci nodded.

Bai Yanzhi watched him obediently nod, recalling the way the other person held up an empty cup in the tea room, whispering "It's empty," the eight-word note in his contacts, and that torn old school uniform...

In just one day, his younger brother, whom he had always ignored and who was separated from him by a barrier of identity, repeatedly shattered his emotions that had remained unchanged for many years.

"Let's go," Bai Yanzhi turned and walked towards the door. "The banquet is about to begin. You'll be sitting at the head table today, next to me."

Bai Ci blinked, not following immediately. Bai Yanzhi walked to the door, found no footsteps behind him, and turned around.

"What's wrong now?"

Bai Ci stood up, looked at him, her expression excessively serious: "Is the seat next to you the head of the table?"

Bai Yanzhi raised an eyebrow slightly: "Yes, what's wrong?"

Bai Ci opened her mouth, then closed it again, and finally whispered, "Could I change seats? If I sit next to you, everyone will be staring at me."

Looking at his conflicted and hesitant expression, Bai Yanzhi suddenly felt a smile. He was indeed doing it on purpose. After tonight, he wanted all the guests to remember this face, to remember that Bai Ci was a member of the Bai family, his younger brother, and that no one could underestimate him.

He opened the door and stood sideways beside it. The light from the corridor streamed in from behind, casting a soft golden glow on his shoulders.

"No way. You're not hiding anywhere tonight."

He tilted his head slightly to signal the other person to follow, his tone carrying an unwavering certainty.

"Let's go."