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

Bai Ci's gaze swept over several round tables, landing precisely in the east corner of the hall, where he instantly locked onto Zhao Zi'ang, who was entering through a side door.

Wearing a dark blue shirt, her hair was slicked back and shiny, and her wrists were adorned with gold chains and diamond watches, making her look ostentatiously extravagant.

Xiao Qi immediately chimed in, "Zhao Zi'ang! This afternoon he said you looked like you were going to sell toys, what a small world!"

"What are you looking at?" Bai Jiheng followed his gaze and saw a group of ordinary guests drinking and chatting, looking quite unremarkable.

"It's nothing." Bai Ci obediently looked away, picked up a piece of steak, and silently ate it.

Bai Jiheng raised an eyebrow, not believing it at all.

He glanced at the corner for two seconds, then lowered his voice, his aura instantly hardening: "You know them?"

Bai Ci chewed on the meat, looking somewhat conflicted.

There's already enough to do today.

His eldest brother had just cleaned up his mess, his third brother had just stood up for him, and the hallway drama had barely ended. He didn't want to cause any more trouble, and he didn't want them to worry about his trivial matters anymore. Besides, the guests kept glancing towards the head table, and bringing up this little thing again would inevitably cause more trouble.

He didn't speak, but subconsciously pursed his lips.

The next second, there was a soft "thump".

Bai Jiheng slammed his wine glass onto the table, instantly creating a sense of oppression.

He stared at Bai Ci, his eyes clearly saying: If you won't tell me, I'll find out myself.

Unable to bear his gaze any longer, Bai Ci confessed in a low voice, "I ran into him on the way up the mountain this afternoon. He was sitting in his car, making fun of my unfashionable clothes, saying I looked like I was there to sell toys, and even asking if I had snuck in to freeload a meal."

Which one?

The smile in Bai Jiheng's eyes instantly turned cold.

"The one in the dark blue shirt." Bai Ci pointed.

"Oh—" Bai Jiheng drawled, slowly swirling his wine glass. The amber liquid spun, but his gaze was fixed on the back of Zhao Ziang's head, chillingly cold. "Selling toys, interesting."

Shen Tinglan across from him also stopped using her knife and fork, looked up at Bai Ci with a calm expression, but never looked away.

"How many people verbally abused you on your way here this afternoon?" Bai Jiheng asked.

"A lot," Bai Ci replied vaguely.

Bai Jiheng was amused by his words: "I'm asking you, to put it bluntly, how many groups are there?"

"...Three waves."

Bai Jiheng stared at him silently for two seconds, feeling both angry and troubled. He leaned back completely in his chair and casually put down his wine glass.

"Big brother is absolutely right."

Bai Ci looked up in confusion: "What?"

"You're such a secretive person, always keeping things bottled up like a mute. Are you waiting for someone to bring up your past grievances? Learn from this: as a member of the Bai family, anyone who dares to provoke us will be held accountable, one debt at a time."

Bai Ci stared blankly at him, her brows furrowed slightly, her heart filled with doubt.

Is this really something a composed eldest brother would say? The more I listen, the more it sounds like the third brother's own inner thoughts.

Zhao Ziang, sitting in the corner, was completely unaware that two pairs of eyes were already watching him from the main table.

Bai Ci secretly raised her eyes, quickly glanced at Bai Jiheng's cold and stern face beside her, and then looked at Shen Tinglan opposite her.

Shen Tinglan was cutting a steak, her movements elegant and composed, the tip of the knife gliding across the porcelain plate, the whole process silent.

But the more this happened, the more uneasy Bai Ci felt.

He obediently looked away, lowered his head and focused on finishing the remaining steak on his plate, silently sighing to himself.

Zhao Ziang's luck tonight might be even worse than when he was splattered with exhaust fumes on the mountain road this afternoon.

At that moment, Zhao Ziang had just sat back down at the corner table.

A group of familiar scions of prominent families were chatting idly around the table. When they saw him return, they casually pulled over a chair and invited him to sit down.

Zhao Ziang has always been well-liked in this small circle. The old man of the Zhao family has been deeply involved in the real estate industry for many years and still has a solid foundation. In addition, he is generous and quick-witted, so there is never a dull moment at the dinner table.

Someone handed him a glass of wine, which he took, but his mind was not on the lively atmosphere at the table.

Li, standing next to him, nudged his arm and teased, "Young Master Zhao, why are you so listless? You're usually the biggest drinker, why are you just sitting here daydreaming tonight?"

Zhao Ziang forced a polite smile, raised his glass and clinked it with the other person's. He didn't control his strength well, and the wine splashed onto the back of his hand. The cold wine slid down his skin, but he didn't notice and tilted his head back to take a big gulp.

He didn't hear a word of the people around him discussing next month's golf tournament and the latest developments in the golf industry.

All that kept swirling in my mind were strings of cold numbers.

The suppliers' debts, the bank's interest, the daily penalty interest on that bridge loan... and the old man lying on the hospital bed, weakly telling him to "try his luck at the Bai family's place."

The Zhao family can't hold on any longer; tonight's game is their last chance to survive.

But Bai Yanzhi was at the top, and it was not someone he could easily climb up to. He had gone to great lengths to use several connections before he could barely get on Shen Ye's good side.

Even though the second son of the Shen family is a step below the direct descendants, he is still capable enough to help Bai family members make connections and provide a stepping stone at the banquet.

Unfortunately, Shen Ye left early.

"Young Master Zhao, I didn't see you in the front hall when the show started tonight. Where did you go wandering around?" Li Ze asked casually.

Zhao Ziang remained calm, his expression nonchalant, and his tone casual: "I spent some time with Shen Ye. He opened a small meeting room inside, and I just came from there."

This was half true and half false. He did follow Shen Ye closely the whole time, but unfortunately, the other party never even glanced at him, let alone introduced him to any connections.

He recalled the unexpected events that had just transpired in the small meeting room.

A sudden phone call caused Shen Ye's expression to change instantly. Before leaving, he left only a heavy sentence: "I have offended the young master of the Bai family tonight. I will come to apologize another day."

He was filled with doubt at the time: when did the Bai family acquire a young master?

For someone from a prestigious family like Shen Ye to willingly bow his head and apologize, this person's status and influence must be extraordinary.

Suppressing his surprise and suspicion, Zhao Zi'ang deliberately feigned familiarity and smoothly changed the subject: "By the way, did you see the Bai family's newly appointed young master just now?"

The mention of this immediately piqued the interest of everyone at the table, who began to discuss it animatedly.

"You really missed out on a great show! The entrance they just made was unmatched by anyone else in the entire venue!"

"Young Master Bai personally led the way, with Third Young Master Bai and Shen Tinglan flanking him on either side—truly a star being fawned over! Moreover, Young Master Bai personally pulled out the head chair at the main table for him; who has ever seen such treatment before?"

"More than that! Young Master Bai was practically inseparable from him, never leaving his side for more than three steps the entire time. The most outrageous one was Shen Tinglan, the legitimate heir of the Shen family, who is usually so aloof and unapproachable, refusing invitations from countless big shots, yet tonight he was sitting steadily at the head table with him!"

Zhao Zi'ang's hand holding the wine cup suddenly paused, and his heart sank.

Shen Tinglan!

The direct descendants of the Shen family are worlds apart from Shen Ye, a member of a collateral branch.

Shen Ye had only indirectly offended him, yet he was already going to apologize in person. On the other hand, Shen Tinglan himself was sitting at the young master's main table, which showed that the other party's status was far beyond his imagination.

Someone at the table asked in confusion, "When did the Bai family acquire such a person? I've been in this circle for so long, and I've never seen him before."

"He didn't just suddenly appear out of nowhere. I heard he's been studying at St. Andrew's and has never actually shown his face in public," a man in a silver-gray suit said in a low voice, glancing toward the head table.

The man nodded in agreement: "No wonder we didn't know. Otherwise, with his face and that aloof, noble air, if he had ever shown his face in the industry even once, we couldn't possibly have no recollection of him."

Everyone present readily agreed.

Those who can mingle in the top circles are all shrewd and cunning, and are already accustomed to all kinds of powerful and beautiful women.

But just as Bai Ci followed Bai Yanzhi into the hall, the conversations at the nearby tables suddenly stopped.

The boy's temperament was clean and clear, like the first snow on a mountain peak, unforgettable after just one glance.

"Tonight marks the Bai family's official public introduction of their new member into the industry."

The man in the silver-gray suit took a sip of his drink and continued, "Also, a word of caution: the Bai family is in a very bad mood tonight. A woman was being disrespectful in the corridor and almost started a fight. Young Master Bai slapped her on the spot, knocked over a champagne tower, and dragged her away to deal with her. I reckon the matter between Xu Yan and Zhou Xu is probably related to him too. Anyone who dares to cross the line tonight will have to accept their fate."

The people at the table immediately stopped what they were thinking and quickly tried to smooth things over: "Alright, alright, let's just drink quietly tonight and not go over to the main table to join in the fun. Let's just enjoy the show in peace."

As Zhao Ziang listened to these words, his temples throbbed, and he instantly understood the cause and effect.

It turns out that the commotion in the corridor was the real reason why Shen Ye offended the young master and left in a hurry.

He looked up at the main table, and across the room full of guests, he could only see the boy's slender profile.

The other person was dressed in light-colored clothes, eating quietly with their head down, looking docile and obedient, and appearing very approachable.

Bai Jiheng leaned closer, his intimacy undisguised. Shen Tinglan, sitting opposite him, ate in silence without uttering a word, but as everyone had said, this aloof member of the Shen family was keeping a close eye on Bai Jiheng's every move.