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

Bai Yanzhi looked at him calmly, unmoved: "So, just because you don't know who the other person is, you can humiliate them at will? If you knew, you wouldn't. Mr. Zhao, what you lack is not opportunity, but manners."

Old Yu coughed softly, picked up his wine glass, and said as if talking to himself, "Yanzhi's mouth is exactly the same as his father's back then." An uncle next to him turned slightly and whispered something in his ear, and Old Yu nodded.

Zhao Ziang hurriedly waved his hands: "President Bai, I was just confused for a moment, I had absolutely no ill intentions! Please be merciful, the Zhao family is truly desperate..."

"When you're desperate, you should rely on your own abilities to make a living." Bai Yanzhi interrupted him calmly. "If you're only focused on currying favor and making trouble before even seeking help, do you think the Bai family would support someone of questionable character?"

Shen Tinglan spoke up from the side.

"A moment of confusion?" The tone was cold, the pace slow, yet every word hit the nail on the head. "When you mocked him on the mountain path, he didn't know you, nor was he blocking your way. You mocked him simply because he seemed weaker than you. Now that you've discovered he's stronger, it's considered a 'moment of confusion'."

"Using your status to bully others, sneaking into banquets with invitations, your heart and mind are full of scheming and plotting. With such a vision and such a character, even if the Bai family lends a hand, your Zhao family will hardly make any progress."

Zhao Ziang's lips trembled, his voice so low that only he could hear it: "It's over...it's all over..."

"Mr. Zhong." Bai Yanzhi looked at the elderly man wearing gold-rimmed glasses, his expression calm but his tone formal, "The proposal submitted by the Zhao family was returned last week, wasn't it?"

Mr. Zhong put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth with a napkin, and nodded, saying, "Exactly. After verification by the risk control department, it was confirmed that Zhao's asset statements were falsified, and several large guarantees were deliberately concealed, which does not meet the requirements for cooperation. The return letter was sent to Zhao's last Friday."

Zhao Zi'ang froze. It turned out the return letter had arrived long ago, and all the words he had painstakingly prepared and the obsequious attitude he had adopted over the past few days had become a joke.

Elder Zhong added, "Furthermore, the Zhao family's financial chain is on the verge of collapse and is extremely risky. The Bai family will not invest in such companies."

Bai Yanzhi said in a deep voice, "Mr. Zhao, your time is running out. Instead of wasting time here, you should go back and think about how to clean up this mess. Go back and tell your grandfather that there is no possibility of cooperation between the Bai family and the Zhao family. Show him out."

A waiter came up from the side and gestured for them to enter.

Zhao Zi'ang didn't move. He stared at Bai Yanzhi, his eyes reddening, his voice hoarse: "President Bai, the Zhao family truly has no way out. I'm here today not for myself, but to plead for my grandfather, who is lying in a hospital bed, to live. Can't you... give him another chance?"

Bai Yanzhi picked up his teacup without looking at him.

"see a visitor out."

The waiter approached again: "Mr. Zhao, please."

Zhao Ziang stood there, his shoulders trembling slightly. He knew he was completely finished and had become the laughingstock of the entire audience.

At this moment, Bai Ci spoke softly, her voice calm and gentle: "I don't blame you."

Zhao Ziang was stunned, a glimmer of hope igniting in his eyes.

Bai Ci continued, "I just want to tell you that background and clothing are never a reason to look down on others. A good or bad family background is just luck, and it doesn't give you the confidence to be condescending."

Old Yu's eyes, which had been half-closed, opened slightly, and he turned his head to look at Bai Ci.

The two uncles from the collateral branch exchanged a glance. One of them twitched his lips as if he wanted to say something but then swallowed it back.

Old Master Zhong adjusted his glasses, his gaze falling on Bai Ci. He paused for two seconds, then nodded slightly.

The surrounding guests quieted down, and their gazes shifted from Zhao Ziang to Bai Ci.

The boy spoke calmly, without a trace of aggressiveness, yet every word was clear and penetrating.

"Didn't you ask me if I went up the mountain to sell toys?" Bai Ci said. "I didn't answer you then. Now I can answer."

Bai Ci paused, then looked directly into Zhao Ziang's eyes, her expression clear and resolute.

"No. I'm from the Bai family, I'm going home for dinner."

There was a moment of silence on the table.

Old Yu put down his wine glass, suddenly chuckled, and said to Bai Yanzhi, "Yanzhi, your younger brother is not bad."

Bai Yanzhi paused slightly in his teacup, not replying, but a very faint smile curved his lips.

The surrounding guests were silent for a moment, then a low murmur arose. This time it was no longer mockery or spectatorship; the tone was more complex. Some nodded, some exchanged glances, and some whispered, "This young master is quite magnanimous."

Zhao Ziang opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. He turned and staggered toward the side door of the banquet hall. His gold chain and diamond watch shone brightly under the lights, his former glory completely gone.

All the guests' eyes followed his retreating figure until the side door closed behind him, at which point the atmosphere in the banquet hall gradually relaxed.

Old Yu picked up his wine glass again and clinked it against Old Zhong's. The two uncles from collateral branches also began to talk in hushed tones, and the topic had shifted away from Zhao Zi'ang.

The surrounding noise gradually subsided, as if the small storm just now was merely a breeze sweeping across a calm sea.

Bai Jiheng turned his head to look at Bai Ci, the surprise in his eyes still lingering: "Not bad, you little taciturn. Let him be judged by your older brother first, then speak up yourself. The order, the tact, the lines—all perfect. When did you learn that?"

Bai Ci thought about it seriously: "You taught me."

Bai Jiheng raised an eyebrow: "When did I ever teach this?"

"'Whoever dares to provoke us, we'll make them pay for it all, one by one.'" Bai Ci picked up her juice and took a sip. "That's what you taught me."

Bai Jiheng was taken aback at first, then chuckled, genuinely amused by Bai Ci. He raised his cup and took a sip, his eyes brimming with pride though he didn't speak.

Shen Tinglan glanced at Bai Ci, a very faint smile appearing at the corner of her mouth, fleeting in an instant. By Shen Tinglan's standards, this could be considered complete approval.

Bai Yanzhi remained calm, removed the empty glass from Bai Ci's face, and replaced it with a fresh glass of warm orange juice.

In her mind, Xiao Qi's soft voice rang out, tinged with a hint of sadness: "Bai Bai, you've really grown up. As a newbie system, I feel so accomplished. I thought you would ask him, 'Why aren't you laughing anymore? Don't you find it funny anymore?'... But you handled it all by yourself, a hundred times better than the version I taught you."

Bai Ci thought to herself, "It's because you taught me well."

"That's right!" Xiao Qi was smug for half a second, then suddenly paused, her voice becoming softer and a little embarrassed, "Ahem, congratulations to Bai Bai for successfully completing the mission and maintaining her persona! Reward: Nine-Turn Life-Extending Pill Fragment x1! One step closer to collecting all the pills!"

Bai Ci smiled slightly but didn't reply.

He put down his juice glass, and as soon as his fingers left the glass, Bai Yanzhi pressed down on his wrist.

Why are your hands so cold?

Bai Ci looked down at his hands, then at Bai Yanzhi. He himself didn't feel the coldness, but Bai Yanzhi's brows were already furrowed.

"Uncle Chen, bring me a shawl."

"No need." Bai Ci had barely spoken when Bai Jiheng took off his coat from the back of the chair and casually draped it over Bai Ci's shoulder.

"Don't be stubborn." Bai Jiheng didn't even turn his head. "Your face is as white as paper, and you still say it's not cold."

Bai Ci pulled his coat tighter and remained silent.

He picked up the orange juice and took another sip. When he looked up, he met Shen Tinglan's gaze.

Shen Tinglan was looking at him, it was hard to tell whether she had been looking for a long time or had just happened to look at him. The moment their eyes met, Shen Tinglan did not look away, but simply picked up her wine glass and raised it very lightly towards him.

Bai Ci paused for a moment, then raised her orange juice glass and tapped it against the glass from a distance.

Bai Jiheng clicked his tongue from the side: "You two are clinking glasses across the whole table, are you pretending I don't exist?"

Bai Ci quickly put down her cup, pretending nothing had happened.