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

Bai Ci nodded obediently and followed the two back.

As they walked through the corridor, Uncle Chen was already waiting at the top of the stairs. Upon seeing them return, he bowed slightly in greeting.

Bai Yanzhi turned his head and whispered, "Uncle Chen, take the young master back to his room to rest."

"Yes." Uncle Chen responded, then turned to Bai Ci, "Young Master, your room has been tidied up again. Let me take you there to see it. Tell me if you need anything, and I'll get it right away."

Bai Ci subconsciously looked up at Bai Yanzhi.

Bai Yanzhi nodded: "I still have some things to take care of. Go ahead and get some rest."

Uncle Chen led the way, Bai Ci followed closely behind, and Bai Jiheng strolled leisurely at the very back.

Stepping onto the second floor, the entire corridor became much quieter.

Bai Ci stopped instinctively in front of a dark gray door.

The door was tightly closed, the room was pitch black, the door panel was spotless, and even the doorknob was excessively clean, showing no signs of long-term use, clearly indicating that it had been vacant for a long time.

Bai Ci recalled the family banquet just now. Almost all the uncles and elders from the Bai family's collateral branches were present at the main table, and several family friends and elders had also come.

But from beginning to end, no one mentioned Bai Luochen.

It's as if his absence is perfectly normal.

The fragments of Bai Luochen in the original owner's memories were also blurry, as if viewed through a layer of frosted glass.

Bai Ci turned to Bai Jiheng and asked, "Is this Bai Luochen's room?"

"Yes. Ask him why?"

"Is he not at the manor tonight?"

"He's out deep-sea geological sampling in the ocean and can't come back in time. Once that guy gets into his research, he'll make sure the sky falls down, let alone a family dinner."

"...Python...Python?"

Bai Ci's voice suddenly softened, and he instantly became fully awake.

The fear of snakes is an instinct ingrained in rabbits, and even now that they are human, this nature cannot be changed in the slightest.

Upon hearing those two words, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end, his legs stiffened slightly, and he subconsciously softened his breathing.

"Yes, that snake is called Momo. He trained it to be more obedient than a dog." Bai Jiheng's lips curled up slightly, and his tone was quite amusing when he talked about the snake. "Last year at the family banquet, the old man sent someone to invite him, but Momo used its tail to curl the invitation and handed it out, which scared the person who went to deliver the message back several steps."

Bai Ci stood there stunned, her face instantly turning pale.

The thought that this large python was intelligent, capable, and a member of the Bai family made him feel uneasy.

"Where...is it usually kept?"

"It's in my second brother's room, locked in a special temperature-controlled enclosure, so it's very safe."

Bai Ci quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

It was locked. Thankfully.

But then he realized that the other person's room was on the same floor, and he immediately became nervous again, subconsciously taking half a step closer to Bai Jiheng.

Bai Jiheng saw through his little scheme at a glance and chuckled, "Are you afraid of snakes?"

"No." Bai Ci's voice was tense.

"Your face has turned pale, and you're still being stubborn?"

"Sleepy."

Seeing that he was trembling with nervousness but still trying to appear calm, Bai Jiheng's eyes flashed with a hint of amusement.

He leaned down slightly, lowered his voice, and teased him deliberately, "Don't be afraid, Momo is gentle. It's just that it gets grumpy when it's shedding its skin, and it always likes to go to warm places. Once, its enclosure wasn't closed properly, and it slipped out in the middle of the night and climbed up the radiator pipe to..."

"Third Brother!" Bai Ci abruptly interrupted him, her words rapid and crisp. She had already taken several large steps deeper into the corridor, her entire body tense like a taut string. "I—I'm going back to my room!"

He turned and left, walking so fast it was almost a jog, leaving Uncle Chen several steps behind.

Bai Jiheng added slowly from behind, "Why are you running? Mo Mo isn't here."

Bai Ci stood rooted to the spot.

He turned around, his light brown eyes glaring at Bai Jiheng, his cheeks slightly puffed out, but the tips of his ears were so red they looked like they could bleed. Standing in the dim light of the corridor wall lamp, he looked like a rabbit whose tail had been stepped on—clearly furious, yet utterly intimidating.

"You just said it sneaks into bed at night."

"I said 'once,' not 'tonight.'" Bai Jiheng couldn't hide the mischievous smile on his face. "Mo Mo went to the ocean with him and isn't at the manor now."

Bai Ci was taken aback: "Snakes can be taken to the ocean?"

"My second brother said it's a research partner, not a pet, and the project team made a special exception for it." Bai Jiheng shrugged. "So you can sleep soundly tonight without worrying about an uninvited guest in your bed."

With her heart finally at ease, Bai Ci quietly relaxed her tense shoulders.

"When will he be back?" Bai Ci looked at the closed door.

"What, you want to see him?" Bai Jiheng glanced at him sideways, his expression somewhat scrutinizing.

"I was just asking casually."

Bai Jiheng turned to Uncle Chen and asked, "When was the last time he called back?"

"Two weeks ago." Uncle Chen bowed slightly. "The signal was very bad at the time, so I only hurriedly gave two instructions. One was to have the family send a batch of preservative containers, and the other was to specifically instruct the Third Young Master not to touch the lava samples in his study, not even a single piece could be missing."

"So, while people are adrift at sea, they're still thinking about a few broken rocks." Bai Jiheng scoffed.

"The second young master's exact words were, 'The third brother stole my Mirror Abyss Stone slice last time, and if he touches the Lava again this time, I'll melt down his racing club's championship trophy when I get back.'"

Bai Ci thought to himself, "The person is far away overseas, but the threat has been delivered precisely to my home. This second brother is really not someone to mess with."

"That's just how he is," Bai Jiheng said casually. "When he encounters something that interests him, he dives right in and can't pull himself out. Once the project is over, or if he gets interested in family matters one day, he'll show up on his own without anyone having to look for him. As for how he makes his appearance, it's always unexpected."

Uncle Chen stood quietly to the side, without saying a word.

Upon hearing this, he pursed his lips slightly, his expression calm and composed, revealing the calm and collected demeanor he had cultivated over the years in handling such matters.

Bai Jiheng accurately caught this micro-expression and raised an eyebrow at him: "Uncle Chen, what's with that expression?"

"Young Master is joking. I have no expression."

Uncle Chen's expression remained gentle and composed: "I just remembered the last time the Second Young Master came back, he brought a box of deep-sea samples. He was stopped and questioned for three hours in Haikou, and in the end, I had to rush there overnight to deal with it. The Second Young Master's way of making an appearance is indeed quite unique."

"I was the one who signed off on that box of random stuff in the end," Bai Jiheng said.

"Yes." Uncle Chen added unhurriedly, "The Third Young Master said while signing the document, 'If I have to pick up a box for him again, I'll stew his python.' But last time, when the Second Young Master sent back a box of mineral specimens, you still went to pick it up yourself."

"...It was just on the way." Bai Jiheng coughed lightly, decisively ending the topic.

Bai Ci listened silently, noting down each point in her mind.

Bai Luochen is obsessive and obsessed with research, always accompanied by his python partner. He ignores everything else, but once he sets his sights on a target, his actions are swift and astonishing. Whenever he causes trouble, it's always his third brother and Uncle Chen who clean up the mess.

Before the man even showed up, Bai Ci was certain that this second brother was more difficult to deal with than the eldest and third brothers combined.

Most importantly, he must mentally prepare himself before his second brother returns with his python.

A lot of mental preparation!