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

Now that his third brother had made the decision, Bai Ci finally felt relieved that he would take on all the trouble. As his tense nerves relaxed, his appetite surged instantly.

He held the porcelain bowl and sipped the porridge slowly.

Uncle Chen's cooking skills are impeccable. The sweet red dates mixed with the rich millet flavor are warm and go down into your stomach, making you feel warm all over.

He chewed on a stewed red date until it was soft and tender, and his eyes curved slightly in satisfaction.

Even while eating his porridge, his gaze kept drifting towards the door.

Bai Jiheng sat to the side, watching with great interest this little routine of "taking a sip, glancing, and then listening intently."

"Are you experiencing neck cramps?"

Bai Ci paused with his spoon, then mumbled softly, "No."

"No? You twist your neck every half minute," Bai Jiheng said slowly, drawing out his words, his barely suppressed laughter. "Could it be that the door panel is carved with some absolutely beautiful flowers? Take your eyes off the door, they're practically glued to the door frame."

Bai Ci quickly looked away, staring down at the porridge in the bowl, as if this bowl of red date rice porridge had suddenly become very valuable for research.

"I just... got tired of drinking porridge and wanted to stretch my neck."

"Oh—" Bai Jiheng's tone trailed off, "Drinking porridge is really hard work. You have to hold the bowl, lift the spoon, and move your neck every now and then. You must be tired."

Bai Ci buried his head in his porridge and ate it with gusto.

"Drink slowly. Am I supposed to be your supervisor here?"

"You were the foreman to begin with," Bai Ci muttered.

"Um?"

"...It's nothing."

Not long after, footsteps were heard in the corridor, pausing for a moment outside the door.

Upon hearing the sound, Bai Ci's light brown pupils suddenly brightened, and she instinctively sat up straight.

Bai Jiheng glanced at his sudden change of expression: "You were just being stubborn with me, now you're not pretending to stretch your neck anymore."

Bai Yanzhi stood outside the door for a moment.

The corridor lights shone down from above, casting a thin shadow on his dark gray shirt.

The solemn words of those experts still echoed in my ears—"We can't find the cause of the disease," "This is just a temporary fix," "We are powerless to help at the moment."

He closed his eyes briefly.

When he opened his eyes again, the heaviness in his heart had been pushed back into the depths. He adjusted his breathing and reached out to push open the door to the room.

"Big brother!"

A clear and urgent call rang out, with the last syllable rising in pitch.

Standing at the door, Bai Yanzhi looked at the boy with his cheeks puffed out and his eyes sparkling. The heavy gloom in his heart was somewhat dispelled by this bright light.

"I've been waiting a long time. Is the porridge good?" He walked to the bedside and looked down at the clean bowl.

"It's delicious! Uncle Chen deliberately put in less sugar, even better than at the banquet—" Bai Ci started to say, but her gaze fell on Bai Yanzhi's face. She scrutinized him closely and noticed something unusual in his expression. She then quietly swallowed the rest of her sentence and lightly said, "It's the best I've ever had."

He felt something was off about Bai Yanzhi. Was it the meeting that went wrong? Or was there a problem with the report? His heart skipped a beat. He had almost forgotten about the blood drawn and the scan done that morning. Although Xiao Qi had adjusted the data, was it really foolproof?

"Xiao Qi," he called out urgently in his heart.

"Here!" Xiao Qi immediately appeared. "Bai Bai, don't worry, I've checked all the data. Everything is within the normal fluctuation range. There are no out-of-range data, and none of them are too perfect to look fake. Conventional equipment will definitely not be able to detect any abnormalities."

Bai Ci secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

So the reason my brother looked unwell wasn't because there was anything wrong with the report, but probably because the meeting had been going on for too long and he was just tired.

Bai Jiheng, standing to the side, watched Bai Yanzhi walk calmly, speak steadily, and remain expressionless from the moment he entered the room until now.

But he knew all too well that when someone was too tense, it meant they had just escaped from something they couldn't relax about.

He didn't press further, but when Bai Yanzhi looked over, he raised his chin. The two exchanged a glance, and Bai Jiheng understood.

Just then, Bai Ci's voice came from the bed, tinged with a cautious probing: "Big brother, will... the drive go smoothly? Is there a problem with the medical report?"

Bai Yanzhi pulled over a chair by the bed and sat down, then casually moved the empty porridge bowl to the inside of the bedside table to prevent Bai Ci from knocking it over when she turned over.

"It went very smoothly. I went through the report once. It's just some minor ailments that require long-term, gradual care."

He carefully considered his words, choosing a mild approach.

Bai Jiheng watched from the side and couldn't help but admire his elder brother. Even in the face of the most difficult crisis, he only showed a just-right amount of relaxation, which neither caused panic nor seemed perfunctory.

"Dr. Qin said that your heart's workload is a bit higher than that of people your age, but there are no diseases in your organs, so it's not a big deal. It's just that your constitution is a bit weak and you need systematic conditioning, which your older brother will arrange."

He picked out the good parts and swallowed the rest that he was helpless with.

Bai Jiheng saw through it all, a hint of seriousness hidden in his eyes.

That's it? If it were just a minor ailment, why would my brother have held such a long consultation, and why did his face look so grim just now?

He didn't expose her; there was no need to bring this up and put pressure on Bai Ci.

He chimed in at the right moment: "Your third brother is an expert in recuperation. It's really nothing to worry about. Back when I broke my hand, I was monitored every day for several months and had to take medicine. It only took a few days, so don't be afraid."

After hearing this, Bai Ci was relieved that everyone thought it was just physical weakness and no abnormality was detected.

His tense brows slowly relaxed, and he nodded gently: "I knew it. I just forgot to close the window after taking a shower, and the change in temperature made me dizzy. It's not a serious problem."

"You can't say that," Bai Jiheng cautioned. "Big brother said you need systematic recuperation, so you have to take it to heart and not take it lightly, or you'll faint again."

"Okay, okay," Bai Ci muttered softly, not daring to argue.

He paused, then looked up at the two men: "Big brother, third brother, you didn't eat lunch, did you?"

Bai Yanzhi remained silent for a moment, without responding.

Bai Jiheng raised an eyebrow: "What, are you going to feed us too?"

"I don't need anyone to stay with me. I can rest by myself. I've eaten and drunk well, and I'm perfectly fine." Bai Ci said, puffing out her chest as she tried to look more energetic, but the blanket slipped off her shoulders and was pulled back by Bai Yanzhi.

"Sit still, don't catch a cold."

Bai Ci sat up straight obediently, staring intently at the two of them, as if to say, "I won't give up until you go eat."

"If we don't go now, Third Brother might sneak into the kitchen and steal some steamed buns to eat."

"Who ate them secretly? I only had two, and someone stole one from me."

"I didn't steal it, you gave it to me yourself."

"Really? Wasn't it someone staring at me longingly, saying, 'These steamed buns look pretty delicious,' their mouth watering? How could I possibly refuse them?"

"I didn't..."

Bai Jiheng got up, stretched, picked up his coat, bent down and leaned close to Bai Ci's face, squinting as he examined him for two seconds.

"...What?" Bai Ci subconsciously shrank back.

"Your face is still pale, but it's much better than last night." Bai Jiheng straightened up, turned to look at Bai Yanzhi, and said in a light tone, "Brother, they've already told us to leave, so let's not linger here."

Bai Yanzhi looked at the serious-looking boy on the bed and replied, "Okay, Ji Heng and I will go eat first. You get some rest."

"Okay." Bai Ci nodded, then looked at Bai Jiheng, "Third Brother too, go quickly. You guys eat more, no need to rush back, I can manage on my own."

"Alright, alright, I've already asked twice. If I ask again, I'll just become a nag. If you need anything, just ring the bell. Uncle Chen is right next door. Don't try to be a hero."

Bai Jiheng opened the door and stepped aside to let Bai Yanzhi go first.