Chapter 31: The Innocent, Unworldly Eighteen-Year-Old…

Bai Yuanzhi realized that Li Yongzhen also had… considerable value to be utilized.

So she gently comforted Li Yongzhen and promised her that tonight, she would let Li Yongzhen move into her rented place to stay temporarily.

Li Yongzhen was overjoyed and said repeatedly, “Then it’s settled! After work today, I’ll wait for you at Songhe Tower! Don’t even think about ditching me!”

Bai Yuanzhi nodded. “Don’t worry!”

Li Yongzhen asked again, “But… isn’t it just you and Zhou Zhaoer living in your rented place now? With me added, will there be enough room?”

“Or are you going to kick Zhou Zhaoer out?” As she spoke, Li Yongzhen showed a gloating expression.

“None of your business,” Bai Yuanzhi said. “Anyway, I won’t let you sleep on the streets.”

Li Yongzhen was finally happy.

However, she remembered something else. “Oh, Bai Yuanzhi, recently you and Mr. Zhou… have been getting quite close? Doesn’t he already have a girlfriend? What, did you seduce him? Or is he cheating?”

“None of your business,” Bai Yuanzhi said coldly.

Li Yongzhen, “We’re all relatives. If there’s a chance to get ahead, don’t be a stranger! Since Mr. Zhou can date two girlfriends at once, could you introduce me? I could be his third girlfriend! Ah Zhi, my conditions aren’t bad either, and I don’t need any status…”

Bai Yuanzhi, “If you dare say one more word, then don’t expect me to help you with your housing problem.”

Li Yongzhen: …

Just as the two women were glaring at each other—

Zhou Weihao, who hadn’t been seen for days, suddenly appeared in a hurry. “Ah Zhi!”

Before Bai Yuanzhi could respond,

Li Yongzhen had already flatteringly stepped forward. “Ah, Mr. Zhou, you’re here! What a coincidence, Ah Zhi and I were just talking about you…” As she spoke, she couldn’t help but reach out toward Zhou Weihao, wanting to take his arm.

Li Yongzhen said this to get closer.

But to Zhou Weihao’s ears, it became evidence that others were gossiping about him wearing a green hat… oh no, laughing at him for being the male side piece.

Zhou Weihao’s face instantly darkened.

Li Yongzhen, caught off guard by Zhou Weihao’s changed expression, was startled.

She stood there dumbfounded, unable to say a word, her hand frozen mid-air, not daring to offend Zhou Weihao further.

Bai Yuanzhi shot Li Yongzhen a glare, then gave Zhou Weihao a look, signaling him to follow her to the side.

Zhou Weihao understood.

Once the two had moved away from Li Yongzhen,

Bai Yuanzhi said to Zhou Weihao, “She doesn’t know anything. She came to me today just to take advantage. Don’t mind her.”

As she spoke, Bai Yuanzhi looked Zhou Weihao up and down.

After not seeing him for a few days, Zhou Weihao seemed like a different person.

Before, he was a modest gentleman, gentle as jade.

Now, his hair covered his ears, he was skinny as a rail, his eye sockets were sunken, and his cheekbones protruded sharply. He exuded an aura of gloom and decadence.

However,

Given the relationship between Bai Yuanzhi and Zhou Weihao, it wasn’t appropriate for her to show excessive concern.

So she asked directly, “Why did you come to see me today? Has Chen Shuojie woken up?”

Zhou Weihao immediately breathed a sigh of relief, thinking how comfortable it was to communicate with someone smart.

It’s better to speak less and still ensure efficient communication.

He nodded, “Go up and ask for leave, then come down quickly. I’ll go get the car… I’ll wait for you at the west gate.”

Noticing that Bai Yuanzhi was still carrying a bag,

he politely asked, “Do you need me to carry that bag for you?”

Bai Yuanzhi was more than happy to accept and handed the bag over generously, “Sure, thank you.”

Over the past few days, Zhou Weihao had been in a state of utter misery.

His parents were very worried about him and treated him with great care;

the servants didn’t dare disturb him, acting cautiously in his presence and whispering behind his back… Of course, the servants might have been speaking softly to avoid disturbing him, but in Zhou Weihao’s eyes, it was clear evidence that they were gossiping about him!

At the same time, Duoluoxi was frantically trying to contact him.

She tried every possible way to call him at the old house, dialed his mobile phone, and left messages on his pager non-stop;

she even knelt at the entrance of his old house, begging him to come out and see her, to listen to her explanation…

Zhou Weihao was heartbroken, filled with regret, and utterly annoyed!

It seemed only Bai Yuanzhi treated him the same as before.

Zhou Weihao relaxed and joked, “What’s in this bag? Don’t make me pay for it if it gets lost.”

“A house of gold!” With that, Bai Yuanzhi hurried toward the elevator, adding, “I’ll be down in ten minutes!”

After Bai Yuanzhi left,

Zhou Weihao curiously glanced at the heavy canvas bag in his hand and found several thick books inside. The covers read “Basic English Grammar,” and one was titled “Fundamentals of Finance”…

Only then did Zhou Weihao understand—”a house of gold” referred to the saying that books contain houses of gold.

He chuckled and carried her bag toward the parking lot.

As he walked, Zhou Weihao began to feel uneasy.

—He had wasted a full ten years pursuing a “relationship without commitment”! He had even refused his parents’ suggestion to study abroad! Yet Bai Yuanzhi had only been in Hong Kong City for a little over three months and had already secured a stable job, bought a house, and started attending night school!

Not to mention Bai Yuanzhi,

even A Yao had gone abroad to study at a young age.

Why was he so useless?!

Zhou Weihao’s bad mood lasted until Bai Yuanzhi opened his car door.

“Mr. Zhou, is Chen Shuojie dead or crippled?” Bai Yuanzhi asked as soon as she got in the car.

Zhou Weihao: …

For some reason, Zhou Weihao felt like laughing, “Can’t you wish him well?”

Bai Yuanzhi didn’t hold back at all, “That kind of wealthy scoundrel should be taken by heaven sooner rather than later.”

Zhou Weihao burst into laughter.

After a while, he finally stopped laughing, “You’re right!”

Then he sighed, “But if he dies… it won’t be good for us.”

Bai Yuanzhi said confidently, “If the sky falls, Mr. Zhou will hold it up for me, right?”

Zhou Weihao smiled helplessly.

Bai Yuanzhi asked again, “Mr. Zhou, is our situation… really that bad?”

Zhou Weihao’s smile gradually faded, “We can only hope that Mrs. Xu is a decent person.”

Bai Yuanzhi understood—it seemed the drug Duoluoxi had administered was indeed too strong, and Chen Shuojie was probably already done for.

Soon, Zhou Weihao drove Bai Yuanzhi to the hospital and then to the luxurious single-patient room where Chen Shuojie was staying.

Chen Shuojie was bandaged up like a mummy.

As soon as he saw Bai Yuanzhi, he became furious. “Bai Yuanzhi! How dare you show your face here!”

Bai Yuanzhi retorted without holding back, “If you have the nerve to stay alive, why can’t I come?”

Chen Shuojie: …

“If it weren’t for you dragging me down, how could I end up like this!” Chen Shuojie was so angry he was panting heavily.

Bai Yuanzhi sneered, “If it weren’t for your lust and trying to harass me, how could you have been dragged into this?”

Chen Shuojie: …

“I’m already in this state, and you, the one who caused all this, still have the nerve to make sarcastic remarks?” Chen Shuojie trembled with rage.

Bai Yuanzhi gave a cold laugh. “Heh, doesn’t this prove that only like this will you calm down and think, and not let your lust take over?”

Chen Shuojie’s face instantly turned purple. Not only was he unable to utter a single word, but he nearly fainted from anger.

After a long while, Chen Shuojie, still seething… desperately used his plaster-casted arm to pound the pillow.

Suddenly—

Zhou Weihao gently tugged at Bai Yuanzhi’s sleeve.

Bai Yuanzhi turned around and realized that a large group of people had already gathered behind her.

There were about ten people in total, all middle-aged or elderly, and… likely their assistants or the like.

Mrs. Xu was among them.

So, the elders of the Xu Family, Chen Family, and Zhou Family had arrived. Bai Yuanzhi obediently hid behind Zhou Weihao.

Meanwhile, Chen Shuojie, feeling emboldened by the presence of his family, immediately became agitated. “Dad! Aunt! You’re finally here… Quick, help me lift Bai Yuanzhi up and throw her out the window!”

Bai Yuanzhi froze, her heart skipping a beat!

She turned to look at Chen Shuojie, her almond-shaped eyes narrowing slightly.

—Throw someone out the window???

Zhou Sier had her accident at Songhe Tower,

and Chen Shuojie maintained a long-term rented luxury suite at Songhe Tower…

So,

could Chen Shuojie be the one who caused Zhou Sier to fall from the building?

At that moment, Bai Yuanzhi’s mind was racing with thoughts.

Mrs. Xu spoke up. “Shuojie, I won’t allow you to be so rude!”

Her demeanor was dignified, her tone gentle yet firm. “Now, you need to apologize to Miss Bai.”

Chen Shuojie let out an “ah,” his face flushing red with anger again. “Me? Apologize to her? But she insulted me too!”

Bai Yuanzhi couldn’t help but say, “Which part of what I said earlier wasn’t the truth? You can refute me if you want.”

Chen Shuojie had never suffered such humiliation in his life,

and he immediately lost his temper!

“No! I won’t apologize to a gold digger like you! I didn’t do anything wrong!” Chen Shuojie shouted angrily.

Bai Yuanzhi smiled. “It’s true that the crying child gets the milk! But the young master of the Chen Family is almost thirty, yet he can still get his way by throwing tantrums…”

A well-dressed middle-aged man snapped, “Shuojie, apologize to Miss Bai.”

Bai Yuanzhi noticed that this middle-aged man bore a fifty to sixty percent resemblance to Chen Shuojie and guessed that he was likely Chen Shuojie’s father—Chen Shen, the CEO of Wanxia Film.

Once Chen Shen spoke,

even if Chen Shuojie was on the verge of dying from anger, he had to put on a show of apologizing to Bai Yuanzhi. “Sorry, Miss Bai.”

Bai Yuanzhi said without hesitation, “Sorry, Mr. Chen, but I never accept insincere apologies.”

Chen Shuojie: …

The elders of the three families also exchanged uneasy glances.

“I told you, Bai Yuanzhi is a gold digger! And you still wouldn’t believe me!” Chen Shuojie laughed bitterly in his fury.

Bai Yuanzhi spoke each word deliberately, “Mr. Chen, I expect to receive your apology letter—three hundred characters in Chinese and three hundred words in English! I know you’re injured and might find it inconvenient to write, but you can also dictate it.”

Chen Shuojie gaped, staring dumbfounded at Bai Yuanzhi.

“You… what on earth are you talking about?” he asked, his voice trembling with anger.

Bai Yuanzhi sneered, “If Mr. Chen doesn’t wish to show sincerity, then let’s just pretend we never reconciled.”

“Since Mr. Chen believes I’m a gold digger, I must live up to that reputation, so as not to waste his judgment.”

“Therefore, in the future, I will surely take every opportunity to tell people about how Mr. Chen disrespects women and attempted to harass me…”

Chen Shuojie was so enraged that his chest heaved violently. “Dad! Aunt! Look at her…”

Mrs. Xu suddenly burst into laughter.

“Ah Shen,” she said to Chen Shen, “in my opinion, Shuojie doesn’t seem to have suffered any brain injury.”

Chen Shen also smiled, “Indeed, he’s quite lively.”

Mrs. Zhou quickly chimed in, “Since Shuojie is fine, we can rest a little easier.”

Mr. Zhou also played along, “It’s just children squabbling…”

The tense atmosphere eased just like that.

Yes, Bai Yuanzhi had deliberately provoked Chen Shuojie and engaged in this argument with him.

Because youthful naivety was her greatest weapon!

And she truly was young—only eighteen years old, after all. She should have the courage of a newborn calf unafraid of tigers.

If the big shots wanted a way out with “adults don’t hold grudges against children,”

then she would play the part of the “child.”

Sure enough, the big shots indeed saw her as a naive, simple, foolish, yet passionate young girl.

Mrs. Xu beckoned to Bai Yuanzhi, “Ah Zhi, come here.”

Bai Yuanzhi went over but said, “Mrs. Xu, we’re both women. You can’t side with Chen Shuojie to bully me.”

All the big shots laughed.

Even Chen Shen was smiling.

Mrs. Xu took Bai Yuanzhi’s hand and introduced her to the big shots present, then introduced them to her, “…Ah Zhi has only been in Hong Kong City for three months. She’s a very hardworking, serious, and impressive eighteen-year-old girl.”

Bai Yuanzhi asked, “Mrs. Xu, will Chen Shuojie write an apology letter to this impressive girl?”

Chen Shuojie flushed red with anger, “You’re dreaming!”

The big shots suppressed their laughter again.

Originally, they had come with full force to demand accountability, even prepared for a fight to the death;

but now, with Bai Yuanzhi stirring things up,

it seemed to have turned into a childish quarrel.

Most importantly,

Chen Shen felt that his useless son… might actually be kept in check by someone.

The shrewd old man couldn’t help but glance at Mrs. Xu.

Mrs. Xu was his son’s aunt, whom his son regarded as a spiritual mother. He needed her support.

Soon, Mrs. Xu noticed his gaze.

They were all relatives and smart people, so Mrs. Xu quickly understood his intention.

Mrs. Xu turned to study Bai Yuanzhi for a moment, then nodded at Chen Shen.

“Ah Zhi, don’t worry,” Mrs. Xu patted Bai Yuanzhi’s hand, “We’re both women, so I’m definitely on your side!”

Her words carried a soothing tone.

Bai Yuanzhi sensed the softness in Mrs. Xu’s voice and instantly understood.

Today’s meeting was crucial to whether she could successfully break into high society. While she appeared innocent and naive on the surface, she had actually focused all her attention on Chen Shen and Mrs. Xu.

How could she have missed the eye contact between Chen Shen and Mrs. Xu?

Bai Yuanzhi believed that even with their tacit understanding, Chen Shen and Mrs. Xu couldn’t have settled everything with just one glance.

But they must have reached some kind of agreement.

Judging by the current atmosphere,

it probably hadn’t reached a life-or-death situation yet.

However, this “agreement” definitely involved Bai Yuanzhi, and it might not be a bad thing.

Perhaps…

they seemed to have a feeling of wanting to entrust Chen Shuojie to Bai Yuanzhi.

Bai Yuanzhi felt reassured.

“Alright, I’ll wait to see Chen Shuojie’s English proficiency,” Bai Yuanzhi said.

Chen Shuojie was so angry he gritted his teeth, “Dad! Aunt…”

“Besides calling for elders, do you really have no other way?” Bai Yuanzhi asked.

And so—

Chen Shuojie was so angry he cried.

The kind of wailing, sobbing cry.

Chen Shen felt embarrassed,

but the other big shots managed to hold back their laughter.

Mrs. Xu called everyone, “This room is too small, it’s stuffy. Let’s go sit outside.”

Just like that, everyone made way for the Chen father and son and walked out together.

The assistant led everyone to an empty office in the hospital.

Bai Yuanzhi and Zhou Weihao were the last to leave.

Zhou Weihao whispered to her, “Don’t be afraid… Before I came, I already told my parents about us.”

Bai Yuanzhi nodded.

The empty hospital office was rather plain.

But the assistants quickly arranged seats and brought drinks for everyone.

Soon, Chen Shen also arrived.

Mrs. Zhou was the first to ask, “Mr. Chen, how is Shuojie doing? What did the doctor say?”

Chen Shen replied, “The doctor said the aftereffects from the veterinary drug aren’t obvious, but the concussion is quite severe. Probably when he fell… he hit the back of his head hard, the fall was quite serious.”

Bai Yuanzhi listened nearby and quickly calculated in her mind:

Since Chen Shuojie never mentioned from start to finish that he was knocked out by someone in a waiter’s uniform…

that meant Chen Shuojie probably thought that “waiter” might be one of the thugs hired by Duoluoxi.

That was for the best.

Bai Yuanzhi kept her mouth shut.

Mrs. Zhou said awkwardly, “My son was unruly and offended the young master… Our whole family feels very sorry. We’d like to hear what Mr. Chen and the young master think, we’re willing to listen.”

Chen Shen glanced at Bai Yuanzhi but didn’t speak.

Mrs. Zhou braced herself and said, “If Mr. Chen isn’t interested in anything at the moment, perhaps you could hear our sincerity.”

Next, Mrs. Zhou brought up business matters.

The gist was that Zhou Family Bakery could collaborate with Chen Group’s upcoming new movie posters to make pastries. They only needed Chen Group’s authorization, all pastry production costs would be covered by Zhou Family, but they would give half the net profits to Chen Group…

Mrs. Xu probably wanted to mediate,

after hearing Mrs. Zhou’s words,

Mrs. Xu advised Chen Shen, “That’s quite good. After covering Shuojie’s medical expenses, there’s still a bit of leftover money. Let’s give it to Shuojie as pocket money!”

Chen Shen’s expression softened slightly as he said to Mr. and Mrs. Zhou, “I don’t want to interfere too much in the children’s affairs. Ahao is a good kid, and I’ve watched him grow up. I know him well—he never intended to harm Shuojie.”

Mr. and Mrs. Zhou nodded repeatedly.

Chen Shen continued, “But that Filipina domestic helper—I cannot tolerate her! Whether she acted intentionally or not, the fact remains that Shuojie was injured. Moreover, she already harbored murderous intent… Brother Zhou, Sister Zhou, I cannot allow her to continue harming others.”

Mrs. Zhou glared resentfully at Zhou Weihao before saying to Chen Shen, “Mr. Chen, rest assured, we will never let her off either—”

Chen Shen waved his hand, “Sister Zhou, it’s not that I don’t trust you, but I…” At this point, he also glanced at Zhou Weihao.

Bai Yuanzhi, standing nearby, thought to herself that Chen Shen’s intention was clear—he didn’t trust Zhou Weihao and feared he might go easy on Duoluoxi.

Sure enough, Chen Shen said word by word, “What I mean is, I will personally deal with that Filipina domestic helper.”

Mrs. Zhou quickly replied, “Of course! Of course!”

Zhou Weihao’s face turned deathly pale.

Chen Shen glanced at Zhou Weihao with a faint, ambiguous smile before continuing to Mrs. Zhou, “Then, Ahao won’t tip her off, will he?”

Mrs. Zhou immediately said, “He won’t! He won’t… Our Ahao is about to go abroad soon!”

“Really?” Chen Shen raised an eyebrow.

Mrs. Zhou said, “It’s true! His father is going abroad soon to discuss a business deal, and Ahao will accompany him.”

Chen Shen smiled, “Alright, then it’s settled!”

Zhou Weihao’s eyes were bloodshot at the corners.

At that moment—

Chen Shen abruptly changed the subject,

“Miss Bai, I heard from Mrs. Xu that you have great expertise in gift-related matters?”

Bai Yuanzhi held her breath,

thinking, here it comes…

It’s finally her turn!