Chapter 35 Breakfast of Egg, Milk, Biscuit Paste…

The conversation between Bai Yuanzhi and Duoluoxi at the police station began with Bai Yuanzhi’s question, “Do you regret it?” and ended with Duoluoxi’s sorrowful weeping, lasting about an hour in total. By the time Bai Yuanzhi left the police station, it was already late at night. She stood on the street, lost in thought for a long while. Her conversation with Duoluoxi still echoed in her ears.

At the time—

Duoluoxi angrily roared at Bai Yuanzhi, “Why should I regret it? I don’t regret it! I was defending my relationship with Ahao!”

“It’s you, Bai Yuanzhi! You inserted yourself between me and Ahao—don’t you feel ashamed?”

“Ahao and I were perfectly fine… we loved each other, but as soon as you appeared, Ahao seemed like a completely different person!”

“Bai Yuanzhi, you’re the one who should die!”

“Why did you have to show up? Why did you have to ruin my relationship with Ahao? Why!” Duoluoxi questioned, her voice strained with emotion.

Bai Yuanzhi said coldly, “Why I showed up—you should ask Zhou Weihao that!”

“It was because you refused to respond to his feelings, didn’t want to marry him, that he was forced to come up with such a vulgar plan… His original intention was to use me to provoke you, to make you agree to his proposal and to give you more motivation…”

“And I just happened to be chosen by him, becoming nothing more than a tool.”

“Even if it weren’t me, Bai Yuanzhi, there would have been a Hong Yuanzhi or a Lan Yuanzhi!”

After a pause, Bai Yuanzhi continued, “So, Duoluoxi, why didn’t you want to make your relationship public? Why didn’t you agree to his proposal? Is it because you don’t love him?”

“How could I not love Ahao!” Duoluoxi cried out agitatedly. “I, I just… I just…”

At this point, Duoluoxi suddenly couldn’t go on.

Bai Yuanzhi kindly finished the sentence for her, “You just didn’t dare to respond to him, nor did you dare to agree to his proposal—because you’re already married with children back in your hometown.”

Duoluoxi’s eyes widened abruptly.

After a long while, she asked in a trembling voice, “H-how do you know?”

Bai Yuanzhi smiled, “It’s not exactly a rare secret. Most of the staff at the Bilanting Hotel know. It’s just that your affairs have nothing to do with anyone else, so no one bothered to mention it.”

Duoluoxi’s lips trembled violently.

“N-no, that’s impossible…” Duoluoxi broke down. “You… all of you know? That can’t be! Then… when did Ahao find out?”

Bai Yuanzhi smiled, “How would I, an outsider, know about your affairs?”

After a moment’s thought, Bai Yuanzhi added, “He probably never knew! Otherwise, why would he go to such lengths to have me act in this charade, hoping my presence would provoke you?”

“Duoluoxi, you’re actually quite fortunate,” Bai Yuanzhi said sincerely. “There’s a man who trusts you unconditionally with all his heart, and he’s such an outstanding, wealthy young man…”

“So, do you regret it?” Bai Yuanzhi asked.

Duoluoxi stubbornly insisted, “What do I have to regret!”

Bai Yuanzhi smiled, “You don’t regret it?”

“You started taking care of fourteen-year-old Zhou Weihao when you were eighteen, right when his family’s company was in trouble. His parents had no time or energy to look after him, so you took advantage of the situation… Duoluoxi, dare you say that the initial feelings between you and him weren’t led by you?” Bai Yuanzhi asked.

Duoluoxi froze.

Her face instantly flushed crimson, and she grew visibly flustered.

Of course she knew—even though she was only eighteen at the time, she was already an adult, a mature woman.

But Zhou Weihao back then was still an innocent, blank-slate teenager.

It was she who noticed his fragile state—his longing for love and the neglect he suffered—and quietly seized the opportunity. Through her prolonged and deliberate guidance, he eventually fell for her, becoming utterly devoted to her.

A handsome, wealthy, and refined young gentleman falling in love with a plain-looking, seemingly worthless, humble little nanny…

Duoluoxi was naturally swept away by it all.

But she had always been uneasy.

Putting aside the fact that she was already married with children,

she was truly terrified that anyone with eyes would see right through her despicable nature.

That’s why she refused to make their relationship public.

Even though her affair with Zhou Weihao had long been the talk of the town,

she stubbornly believed that as long as she never appeared with Zhou Weihao in public, she could continue to bury her head in the sand, pretending that no one knew she had used unequal PUA tactics to drag that lofty, unattainable flower into the mud…

But now, Bai Yuanzhi was pressing her, asking whether she regretted it or not.

Duoluoxi bit her lower lip.

Did she regret it?

Regret… it?

Duoluoxi covered her face with her hands.

Bai Yuanzhi spoke word by word: “You regret it.”

“You regret that over all these years, you never bothered to improve your appearance or physique.”

“If you had put a little effort into that… if you had stuck to beauty and body care for ten years, even if it was cultivated later, you would have become a woman refined from head to toe. Then you wouldn’t have been so resistant to exposing your relationship with Zhou Weihao.”

“After all, what you feared most was hearing things like ‘a talented young man falling for an old auntie,’ right?”

Duoluoxi clutched her chest, listening to these heart-wrenching words as tears streamed down her face.

Bai Yuanzhi continued:

“You regret that over all these years, you never bothered to improve your education, skills, or work experience.”

“Because you couldn’t bear to lose face, and you were afraid of difficulty. You were even more afraid that if you suggested wanting to further your education, Zhou Weihao might take you abroad to study or something.”

“You didn’t want that because you feared that in a new environment, he would meet more outstanding peers his age and start comparing you to those young, beautiful girls from wealthy families like his.”

“To prevent him from having the chance to meet more exceptional girls, you could only desperately cling to him, never allowing him to leave your sight…”

“But you paid a huge price for this—for an entire decade, because you didn’t study, didn’t learn any profession or skills, and made no effort to improve yourself, you fell behind your peers and couldn’t compare to wave after wave of younger girls.”

“You’re even jealous of Sister Marry, whom you’ve always looked down upon! Because you’re almost thirty years old, yet you have neither the skills to make a living nor the ability to earn money. You can only shamelessly hold out your hand and ask Zhou Weihao for money. Sister Marry is different—she earns quite a lot every month, so she can always stand tall and proud!”

“Duoluoxi, over the years, your mother’s family and your husband’s family have constantly asked you for money, haven’t they? To scrape together funds to satisfy them, you scrimped and saved, giving away all the money Zhou Weihao gave you. So, you have no money at all…”

“That day when you came to Bilanting Hotel to see me, that outfit you were wearing… was it borrowed? Or fake?” Bai Yuanzhi asked mockingly.

Duoluoxi’s face flushed and paled in turns.

Bai Yuanzhi didn’t give Duoluoxi a chance to catch her breath.

After all—

It was Duoluoxi who insisted on meeting her!

So Bai Yuanzhi continued:

“You also regret why, over all these years, you never relied on Zhou Weihao, this big tree, to build your own career.”

“It’s still the same old story—”

“You don’t want to make any changes!”

Because you believe Zhou Weihao is the best place to belong you could ever find! Once you change yourself, or if he gets the chance to change, you’re afraid you’ll lose him, lose this big tree!”

“So you can only reject all changes again and again. You don’t study, and you don’t let him study either. You don’t start a business, and even if he does… you drag him back.”

“Duoluoxi, you’ve done so many things to hurt me because you’re truly jealous of me.”

“Deep down, you know that Zhou Weihao has never betrayed you.”

“The reason you’re determined to destroy me is—how is it that I can rely on Zhou Weihao and, in less than a month, buy a house and build my own career?”

“You’re furious because you feel—clearly, you’re Zhou Weihao’s girlfriend, so why, after all these years, do you have nothing, while I, Bai Yuanzhi, have everything you ever wanted!”

“Duoluoxi, am I right?” Bai Yuanzhi asked again.

Duoluoxi burst into tears, “Bai Yuanzhi, you… you bastard!”

Bai Yuanzhi smiled, “Duoluoxi, what you regret most is that, over all these years, you’ve built the wrong persona. You’ve disguised yourself as a poor, simple, but understanding woman… Ten years ago, you hooked Zhou Weihao with this very tactic. So you’re afraid that if you change this label, Zhou Weihao won’t like you anymore.”

“That’s why, for years, you’ve never dared to change, and you haven’t allowed him to change either!”

“But you long to become a glamorous and beautiful woman, so that when you stand next to Zhou Weihao, people won’t laugh and say, ‘A talented young man fell for an auntie,’ but will instead praise, ‘Wow, Mr. Zhou, you and your girlfriend are such a perfect match,’ or ‘Duoluoxi, have you read a lot? You seem to have a refined, scholarly air about you…'”

“You wish you had lots and lots of money to spend freely, so others wouldn’t look down on you, thinking you’re only with Zhou Weihao for his money… even though you really are.”

“You wish you could earn everyone’s admiration, you want to hear people say ‘Duoluoxi doesn’t marry into wealth because Duoluoxi herself is wealth’ instead of ‘Zhou Weihao’s Filipina domestic helper girlfriend is climbing the social ladder’… even though that will never happen!”

“Ahhhhh!!!” Duoluoxi let out a low roar, staring at Bai Yuanzhi in horror, her voice trembling as she asked, “Bai Yuanzhi! How… how do you know what I’m thinking?”

Bai Yuanzhi smiled faintly and said slowly, “Because—”

“I’m a gold digger too!”

“So I know all too well… what you truly want.”

“But I’m different from you.”

“I won’t foolishly wait for a man’s charity.”

“Sooner or later, beauty will become the most insignificant of my virtues! In the future, when men and women across all of Hong Kong City discuss me, they’ll say with a sour tone, ‘Luck is also part of one’s ability’…”

“Duoluoxi, you’re already finished.”

“But you can come back in ten years… and see how well I’m doing.”

Bai Yuanzhi laughed, “I definitely won’t disappoint you!”

Duoluoxi closed her eyes, clenching her jaw tightly.

After taking a deep breath,

Duoluoxi composed herself before opening her eyes again, looking coldly at Bai Yuanzhi and saying, “In a place like Hong Kong City, it’s both a paradise for the rich and a mass grave for the poor. Bai Yuanzhi, I advise you… not to be so arrogant.”

Bai Yuanzhi no longer wanted to pay any attention to Duoluoxi.

She stood up and said to Duoluoxi:

“You should worry about yourself, Duoluoxi!”

“People like you, who want everything and more, end up with nothing…”

“Look, after ten years, what have you done besides using your love to build an isolated, solid fortress, keeping Zhou Weihao trapped inside and stubbornly refusing to let him change?”

“Nothing.”

“Duoluoxi, you’ve accomplished nothing.”

“You can’t even get a divorce… so even though you finally got Zhou Weihao to propose to you, you don’t even have the courage to accept!”

“Duoluoxi, you willingly stayed in the mud for ten whole years, and you trapped Zhou Weihao in that love-named mud for ten whole years too. But in the end, what did you gain?” Bai Yuanzhi delivered the soul-crushing question.

Duoluoxi was stunned speechless.

Bai Yuanzhi’s words were like slap after slap, hitting Duoluoxi hard across the face.

Duoluoxi covered her face in agony.

Bai Yuanzhi was absolutely right.

Yes, over these ten years, what had she actually done?

In the end, she successfully landed herself in a police station and even dragged Zhou Weihao down with her…

Bai Yuanzhi stood up and delivered the final words of this meeting to Duoluoxi, “…You’ve destroyed yourself, and you’ve destroyed Zhou Weihao too.”

With that, Bai Yuanzhi admired Duoluoxi’s suddenly ashen face.

Alright, that’s enough!

Duoluoxi had done so many vicious and outrageous things to her:

The drugging incident—Bai Yuanzhi couldn’t retaliate because Chen Shen would step in;

The car crash incident—Bai Yuanzhi couldn’t personally retaliate either because the police were already involved.

So, she had to resort to this method of destroying Duoluoxi’s spirit as revenge.

Seeing Duoluoxi in such agony, wishing she could die on the spot,

The pent-up frustration in Bai Yuanzhi’s heart finally dissipated completely.

Standing at the entrance of the police station, Bai Yuanzhi fell into a momentary daze.

The words she had just spoken to Duoluoxi were, in fact, also meant for herself.

So—

She must take Duoluoxi’s experience as a warning!

With the help of favorable winds, I’ll soar to the highest clouds.

After a moment of hesitation, Bai Yuanzhi stood still.

As she wavered between “taking a taxi home” and “walking home,” a gentle voice came from behind her, “Miss Bai, are you heading home now?”

Bai Yuanzhi turned around and saw Officer Zeng, who had just assisted her with the report and statement.

“Good evening, Officer Zeng!” Bai Yuanzhi quickly greeted him.

Officer Zeng was a young man in his late twenties, with the typical Cantonese appearance and a rather sturdy build.

Standing under the streetlight, his peach blossom eyes shimmered with the glow of the light, almost sparkling as he looked at Bai Yuanzhi.

As soon as the young man’s gaze met Bai Yuanzhi’s, he immediately looked away, a faint blush coloring his cheeks.

Pretending to be calm, he smiled and asked Bai Yuanzhi, “What a coincidence, I’m just about to finish work and head home too. Would you… like to ride with me?”

After a pause, Officer Zeng added, “I remember you live in Xingfu Building? That’s quite far.”

Then he smiled shyly, “There’s a night market near Xingfu Building. If we go now, we could grab some late-night snacks together.”

The young man’s intentions were clear to anyone who understood.

Moreover, his nervousness made it impossible to hide his thoughts, which were instantly laid bare.

Bai Yuanzhi tilted her head and looked at the glass door of the police station.

Her reflection appeared on the door.

—She was wearing the blue straight-leg jeans she had taken from Zhou Sier, a plain white short-sleeved T-shirt, white sneakers, and her long hair tied up in a high ponytail.

The only accessories she wore were a not-too-expensive second-hand watch on her wrist and a canvas bag in her hand printed with the slogan “Xia Mei Sauce Supreme Delicious.”

She looked like a simple yet vibrant young beauty.

Bai Yuanzhi replied politely but distantly, “Thank you, Officer Zeng, but I’d prefer to walk alone.”

The smile on the young man’s face gradually faded.

Still, he tried to persuade her, “But it’s already very late. A young woman walking alone outside…”

Bai Yuanzhi smiled, “Isn’t it your responsibility to keep Hong Kong City safe, Officer Zeng? What, are you not confident in your work?”

“That’s not it…” Having been rejected twice, the young man understood. He took a deep breath and put on a nonchalant expression, trying to sound as natural as possible, “In that case, be careful on your way. Try to avoid poorly lit areas… Good night!”

With that, Officer Zeng forced a smile at Bai Yuanzhi and quickly walked away.

Bai Yuanzhi stood in place, watching him leave.

Then—

She hailed a taxi and rode back to Xingfu Building.

Late at night, taking a taxi home was undoubtedly safer.

But she could pay for the ride herself.

Not far away, Ah Wu, who had been secretly staking out Bai Yuanzhi on Ming Jiayao’s orders, had been following the taxi Bai Yuanzhi took. He watched as she got out of the car and went upstairs. After pausing briefly at the convenience store on the first floor, she hurried upstairs. Soon after, the light in Bai Yuanzhi’s window turned on.

Only then did Ah Wu breathe a sigh of relief.

He returned to his residence and made an overseas call to Ming Jiayao, reporting in detail how Bai Yuanzhi had nearly been in a car accident that day and that the person responsible was Duoluoxi.

On the other end of the line, Ming Jiayao remained silent for a long time.

Just half an hour earlier, his pager had received a message from Bai Yuanzhi:

[All is well, don’t worry. Wishing you all the best too.]

He was overjoyed,

because this was the first time Ah Zhi had ever paged him.

But he never expected

that she had sent him such a peaceful, reassuring message only after surviving a life-threatening ordeal.

Ming Jiayao took deep breaths, trying to steady himself.

He found it hard to describe what he was feeling.

His heart felt warm and sweet, still lost in the beautiful blessing of those sixteen words she had sent;

but his nose stung terribly, his eyes grew hot and swollen, and tears streamed down uncontrollably.

“Hello? A Yao? A Yao!” Ah Wu, having received no response from Ming Jiayao for a long time, thought the overseas call signal was poor.

Ming Jiayao finally spoke, “I understand. Next time, be more alert! This time…”

Ah Wu felt deeply remorseful. “Mainly, I was too far from Miss Ah Zhi at the time. Don’t worry, A Yao, I swear to you, I will never let Miss Ah Zhi go through something like this again!”

“Better be.” With that, Ming Jiayao hurriedly hung up the phone.

He sat quietly in the darkness, trying to digest the negative emotions of anger, lingering fear, and resentment.

No,

he couldn’t digest it at all!

Even though Zhou Weihao was a close friend, he couldn’t forgive him for shifting blame onto Ah Zhi just to help Duoluoxi escape responsibility.

But Zhou Weihao’s parents were innocent.

So this matter… was a bit tricky.

After sitting in thought all night, Ming Jiayao finally came up with a good plan for revenge, and only then did he feel his anger subside.

He made a few overseas calls back to Hong Kong City, and after arranging everything, he timed it just right to send Bai Yuanzhi a pager message:

[I had a nightmare last night, but thankfully the sound of my pager with your message woke me up. When I fell back asleep, I had a sweet dream. Thank you, sister. You will get better and better too.]

Next, Ming Jiayao wondered: At this hour, she should already be up and getting ready for work. He didn’t know what she would have for breakfast—would she make it herself? Buy it outside? Or eat at the Bilanting Hotel staff cafeteria…

Speaking of Bilanting Hotel,

Ah Zhi must have taken the job there to investigate her sister’s fall from the building.

But the incident of Zhou Sier’s fall had been tightly covered up by those above.

The room where Zhou Sier fell had already been cleared out, all the staff on that floor had been fired and disappeared without a trace, and even the information of the guests staying there at the time had been erased!

Even Ming Jiayao couldn’t find any useful information.

It seemed this was indeed a thorny case.

Would it bring trouble to Ah Zhi?

Ming Jiayao fell into deep thought.

The more he thought about it, the more troubled he became.

She then calculated the available funds she could use recently, thinking that if he could become a shareholder of Birunting, would it make Ah Zhi’s investigation… at least safer?

At that moment, Bai Yuanzhi was preparing breakfast in her small subdivided flat.

The breakfast was simple:

Add some drinking water to a small pot, place it on a single-burner stove to boil, crack two eggs into it and scramble them, then take out three pieces of the butter peach shortbread A Yao had given her, break them into pieces, and toss them into the small pot. When the egg and biscuit paste in the pot had thickened and was about to burn, she turned off the heat first, then added a carton of milk she had bought last night from Aunt Huang’s small shop, stirring the paste until it was well mixed.

This milk, egg, and butter peach shortbread paste emitted a peculiar aroma.

The combination didn’t look particularly appealing,

but in the mouth, the egg paste was soft and smooth, the peach shortbread crumbs were crumbly and sandy, exuding a rich butter fragrance and the creamy thickness of the milk.

It was absolutely delicious!

Even Zhou Zhao’er, sleeping on the lower bunk, couldn’t help rubbing her eyes and sitting up. “Third Sister, what are you doing… the smell is making me dizzy.”

Just then, Bai Yuanzhi’s pager emitted a series of beeps.

While eating the fragrant, sweet porridge, she glanced at the pager and saw it was A Yao’s number, followed by 111…

This was their agreement.

Meaning—

His message wasn’t urgent and didn’t require an immediate callback.

“Third Sister, what are you eating?” Zhou Zhao’er asked again.

Bai Yuanzhi replied cheerfully, “Milk porridge. I’ll share half a bowl with you. Eat it while it’s hot!”

Zhou Zhao’er widened her eyes in shock, looking at Bai Yuanzhi in disbelief. “Third Sister, are you possessed? Why are you suddenly so generous? Tell me, what do you want?”

Bai Yuanzhi said, “Then don’t eat it.”

“I’ll eat, I’ll eat!” Zhou Zhao’er scrambled out of bed, still drowsy, and went to freshen up.

Bai Yuanzhi instructed her, “Yesterday, I went to your mother’s place and reminded her again. Only then did I find out she hasn’t even started your Hong Kong residency application! We can’t keep dragging this on. Go find her again later, and this time, make sure you keep an eye on her. All the paperwork must be completed today.”

At the mention of this, Zhou Zhao’er grew annoyed. “I’ve asked her more than once! Every time, she has an excuse—cooking for her husband, washing Wu Jiayin’s clothes…”

Bai Yuanzhi cut her off.

“Don’t worry. If you drag her to the immigration office today and tell her you won’t leave until it’s done… she’ll definitely get it done.”

Bai Yuanzhi advised her, “But this opportunity is only for today. After today, if you ask her again, she’ll keep putting it off.”

Zhou Zhao’er paused, curious. “Why? Is today some special day?”

“Just do as I say,” Bai Yuanzhi replied. “Remember, if it’s not done today, it never will be… I’m leaving!”

With that, Bai Yuanzhi hurried out of the rental apartment.

After arriving at the hotel, Bai Yuanzhi tackled her work with determination.

Then, while her coworkers were busy with their tasks or chatting idly,

Bai Yuanzhi first used the phone in the duty room to return the call and listen to A Yao’s message.

For some reason,

the corners of her mouth lifted uncontrollably, and she found it hard to suppress the smile.

Then—

Bai Yuanzhi dug out Anthony’s business card—Chen Shen’s secretary—and gave him a call.

On the other end of the line, Anthony spoke politely but coldly:

“Good morning, Miss Bai. If you’d like to discuss the collaboration project with Zhou Group, could I trouble you to speak with my assistant? I apologize if this seems like an evasion, but communicating with my assistant may be more efficient.”

Bai Yuanzhi, of course, was very understanding. “Good morning, Mr. Anthony.”

“I’ve noted everything you just said. I’ll follow your suggestion and kindly ask your assistant to page me later so I can get in touch with him.”

“But Mr. Anthony, the reason I called you today is simply to chat.”

“You know, yesterday afternoon, I was in a car accident…” Bai Yuanzhi recounted calmly.

The other party, who had initially been somewhat impatient, was taken aback upon hearing this and instinctively asked, “What?”

Bai Yuanzhi laughed, “Thank you for your concern, Mr. Anthony. I’m blessed with great fortune and completely unharmed.”

“But there’s one thing that’s utterly baffling—the person who tried to run me over with a car turned out to be Mr. Zhou’s girlfriend, Duoluoxi!”

“Don’t you think that’s strange?”

On the other end of the line, Anthony gasped sharply. “What did you say? You said Duoluoxi? You’re saying she… nearly hit you with a car yesterday afternoon?”

In his overwhelming shock,

his voice rose half an octave. “How is that possible? It absolutely can’t be! Duoluoxi isn’t already…”

“Exactly!” Bai Yuanzhi said with a sarcastic tone. “Oh, I almost forgot—Mr. Anthony is so busy with countless affairs, he probably doesn’t have time to chat with me about this. Perhaps it would be more efficient if you had your assistant contact me instead.”

With that, Bai Yuanzhi hung up the phone.

On the other end of the line, Anthony: …