After Bai Qiming finished speaking, he hung up the phone.
From ancient times to the present, Jiangjing has been the capital and the economic center of Asia.
Most of the major families that have been passed down in the country were in Jiangjing.
With Jiangjing as the center, the four cities of southeast and northwest formed a distinct power and aristocratic circle, which was still an insurmountable barrier at present.
Almost everyone had been striving for Jiangjing University, the prestigious institution that represented status and position, since birth.
And Xiangcheng–
A small border town with all kinds of people, a bunch of international fugitives lurking around, and countless missing persons every year. Most people receive a fixed salary and spend their whole lives in that city.
Naturally, Bai Qiming didn’t think Bai Lian would go there.
Businessmen value profit, and his relationship with Ji Mulan had been eroding day by day.
Bai Lian’s status was also declining day by day.
Even an ordinary family couldn’t deal with matters fairly and not favor any party, let alone a wealthy family like the Bai family.
Otherwise, he would not have failed to notice that Bai Lian had left the Bai family long ago.
The servants downstairs who received the call were also uneasy and did not understand Bai Qiming’s meaning, looking at each other in confusion.
Where could they find the Miss to come back?
Xiao Qing, the servant who answered the phone, trembled and went upstairs to knock on the study door.
“Where is she?” Bai Qiming glanced at him.
The servant was about to cry, “Miss, she…”
The Bai family butler was on the side, his voice hoarse and his gaze complicated as he explained, “Sir, Miss Bai left for Xiangcheng that night.”
As for the ancestral temple, she didn’t even glance at it.
The study instantly became an ice cellar.
“Good, very good!” Bai Qiming’s face was as heavy as water, and he said indifferently, “Since she’s so stubborn, let her household registration be moved out as well. From now on, whether she lives or dies, her honor and disgrace have nothing to do with our Bai family.”
In the past, Bai Lian had caused trouble before, and at that time, Bai Qiming and Ji Mulan would sometimes indulge her. But now, does she think too highly of herself, really thinking that the Bai family would go to Xiangcheng to invite her back?
Bai Qiming’s anger was so great that he couldn’t hide it from others.
Soon, the eldest grandfather, who had the highest seniority in the clan, learned of this.
“Forget it, don’t worry about it. Let her seek her own blessings,” as long as Bai Shaoqi was still on the family tree, the eldest grandfather waved his hand and didn’t care, “It’s just a pity for that letter of apprenticeship, ‘a cow chewing on peonies’.” (TL: does not know how to appreciate beautiful things)
When the Bai family learned of Bai Shaoqi’s existence, the eldest grandfather went to the thatched cottage three times to invite her back to the Bai family. In contrast, Bai Lian’s departure was nothing to the Bai family.
In the hearts of the eldest grandfather and others, Bai Lian was not even as important as that letter of apprenticeship.
****
When Bai Lian received the news from the Bai family’s servant, she had already arrived at her uncle’s community.
She casually crossed out the message without caring.
Bai Lian’s uncle lived in the old city area of Xiangcheng, unlike the high-rise buildings in the city center of the north. The community was very old.
Her uncle’s home was on the fifth floor, with no elevator and only a dark and gloomy staircase.
When she knocked on the door and entered, her aunt stood up in a dress to greet her, with a clear look of flattery in her eyes, reaching out to take Bai Lian’s luggage, “Ah Lian is here, why didn’t you call me to help you with your luggage?”
Bai Lan didn’t give it to her, and her aunt stepped back with a sneer.
“Hello,” Bai Lan looked up and said.
A lazy but exceptionally outstanding face.
Aunt Ji instantly felt that this 100-square-meter old and broken home and dark staircase were incompatible with this niece.
“Let’s eat first, Ah Lian. This is your grandfather. You probably haven’t met before. Your uncle is still teaching students to draw and can only come back at night. Do you remember your eldest uncle…” Aunt Ji had always been enthusiastic and introduced Bai Lian to her grandfather sitting on the sofa.
Bai Lian’s gaze fell on her grandfather.
Her grandfather, Ji Heng.
In the original owner’s memory, Ji Mulan had a bad relationship with the Ji family, and she had only come back once in so many years. Ji Mulan had waited at the door for a long time, but Ji Heng didn’t open the door or see them.
This was their first meeting.
Ji Heng sat on the fabric sofa, his gaze on the TV playing the news, with reading glasses on his nose, wearing a coat that had been washed and faded to a pale color, but with extremely delicate embroidery patterns. His back was very straight, and he held an old-fashioned cigarette stick in his hand.
Aunt Ji went to the kitchen, and after a while, Ji Heng spoke in a muffled voice, “Has your mother contacted you in the past two years?”
Bai Lian looked at the delicate patterns on his clothes, then sat on the sofa with her legs crossed and her eyes down, looking innocent and harmless, only twirling a red ribbon with her fingers absentmindedly. “No.”
The original owner’s mother had been missing for two years.
Ji Heng nodded, took a deep breath of dry smoke, and fell silent.
Bai Lian sat obediently for a while, but seeing that no one was paying attention to her, she leaned back on the sofa and lazily took out her phone to browse the news.
Lunch was very rich, all to Bai Lian’s taste.
“Has your school transfer been processed?” Ji Heng asked in silence.
“It’s being processed. It will be transferred in a few days.”
“Well, when your uncle comes back, let him contact the teacher at Xiangcheng Middle School for you.”
Aunt Ji felt that something was wrong.
“School transfer? What school transfer?”
“I’m transferring to a school in Xiangcheng,” Bai Lian had only eaten a few bites of rice. She put down her chopsticks. “I left the Bai family.”
Aunt Ji’s mind was buzzing. “L-left? What do you mean?”
Bai Lian took out a tissue paper to wipe the corner of her mouth, looking calm and composed she said, “It means I was kicked out, and my household registration will also be moved out. I can’t go back.”
“What?!” Aunt Ji’s voice was a bit sharp, “What about your father?”
Bai Lian looked at her with a “what do you think” expression.
She didn’t see any jokes on Bai Lian’s face.
Aunt Ji didn’t eat much, she was distracted and seemed to be thinking about something. She couldn’t help but take out her phone and search for something at the dinner table.
She must have seen something in the news, her face didn’t look good, she didn’t even wash the dishes.
Bai Lian’s Uncle came back quite early, he didn’t even have time to greet Ji Heng before Aunt Ji pulled him into the room.
The soundproofing wasn’t very good, Aunt Ji’s voice faintly came from the inside, “Ji Shaojun, did you know she was going to live here and let me prepare a room for her?”
“Keep your voice down,” Uncle Ji lowered his voice, “Dad and Ah Lian are outside–”
“But don’t you see how big our family is…”
Soon, the two came out.
“Alright,” Ji Heng picked up his pipe that was set aside, knocked it on the table, his voice was loud, and his wrinkled face expressionless. He lit his pipe, and the smoke blurred his expression, “Ah Lian, come to my place.”
Ji Shaojun looked at his father, and opened his mouth, but he knew once Ji Heng decided, no one could change it.
Aunt Ji was also stunned.
After a moment, she laughed and stroked her hair, “Dad, have dinner here?”
“No,” Ji Heng exhaled a smoke ring and looked at Bai Lian, “Come back with me.”
Ji Shaojun lagged behind Ji Heng by a step. He waited for everyone to leave before looking at his wife, “Shen Qing, listen to yourself. What did you just say? Ah Lian just came back today. Is it appropriate for you to say these things?”
After many years of living together, his wife was not without EQ. He didn’t understand why she deliberately let Ji Heng and Bai Lian hear those words.
“I said it specifically for your dad to hear. All of your family members are like this. If you don’t speak bluntly, your dad won’t understand.” Shen Qing picked up the rag and coldly sneered.
She was restless in her heart.
She knew very well what kind of person her niece was, not missing out on fights, car racing, or clubbing.
Ji Mulan had a falling out with Ji Heng when she was eighteen. No one in the Ji family knew that Ji Mulan had married into a wealthy family. Shen Qing had secretly seen it on Ji Shaojun’s phone.
The Bai family never acknowledged the Ji family, their poor relatives. They never visited Xiangcheng.
She originally thought that Bai Lian’s return to Xiangcheng would mean a chance to interact with the Bai family.
Who knew that Bai Lian, just like Ji Mulan, had a falling out with her wealthy father.
“I ask you, she’s also in her senior year of high school like Wanxuan, right? If she doesn’t get admitted next year, are we going to continue supporting her? One Ji Mulan, one Ji Shaorong, even if you don’t let them help you, are you also obliged to help clean up her mess?” The more she thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt in her heart. She added, “Your family is all so high and mighty, but can high and mighty be eaten? No wonder the Bai family likes that illegitimate child.”
“This is not being high and mighty, it’s about having a bottom line,” Ji Shaojun opened the front door and looked at Shen Qing before going downstairs. “And don’t compare that illegitimate child with Ah Lian.”
Shen Qing stood in place, threw the rag into the sink with a cold face.
Did she say something wrong?
Even Bai Lian’s biological mother abandoned her like an old shoe. She just happened to be born into a good family for protection. How could she compare to that high IQ illegitimate child of the Bai family?
She didn’t understand what Ji Heng and Ji Shaojun were insisting on?
****
Outside.
Ji Shaojun quickly caught up with the two and silently took Bai Lian’s suitcase.
Bai Lian paused for a moment, looking at Ji Shaojun. It took about ten seconds before she let go of her hand.
Ji Shaojun picked up the suitcase.
Bai Lian watched his back for a long time before putting on her hat.
She followed the two, slowly searching for things she was interested in on her phone. A WeChat message came in at the top, from one of the original owner’s friends. She switched back to WeChat.
The original owner didn’t have many friends, most of them were rich second-generation kids who were just loafing around. This was the only one who had contacted her in the past two days.
Dog friend: [What’s going on with your fiancé?]
As she spoke, she sent a screenshot.
Bai Lian opened the picture, it was a screenshot of a WeChat Moment.
[Bai Shaoqi: This is the price of looking down on people (naughty) [Picture]]
The accompanying picture was of her precious fiancé wiping glass with a rag from the side.
It was clear that Bai Shaoqi had a wide social circle and was very popular. Below were a bunch of likes and comments from people.
Who in Beicheng doesn’t know Beicheng’s third young master, Song Min?
——Delighted to see, our Young Master Song has descended to earth?
——It’s still you, goddess!
——Haha, as an insider, I can say that Young Master Song never believes in evil, but has he forgotten that Shaoqi is Bai Xuechang’s biological sister?
——Yeah, does he think Shaoqi is that lady who couldn’t stay in our international class for a day because her science was too poor and then our head teacher couldn’t bear it and drove her to study literature!
