Volume 4 Chapter 5

Volume 4 + Chapter 5: Qianxue Is Hungry

Recently, Bai Yuxuan’s mood has been exceptionally good. Not only had she succeeded in completely shattering the alliance between her second and third uncles, the very people who had persecuted her, but she had also used the opportunity to draw a large number of branch-family factions that had originally stood on their side over to her own camp.

Those branch families had relied on the influence of her second and third uncles in Xijiang to survive in the first place. For small and medium-sized businesses like theirs, trying to operate within the Bai family’s sphere of influence without someone backing them was practically impossible.

But ever since the two Bai brothers had fallen out with each other, life for those branch families had become increasingly difficult.

After all, protection never came for free. Forty percent of the profits those branch families earned from doing business in Xijiang ended up in the pockets of Bai Yuxuan’s two uncles, and that didn’t even include the constant expenses of gifts and favors.

Once the brothers severed ties, both of their companies began declining. To make up for their growing losses, they started squeezing even more out of the branch families beneath them.

But those branch families had never made much profit to begin with. How could they possibly endure such relentless exploitation? Many of them were already at their breaking point.

And at that moment, Bai Yuxuan stepped forward.

She declared that if the branch families were willing to side with her, then she would personally replace her uncles in helping them establish connections and business channels throughout Xijiang.

Although Bai Yuxuan’s authority still did not rival that of her uncles, anyone with eyes could see the truth. The so-called “reselection” for the Bai family heir was nothing more than the old master’s smokescreen. Among the younger generation of the Bai family, there was no one more outstanding than Bai Yuxuan.

In the eyes of those businessmen, Bai Yuxuan was already the future head of the Bai family.

And businessmen always thought long-term. Rather than continue throwing money into two bottomless pits that only demanded more and more from them, it was far wiser to invest in Bai Yuxuan’s future.

Thus, many of the branch families defected to her side.

As a result, Bai Yuxuan’s two uncles suffered severe losses from the aftermath of the incident, while Bai Yuxuan herself used the opportunity to rapidly expand her own influence.

And by the time her second and third uncles finally realized what had happened, they were horrified to discover that Bai Yuxuan was no longer the “Young Master Bai” who possessed only the empty title of eldest son of the Bai family head.

Now, the power in her hands was already enough to contend with theirs.

The realization filled them not only with regret, but with deep fear.

Looking at the steadily growing forces under her command, Bai Yuxuan revealed a faint smile. The reason for her happiness was not the tempting power or wealth before her. After all, she had stood above her peers since childhood.

What truly made her happy was the feeling that she had finally gained the strength to protect the person she cherished most.

Thinking of this, she rose and stretched lazily.

By now, the other student council members had already left. Bai Yuxuan walked over to the window and leaned against it, gazing toward the club classrooms.

That route happened to be the only path Qianxue took from the clubroom back to the dormitories. So every day after school, Bai Yuxuan would stand by the window and search for his figure among the crowds.

She had discovered that once a person truly fell for someone, their eyes would unconsciously follow that person at all times. Merely catching sight of him brought an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

Bai Yuxuan enjoyed that feeling immensely.

Watching Qianxue from the window every day had already become one of her daily rituals.

Yet as time passed, the number of students on the road gradually dwindled. Eventually, there were barely any people left at all.

And still, Bai Yuxuan never saw Qianxue.

At this point, Bai Yuxuan was thoroughly confused. For the past two weeks, she had consistently failed to spot Qianxue on this route.

At first, she assumed he had simply returned to the dormitory early. But today, she had come much earlier than usual and still hadn’t seen him.

After letting out a disappointed sigh, she finally headed toward the school gates.

As she arrived there, two girls caught her attention. She vaguely recognized them, they seemed to be juniors from Qianxue’s club. Judging by how late they were leaving, they were probably the students on cleaning duty.

“Hey, don’t you think Senior Ouyang’s been acting kinda strange lately?” one girl asked her companion.

“Yeah, now that you mention it. She’s been leaving the club early all the time lately, and she always rushes straight out of the school gates.”

(So that’s why I haven’t seen Qianxue these past two weeks…) 

Bai Yuxuan thought as realization suddenly dawned on her. Quietly, she followed behind the two girls and listened in.

“But isn’t Senior Ouyang a boarding student?”

“Maybe she’s attending some tutoring classes off-campus? Think about it, Senior Ouyang got recommended admission already, but she still hasn’t contacted the Capital Conservatory. That probably means she doesn’t actually want to attend an arts university. Besides, her academic grades are amazing too.”

The moment Bai Yuxuan heard their conversation, she abruptly stopped walking.

Because based on what she knew about Qianxue, there was no way he would attend tutoring classes.

And lately, she had been closely observing his condition in class. He frequently nodded off during lessons, and every now and then he would space out entirely.

Originally, she had assumed it was because he had received the admission offer from the capital.

But after hearing the girls’ conversation, she realized the situation was far more complicated than she had imagined.

So the very next day, Bai Yuxuan handed all of the student council work over to Xia Bingdie and stationed herself outside the clubroom early to wait.

Sure enough, just before school ended, Qianxue walked straight out of the clubroom and headed toward the school gates.

Bai Yuxuan quietly followed behind him all the way until he entered Wang Shiman’s company.

“So Qianxue’s been going to Wang Shiman’s place these past few days…” Bai Yuxuan muttered thoughtfully, resting her chin against her hand.

Meanwhile, on Qianxue’s side, the teacher had dragged class overtime today, leaving him no chance to eat dinner.

The intense training sessions pushed his body far beyond exhaustion, and his stomach growled nonstop from hunger.

By the time he finally finished training and stepped out of the company building, a cold gust of wind hit him head-on.

In an instant, overwhelming fatigue and hunger surged into his head, causing him to stumble forward and nearly fall.

And at that very moment, he suddenly caught the scent of something rich and fragrant.

Following the aroma, he discovered it was coming from a roasted sweet potato stand.

The instant he saw it, an overwhelming sense of nostalgia welled up inside him.

He remembered the very first time he had ever seen a sweet potato stand, he had only been four years old then.

Back then, his father’s company had not yet collapsed, and their family had still been warm and harmonious.

That day, his parents had taken him and his younger sister to an amusement park. On the way home, he spotted a roasted sweet potato stand and stubbornly demanded that they buy one for him.

But his mother felt the food sold at roadside stalls wasn’t hygienic, and no matter what, she refused to buy it.

At the time, he had cried and fussed endlessly until his father finally shook his head helplessly and bought him one.

Only then had he happily started nibbling on the sweet potato.

“So I used to be that willful too…” Qianxue thought with endless emotion stirring in his heart.

So many years had passed that he had almost forgotten what roasted sweet potatoes even tasted like.

Even the image of his father’s face in his memories had begun to blur.

Lost in those emotions, he unconsciously walked toward the stall.

But just as he reached for his wallet to buy one, he suddenly realized he had left it back at the clubroom.

And so, penniless, Qianxue could only stand there dryly staring at the fragrant roasted sweet potatoes before him.

The thing he wanted was right in front of him, yet he simply could not reach it.

At that moment, Qianxue suddenly felt as though he had returned to the helplessness of more than ten years ago.

“When Mom refused to buy one for me back then, this must’ve been how I felt too… Except now, no matter how much I cry or complain, there’s no one left to buy it for me anymore.”

Just as Qianxue was quietly mocking himself, 

“Keep the change, boss.”

A hand suddenly slapped a hundred-yuan bill onto the stove, then picked up the largest roasted sweet potato and stuffed it into his arms.

Holding the steaming-hot sweet potato in his hands, Qianxue hurriedly turned around.

Only then did he realize that Bai Yuxuan had appeared behind him at some point, smiling gently as she looked at him.

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