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Bai Ze watched as the figure on the high wall disappeared in an instant, accidentally letting out a chuckle.

"Such a coward... boring..."

A faint playful smile appeared at the corner of Bai Ze's mouth as he walked leisurely toward the main house's front door.

The people inside the white camper van hurriedly opened the door.

A man and a woman stepped out.

The man had sharp brows, star-like eyes, and defined features, exuding the unique charm of a mature man. His impeccably tailored suit fit him perfectly, his tall figure commanding presence. From the moment he stepped out of the car, his gaze had been locked on Bai Ze's face, his tightly furrowed brows betraying the deep worry in his eyes.

This man was Bai Ze's father — Bai Jingkuo.

The woman was breathtakingly beautiful, her elegance reminiscent of classical Chinese beauties. She wore a white strapless gown with blue porcelain patterns, exuding grace and nobility. Her stunning peach blossom eyes shimmered faintly, and not a single wrinkle marred her perfectly maintained skin. Her long, curled lashes fluttered slightly, as if tinged with moisture.

From the moment she stepped out of the car, her gaze remained fixed on Bai Ze.

This woman was Bai Ze's mother — Li Huiyan.

Unlike Bai Jingkuo, who remained composed in front of the servants, Li Huiyan couldn't contain herself.

Wearing ten-centimeter high heels, she lifted the hem of her dress and hurried toward the young man in front of her, pulling Bai Ze into a tight embrace.

In this moment, she no longer cared about maintaining her dignified image. All she could think about was her son — the son who had repeatedly encountered misfortune and had just narrowly escaped death.

"Cough... cough..."

Bai Ze's muffled coughing made Li Huiyan loosen her grip.

She cupped Bai Ze's face, her reddened eyes scanning him up and down.

"Are you hurt? Did the family doctor check you?"

Although Bai Ze had already called her on the way home to report his safety, she still couldn't help but ask.

Bai Ze gave her a bright, carefree smile, meeting her teary eyes.

He gently supported Li Huiyan's arm.

"I'm fine, Mom. I wasn't hurt."

"When I woke up, only Lin Yuxi and I were left in the villa. The kidnappers were already gone."

—

Meanwhile, sitting in the car, Chu Cheng felt the seeds of suspicion sprouting deeper in his heart.

The more he thought about it, the more something felt off.

Two people.

Barely acquainted.

Kidnapped together in a dangerous situation.

Instead of fleeing at the first chance, they sat down... and started discussing job opportunities in acting?

Just what the hell had happened during those ten-plus hours to make them so close?

The scene of Lin Yuxi's intimate gesture with Bai Ze earlier replayed in his mind, making him feel even more uncomfortable.

He glanced at Lin Yuxi with a probing look, countless questions swirling in his head — but in the end, he couldn't ask.

After all, his fiancée had just escaped a terrifying ordeal. If he immediately questioned her about another man, it would be far too insensitive.

Suppressing the irritation in his heart, Chu Cheng forced a gentle tone.

"Xier, you must've been scared, right? It's okay now. I won't let anything like this happen to you again."

Lin Yuxi smiled lightly.

"I'm not scared. The kidnappers never showed up. And even if they did... four or five of them wouldn't be able to touch me."

Chu Cheng's eyes softened, his voice filled with indulgence.

"Mm, Xier is the best."

—

Ding—

The phone in Lin Yuxi's hand lit up.

She had no secrets from Chu Cheng, so she opened the message right in front of him, scrolling up with her slender fingers.

But the moment the message opened, both of them froze.

It was from Bai Ze.

Two lines of text:

[Sister, I've made it home.]

[Thank you for taking care of me yesterday. The meal you made was really delicious. Thank you for agreeing to my request.]

Attached below was a sticker — a little white cat holding a heart, with the words "Thank you" in the middle.

—

Chu Cheng's lips curved into a cold smile, though his voice remained oddly calm, even teasing.

"So... the three of us agreed to be friends, huh? But this kid only messages you, Sister."

"He asks you to help him get an acting role... and specially comes to thank you for agreeing."

"Is he—"

Before he could finish his sarcastic remark, his own phone buzzed.

It was a message from Bai Ze.

[I'm home, Brother Chu.]

[Thank you for rescuing me. Your little brother isn't feeling well, so I won't come to thank you in person.]

[Regarding the land in Luoxi that Uncle Chu and my father are both bidding for, I'll ask my father to withdraw from the competition — a small gesture of gratitude.]

The same little white cat sticker, holding a heart.

—

For a moment, Chu Cheng's mind went blank.

He couldn't figure out whether Bai Ze was genuinely pure and harmless... or had already become so cunning that no ordinary person could fathom his depths.

But... what exactly was Bai Ze's intention?

His rescue was purely a coincidence — it was the Lin family who had arranged for someone to save Bai Ze at Bai Jingkuo's request.

Bai Ze owed him nothing.

Yet with just a few casual words, Bai Ze was giving him a massive gift — the Luoxi land.

—

Chu Cheng had spent countless sleepless nights socializing, greasing palms, and trying to secure that land. He had been humiliated by his adoptive father for not making progress.

But Bai Ze...

With a mere sentence, he was giving it away like flicking dust off his sleeve.

—

Lin Yuxi blinked, still in shock.

"Is it... the Luoxi land?"

She had heard Chu Cheng mention it before — the prime location, the fierce competition, and how exhausted he was from chasing it.

Chu Cheng nodded.

"Yeah... the only two families with a real chance at winning are ours and the Bai family."

Lin Yuxi muttered,

"Then... Bai Ze really helped you a huge favor."

Chu Cheng's smile deepened, though it didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Yeah... a huge favor indeed."

—

That night, the gears in Chu Cheng's mind kept turning, unable to rest.

He couldn't tell — was Bai Ze truly naive, or...

Had this young master, who had always been a notorious wastrel, finally shed his shell — revealing a predator lurking beneath?

Lin Yuxi lowered her eyelashes, glancing at the message Bai Ze had sent her, feeling a little uncomfortable.

For a moment, her mind was filled with Bai Ze's voice and smile, along with his pale lips and pitiful appearance as he softly called her "sister."

She knew exactly why Bai Ze was so grateful to Chu Cheng, even to the point of asking his family to withdraw from the bidding on that piece of land.

It was all because of her.

Firstly, Bai Ze wanted to thank her for taking care of him at the villa and for agreeing to help him find a kidney donor. But giving thanks to her directly might not be appropriate, so he took a roundabout way—thanking her fiancé, Chu Cheng, as if the gratitude extended to the man who would marry her in the future.

Secondly, perhaps Bai Ze had noticed the misunderstanding between Chu Cheng and them, so he made sure to thank them both, trying to strike a balance and avoid making things difficult for her.

Even though Bai Ze had done nothing wrong and was being unjustly suspected by her fiancé, he showed no impatience. Instead, he went out of his way to explain and defuse the misunderstanding.

His mind was so delicate, and his kindness was enough to make one's heart ache.

Lin Yuxi looked at Chu Cheng, whose face was still clouded with suspicion, and tugged at his sleeve, speaking seriously.

"Don't overthink it. He's just trying to thank you."

Chu Cheng lifted his eyes, staring at Lin Yuxi. "Xi'er, when did you become so eager to speak up for others?"

"I have no connection with him whatsoever. Do you really think he's doing this out of kindness? Does he really need to go so far to thank me?"

Hearing the rising suspicion in Chu Cheng's voice, Lin Yuxi shook her head and carefully explained.

"Bai Ze was kidnapped when he was young, so his fear of being abducted must be far greater than mine.

You're a man, Chu Cheng. Your thoughts aren't as delicate. When we appeared, we must have seemed like a light shining on him, giving him hope to survive—that's why he's thanking us like this."

Although Bai Ze hadn't told her this himself, she felt certain that someone who had faced danger time and time again must have such thoughts buried deep in his heart.

Chu Cheng had been holding back again and again, but hearing Lin Yuxi defending Bai Ze so sincerely made him unable to resist a sarcastic remark.

"Yeah, all the bad luck happens to him.

But what? His hands are broken? His legs are useless? He can't even feed himself?

Xi'er, after all these years, I've never tasted your cooking.

Oh, right... his hands are useless, huh? A man in his twenties needs someone to spoon-feed him?"

Lin Yuxi's lashes quivered as she stared at Chu Cheng, her voice growing more emotional.

"I already told you—he had one of his kidneys removed when he was young.

I'm not blindly defending him. He was tied up for hours without food. Bai Ze's body needs human albumin transfusions just to maintain normal functions.

He fainted right in front of me. How could I, with even a shred of compassion, deny him a meal?"

Chu Cheng's eyes widened slightly. "He... lost a kidney?"

"I told you that at the villa," Lin Yuxi replied.

Chu Cheng suddenly remembered she had indeed mentioned it, but with so many people talking at once, he'd barely registered it—and later, he'd forgotten the whole thing.

Now, hearing Lin Yuxi repeat it, his mood lightened considerably.

Though he still found Bai Ze's intentions suspicious—especially considering how much he seemed to be currying favor with Lin Yuxi—he felt less threatened.

After all, Bai Ze was just a sickly invalid with a missing kidney, whose life expectancy was uncertain.

There was no need to take such a man seriously.

Lin Yuxi could never fall for someone like that.

He understood her—she had loved him wholeheartedly for more than a decade, always preferring his type.

Her sympathy for Bai Ze was just that—sympathy.

Chu Cheng ruffled Lin Yuxi's hair, his tone softer now.

"Alright, it was my fault. I spoke too harshly."

A hint of dejection flickered in his eyes as he added, "He's the only child of the Bai family, so talented in every way.

I... I was just a little scared that you might like him.

You know I've only ever cared about you all these years."

---

At the Bai family home.

Bai Ze was seated at the dining table, enjoying the sumptuous meal prepared by the family's private chef.

Opposite him, Bai Jingkuo and Li Huiyan were fussing over him, their family dinner warm and harmonious.

Li Huiyan got up and ladled a bowl of chicken soup, placing it in front of Bai Ze.

"Drink more soup to nourish your body. After dinner, let the family doctor give you a check-up."

Bai Ze took a few sips, frowning slightly—the soup was bland, as if no salt had been added.

He looked up and smiled.

"No need, Mom. I'm really fine. If I feel unwell, I'll call the doctor myself."

Li Huiyan nodded. Bai Ze had always resisted regular check-ups, but he knew his own limits—whenever he felt uncomfortable, he would summon the family doctor without prompting.

Bai Ze glanced at the black screen of his phone on the table.

He had sent a message to both Lin Yuxi and Chu Cheng, but half a day had passed without a reply.

He chuckled softly.

No news was good news.

He had a feeling that something good was quietly unfolding somewhere in Luochuan—most likely inside a Mercedes-Benz.

Lin Yuxi and Chu Cheng were probably arguing by now.

Bai Ze smirked.

Ah, trust between people... so fragile, so easily shattered.

Li Huiyan noticed the smile on her son's face and felt that he had changed—he seemed more cheerful than before.

"Son, what's making you so happy?"

Bai Ze froze—damn, he'd smiled too obviously. His cool, aloof persona was about to collapse.

After a moment's thought, he beamed even brighter.

"I'm just touched, Mom. You and Dad are so good to me. I wanted to give the Chu family a thank-you gift, and you both agreed to give up such a prime piece of land."

Bai Jingkuo, who had remained silent, waved a hand dismissively.

"Nothing is more important than you.

Besides, I was planning to give up on that land anyway. I consulted a feng shui master—turns out that land has bad energy. No wonder the previous developer ended up with a half-finished project.

We have no ties to the Chu family, so why not offer them a favor?"

Bai Ze glanced at his kind-hearted father and nodded.

That piece of land in Luoxi was indeed a prime location—perfect for a luxury hotel or a high-end residential complex.

But only if it could actually be developed.

According to the original novel's plot, Bai Jingkuo had won the bidding for that land after Bai Ze was imprisoned.

Consumed by grief and hatred, Bai Jingkuo had defied the feng shui warning and paid double the market price to snatch the land from the Chu family—only to be crushed to death by a falling concrete pillar during a site inspection on a stormy day.

Bai Ze couldn't let history repeat itself.

That cursed land had to fall into Chu Cheng's hands—to rot there, eternally undeveloped.

Even if it didn't claim Chu Cheng's life, it would become his personal money pit.

Bai Ze nodded, smiling brightly.

"You're right, Dad. Helping others is what the Bai family does best."

At the same time, a voice he had come to love echoed in his mind.

[Ding! Host has successfully altered the plot trajectory. Villain Luck +200.]

[Ding! Host has successfully altered the plot trajectory. Villain Points +200.]