Going home for Chinese New Year, I squeezed onto a bus with three energetic young women.

Bai Li's phone vibrated as soon as she entered the elevator.

When you open the voice message, you first hear Xia Qing's shrewish roar, followed by Li Mengmeng's soft, pitiful plea for comfort.

Bai Li tapped her finger lightly, returning to the past.

[Bai Li: Don't listen to her nonsense. Who does she think she is? Isolating you?]

Inside the villa, Li Mengmeng saw the reply and excitedly rolled around on the bed, kicking her two fair legs wildly in the air.

"Yay! Operation a great success!"

She thought for a moment, then sent another message.

[Mengmeng: But... if I don't listen to Sister Qingqing, I won't have any friends~ It's so pitiful to have no friends, I'll die of loneliness.]

[Bai Li: Who said that! Aren't I still here? Didn't we often eat together when we were in school? Eating buddies are friends too, right?]

Looking at the words "I'm still here" on the screen, Li Mengmeng smiled like a kitten that had just stolen some cream.

"Hmph... Brother Bai Li is really easy to fool and cute."

Then she opened the camera and kept looking for the right angle.

"No, this is too revealing, it looks like it's for sale..."

"This one's good; it even inadvertently revealed her white stockings..."

After taking the photos, she sent them to Bai Li with satisfaction, along with the caption: 【Goodnight, Bai Li-gege~】

……

The moment Bai Li took out his key and inserted it into the lock of his security door, his mind instantly tensed up.

The main lights were not on inside; only a dim floor lamp was left on.

Two "big Buddhas" sat on the sofa in the living room.

Older father Bai Weiguo sat on the left, a cigarette between his fingers, the ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts, clearly having waited a long time and deep in thought.

My mother, Wang Xiulian, sat on the right, her hands on her knees, her back ramrod straight, her face bearing the words: "Confess and you will be treated leniently."

"Dad, Mom... I'm back." Bai Li changed into slippers and tried to smile naturally.

"Hmm." Bai Weiguo snorted without looking up.

Wang Xiulian didn't say anything, but simply gestured with her eyes to the small stool opposite her.

Bai Li obediently walked over and sat down, feeling a nail on the stool beneath her bottom.

silence.

A suffocating silence.

Only the clock on the wall ticked away, each second pounding on Bai Li's taut nerves.

About two minutes later, Bai Weiguo finally stubbed out his cigarette.

"Xiao Li."

"Yes, Dad, what do you want to say?" Bai Li quickly sat up straight.

"Although our family isn't particularly wealthy, we must have principles and not mess around in relationships. I've taught you this since you were little, haven't I?"

"Yes, yes, Dad, you're right."

"That's good." Bai Weiguo nodded, leaned forward slightly, and his eyes suddenly sharpened.

"Then tell me the truth now."

Bai Weiguo held up four fingers and waved them in the air.

"Those four in the afternoon... the one with red hair, the one with purple hair, the one with blue hair, and that blond girl who called for Mom."

"Which of these four is my daughter-in-law?"

"Actually, it's all a misunderstanding." Bai Li leaned back, trying to appear as open and honest as possible.

"Those were just jokes between friends. Besides, I did help them out a little today, so they were overly grateful."

"So grateful that I'd kiss you in the street?" Bai Weiguo was clearly not someone to be fooled.

"That's because I lost a game of Truth or Dare." Bai Li said without changing his expression, "That's what they play at parties these days."

"Alright then." Bai Weiguo finally stubbed out the cigarette butt that was about to burn in his hand, and said earnestly:

"Xiao Li, you have to be honest. You can't mess around with matters of the heart."

"If you've really made up your mind, no matter if your hair is red or green, bring it back so we can see it."

"As long as he has good character, your mother and I can accept him."

"Yes, yes, yes." Wang Xiulian's expression softened as well.

"Okay, I understand." Bai Li quickly got up. "Then I'll go wash up. I'm exhausted from working on the project these past few days."

Only when Bai Li escaped back to her bedroom and closed the door did she feel alive again.

The phone screen lights up, bombarded with WeChat messages.

[Chen Tingting: Big brother, did your aunt and uncle beat you up? If you're not feeling well, come to our place, we've cleaned you inside and out!]

[Lin Xiaoshuang: Big brother, I'm so sorry, so sorry, so sorry...]

Bai Li replied to each of them with "It's okay, go to sleep early," and her finger finally stopped on Li Mengmeng's chat box.

That was a photograph.

……

The villa district in the south of the city.

Li Mengmeng had just finished showering, wrapped in a large white bath towel, revealing her rounded, pink shoulders.

She sat on the bed like a duck, her toes curled up with tension, their color a faint red from just having taken a bath.

The air was filled with the scent of peach-scented shower gel.

She stared at her phone screen, her lips pouting so much they could hang an oil bottle on them.

"Why haven't you come back yet...?"

She buried her face in the pillow and rubbed it against it, like an anxious kitten.

Until the phone "dinged".

[Bai Li: Just went to wash up. Go to sleep early, goodnight.]

Those few simple words instantly calmed her anxiety.

Li Mengmeng held her phone and kissed the line of text on it, her big eyes curving into crescents.

"Hehe, my brother replied to me."

"My brother said goodnight."

That night, Li Mengmeng had sweet dreams.

……

The next morning.

Bai Li was woken up by her phone vibrating.

Upon picking it up, I saw it was Li Mengmeng again.

[Mengmeng: Good morning, brother! I'll show you something funny~]

This was followed by a long screenshot of the chat history.

Xia Qing: Mengmeng, I've been thinking about this all night. Let's put aside the plan to isolate Bai Li for now.

[Mengmeng: Huh? Why, Sister Qingqing?]

[Xia Qing: That simp Zhao Gang, the one who used to chase after me, insisted on dragging me to the class reunion the day after tomorrow. I didn't want to go at first, but then he said Bai Li was going too!]

[Xia Qing: Zhao Gang sent me a picture of his beat-up Audi A4 and said he'd pick me up. It's hilarious. He probably doesn't know Bai Li's rich now, right?]

[Xia Qing: I'll team up with Bai Li and give Zhao Gang a good thrashing! If Bai Li sees how much I'm helping him save face, he'll definitely change his mind. This is called a roundabout tactic!]

[Mengmeng: Wow! Sister Qingqing, you're so smart! I'll come and cheer you on!]

Bai Li couldn't help but laugh out loud when she saw the screenshot.

Xia Qing truly has the word "Puxin" etched into her DNA.

[Mengmeng: Brother, do you have time? Let's meet up and discuss what to do~]

Bai Li replied in text.

Bai Li: No, I have something to do today. I'm taking a friend shopping for clothes.

[Mengmeng: Friend? Male or female?]

Bai Li: Female.

After sending this message, Bai Li immediately sent Zhang Qian her location.

[Bai Li: Pack your things, I'll pick you up in half an hour. I need to take you to run some errands.]

……