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

The underfloor heating in Ping County was on full blast, but Bai Jian felt icy cold all over.

He watched helplessly and desperately as Xiao Wang took Bai Li's bank card.

As Xiao Wang operated the POS machine, he glanced at him sideways, his eyes full of the mockery of a victor.

"See that, Boss Bai?"

Xiao Wang deliberately slowed down his movements, as if he were showing off some kind of trophy:

"He... gave it to me willingly... I couldn't stop him..."

Bai Li leaned back on the sofa, somewhat impatiently saying:

"Hurry up, stop talking to irrelevant people."

Upon hearing Bai Li speak, Xiao Wang immediately stopped his teasing and became more efficient in his actions.

With a hissing sound from the printer, the receipt was dispensed.

"Yami--!!!"

Bai Jian suddenly let out a scream and lunged towards the counter, but Chen Tingting quickly blocked him with a kick.

He lay face down on the carpet, clutching his hair in agony, his voice hoarse from screaming.

"Stop it! That's my order! That's my customer!"

"Waaaaaah!"

"Stop...please...please..."

He cried so hard it was heartbreaking, and several sales assistants around him couldn't help but turn their heads to look.

Bai Li ignored his tantrum, picked up the pen, and signed her name on the back of the contract in a flamboyant style.

"It's done." Bai Li stood up, put the card back in his wallet, and turned to Xiao Wang to instruct, "Get those rooms on the second floor done as quickly as possible."

"Don't worry, Mr. Bai, I guarantee I'll handle it perfectly for you," Xiao Wang said respectfully.

After finalizing the renovation plans, Bai Li led the three girls outside.

As soon as he stepped out the door, he took the opportunity of getting a cigarette to secretly glance at the bank's billing notification.

Your account has been used for spending 300,000 yuan, leaving a balance of 43,127 yuan.

Looking at that pitiful string of numbers, Bai Li felt a pang in her heart.

That's enough to wipe out almost eight days' worth of rebates.

Even with the support of a system, it's still painful to see your savings dwindle when you're down to five figures.

He comforted himself inwardly:

[It's alright, out with the old, in with the new. Once these three ladies move in, their favorability will increase, and the money will come rolling in.]

"Cousin...why are you treating me like this...?"

Bai Jian followed behind, looking utterly dejected.

He resembled a stray dog ​​abandoned by its owner, his neck hunched, his eyes unfocused, muttering to himself:

"How can you be so heartless? What about the bloodline of the Bai family? What about your conscience?"

Bai Li paused, feeling a chill run down her spine, before quickly walking forward.

"Wait, what the hell am I doing?" Bai Jian slapped himself hard, regaining some of his senses.

"Damn, how did I get so into character without even realizing it? Ugh!"

He glanced at Bai Li, then at Panamera, who was shimmering in the sunlight, and his pride was shattered at that moment.

He knew that Bai Li had never intended to give him the order; he was just taking a dog for a walk.

"Bai Li! You cold-hearted bastard, I will never forgive you!"

Bai Jian roared at Bai Li's retreating figure like a madman:

"Don't you understand the simple principle of 'keeping the good stuff in the family'?"

"You spendthrift! It's all the same who gets ripped off, isn't it? Since you're going to get ripped off anyway, why don't you let your own brother do it? Then I can use the money to pay the workers' wages and buy myself a few packs of Zhonghua cigarettes to save face!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Tingting's anger flared up instantly.

She rolled up her sleeves, revealing a section of her tattooed arm, and turned around to start criticizing:

"You idiot, you still have the nerve to say that? Don't you even know what kind of scum you have under your command? You're even swindling money from your own relatives! I think you're like an old lady hiding under the covers—you're making me laugh!"

Bai Li reached out and stopped her.

"Don't bother with this irrelevant person." Bai Li said calmly, "Paying attention to him will only make you feel worse. Let's go."

However, Bai Jian had completely broken down and began to use his trump card – a memory-killing tactic of moral blackmail.

"Bai Li! Have you forgotten our childhood friendship?"

Bai Jian, his voice trembling with tears, shouted at the top of his lungs in the street:

"I used to flick your little pigtails! You were so tiny back then, and every time I finished, you'd chase me all over the yard, your little face all red. We were so happy! Have you forgotten all of that?"

The three girls, who were about to get on the bus, stopped in their tracks.

It's hard! It's hard!! Bai Li's fist hardened! He really wanted to punch this shameful bastard to death.

Having this old, messy history brought up, especially in front of three girls who have a strange adoration for him, is practically a public execution.

"Ha ha ha ha……"

Lin Xiaoshuang was the first to break down, clutching her stomach and laughing so hard she couldn't straighten up.

"Big brother... so you used to get your hair pinched when you were little? Haha, that brings back so many memories!"

Chen Tingting chuckled, sizing up Bai Li with a mischievous glint in her eyes: "Big brother, tell us quickly, did they catch him later?"

Although Li Jiaxin didn't laugh out loud, her cool eyes were full of mockery.

Bai Li blushed, turned around and grabbed Li Jiaxin: "Let's go quickly, this mad dog has started barking!"

"Hey, big brother, you go first, I'll listen a little longer." Li Jiaxin was as stubborn as a mule, not budging an inch even as Bai Li pulled her along, and shouted excitedly at Bai Jian:

"Cousin, please continue! I'm listening!! What happened next? What other embarrassing things did you do when you were a kid?"

When Bai Jian saw someone respond, he immediately felt like he had found a lifeline and began to recall.

With his eyes closed, he continued, his face full of self-satisfaction and self-absorption:

"Later, we got a big black dog. Every night when Bai Li was asleep, I would secretly bring the dog into my room and cuddle it while I slept."

"When Bai Li woke up in the morning and couldn't find the dog, he cried loudly. I even bragged to him that the dog ignored him, which meant it was affectionate towards me."

Bai Li was speechless; Bai Jian was just too cunning.

Unexpectedly, Bai Jian continued to output:

"Cousin, do you remember? We used to jump around like warriors in the pigsty."

As he was speaking, he suddenly opened his eyes, perhaps because he was suddenly intrigued.

Then, Bai Jian, in the crowded street, raised his hands above his head like a madman, his legs shaking as if he'd been electrocuted, jumping and shouting:

"Hey! Dao Ma! Dao Ma!"

"Hey! Dao Ma! Dao Ma!"

As he danced, he wiped away another tear from the corner of his eye, overwhelmed with emotion:

"You know, we were so innocent and happy back then."

"Pfft—"

"Hahaha!"

"Holy crap, bro, I can't take it anymore!!" Li Jiaxin and the other two girls clutched their stomachs, bent over laughing hysterically, snot bubbles coming out of their noses without even wiping them away:

"Big brother, were you this cute when you were little? You would even cry because a dog wouldn't eat your food?"

Bai Li took a deep breath; he felt like his lungs were about to explode with anger.

He originally intended to leave directly, but then Bai Jian, that idiot, started acting crazy towards him in the street.

This is intolerable... I'd even eat shit.

"Fuck your cyber mother! Do you think I'm blushing and chasing you because I'm happy?" Bai Li unleashed a torrent of abuse at Bai Jian: "I fucking want to kill you, you idiot!"

"And that dog, I raised it! You, you domineering pervert, force yourself on it every night. It trembles when it sees me the next day, afraid I'll take it home and you'll abuse it again! I'm just being kind to the dog, you idiot!"

"From beginning to end, only you, this amazing person, were happy!!"

Bai Jian was stunned.

He looked at the furious Bai Li, a hint of confusion in his eyes:

"That shouldn't be happening. In TV shows, when there's a flashback, the other person is usually moved to tears, then cries their eyes out. Why is it the opposite here? Did something go wrong?"

Bai Li slowly walked towards Bai Jian.

His aura was somewhat gloomy: "Cousin, I've discovered that I have another problem."

Bai Li stopped in front of him, her voice low and cold:

"Whenever I go out, there are always people who like to go against me, forcing me to show off and embarrass myself."

"Am I some kind of Conan-like being?"

Bai Jian looked into Bai Li's cold eyes and subconsciously shrank back.

"Ping County isn't that big, and you spend a lot of time online, don't you?" Bai Li flicked his cigarette ash, his tone casual. "Haven't you heard about that mess between Lao Wang and Xia Qing? And Zhao Gang and Zhang Yan, you should know a little about what happened to them, right?"

Bai Jian was taken aback at first, then his pupils contracted sharply.

As a seasoned gossip enthusiast in Ping County, he was certainly aware of those earth-shattering scandals that were worthy of being recorded in the Ping County annals.

Since then, there has been a persistent rumor.

There is a mastermind behind all these events, nicknamed "Little Conan of Ping County" and also known as "White Yama".

Once this person sets their sights on you, not only will you lose all your money, but your reputation will also be ruined.

"Could it be...could it be that the one behind it all...?"

Bai Jian pointed at Bai Li in terror, his tongue practically tied in knots:

"You...you're the one who brings juicy gossip wherever you go...White Yama?!"

Bai Li didn't say anything, but simply gave him a standard, polite smile.

In Bai Jian's eyes, that smile was even more terrifying than the sneer of a demon.

"Thump!"

Bai Jian could no longer hold on, his knees buckled and he knelt on the ground.

It's him, it's him, it's him, it's him, the Pingxian Little Conan whose words become law—his cousin Bai Li!

Bai Jian clasped his hands together and bowed frantically:

"It's you! You're the Pingxian Little Conan whose words carry on!"

"I won't do it again! Cousin... no, from now on you're my older cousin! I was wrong! I was out of my mind just now, I was talking nonsense!"

He grabbed Bai Li's leg and cried even more sincerely than before:

"Please don't mess with me. I'll lick your shoes on the street, okay? Please, don't make me the front page of Pingxian tomorrow!"

Seeing Bai Jian's cowardly appearance, Lin Xiaoshuang and the others stopped laughing, and their admiration for Bai Li rose to a new level.

The big brother is indeed the big brother; with just one sentence, he can make this shameless scoundrel kneel down and beg for mercy.

"Words become law? Interesting, you actually saw through me..."

"So, to beg for mercy, you're turning around and acknowledging me as your cousin... Hajijian, you bastard..."

"But since you've put it that way, I'll take the liberty of giving it a try."

Bai Li suddenly remembered her favorite novel and had an idea.

He coughed twice, and stood ramrod straight under Bai Jian's almost pleading gaze.

His voice suddenly became devoid of any emotion, like a vengeful ghost, yet tinged with divinity, hoarse and low:

"I'm telling you... the lifelike doll you hid under the bed has been secretly replaced by the old lady next door's teddy bear because you didn't close the door properly."

Bai Jian's body stiffened for a second, then his face showed despair.

Just because...

His neighbor really was an old lady who also owned a teddy bear, and he really did have a lifelike doll...

Everyone on the street heard only one deafening scream:

"No!!!! My Fangfang!!!"