After being kicked out of the wealthy family along with her yandere childhood friend

The white peach was awakened by the heat.

She groggily opened her eyes, struggling to open them a crack, and glanced at her phone.

4:30 PM.

The basement windows were poorly ventilated, and the heat accumulated during the day couldn't dissipate, all of it stuffy in this small space. Bai Tao touched the back of her neck, which was covered in a thin layer of sweat, and her hair was damp, with a few strands sticking to her cheeks.

She suddenly realized that it was really necessary to buy a small air conditioner.

Bai Tao sat up, her hair a mess like a bird's nest. She glanced subconsciously at the floral fabric area; the bed was empty, the blankets were neatly folded, and the pillows were placed in the middle.

Pei Jin hasn't returned yet.

Bai Tao paused for a moment, reached for the phone on the coffee table, swiped the screen, opened WeChat, and then her hand stopped in mid-air.

She and Pei Jin didn't exchange contact information at all during lunch.

She bought him a new phone and a new SIM card, and then that was it. She forgot to add him as a friend, and he probably forgot about it too.

The two parted ways without any further contact; she slept in the basement, while he disappeared on his electric scooter.

She belatedly realized that Pei Jin had taken her phone, her electric scooter, and the scooter's keys. Was he... planning to abandon her in this little house?

Bai Tao was startled by the thought, then quickly shook her head.

will not.

Pei Jin is not that kind of person.

Bai Tao didn't know why she was so certain, but she just knew.

She took a deep breath and then slowly exhaled.

In summer, it gets dark late, almost 7:30 pm. It's only 4:30 pm now, no rush.

Bai Tao got up from the sofa, stepped barefoot onto the cool floor, went into the bathroom, turned on the tap, and splashed a handful of cool water on her face.

Water trickled down her chin, dripping onto her collar and leaving a watermark.

Bai Tao dried her face, sat cross-legged on the sofa, opened her tablet, and began to seriously study the artists online.

She looked at several accounts, some big influencers, some unknowns, some drawing in the ancient Chinese style, some in the Japanese style, some in the realistic style, and some in the cartoon style.

She looked at them one by one, carefully analyzing their painting style, IP positioning, update frequency, and charging methods.

Some artists charge fixed prices for their work, such as fifty yuan for a portrait; others charge according to the complexity of the portrait, such as thirty yuan for a simple one and two hundred yuan for a complex one; still others don't take any work at all and can make a good living just by sharing platform traffic and Google Ads.

Bai Tao finally decided to start with character illustrations.

The barrier to entry for converting artwork is low, the output is quick, and it's easy to build a following. Once the account is established, you can start taking on commissions and have more confidence in your pricing.

She spent a long time browsing model photos online, but worried about copyright infringement with online images and found the stock photos in stock photo libraries to be too fake. She couldn't find a single one she particularly liked even after flipping through several pages.

Bai Tao thought for a moment, then propped the tablet up on the coffee table, turned on the front-facing camera, and took a picture of herself.

Her hair was still a bit damp in the photo, but her striking features—almond-shaped eyes and a high nose—made her stand out. Sunlight streamed in through a small side window, casting distinct light and shadow on her face.

Bai Tao opened the painting software, created a new canvas, selected a color, and began to paint.

First, outline the shape, then lay down the base color, and finally refine the facial features.

She drew slowly because she hadn't drawn seriously in a long time, her skills were a bit rusty, and her brushstrokes weren't as smooth as before.

But she wasn't in a hurry; she polished it stroke by stroke, gradually smoothing out the rough parts.

As she drew, her gaze unconsciously drifted to the time in the upper right corner of the screen.

7 PM.

Pei Jin hasn't returned yet.

Bai Tao paused for a moment.

She looked up from the tablet and glanced out the small window; it was already getting dark. She stared at the window for a few seconds, then put down the tablet, stood up, and spun around in place.

Is Pei Jin really gone?

No, he can't.

But what if?

She paced around the room again, her mind a jumble of thoughts. One moment she thought Pei Jin might just be lost, the next she wondered if he had been ambushed by those thugs again, and then she wondered what if he had really just left on his own?

She sat down, picked up her pen, and decided to draw for a while longer.

He made two strokes, then put it down.

What kind of job do I need to find now?

Baitao didn't understand.

Even if he were looking for a job, he couldn't possibly spend an entire afternoon looking, could he? Where else could he go?

She started to think the worst: Could Pei Jin have really ridden away on her electric scooter? That scooter only cost eight hundred yuan, but it was her eight hundred yuan. And that phone, thirteen thousand yuan, thirteen thousand yuan!

Bai Tao sat on the sofa, becoming increasingly restless as she thought about it.

She stood up, then sat down again.

He stood up again.

At eight o'clock in the evening, Bai Tao put on a light jacket, stood at the door for a few seconds, and mentally prepared herself. If she couldn't find Pei Jin, she would call a locksmith to open the door.

Although it would be expensive, she couldn't just lock herself out.

She pushed open the door and went out.

The motion-activated light in the corridor flickered on, casting a dim, yellowish glow that illuminated her solitary shadow.

The alley was quite lively.

Many aunties, having finished their meals, would come out, fanning themselves with large palm-leaf fans, chatting idly, the air thick with the scents of floral water and mosquito coils.

Bai Tao walked to an old locust tree and squatted down in front of a group of grandmothers.

"Grandma," her voice softened, "did you see a man this tall this afternoon?" She held up her hand above her head to show him, "so thin, with a high nose, and quite fair skin?"

"What?" The grandmother at the front leaned closer, stopping the fan she was holding.

Bai Tao raised her voice and repeated herself.

"Why are you looking for him?"

A middle-aged woman in a floral shirt squeezed in, waving a red plastic fan in her hand, her eyes sparkling, with an enthusiasm for joining in the fun and listening to gossip.

"I haven't seen you before. Did you just move here?" Another auntie came over as well.

As soon as Bai Tao asked her question, all the aunties around her found it interesting and crowded closer. They stopped fanning themselves and chatting, all their attention focused on Bai Tao.

Bai Tao thought they had seen Pei Jin, and a glimmer of hope ignited in her heart. She patiently explained:

"He's my friend. We just moved here and aren't familiar with the area yet. He went out this afternoon and hasn't come back yet. I'm worried something might have happened to him, so I came to find him."

The aunties listened in unison, nodded in unison, and showed expressions of sudden realization.

Then they all shook their heads in unison.

"Never seen it before."

Bai Tao's smile froze.

never seen it

Why ask such detailed questions? I've never seen anything like this before!

Bai Tao stood up, dusted off her skirt, and tried to maintain a polite smile as she said, "Thank you, Auntie. Thank you, Grandma. I'll be going now," before turning and leaving.

The aunties behind her started chattering again, even louder than before. Bai Tao vaguely heard things like, "She's quite fair-skinned," "The young girl is all alone," and "These young people nowadays."

She asked her way along the road that led to the entrance of the residential area.

They were all just there to watch the show.

No one has ever seen Pei Jin.

Bai Tao stood at the entrance of the residential area, looking around.

Once she stepped out of that door, she really wouldn't know whether Pei Jin should turn left or right.

She remembered that the two of them had only eaten a little bit of boiled vegetables with little oil at noon, and her stomach was starting to rumble with hunger.

Pei Jin ate the same food as her, so he must be starving by now.

I don't know if he's eaten, if he has water to drink, if he's hot, or if he's found a job.

Bai Tao asked around the surrounding shops, but no one had seen Pei Jin.

She bought a bowl of oden at the convenience store and ate it while standing at the door.

The soup was a bit salty, and the radish was overcooked, but it was hot, and when I ate it, the empty feeling in my stomach eased a little.

After finishing her oden, Bai Tao threw the paper bowl into the trash can and sat down on the stone bench at the entrance of the residential area.

She watched the cars coming and going at the intersection.

Car lights flashed one by one as they passed by. Some people were waiting at a red light, some were on their way home from get off work, and some had just come out of the subway station, hurrying home.

Everyone has a place to go, and everyone has someone waiting for them.

Except for her.

Bai Tao rested her chin on her knees, hugged her legs, and curled up into a small ball.

I feel so helpless.

She originally wanted to curry favor with Pei Jin, but now it seems Pei Jin has run off with her electric scooter and the phone she bought.

Her electric scooter, her cell phone, her money, her sincere heart—all gone.

Bai Tao buried her face in her knees, trying hard to control the urge to cry.

Auntie is right.

I feel sorry for men who are unlucky their whole lives.

Spending money on a man will bring you bad luck for eight hundred lifetimes.

Bai Tao sniffed, her mind starting to wander uncontrollably to thoughts of her future.

Without Pei Jin as her powerful backer, does she really have to go out and find a job?

What can she do?

She studied fine arts in college, but after four years, it seems she can't do anything except draw and dance.

Can she really support herself by just drawing?

If a picture sells for thirty yuan, how many pictures does she need to draw to pay the rent?

How many paintings would she need to make to afford a dress?

She sat on the stone stool, the wind blowing her hair wildly. A few strands stuck to her face, tickling her.

She didn't know if Pei Jin would ever come back.

Bai Tao sat on the stone stool for a while, lost in thought.

The flow of people at the entrance gradually thinned out. In twos and threes, they walked past her, chatting and laughing as they headed home.

Bai Tao looked at those people, and her eyes suddenly stung.

A tear fell uncontrollably, landing on the back of her hand.

She thought that if she could do it all over again, she wouldn't feel so bad.

She didn't cry when she was kicked out of the Bai family, she didn't cry when Pei Jin choked her and almost killed her in the alley, and she didn't cry when she slept on the hard wooden bed.

She thought she had gotten rid of these weak emotions.

But now, she sits here alone, watching others go home in groups.

Although taking in Pei Jin was for her own sake, it was an investment, a business deal, and a powerful figure she could rely on in the future.

Pei Jin only spent a few short days with her, but she felt very happy.

Having someone eat with her, or someone humming in response to her speech, even if it's a cold or impatient response, is better than nothing.

Sitting here all by herself, she felt incredibly lonely.

What devastated her most was that those were her newly bought electric scooter and cell phone!

Bai Tao sniffed, and her tears fell even harder.

A phone worth 13,000 yuan and an electric scooter worth 800 yuan—all gone. She not only lost money but also her loved ones; she's the epitome of losing both.

When Pei Jin returned, he saw a person sitting at the entrance of the residential area, crying.

The streetlights cast a dim, yellowish glow on that person.

If it weren't for the fact that the dress was of such high quality, shimmering with a soft sheen that only fine fabrics can produce when illuminated, dazzling her eyes, he really would have ridden past it.

It's a white peach.

Pei Jin parked the car on the side of the road, not even having time to remove the keys, and strode over.

He walked up to her, squatted down, and looked her in the eye.

"What's wrong?" His voice held a panic he himself hadn't heard before. "Who bullied you?"

He only spent one afternoon apart from Bai Tao, so why did Bai Tao start crying at the entrance of the residential area?

He couldn't think of any other reason besides being bullied.

How long has she been sitting here alone?

Does anyone glance at her a few times when they pass by?

Has anyone bullied her?

Pei Jin suddenly recalled the way the workers who had been squatting at the alley entrance smoking that afternoon had looked at Bai Tao. His hand unconsciously clenched.

Bai Tao looked up, and the light from the streetlamp fell on her face, revealing two tear streaks.

Her eyes were red, the tip of her nose was red, and there were still wet tears on her eyelashes.

When she saw Pei Jin, her lips trembled, and she cried even harder.

"Why did it take you so long to get back?" Her voice was soft and hoarse, trembling with tears, each word sounding as if it had been soaked in water. "I've been looking for you for ages..."

Pei Jin squatted there, watching Bai Tao cry uncontrollably, and his heart suddenly clenched.

Is she in such a hurry because he hasn't come back yet?

He thought that Bai Tao took him in simply because they knew each other and because Bai Tao had indeed spent a lot of money on him.

She really was kinder than he had imagined.

He never imagined that Bai Tao would be worried because he hadn't returned. He certainly never imagined that she would cry because she couldn't find him.

The Pei family is anxious and concerned about him because he is the heir to the Pei family fortune. He's made of real money and has value. The drivers and nannies care about him only because if something happens to him, it will affect their wages.

Having lived in the Pei family for twenty-four years, he was already used to this kind of equal exchange relationship: you give me money, I work for you, and neither of us owes the other anything.

But white peaches.

She spent so much money on him and cared about him so much.

Is he really that important to her?

Pei Jin looked at Bai Tao's red nose and wet eyelashes, and something gently touched a small, soft spot in his heart.

Actually, only a small number of the reasons Bai Tao cried were because she was anxious about Pei Jin.

The main reason was the fear of losing her money, coupled with the pressure of having to replan her future, which caused her to become emotional and cry.

But Pei Jin was unaware of these things.

All he saw was a little girl crying her eyes out for him.

He was deeply moved.

Seeing Bai Tao cry, he panicked and didn't know what to say or do. He raised his hand and then lowered it again. Finally, he took a step forward and gently hugged her.

His arm was wrapped around her back, very gently, and Bai Tao's face was pressed against his chest; she could feel his heartbeat.

"sorry,"

Pei Jin's voice came from above, low and with a slightly awkward gentleness, "I'm late. Don't be angry."

Bai Tao was stunned for a moment when Pei Jin hugged her.

She blinked, and a few tears were squeezed off her eyelashes, falling onto his clothes and leaving small dark spots.

Then, she smiled secretly.

Since Pei Jin was so moved, she might as well be merciful and pretend that she was only so sad because of him. After all, she'd already cried; wouldn't it be a waste not to gain some sympathy points?