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

"Um."

But Pei Jin only said "hmm" coldly, exactly in the same tone he usually used.

But that's not how he really felt.

He has been praised by countless people since he was a child for being good at studying, handsome, tall, and capable.

But Bai Tao praised him for being different.

When Bai Tao praised him, there was a deliberate and flattering quality that she herself probably didn't even realize.

She would draw out the last syllable and add a rising "~" at the end of the sentence.

After speaking, her eyes would crinkle into two crescent moons, conveying a subtle, scheming message: "Look at me! Look at me! I'm praising you!"

The words of praise that came out of Bai Tao's mouth were as sweet as honey, making his teeth ache.

He just really liked it, loved it, and was so happy he didn't know how to respond.

After washing up, Bai Tao came out of the bathroom wearing a white cotton nightgown. The hem of the dress reached her knees, and the neckline had a delicate lace trim.

Her hair was casually clipped back with a shark clip, with a few stray strands falling from her temples and clinging to her ears.

She stood obediently behind Pei Jin, holding two white porcelain bowls in her hands.

Pei Jin scooped a spoonful of porridge from the pot, then fanned the spoon a few times with his hand.

He turned around and held the spoon to Bai Tao's lips.

"Try it and see if you need to add salt."

Bai Tao leaned closer, parted her lips slightly, and took the tip of the spoon into her mouth.

The porridge was at the perfect temperature, the rice was soft and sticky, the pork was tender, and the fresh aroma of the vegetables filled the mouth. The salt was just right, bringing out the natural flavors of the ingredients.

Bai Tao's eyes immediately lit up. Pei Jin thought she was like a little dog who had just eaten something delicious, her happiness written all over her face.

Bai Tao gave a thumbs up and mumbled a sentence from her throat.

"Great job, Pei Jin!"

Pei Jin took the bowl, turned his head, and faced the stove.

The tips of his ears were slightly red, though not very noticeable in the dimly lit basement.

"knew,"

Pei Jin's voice returned to its usual calm tone.

"You've already praised me once. Go sit down, it's time to eat."

Bai Tao obediently helped Pei Jin place the stool next to the coffee table, lifted a corner of the sofa cushion, and sat down herself.

Pei Jin walked over carrying two bowls, placing one in front of Bai Tao and the other in front of himself, with the spoons placed on the rim of the bowls with the handles facing outwards for easy access.

While eating, Bai Tao opened Douyin (TikTok).

The red dot in the message bar was still there. She clicked on it and found two new private messages.

It was sent in the early morning. It was from two girls with very cute profile pictures, one a pink bunny and the other a white kitten. Their IDs both contained adorable emoticons.

The private messages were similar.

[Are you there? Do you accept commissions for the illustrations you posted on your homepage?]

Approximately how much does one ticket cost?

Bai Tao was so excited that she put down her spoon and stopped eating.

[30 yuan for a photo, baby. I'll give you an extra 5 yuan if you let me send a video.]

This price is quite low.

Bai Tao checked and found that most artists of the same skill level are between fifty and eighty years old.

She deliberately lowered the price, not to make money, but to accumulate works, build a reputation, and gather the first batch of fans willing to help her share.

The two girls on the other end of the line sent her messages in the early hours of the morning, so she didn't reply.

Bai Tao wasn't in a hurry. She put her phone on the coffee table, picked up her spoon again, and scooped up a mouthful of porridge.

If someone asks about it, it means there's progress. Even if she doesn't close a deal in the end, it means her paintings have been seen.

Pei Jin watched her play on her phone, stirring the porridge in her bowl several times with her spoon, without putting a single spoonful into her mouth.

He hesitated for a moment, unsure whether she had actually managed to get Bai Jiazhenzhen's attention.

He opened the Douyin app, tapped the screen twice with his finger, and before he could react, a live stream popped up.

Bai Zhenzhen's live stream.

In the scene, Bai Zhenzhen is wearing a pale yellow dress and standing in the garden of the Bai family villa.

The morning light fell on her, turning her hair chestnut brown, with a large lawn and neatly trimmed bushes behind her.

She smiled at the camera, answering fans' questions in a soft, gentle voice, with just the right amount of timidity.

Before Pei Jin could turn off the sound, Bai Zhenzhen's voice came from his phone.

"Why is my sister up so early?"

"Well—because I used to work at a bubble tea shop and also had to take care of my ex-mother."

So I need to get up early, go to the hospital to buy food, and only after feeding her can I go to work.

The moment the sound came out, Pei Jin visibly panicked.

He frantically tapped on the screen, trying to turn off the sound, but he couldn't get it right no matter how many times he tapped.

He had just downloaded the app and had never watched a live stream before. He didn't know that even if he turned off his phone screen, the sound would continue to play after he clicked on it.

So when Bai Tao and Pei Jin saw Bai Zhenzhen's voice continuously coming from the blacked-out phone screen, Pei Jin clearly panicked.

"This is my sister's back garden."

How old are you? How old am I? — Twenty-three.

Pei Jin quickly turned off the sound.

When he looked at Bai Tao, he found her happily eating, seemingly oblivious to everything.

"you……"

Bai Tao took a mouthful of porridge, swallowed it, and then looked up at Pei Jin.

"Why aren't you watching anymore?"

Bai Tao's tone was no different from usual.

"I'd like to hear it too, take another look."

Pei Jin was stunned for a moment.

He looked into Bai Tao's eyes, trying to find a trace of sadness, hurt, or deliberate pretense, but there was nothing there.

Bai Tao's eyes are bright and clean.

"You know?"

Pei Jin asked, his voice softer than before, with a cautious probing tone.

"I know."

Bai Tao rolled her eyes.

"I'm on my phone at home all day, how could I not see it?"

Pei Jin opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing.

Bai Tao noticed that he hadn't eaten for a long time and was only staring at her, so she smiled and patted her leg.

The slap landed on his knee with a crisp sound.

"Why are you looking at me? Eat!"

Bai Tao's voice carried a light, commanding tone that left no room for argument.

Pei Jin lowered his head, picked up the spoon, scooped up a mouthful of porridge, and put it in his mouth.

Aren't you sad?

Pei Jin's voice was very low, so low that it sounded like he was asking himself.

Bai Tao looked at him with suspicion, as if he had said something wrong.

She frowned slightly, not understanding.

"sad?"

Bai Tao tilted her head slightly.

Why should I be sad?

Pei Jin did not answer.

"She's right."

Bai Tao's tone was very calm.

"She really suffered for me. I also enjoyed so much happiness for her for so long."

The Bai family treated me well, but I'm an adult now.

Compared to her, who was even younger at the time, what did I have to feel was difficult about life?

Pei Jin wanted to say that it's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. He swirled the words on his lips, but then swallowed them back.

He wanted to say that getting used to a good life and then having to go downhill is harder to bear than living a hard life all along.

But he didn't say it aloud, because he suddenly realized that Bai Tao was far stronger than he had imagined.

She didn't need his comfort. She knew everything, she had figured everything out, and then she chose not to let herself get caught up in it.

When Pei Jin was kicked out, he was actually resentful.

He resented the Pei family for being selfish and cold-hearted, saying that so many years of affection had vanished just like that.

But those resentments lingered in his heart for only a few days before being pushed away by other things. Since meeting Bai Tao, he hasn't had much time to be sad.

Bai Tao was like a spiritual anchor to him; her mere existence made him feel that he couldn't stop.

Bai Tao got angry when he didn't say anything.

She gently kicked his knee with her foot, her toes poking Pei Jin's kneecap through his pajama pants.

Pei Jin looked down at her feet, then looked up at her face.

"What's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Bai Tao's tone carried a slight hint of resentment at being neglected.

"Am I the kind of bad woman who complains and blames everyone? Doesn't that make you sad?"

Pei Jin smiled.

His eyes crinkled slightly. "Yeah, that's pretty bad."

He did not answer whether he was sad or not.

He desperately wanted to make a comeback and crush the Pei family under his feet.

This thought had crossed his mind many times, but he never said it aloud, because saying it would make it meaningless.

There's no need to tell anyone about your goals before you've achieved them.

He finished his meal in a few bites, emptying the bowl of porridge completely, leaving not a single grain of rice.

Then he also took away the bowl containing the white peach.

"I won't be back at noon today."

Pei Jin's tone was the same as usual, but he spoke much more than usual.

"Don't always eat instant noodles. When ordering takeout, order something nutritious, and don't always eat fried food."

Bai Tao glanced at him and thought he was so long-winded.

This person usually speaks one word at a time, but now he's spouting such a long string of words in one breath, it's like he's a completely different person.

She ignored him and instead opened Bai Zhenzhen's live stream herself.

The number of viewers in the upper right corner is 2351, and the number of online viewers is still slowly increasing.

Bai Tao looked at the number and smiled.

"If I become rich in the future..."

"I'll become her number one supporter, so she'll thank me every day."

Pei Jin stood at the door, holding the electric scooter keys in his hand, and suddenly realized that his worries were unnecessary.

She is really energetic.

He opened the door, and the motion-activated light in the hallway flickered on.

The iron gate closed behind him, and where no one could hear him, he said something.

"You will."

The morning breeze was still a bit chilly.

As the electric scooter drove out of the residential area gate, the wind rushed towards me from the front, but the sunlight wasn't too harsh.

But the light reflected off the road surface, casting a pale golden glow, made him unconsciously squint.

The wind dispelled most of his drowsiness, and his mind became clearer.

Lately, he keeps thinking about white peaches.

It wasn't a deliberate thought, but rather a natural, uncontrollable thought.

When he stands in front of the assembly line, he imagines Bai Tao nestled on the sofa.

When he lies in bed staring at the floral fabric, he imagines Bai Tao playing on her phone over there.

Bai Tao's every move affected his emotions.

When she smiled, he felt the whole basement brighten up.

When she cries, he feels a tightness in his chest, as if something is blocking it.

He had never been in a relationship; he had neither the time nor the interest while living at the Pei family's house.

He couldn't even be bothered to remember the names of the girls who approached him at the banquet.

He had never eaten pork, but he had seen pigs run.

These symptoms are like...

But he wasn't sure.

He wasn't sure if this was love.

It was when he had nothing that he relied on people who belonged only to him and with whom he had a close connection.

Bai Tao was the first person to reach out to him after he was kicked out of the Pei family.

If it were someone else, or in a different situation, would he still care so much about her every move?

he does not know.

But no matter what his feelings for Bai Tao are at this moment, he is willing to ensure that Bai Tao will have no worries about food and clothing for the rest of her life after he makes a comeback one day.

This is something he's willing to owe.

However, it's impossible for him to achieve this if he continues doing his current job.

Bai Tao deserves a better life, not this.