DASFAM_CH 03
What a righteous claim of 'self-defense'?
That was a flat-out killing blow!
Still dazed, Bai Yan heard his rebuttal and was so furious his face twisted, "You, you're full of shit!"
The next second, Bai Rendao entered the room together with a servant carrying medicine, "What's going on?"
Upon seeing her husband, Qian Shuling immediately played the victim, "Look at what Bai Xu did! He smashed a huge hole in your son's head!"
Bai Rendao saw the wound on Bai Yan that wouldn't stop bleeding, furrowed his brows and gestured to the servant, "Stop the bleeding first, we'll go to the hospital later."
"Ow, Mom, the pain is killing me."
Bai Yan was still wailing in agony, which left Qian Shuling both furious and frantic. She glared daggers at the culprit, "Call the police! Call them right now!"
"Call the police?"
Bai Xu looked as though he'd just heard the funniest joke, and unhurriedly opened a recording file on his phone.
In moments, a string of utterly repulsive words echoed through the room—
"Don't forget this is my house. I can do whatever I want here. If you call anyone over right now, do you think they'll side with you or with me?"
"You're going to be sold off by my parents sooner or later anyway, so why not let me have a taste first?"
"If you cooperate nicely and behave, I might go a little easier on you."
"Seems like you're not so dumb after all. Don't worry, I'll make sure you have the best experience."
Lewd and vulgar, the words laid bare the speaker's filthy intentions.
Bai Xu pocketed his phone and spoke bluntly, "I'd have no problem handing this recording over to the police. Better yet, let it spread far and wide, so everyone can see exactly what kind of shameless lot the Bai family really is!"
"……"
Bai Rendao's brow tightened, and he cast a displeased look toward the mother and son by the bed.
Qian Shuling could naturally recognize her own son's voice, yet she still chose to turn a blind eye, "Bai Xu, who taught you these underhanded tricks? Don't think recording something gives you the right to spread slander!"
"Slander?"
Bai Xu had long anticipated this shameless act, and feigned an attitude of reckless abandon, "Fine then, call the police and have me arrested. But you'd better think about how you're going to explain things to the Shang family."
After all, agreeing to the marriage alliance was just one of his ways out of the Bai family— not the only one.
On the contrary, if the Bai family were to lose the business interests that came with this alliance, they would stand to lose a great deal.
"You dare defy us?!" Qian Shuling, consumed with worry for her injured son and long accustomed to playing the mistress of the house, snapped, "Sister Zhao, call the police for me right now!"
Before she finished speaking, Bai Rendao cut her off with a sharp rebuke, "Enough! Have you no shame?!"
"……"
Qian Shuling froze, staring at her husband in disbelief.
Bai Rendao turned a smoldering gaze on his wife, and clenched his back teeth almost imperceptibly, "I've told you time and again to stop spoiling him, and you never listened! Now look, see what kind of disgrace you've raised!"
Bai Yan had no filter on his mouth whatsoever, the moment his brain went south, he'd blurt out anything without a second thought.
Once that recording got out, the image the Bai family had spent years carefully cultivating would surely take a hit.
"I…"
Caught off guard by his sudden reproach, Qian Shuling fell speechless.
Bai Rendao paid her no further attention. The look he turned on Bai Xu darkened into something unreadable—
First, Bai Xu had leveraged Old Madam Shang to apply pressure, effectively forcing the Bai family to pay out a sum of money for nothing.
Now, not only had he injured Bai Yan, but he'd even recorded the boy's outrageous words and was using them as leverage.
Ever since Bai Xu had woken from his coma, his whole temperament had changed, and it left Bai Rendao unable to get a read on him. One thing after another, where on earth had he learned all this? It was plain as day that each move was aimed squarely at stepping all over him.
Bai Xu glanced at the time on his phone and said lightly, "The Shang family's people arrive at two. You still have time to call the police."
"......"
The blatant mockery landed in Bai Rendao's ears, and his chest rose and fell for a brief moment.
If he really called the police, things would only spiral further into chaos.
The marriage alliance with the Shang family had been negotiated with great difficulty, and they were simply waiting on the business contract to be put into effect. Bai Rendao had no desire for any further complications or unexpected mishaps.
Bai Rendao swallowed his displeasure and said, "Bai Yan was the one in the wrong first, we can let that go. You delete the recording, and then go to the Shang family like you're supposed to, without any more trouble."
Bai Xu had long anticipated this demand. His eyes shifted slightly. With so many ways to back up a phone these days, deletion was hardly so simple.
Bai Xu showed no refusal on his face, and right in front of Bai Rendao, deleted the recording from his phone, "If there's nothing else, I'll be on my way."
Bai Rendao pressed him uneasily, "Where are you going? Don't cause any more trouble before the Shang family's people arrive."
"Relax. I hate this place even more than I hate the Shang family."
Bai Xu no longer bothered to conceal his contempt, and raised an eyebrow, "Besides, these are my legs. You have no say over where they take me."
"…You!"
Bai Xu left the moment he said he would, without so much as a backward glance.
In the cramped and stifling storage room, only Bai Yan remained, still letting out intermittent cries of pain. Even after all this time, he felt as though his soul was still drifting somewhere in midair.
Bai Xu looked frail and slight, yet when he struck, he was terrifyingly ruthless!
To be played so thoroughly by a junior like Bai Xu— him, the head of the household?
Bai Rendao had already been nursing a smoldering, suffocated fury, and now, hearing his son's wailing, he finally snapped. He raised his foot and delivered a fierce kick.
"You worthless wretch! And you still have the nerve to cry!"
"Ah! Mom—"
Bai Yan let out another pitiful shriek, startling Qian Shuling into rushing over to shield him, "Rendao, what are you doing!"
Bai Rendao roared, "What am I doing? Today I'm going to beat this insolent little bastard to death! He nearly ruined everything!"
"……"
The sounds of the quarrel poured endlessly from the storage room on the top floor, playing out a farce as absurd as any.
Bai Xu, already down on the ground floor, heard the commotion, let out a cold snort, and walked away from this 'home' that had imprisoned the original host without looking back.
...
Two o'clock in the afternoon.
A black business vehicle arrived punctually at the gates of the Bai family villa.
The passenger door swung open, and a young man with a sharp, polished air stepped out. Bai Xu made out his features and slowly emerged from the shade of the trees.
Their eyes met easily. The newcomer paused for a second, then spoke with a hint of uncertainty, "Young Master Bai? I'm Xie Qi, assistant from the Shang family."
"Mm."
Bai Xu responded calmly, "Can we go now?"
Xie Qi noticed he was empty-handed, and let his gaze drift toward the Bai family villa behind him, "Young Master Bai, do you— do you not have any luggage to bring? Would you like me to go in and say hello to Mr. Bai and the others?"
"No need. Let's just go."
Bai Xu moved toward the car door, his eyes calm and light.
Whatever he needed, he could buy later. Everything in this house, he found repulsive.
"……"
Xie Qi narrowed his eyes, a flicker of curiosity passing through the depths of his gaze.
Rumor had it that the young master of the Bai family, Bai Xu, was timid as a mouse and gentle as a rabbit— yet the person standing before him now looked nothing of the sort.
Xie Qi tucked away the question forming in his mind and moved to pull open the rear car door for Bai Xu, "Please."
—Thud!
The door closed.
Xie Qi settled into the front passenger seat and turned to hand Bai Xu a bank card, "Young Master Bai, this is from both the Shang and Bai families, per Old Madam's instructions. The initial PIN is your date of birth."
Bai Xu accepted it without hesitation.
Xie Qi continued the introduction, "This is Chen Yufei, your driver and bodyguard. If you ever need to go out, just give him the word."
Chen Yufei glanced at him through the rearview mirror and gave a muffled, "Hello, Young Master Bai."
"……"
Hearing this, Bai Xu said nothing and observed quietly.
Truly the manner befitting a wealthy household. Put politely, he had a complimentary driver and personal protection whenever he went out. Put plainly, this was also a form of veiled surveillance over him.
Though it was perfectly understandable, when one thought about it —
After all, the Shang family had spent a considerable sum to bring about this marriage for the sake of good fortune. It was only natural they'd take precautions against him running off before the appointed day.
Bai Xu ran the pad of his finger lightly over the surface of the card and received it all quite agreeably, "Mm, understood."
...
The Shang family ranked among the top elite families in the capital's social circles, and even their residence was a sprawling estate of a thousand acres.
As Bai Xu watched the scenery sweeping past the car window, he finally understood why the Shang family protagonists in the novel had been willing to fight each other to the death— after all, just coming home felt like touring a scenic attraction.
At last, the car came to a stop in front of a standalone three-story villa on the northern side of the estate.
Bai Xu noticed the medical staff coming and going at the entrance, and his brow furrowed slightly.
Xie Qi, who had stepped out of the car first, opened the door for him and offered an unprompted explanation, "Young Master Bai, the Third Young Master's vitals have all stabilized. He was transferred home from the hospital today to rest under observation."
Bai Xu was surprised, "Shang Yanxiao has woken up?"
Xie Qi answered evenly, "Not yet."
It was simply that Old Madam Shang was getting on in years, and making the daily trip to the hospital had become taxing. So the Old Master had sought the hospital's approval and brought Shang Yanxiao home to recuperate.
Bai Xu gave an understanding nod, gaining yet another appreciation for what it meant to be wealthy enough to do as one pleased.
Shang Yanxiao's master bedroom was on the far left of the second floor.
Just as Xie Qi and Bai Xu reached the bedroom door, they came face to face with Old Madam Shang stepping out from inside. Beside her walked a young man with a cold and composed look about him.
He was dressed in a well-tailored white shirt, buttons fastened precisely all the way to the collar, and his every movement carried an air of restrained, ascetic composure.
The two parties came face to face. Xie Qi was the first to speak, "Old Madam."
Bai Xu drew his gaze away from the young man and gave a polite nod, "Good day, Old Madam."
Old Madam Shang had a string of prayer beads turning in her hand. She gave a slight nod, "You're here. Bai Xu, I trust you understand what it means to be entering our household?"
"Yes, I do."
Bai Xu's gaze drifted slightly toward the master bedroom.
Shang Yanxiao lay on the large bed inside, still unconscious, though equipment monitoring his vitals had been added by the bedside.
Old Madam Shang continued her instructions, "I have no other demands of you, but in accordance with what the 'Master' said, you are to live under the same roof as Yanxiao for these six months and look in on him from time to time, that's all."
Bai Xu nodded cooperatively, "Understood."
Just living under the same roof, not sharing the same bed— it was far simpler than he had imagined.
Old Madam Shang gave a satisfied nod and took the initiative to introduce the man beside her, "This is Dr. Zhang Changxu, a close friend of Yanxiao's. He has been looking after Yanxiao throughout this entire ordeal, and we owe him a great deal."
"……"
Bai Xu struggled to keep the corners of his mouth from betraying him, and just barely managed. Sure enough, he had transmigrated into one of those formulaic face-slapping wish-fulfillment novels—
Every young master from a prominent family was bound to have a doctor friend by his side, and here one was.
Still, he recalled that Zhang Changxu was one of the most important supporting characters in the original novel, and that the Zhang family he represented was equally an unshakeable old-money clan within the capital's elite circles.
In the original story, Zhang Changxu had quite a few prominent scenes when the protagonist Shang Queyan began his struggle for power and revenge.
Just as Bai Xu was briefly lost in thought, Zhang Changxu across from him suddenly spoke, "What is Young Master Bai smiling about?"
Bai Xu snapped back at once and reached for an excuse, "Nothing. I just felt like Doctor Zhang looked familiar."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Zhang Changxu calmly adjusted his glasses and replied, "I also find Young Master Bai's face rather familiar."
"……"
Bai Xu let the exchange drop there.
Worried that Bai Xu might feel out of place being new to the household, Old Madam Shang instructed Xie Qi beside her, "Show Young Master Bai around the rest of the place. I still have things to discuss with Dr. Zhang."
"Of course, Old Madam."
"......"
Bai Xu said nothing and, reading the room with ease, followed Xie Qi downstairs ahead of them.
Only once Old Madam Shang watched Bai Xu descend the stairs did she turn back toward the room where Shang Yanxiao lay, "Changxu, don't laugh at this muddled old woman for making rash decisions on her own. I really just…"
She didn't finish, yet Zhang Changxu understood.
"Old Madam, if this brings you any sense of comfort and solace, it is worth it."
Zhang Changxu's tone was, as always, calm and unruffled, "Rest assured. My team and I will be monitoring Yanxiao's condition in real time. There is hope."
Hearing this, Old Madam Shang let out a long breath of relief, "Good. That's good."
Zhang Changxu gave the servant nearby a look, "Please go and rest. I can handle things here."
Old Madam Shang trusted him implicitly. She gave a nod, and let the servant beside her take her arm and lead her away.
Only when the corridor had fallen completely silent did Zhang Changxu's seemingly indifferent gaze betray a flicker of vigilance. He moved swiftly back into the master bedroom, locked the door, and drew the curtains shut.
Beep— beep— beep—
The steady pulse of the monitoring equipment echoed through the dim master bedroom.
Zhang Changxu walked back to the bedside and spoke in a low voice, "All clear."
"……"
The moment the words landed, the young man who had been lying in apparent unconsciousness slowly opened his eyes. Those deep, dark irises were dense as ink, lending an even sharper edge to features that were already striking.
He looked nothing like a bedridden patient. He looked like a black panther that had lain in wait through the long night, ready to strike at any moment.
Shang Yanxiao forced through the aching numbness of lying still for so long and sat up, reaching up to rub his throbbing temples, "You've had it hard."
"I'm fine. It's you I'm worried about—"
Zhang Changxu handed him a cup of warm water, "How long do you intend to keep up this unconscious act? Now that you're back at the Shang estate, there will likely be even more eyes watching your condition from the shadows."
Shang Yanxiao took the cup but did not drink, "No set timeline. But at the very least, I can't 'wake up' yet."
The curtains shut out every trace of light from outside, leaving only the motion-sensing lamp along the wall casting a faint glow, falling aslant across Shang Yanxiao's pale and haggard face. The interplay of light and shadow only made the powerful aura he naturally carried all the more pronounced.
Shang Yanxiao had in fact regained consciousness a full month ago.
The moment he woke, he learned from his close friend's lips of the catastrophe that had befallen his family. The overseas police ultimately ruled it a serious traffic accident caused by a drunk truck driver.
Even the ever-suspicious Old Master Shang had signed off on the accident assessment report.
Yet Shang Yanxiao simply did not believe it. His instincts told him—
This was a deliberate, precisely targeted murder. Whoever was behind it had wanted to use that crash to wipe out his entire family in one fell swoop.
"……"
The tips of Shang Yanxiao's fingers around the cup had gone nearly white. He forced down the immense grief of losing both parents, "Changxu, I have no choice. I have to keep up the act, keep waiting."
Wait until whoever was behind this believed that the third branch of the family no longer posed any threat— until they let their guard down and showed their hand. Then he would see to it personally, in his own way, that every last one of these scheming individuals ended up behind bars.
Zhang Changxu could see his friend's grief and bitter refusal to accept, "I know."
Shang Yanxiao closed his eyes for a moment, steadying himself, "As for Xiao Yan, I'll have to trouble you to keep a closer eye on him."
His younger brother, Shang Queyan, should have had a limitless future ahead of him as a racing driver. Tragically, in the aftermath of the accident, he had been forced to have one leg amputated to save his life.
Zhang Changxu let out a quiet sigh, "I know. But do you really intend to keep this from Old Madam and Xiao Yan as well?"
Shang Yanxiao replied, "For now, yes."
The closer the person, the more necessary the concealment. Only by making the false indistinguishable from the real could he hold off those who might seek to probe for weaknesses.
"Perhaps that's for the best. It won't be an easy road, best to tread carefully."
Zhang Changxu supported his friend's reasoning, then in the next moment recalled something else, "Right, what do you plan to do about the young master from the Bai family?"
Old Madam had been overcome with worry and had placed too much faith in this notion of a marriage bringing good fortune. No one had dared to object.
"……"
Shang Yanxiao thought of this person who had become, in name at least, his betrothed, and couldn't help but frown slightly.
An adopted son who had always been unremarkable— even the object of disdain— and yet the Bai family had sent him to forge a marriage alliance, and the person himself had actually agreed?
Thinking it over, it was clear that it was all just for money.
Shang Yanxiao recalled the form of address he had overheard in the ward that day, and a faint, nearly imperceptible ripple stirred somewhere in his chest— then cooled into indifference once more:
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