DASFAM_CH 03
What’s a righteous 'self-defense'?
It was simply a deadly strike!
Bai Yan heard his argument in a daze and was so furious that his face twisted with anger, "You, you’re talking nonsense!"
The next moment, Bai Rendao entered the room with the servant who brought the medicine, "What’s going on?"
Qian Shuling immediately played the victim upon seeing her husband, "Look at what Bai Xu did! He smashed a huge hole in your son’s head!"
Seeing Bai Yan’s bleeding wound, Bai Rendao frowned and motioned to the servant, "Stop the bleeding first, then we'll go to the hospital later."
"Ouch, Mom, it hurts so much."
Bai Yan groaned in pain, his wails only fueling Qian Shuling’s anger and urgency. She glared at the culprit fiercely, "Call the police! Call them right now!"
"Call the police?"
As if he had heard some big joke, Bai Xu calmly opened the recording file on his phone.
In no time, a burst of vulgar and indecent remarks echoed through the room—
“Don’t forget, this is my home. I can do whatever I want. If you call for help now, who do you think they’ll side with you or me?”
“Since my parents are going to send you off to be sold anyway, why not let me have a taste first?”
“If you behave and cooperate, I might go easy on you.”
“Looks like you know your place. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure you have the best experience.”
It was frivolous and vulgar, clearly revealing the speaker's filthy intentions.
Bai Xu put away his phone and spoke bluntly, "I’m not afraid of handing this recording over to the police. In fact, I hope it gets out so everyone can see what kind of scum your Bai family really is!"
“......”
Bai Rendao frowned deeply, displeased as he glanced at the mother and son by the bed.
Qian Shuling naturally recognized her own son’s voice, but she still chose to close her eyes and pretend to be blind, "Bai Xu, where did you learn such underhanded tricks? Don’t think that recording something gives you the right to spread rumors!"
“Spread rumors?"
Bai Xu had already anticipated this ‘shameless’ act and acted as if he had nothing to lose, "Fine, then call the police and arrest me. But you’d better also think about how you’re going to explain this to the Shang family."
After all, agreeing to the arranged marriage was just one of his ways to escape from the Bai family, not the only one.
On the contrary, if the Bai family were to lose the ‘business benefits’ that came with this marriage, they would suffer a great loss.
"Are you still rebelling now?!" Qian Shuling, who was focused on her injured son and accustomed to acting like the lady of the house, demanded, "Sister Zhao, call the police for me right now!"
As soon as she finished speaking, Bai Rendao interrupted her to stop, "Enough! Do you still have the nerve to make a scene?!"
“......”
Qian Shuling was stunned and looked at her husband in disbelief.
Bo Rendao turned to his wife with concealed anger, and bit his back teeth without leaving a trace, "I told you not to spoil him so much, but you wouldn’t listen! Now look, what kind of mess have you raised!"
Bai Yan has no control over his mouth, and he dares to say anything out loud.
Once this recording gets out, the image of the Bai family that they have worked so hard to manage over the years will definitely be damaged!
"I..."
Qian Shuling was at a loss for words when faced with his sudden reproach.
Bai Rendao ignored her and looked at Bai Xu with a dark look in his eyes—
First, he used Old Madam Shang to pressure and made the Bai family spend a substantial sum in vain!
Now, not only did he injure Bai Yan, but he also recorded the despicable things Bai Yan said and used it as a threat!
Ever since Bai Xu woke up from his coma with a changed personality, Bai Rendao found him hard to read. All these actions, where did he learn them? It was clear they were all aimed at stepping on his head!
Bai Xu glanced at the time on his phone and said lightly, "The representatives from the Shang family are coming at two o'clock. If you want to call the police, there's still time."
“......”
The bright sarcasm fell into Bai Rendao's ears, causing his chest to heave momentarily.
If they really called the police, things would only get messier.
After negotiating the terms of the marriage with the Shang family, they were just waiting for the business contracts to be executed. Bai Rendao didn’t want to cause any unexpected complications or accidents.
Bai Rendao suppressed his displeasure, "Bai Yan was in the wrong first. We don't need to pursue it. You can also delete the recording for me and go to the Shang family honestly."
Bai Xu had already expected this reaction in his heart. His eyes flickered briefly, there were many ways to back up recordings on phones these days, so deleting it wasn’t that simple.
Without showing any resistance, Bai Xu deleted the recording in front of Bai Rendao, "If there's nothing else, I’ll leave first."
Bai Rendao asked worriedly, "Where are you going? Don’t cause any more trouble before the Shang family representatives come."
"Don't worry. I hate this place more than the Shang family."
Bai Xu no longer hid his disdain, raising his eyebrows. "Besides, my legs are my own, you can’t control where I go."
"You...!"
Bai Xu left as he said he would without even the corner of his eyes.
In the narrow and cramped storage room, only Bai Yan's intermittent wails could be heard. Even after all this time, he felt as if his soul was still floating in the air.
Bai Xu might have looked weak, but when he took action, he was frighteningly ruthless!
As the head of the family, only to be manipulated by a junior like Bai Xu?
Bai Rendao’s heart was already filled with suppressed anger. Now when he heard his son's wailing pushed him over the edge, he couldn't bear it anymore and kicked him violently!
"You bastard! You still have the nerve to scream!"
"Ah! Mom—"
Bai Yan made another pitiful cry, startling Qian Shuling into rushing to protect him, "Rendao, what are you doing!"
Bai Rendao shouted, "What am I doing? I’m going to kill this ungrateful son today! He almost ruined everything!"
"……"
The sound of their argument continued from the storage room on the top floor, playing out an absurd and ridiculous farce.
Bai Xu, who had already reached the first floor, heard the commotion, sneered coldly and left the ‘home’ that had once trapped the original host without looking back.
– –
2:00 PM.
A black business car arrived punctually at the door of the Bai family villa.
The front passenger door opened, and a young man dressed in a sharp, professional outfit stepped out. Bai Xu took a good look at him and walked slowly from the shade of a tree.
Their eyes met easily. The visitor was stunned for a second before speaking uncertainly, “Mr. Xiao Bai? I’m Xie Qi, Mr. Shang’s assistant.”
“En.”
Bai Xu responded calmly, “Can we leave now?”
Xie Qi saw that he had nothing in his hand, he shifted his gaze towards the Bai family villa in the background, “Mr. Xiao Bai, don’t you have any other luggage to bring? Would you like me to go inside and inform Mr. Bai and the others?”
“No need, let’s just go.”
Bai Xu moved closer to the car door, his eyes calm and indifferent.
If anything was missing, he could buy it later. Everything in this house feels dirty to him.
“......”
Xie Qi squinted slightly, a hint of curiosity flickering in his eyes.
There were rumors that the Bai family's young master, Bai Xu, was timid as a mouse and gentle as a rabbit, but the person in front of him didn’t seem to fit that description at all.
Suppressing the doubt in his heart, Xie Qi took the initiative to open the back door for Bai Xu, “Please.”
—Bang!
The car door closed.
Xie Qi sat in the front passenger seat and turned around to hand a bank card to Bai Xu in the back seat, “Mr. Xiao Bai, this is from both the Shang and Bai families according to Old Madam's instructions. The initial password is your birthday.”
Bai Xu accepted it calmly.
Xie Qi continued his introduction, “This is Chen Yufei, the driver and bodyguard. If you need to go out in the future, just ask him directly.”
Chen Yufei looked at him through the rearview mirror and greeted in a low voice, “Hello, Mr. Xiao Bai.”
“......”
Bai Xu listened and looked at them silently.
This was indeed the kind of treatment only wealthy families could afford. On the surface, it seemed like he was provided with a free driver and personal protection whenever he went out. But to put it more bluntly, it was also a form of surveillance on him.
But that was to normal to think about it—
After all, the Shang family had spent such a sum of money to arrange this marriage for good fortune, so it made sense they’d want to ensure he didn’t run away before the agreed date.
Bai Xu gently rubbed the card surface with his fingertips and accepted it well, “En, I understand.”
…
The Shang family was one of the top wealthy families in the capital, and even their residence is a manor-level estate covering an area of 1,000 acres.
As Bai Xu watched the scenery pass by outside the car window, he finally understood why the main characters from the Shang family in the book were willing to fight each other to the death. After all, coming home felt like visiting a scenic park.
Finally, the car stopped in front of a standalone three-story villa on the northern side of the manor.
Bai Xu frowned slightly when he saw the medical staff coming in and out of the door.
Xie Qi, who had gotten out of the car first, opened the door for him and explained proactively, "Mr. Xiao Bai, the third young master's vital signs have stabilized. Today, he has moved back from the hospital to home for monitoring and recuperation."
Bai Xu was surprised. "Shang Yanxiao is awake?"
Xie Qi calmly replied, "Not yet."
However, since Old Madam Shang is getting old and it was tiring for her to go to the hospital every day, Old Mr. Shang decided to bring Shang Yanxiao home for recovery after consulting with the hospital.
Bai Xu nodded in understanding, gaining further insight into the phrase ‘the wealthy do whatever they want’.
Shang Yanxiao's master bedroom was on the far left side of the second floor.
As Xie Qi and Bai Xu arrived at the room’s door, they were met by Old Madam Shang coming out from inside, accompanied by a young man with a stern appearance.
The man was dressed in a well-tailored white shirt, with the collar buttoned neatly to the top. His every movement exuded a restrained aura.
As the two parties faced each other, Xie Qi greeted first, "Old Madam."
Bai Xu shifted his gaze from the young man and nodded politely, "Hello, Old Madam."
Old Madam Shang, holding a string of prayer beads in her hand, nodded slightly, "You're here, Bai Xu, you should know what it means for you to enter our family, right?"
"Yes, I know."
Bai Xu looked slightly towards the master bedroom.
Shang Yanxiao was lying on the large bed in the master bedroom, still in a coma, with medical equipment by the bedside monitoring his vital signs.
Old Madam Shang continued giving instructions, “I don’t have any other requirements for you, but according to the ‘Master’ suggestion, you need to stay under the same roof as Yanxiao for the next six months and occasionally help look after him.”
Bai Xu nodded cooperatively, “Okay, understand.”
Just living under the same roof instead of sleeping in the same bed was easier than he thought.
Old Madam Shang nodded in satisfaction and introduced the man beside her, “This is Dr. Zhang Changxu, a friend of Yanxiao's, who has been taking care of him throughout this incident.”
“...…”
Bai Xu struggled to keep his composure, barely stopping a smirk from appearing on his face. So, he really had transmigrated into a cliché of a face-slapping novel—
Every wealthy young master seemed to have a ‘doctor friend’ by their side, and here was his.
However, he remembered that Zhang Changxu was one of the most important supporting characters in the original book, and the Zhang family he represented was also an unshakeable family in the capital.
In the original story, when the main character, Shang Queyan, began his fight for power and revenge, Zhang Changxu had quite a few positive scenes.
While Bai Xu was briefly lost in thought, Zhang Changxu across from him suddenly spoke up, “What is young master Bai laughing at?”
Bai Xu quickly snapped back and made an excuse, “No, I just thought Dr. Zhang looks familiar.”
“Oh? Really?”
Zhang Changxu calmly adjusted his glasses and replied, “I also find young master Bai’s face familiar.”
“......”
Bai Xu didn’t respond further.
Mrs. Shang was afraid that Bai Xu would not adapt to the new arrival, so she told Xie Qi, “Take Mr. Xiao Bai to look around elsewhere. Dr. Zhang and I still have some matters to discuss.”
“Understood, Old Madam.”
“……”
Bai Xu kept silent and followed Xie Qi to leave first with great discernment.
Once Bai Xu had descended the stairs, Old Madam Shang turned her attention back to Shang Yanxiao, “Changxu, please don’t laugh at this old fool for making random decisions. I really…”
Before she could finish, Zhang Changxu understood.
“Old Madam, if this arrangement can give you some psychological comfort and reassurance, then it’s worth it.”
Zhang Changxu’s tone remained consistently calm and steady, “Don't worry, my team and I will monitor Yanxiao’s condition in real-time. There is hope.”
Hearing this, Madam Shang let out a long sigh of relief. “Good, that’s good.”
Zhang Changxu signaled at the servant beside him, “You can go back and rest. I’ll take care of things here.”
Old Madam Shang trusted him deeply, nodded, and allowed the servant to assist her away.
It wasn't until the corridor was completely empty that Zhang Changxu's seemingly cold eyes showed a hint of vigilance. He quickly returned to the master bedroom and locked the window.
Beep—beep—beep—
The sound of the monitoring equipment echoed in the dark master bedroom.
Zhang Changxu walked back to the bedside and whispered, “That's enough.”
“……”
The moment his words fell, the young man who had been ‘in a coma’ slowly opened his eyes. Those deep eyes were dark as ink, accentuating his already sharp and chiseled features.
He didn’t look like a bedridden patient, but rather like a black panther that had been lying in wait in the shadows, ready to hunt at any moment.
Shang Yanxiao endured the numbness from lying down for so long as he sat up, rubbing his throbbing temples. “Thanks for your help.”
“I have nothing to do, but you—”
Zhang Changxu handed him a cup of warm water, “How long do you plan to pretend to be in a coma? Now that you’re back in the Shang household, I’m afraid even more people will be secretly watching your condition.”
Shang Yanxiao took the cup but didn’t drink, “There is no specific time, but at least I can't ‘wake up’ now.”
The curtains blocked out the outside light, and only the faint glow from the automatic sensor lamp on the wall illuminated Shang Yanxiao's pale, gaunt face, casting sharp contrasts of light and shadow, further highlighting his strong aura.
Shang Yanxiao had actually woken up a month ago.
Upon waking, he immediately learned from his friend about the tragic events at home, with overseas police eventually concluding that it was a major traffic accident caused by a truck driver’s drunkenness.
Even the always-skeptical Old Mr. Shang had signed off on the accident report.
But Shang Yanxiao didn’t believe it at all. His intuition told him—
This was a deliberate, highly targeted murder, orchestrated by someone who wanted to wipe out his entire family with this so-called accident!
“......”
Shang Yanxiao’s fingers gripping the water cup were almost white from the pressure as he forced himself to suppress the immense grief of losing his parents, “Changxu, I don’t have a choice. I have to pretend and wait.”
He would wait until the person behind the scenes believed that the third branch of the family was no longer a threat, let their guard down, and reveal themselves. Then, he would personally use his own ways to send these malicious individuals to prison!
Zhang Changxu could see the pain and unwillingness in his friend’s eyes, “I know.”
Shang Yanxiao closed his eyes slightly, trying to calm his emotions, “I need you to look after Xiaoyan for me.”
His younger brother, Shang Queyan, was supposed to have a promising future as a race car driver. Unfortunately, after the incident, he had to have a leg amputated to save his life.
Zhang Changxu sighed, “I will. But do you really plan to keep this from both the Old Madam and Xiaoyan?”
Shang Yanxiao replied, “Let’s keep it a secret for now.”
The closer someone was, the more they needed to be kept in the dark. Deception was necessary to withstand probing from those with ill intentions.
“It's okay, this road is not easy to walk, so you have to be careful.”
Zhang Changxu supported his friend’s approach but then remembered something else, “By the way, what are you going to do about that young master from the Bai family?”
The Old Madam was worried that too much and overly convinced by the idea of this ‘marriage for good fortune’. However, no one dared to refute this matter.
“...…”
Thinking of his nominal marriage partner, Shang Yanxiao couldn’t help but furrow his brows.
An adopted son who had always been inconspicuous, even disliked, was thrown into a marriage alliance by the Bai family, and he actually agreed?
After thinking about it, it was clear that it was all just for money.
Shang Yanxiao recalled the words he heard in the hospital room that day, and a slight ripple of emotion flickered in his heart before it turned cold again:
“He’s just a commoner who uses marriage as a bargaining chip in exchange for money. Don’t worry about it.”
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