DASFAM_CH 12

Shang Queyan caught the faint tremor in Bai Xu's voice and turned his head involuntarily to look, and upon confirming that he was now wearing an expression of pure aggrieved helplessness, felt a moment of genuine bewilderment.

What?

What had happened to that effortless, breezy way he had of putting people in their place, from yesterday by the lake, and again just now at the fountain? Why had he suddenly switched to playing the pitiful victim?

Before he had time to make sense of it, Fang Yuhua across the table spoke first, "Bai Xu, what exactly do you mean by that? The security footage is perfectly clear, are you saying it could be falsified?"

"Now that something has happened, the priority is finding a way to resolve it. You lying and refusing to admit it right now is not going to do you any good."

As she spoke, she made a point of glancing toward Old Master Shang, "Father, wouldn't you agree?"

Old Master Shang did not respond. He simply picked up the bowl of sea cucumber soup before him and stirred it slowly with his spoon, his expression unreadable, giving nothing of his true thoughts away.

Shang Queyan saw straight through the veiled targeting hidden in Fang Yuhua's words, and went straight to lodging a complaint without the slightest pretense of subtlety, "Grandmother, do you see how Second Aunt keeps taking everyone else's side?"

Fang Yuhua choked.

Shang Queyan's gaze went straight for her, "Didn't Bai Xu already say? It was the other side who started with the disrespect. And besides, how long is this security clip of yours? It starts in the middle and ends before anything's resolved, on what basis does Second Aunt conclude it was Bai Xu who offended the Chen family?"

Fang Yuhua tried to defend herself, "It's not just me saying so. It's, it's what everyone inside and outside the circle has been saying, that Bai Xu and your third branch…"

Shang Queyan's expression hardened, and he cut her off sharply, "Bullshit! Since when does our third branch answer to outsiders running their mouths, smearing and slandering us?"

"Don't think I don't know what you're up to!"

Wasn't it obvious, using the matter with Bai Xu as a stepping stone to put the third branch down in front of the Old Master and outsiders?

"……"

It was the first time Fang Yuhua had ever been talked back to so directly by someone of the younger generation, and her face flushed red.

Shang Songming had been enjoying the spectacle, but now his expression turned sour, "Shang Queyan, watch your mouth. Is that any way to speak to my mother?"

—Clang.

Without a word, Old Master Shang let the soup spoon drop back into the bowl. The crisp sound of metal on ceramic brought the about-to-erupt argument to an abrupt halt.

Whatever fire Shang Songming had just worked up shrank back in fright, and he fell silent.

Old Madam Shang shifted her gaze back and forth between the two grandsons, her voice gentle as she mediated, "Alright, both of you, speak properly."

Shang Yun stepped in to smooth things over for his son, "Yes, let's all keep things civil, and not upset your grandparents."

As he said it, he tugged at the corner of his wife's sleeve, directing her with his eyes to stop stirring up trouble.

"……"

Old Master Shang accepted the damp cloth the butler handed him, and wiped his hands at an unhurried pace, "Bai Xu?"

"Mm?"

Bai Xu responded, his face still holding that delicate balance between aggrievement and stubbornness.

Old Master Shang said, "This matter started with you, so you're the one responsible for laying it out clearly."

There was a steadiness in his voice that came from having weathered much, and in the next instant it carried a faint edge of authority, "Whether it's you or anyone else at this table, not a single word of nonsense or embellishment will be tolerated."

"……"

Fang Yuhua's heart gave a small jolt, and her gaze dropped guiltily.

From the very beginning, what Bai Xu had wanted was for Old Master Shang to step in personally. Now that the old man had finally spoken, he picked up his performance at once, "Yes. The people in the security footage are me and Chen Yufei."

His eyes were careful, but what came out of his mouth was straightforward.

"The one who was beaten is indeed the young master of Jinbai, Chen Shaoxuan, and two of his friends as well."

These were established facts, and there was no point in dragging anything else in.

Two simple sentences, and the attention of everyone at the Shang table had converged on him.

Bai Xu feigned discomfort at being the center of attention, his hands closing tightly around the untouched glass of water in front of him, "Chen Shaoxuan and I went to the same high school. For all three years, he led others in bullying me."

"I- I'm very afraid of him."

As he spoke, the pads of his interlaced fingers rubbed together with some force, as though redirecting the pain of the memory.

Old Madam Shang listened with a deepening frown, "Did the Bai family know?"

"They knew. They didn't do anything."

Bai Xu shook his head, his tone growing more pitiful by degrees.

"I had left the Bai residence in a hurry. That day I'd stopped by Jinbai on a whim to pick up a couple of things. The store manager hadn't mentioned anyone had reserved the place, but the moment Chen Shaoxuan walked in he recognized me—and started saying terrible things all over again."

Shang Queyan pressed, "What did he say?"

Bai Xu drew a slow breath, as though making some significant decision, and fixed his gaze squarely on Old Master Shang, "He said—what kind of stray cat or dog, or any country bumpkin, gets to walk into a store like this."

At those two turns of phrase, Old Master Shang's expression stilled, imperceptibly.

Bai Xu recounted everything Chen Shaoxuan had done in the store, then continued, "I- I really couldn't take it anymore, so I worked up the courage to say a couple of things back. That ended up provoking him into wanting to get physical."

"Chen Yufei is the Third Young Master's bodyguard. He stepped in to fight back on my behalf. I- I just find it strange…"

Old Master Shang saw him stop short, and said in a low voice, "Strange?"

Bai Xu pressed his lips together, and turned his aim toward Fang Yuhua, "Second Madam just said that everyone recognized the person beside me as the Third Young Master's bodyguard, and also said that I had barely entered the Shang family before making an enemy of the Chen family on the third branch's behalf."

"Word spreading the way it has, and no one finds that odd?"

What was this supposed to mean?

That when it came to the Chen family, the Shang family was the one that needed to tread carefully?

"......"

Shang Queyan's reaction this time was swift, the arrogance bred into him as a young master rose to the surface, "What gives Jinbai and the Chen family the nerve?"

They expected the Shang family to lower itself to court their partnership? And wanted the Shang third branch to come and apologize in person?

When all was said and done, wasn't it simply because they saw that the third branch had suffered a blow and lost its footing, and wanted to use the opportunity to test where Old Master Shang now stood?

The more Shang Queyan thought about it, the angrier he became. In a sudden motion, he pulled the blanket off his legs entirely, laying his injuries bare for all to see.

Old Master Shang's expression shifted.

Old Madam Shang's heart ached at the sight, "Xiao Yan, what are you doing?"

Shang Queyan was no fool. He seized the moment with precision and force.

His furious gaze swept across the second branch seated opposite, then locked onto Old Master Shang, "Grandfather, my brother is still lying in bed, and I've ended up like this. Never mind what the outside world has been saying, even people within our own family have been finding fault with us."

"Since the occasion has presented itself today, there is one thing I want to ask—"

"Do you, Grandfather, still consider the third branch part of this family? Do you still consider me and my brother your own grandsons? Who are these people really looking down on? It's not Bai Xu."

It was the two of them, plain and simple!

Bai Xu's eyes shifted subtly, and he gave the moment one more well-timed push, "I'm sorry. This was never the Third Young Master's matter to begin with. If an apology truly needs to be made, I'm willing to go in my own name."

Old Madam Shang thought of the third branch, struck down by disaster without warning, and could not bear it, "Old Master."

Old Master Shang was silent for a moment. When he spoke again, his tone was firm, "If you are meant to be grandsons of mine, Shang Hong's grandsons, then you are. Whatever outsiders may say, none of it can change that fact."

The implication was clear: even with the misfortune that had befallen the third branch, the Shang family—and Old Master Shang himself—stood behind them.

"I haven't gone so blind that I can't see what's in front of me—"

Old Master Shang turned to look at the second branch, his gaze finally coming to rest on Shang Songming's face, "Pass the word. From this day forward, if I hear of anyone in this household running their mouth or picking at other people's wounds, they can get out, every last one of them!"

"......"

Shang Songming startled so badly he nearly jolted out of his seat, "G- Grandfather, why are you looking at me?"

Old Master Shang paid him no mind and turned his full rebuke on Shang Yun, "Keep your wife and son in line. If I see this kind of troublemaking again, I'll take you to task along with them."

Shang Yun scrambled to his feet to apologize, "Father, please don't be angry. We truly had no such intention, it was all, all a misunderstanding."

"Whether it was a misunderstanding or not, someone at this table knows very well!"

Old Master Shang tossed the damp cloth in his hand aside and turned to the head butler, "Have someone look into this tonight. If what Bai Xu said is true, halt all cooperation with Jinbai immediately."

The head butler nodded, "Understood."

Old Master Shang gave a broad wave of his hand, "Everyone may go."

With that, he left the small dining room without a backward glance.

Bai Xu slowly released the grip of his hands, picked up his water glass, and took a sip. The glint of the water caught the genuine satisfaction that had surfaced in his eyes.

Having read the original novel, Bai Xu knew that the Shang family and Jinbai were headed for a development partnership in the near future.

This project not only placed the second branch in charge of its profits, it also kept the already-declining Jinbai afloat for a stretch of time. It was only later, when Shang Yanxiao and Shang Queyan moved against them, that the partnership was finally ended, and Jinbai subsequently went bankrupt and was absorbed.

Bai Xu understood perfectly well that Chen Shaoxuan's bullying of the original host had been backed by the power of his family's wealth. Jinbai, as a major commercial conglomerate, would always chase profit— a temporary blow to their reputation meant little to them.

Only by cutting off the gains they had already secured at the root would they be made to reflect, to feel regret, to know real pain.

And the person best positioned to land that blow was, without question, Old Master Shang.

So when Bai Xu learned a family dinner was being held, he had already been thinking about how to bring the matter onto the table— using another's hand to strike the blow, which was sometimes more effective than acting oneself.

The opening of the evening had been a little unexpected, but fortunately the outcome had aligned with what he had anticipated.

...

Bang!

The front door of the standalone villa slammed shut.

Shang Yun's expression transformed the instant it did. He hurled the suit jacket in his hand down at his wife's feet, "Fang Yuhua, look what you've done!"

"Hey!"

Fang Yuhua jolted at his roughness, pressing a hand to her chest.

The butler and servants exchanged uneasy glances, quietly picked up the jacket from the floor, and retreated swiftly from the scene of the confrontation.

Shang Songming was used to his father's two faces—one for the public, one behind closed doors—and felt no fear. He shoved his hands in his pockets, "Dad, what are you so worked up about? If you ask me—"

"Worthless thing, you shut your mouth too!"

"……"

"Shang Yun, funny how you've got all this temper but none of it goes toward the Old Master."

Fang Yuhua had already been smarting from being dressed down by the Old Master in front of the servants, and when she saw her husband turn on their son, she couldn't hold her tongue.

"Very good. The moment the door's closed, suddenly you know how to lecture your wife and son! How capable are you! That at your age, you're still being kept in line by your own father!"

Something surged in Shang Yun's chest. He shot back, "Let me ask you, that business with Bai Xu and the Chen family; you couldn't have said a word to me beforehand? You absolutely had to wade into it in front of the Old Master?"

"The two of you going back and forth at the table, turning white into black—but the Old Master sees everything as clear as a mirror. In the end he called out our second branch by name and gave us a dressing-down. So I'm asking you, what exactly did we gain?"

Setting out to scheme and making a mess of it, trying to harm others and ending up harming yourself instead!

Fang Yuhua knew she was in the wrong, "I just thought I could use the thing with Bai Xu to put the third branch down a notch and feel out the Old Master's position."

"I'm still right here! Was it your place to make that call? You tried to steal the chicken and lost the rice, and all you managed to do was hand that little wretch Shang Queyan the perfect chance to play the sympathy card for all it was worth!"

Originally, he had arranged for this good-for-nothing young master Bai Xu to be married off to Shang Yanxiao, not only to humiliate, but to send a message to everyone in the capital's circles—

That the Old Master had already given up on his grandson lying comatose in a vegetative state. A marriage between two men might be legal, but in their world it was hardly a thing to be proud of.

And the Bai family had been diminishing year by year— a match like this could only invite contempt.

"Bai Xu gets into a confrontation with the Jinbai heir, and the Old Master turns around and cuts all ties with Jinbai. Once word of that gets out, people will think the Old Master is throwing his weight behind the third branch. After that, who would still dare look down on them?"

"......"

Fang Yuhua had no answer left after being berated so thoroughly by her husband, and turned red-faced toward her son for help.

Shang Songming touched his nose, "Dad, calm down. Hasn't someone already been sent to feel things out?"

"Shang Yanxiao will most likely never wake up, what good is being kept alive on medication? Shang Queyan has never understood the group's affairs; he's useless too."

"No matter how much Grandfather shields the third branch, there's a limit to everything. Instead of worrying about the third branch—"

Shang Songming had a certain low cunning about him, and shifted the tension elsewhere for the time being, "We'd be better off keeping our eyes on the first branch. If it ever truly comes to a fight, that's where the real threat lies."

Shang Yun thought of the first branch's situation, and what showed in his eyes held not a trace of familial warmth, "That elder sister of mine and her husband, and the fine son they raised— hmph. A family of vipers."

...

On the other side, the shuttle had pulled up at the villa entrance, and Xie Qi and Uncle Lin together lifted Shang Queyan's wheelchair down.

Once inside, Uncle Lin exhaled with lingering unease, "Fourth Young Master, you were far too rash tonight."

He and Xie Qi had been waiting in the small private room next door the whole time, and had heard every bit of what unfolded.

It had to be said— Old Master Shang's temperament was the most unpredictable of all. Tonight, Shang Queyan had exposed his injuries in a way that was almost forcing the old man's hand. If it had accidentally angered him instead, the third branch would have been the ones to suffer.

Bai Xu spoke up, "But the bet paid off, didn't it? The ones suffering now are the second branch."

Shang Queyan looked up at Bai Xu, who had returned entirely to his usual self, "So you were putting on an act the whole time at the table? That whole wounded-innocent look, weren't you afraid the Old Master would see through you?"

Bai Xu didn't deny it.

For him, the scheming and maneuvering of business warfare had long since become familiar ground. Calculated pretense, feigned weakness, playing a role—all of it was simply one of the tools he used to come out on top.

That said, once he had enough power and the odds firmly in his favor, what he preferred was cutting straight to the bone, leaving his opponents with nowhere to turn.

Xie Qi spoke up from beside them, "I'll go check on the Third Young Master first."

Bai Xu said nothing. He watched Xie Qi's figure hurrying up the stairs and felt a faint question pass through his mind.

Even as a personal assistant, wasn't Xie Qi 'visiting' Shang Yanxiao a few too many times each day? The man was lying there unconscious, did he really need someone standing watch for such long stretches?

Shang Queyan noticed he had drifted away, "Bai Xu, what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing."

Bai Xu poured himself a glass of water and remarked casually, "You were quick on your feet at the table tonight. Your timing was good too."

A few words and he had gone straight to the heart of things— a simple show of vulnerability, and Old Master Shang had declared himself their backing in so many words. No wonder he was the male lead of the original story.

Shang Queyan misread his meaning, "Don't go getting the wrong idea, I wasn't speaking up for you. I just can't stand people looking down on my brother."

Bai Xu paused, then teased him, "Come on, no need to be so distant. What kind of relationship do your brother and I have? In everyone else's eyes, I'm part of the third branch too, so whoever you were helping, weren't you helping me all the same?"

"Besides, didn't I help you out this evening too? And I haven't heard a thank-you yet."

"……"

Shang Queyan was silent. After a long moment, he finally muttered reluctantly, "Th- thanks."

Bai Xu broke into a genuine smile this time, "Don't mention it, little brother-in-law."

Shang Queyan stared at him, "Are you and my brother even at that point?"

Bai Xu thought of Shang Yanxiao's face, that near-perfect face, and said with complete seriousness, "I'd certainly like to be. But he's unconscious right now and might not respond. Maybe I'll give it a try tonight?"

Shang Queyan caught the implication in those words and his whole face went red in an instant, "Bai- Bai Xu! You dare?!"

"Why wouldn't I dare? I'll head up right now."

Watching this brother-obsessed young man splutter in a panic, Bai Xu laughed all the harder.

He turned and headed upstairs, and before he disappeared, couldn't resist tossing back one last mischievous parting shot:

"What goes on between me and my husband is none of your business~"

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