Chapter 25: The Bai Family in the Capital

Jiang Qingqing naturally didn’t refuse his request.

Even if there were no conditions attached, she wouldn’t have rejected it.

After all, in just a few short days, he had saved her multiple times—her deity.

Jiang Qingqing put down the doll she was holding, nodded obediently, and asked, “What kind of painting does Father God want? Is there anything he particularly likes?”

She reached for the wolf-hair brush on the table and dipped it in ink.

“Anything will do.”

Fu Zhengnan had no specific request, so Jiang Qingqing simply painted the pear blossom tree from Bai Wan Palace.

In the blank space beside it, she inscribed a few words:

I heard… that pear blossom tree was planted by Father Emperor for Mother Consort when they first met.

It blooms every year.

Watching the painting vanish from the table, Jiang Qingqing suddenly didn’t feel as sad anymore.

The moment the painting disappeared, it would appear in the deity’s hands.

If that were true, then perhaps, after her mother consort went missing in Daliang, she also reappeared somewhere unknown.

“Jiang Qingqing, do you want to watch a cartoon?”

Fu Zhengnan’s cold voice interrupted her thoughts.

“What’s a cartoon?”

Jiang Qingqing blinked, confused.

Fu Zhengnan scrolled through the list of popular animated films, pondered for a moment, and said blandly, “Something to entertain children.”

Jiang Qingqing: ???

I’m not a child.

She wasn’t too interested but didn’t want to reject him outright, so she nodded slightly. “I guess I’ll watch for a bit…”

Fu Zhengnan turned on the projector.

As he searched for a suitable animation, a trailer for a new film suddenly popped up—with an indescribable scene.

Jiang Qingqing stared, wide-eyed.

So this is what the deity shows children to entertain them?!

It was even bolder than the forbidden picture books she used to secretly read in the imperial study!

Did all the children here watch this kind of thing?

Under the neon lights of a nightclub, a man and a woman—completely ignoring the crowd around them…

“Wow…”

Jiang Qingqing let out a small exclamation and unconsciously leaned closer to the screen.

By the time Fu Zhengnan realized what was happening, thirty seconds of intense footage had already played. He didn’t even have time to stop it.

“Jiang Qingqing! If you see something inappropriate, can’t you just close your eyes?!”

Jiang Qingqing was utterly dumbfounded.

“But… you told me to watch a cartoon. I am watching it…”

Fu Zhengnan: “……”

This is my fault.

He rubbed the bridge of his nose and said in a calmer tone, “I’ll switch it. This isn’t a cartoon.”

Jiang Qingqing shook her head. “But I think this one looks pretty good.”

Fu Zhengnan’s lips pressed into a thin line.

His expression was unreadable, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

In the end, after Jiang Qingqing strongly protested, he switched it to Pleasant Goat and Big Big Wolf.

“Watch this instead.”

Jiang Qingqing pouted, a little annoyed.

---

The Bai Family in the Capital

Inside Bai Wan’s private laboratory—

Tens of thousands of high-performance computers were running at full speed. Bai Wan sat before the master control computer, her expression grim.

Her hands, typing lines of code, began to slow down.

The game’s source code…

Had been altered!

A black-clad bodyguard knocked on the laboratory door. “Miss Bai, the Fu family is investigating you.”

Bai Wan frowned. “Cut off the overseas account information. The Fu family must not find out that this game is connected to the Bai family just yet.”

The bodyguard hesitated before speaking. “They seem to have found some evidence. They’re not just investigating the Bai family anymore—they’ve started looking into the past twenty years when you were missing…”

Bai Wan clicked her tongue lightly.

Her well-behaved daughter had encountered a big bad wolf.

And she had already been tricked into revealing too much.

She glanced at a message on her phone from Bai Jing and waved the bodyguard away. “Leave this to me.”

Bai Jing—Bai family’s adopted son.

Nominally, Bai Wan’s older brother.

After the bodyguard left, Bai Wan opened a voice call with Bai Jing.

The call connected quickly, and a man’s voice came through: “Wanwan, Father wants us to return to the old residence for dinner tonight.”

Bai Wan responded with a simple “Mm.”

She was about to hang up, but Bai Jing stopped her. “Are you in the lab? I’m outside. Let’s go back together.”

Bai Wan instinctively wanted to refuse.

She still hadn’t figured out who had tampered with the code or when it had been altered. She didn’t know whether it would pose any harm to Jiang Qingqing and Jiang Yanting.

But Bai Jing’s next words made her swallow her refusal.

He said, “I can help you with the Fu family.”

Bai Wan stared at the chaotic data in front of her, pondered for a moment, then agreed. “Give me ten minutes.”

She quickly compared the modified data, transferred it to her phone, then grabbed her bag and left the lab.

Outside, a Rolls-Royce Cullinan lowered its backseat window.

Bai Jing glanced toward the lab.

Time had left its mark on his face—fine lines at the corners of his eyes, a hint of weariness in his expression. But his posture remained upright, exuding a quiet elegance.

Bai Wan swiftly got into the car.

As soon as she closed the door, a blanket was draped over her legs.

“It’s autumn now.”

Bai Jing explained briefly.

Bai Wan didn’t say anything in response but got straight to the point. “Don’t let the Fu family continue their investigation.”

That game had significant authority—it had long surpassed the conventional understanding of games and had reached the realm of the supernatural. Until they fully understood the Fu family’s background, it couldn’t be revealed so easily.

However, Bai Jing didn’t respond directly to her words. Instead, he changed the subject.

“Aunt Huang made your favorite Dongpo pork tonight. You haven’t been home in so many years—see if it still tastes the same.”

Hearing this, a flicker of emotion crossed Bai Wan’s eyes.

Her precious daughter also loved Dongpo pork, just like her.

She wondered if that brat, Fu Zhengnan, had gone to buy it. If she had known things would play out like this, she wouldn’t have set such a high price back then.

A single plate of Dongpo pork had cost 10,000 yuan.

Sigh…

“How has Father been all these years?”

When Bai Wan mentioned Old Master Bai, there was a hint of guilt in her voice.

Since her return, she had yet to visit him. As the Bai family’s only daughter, she had created a cultivation game that connected past and present—only to end up playing herself into ruin.

She had vanished for twenty years.

A deep sense of remorse settled in her heart.

Bai Jing, sensing her guilt, took advantage of it. “Ever since you left, Father’s health has deteriorated. He was saved from the brink of death multiple times.”

“He’s getting old. Don’t you think it’s time you settled down and gave him some peace of mind? This time, you won’t disappear again, will you?”

His words carried an underlying message—he wanted her to stop pursuing that game.

But how could Bai Wan possibly agree?

She declined tactfully. “Twenty years ago was an accident. I miscalculated the parameters. This time, it won’t happen again.”

Bai Jing frowned deeply. “Wanwan, Father’s greatest wish all these years has been to have you by his side. Now that you’re back, you should forget the past in the game and stay with him.”

Bai Wan lifted her gaze to him, the same stubbornness in her eyes as twenty years ago.

“My daughter is there. There’s no way I can just walk away.”

And…

That man.

He was probably going insane by now.

Bai Jing’s expression darkened slightly. “That’s just a game world. You need to wake up.”

Bai Wan didn’t respond.

If anyone had the right to decide whether that world was just a game, it was her.

When they arrived at the Bai family’s old residence, Bai Wan immediately pushed open the car door.

Bai Jing remained seated, watching her briskly walk away, his face growing cold.

He dialed a number.

“It’s me. You can proceed. I have only one request—destroy that phone.”

The person on the other end hesitated.

“Master Bai… I’ve heard that the Fu family has had dealings with Country L regarding arms trades in recent years. If something happens to their young master in Hong Kong, I’m afraid…”

South Fu, North Bai.

The Bai family might hold power in the capital, but…

The Fu family’s foundation was in Haicheng, and their hidden network was intricate and far-reaching.

Bai Jing picked up the blanket Bai Wan had draped over her lap earlier, running his fingers over the fabric as if contemplating something.

Then, he made his decision.

“The cruise passes through international waters, doesn’t it? Do it. If anything happens, the Bai family will take responsibility.”

If it comes to a head-on collision…

That Fu family brat has to make it back alive first.

After issuing his orders, Bai Jing neatly folded the blanket, got out of the car, and walked inside.

---

Inside the house, the atmosphere was warm and peaceful.

Bai Wan carried a plate of grapes over to Old Master Bai, trying to win his favor. “I was really busy the past few days, but look—one word from you, and here I am.”

Old Master Bai wasn’t buying it. “Liar. After all these years, you finally decided to come back?”

“Yes, yes,” Bai Wan replied perfunctorily, not wanting to reveal too much.

“Since you’re back, start going to the company tomorrow.” The old man didn’t beat around the bush. “For the past twenty years, Bai Jing has been managing everything. It’s time you learned how to take over.”

He didn’t care that Bai Jing was present—he made his intentions clear.

Bai Jing, who had just stepped inside, showed no reaction to Old Master Bai’s favoritism toward Bai Wan.

Instead, he agreed readily.

“Wanwan, come to the company tomorrow. I’ll teach you personally.”

He had remained unmarried all these years—waiting for Bai Wan.

As long as she had only him by her side, he didn’t care who managed the corporation.

After all, he was just an adopted son.

These past years, he had used the Bai family to build his own power.

That was enough.