Chapter 59: The New Contract

“Dear…”

“Baby.”

“Awei.”

“Listen to me…”

Bai Wei walked to Lu Sen’s side, hanging up the phone without saying a word.

He didn’t say anything, just turned and walked upstairs, his back straight as never before.

At that moment, Lu Sen felt more panicked than ever before.

He clearly had the ability to erase Bai Wei’s memories, to change Bai Wei’s recollections. For him, changing perceptions was never difficult. An attack by a human should never be something to make an extraterrestrial like him afraid.

But the back of Bai Wei at this moment gave him a feeling… that once he left, he would never come back.

He had climbed to the top, but it felt like he was sinking into the ground before him.

Without thinking, he chased after him. “He called me this afternoon before you came home. Before that, I didn’t know he existed or even his name. He wasn’t invited to our wedding and had never appeared in our life.”

“…”

“I can’t accept that someone like him is my father-in-law. So, after he said all those things to me, I didn’t listen. That’s why he called me back immediately after I hung up.”

“…”

“If I had been friendly with him just now, he wouldn’t have called me back, shouting at me. I didn’t believe a single word of his nonsense…”

“No.”

“What do you mean, ‘no’?”

Bai Wei looked at him. Lu Sen’s heart tightened as he saw that Bai Wei was trying to maintain his composure.

“It wasn’t nonsense,” Bai Wei said. “From what I know of him, at least 80% of what he told you is true.”

At that moment, Bai Wei stood at the top of the stairs, and Lu Sen was only three or four steps away from him. Lu Sen suddenly realized that this height difference and his position on the stairs made it perfect for Bai Wei to push him down. At that moment, it seemed that Bai Wei had indeed decided to do so—he placed his hand on Lu Sen’s shoulder.

But in the end, he did nothing. He withdrew his hand and turned to run into the study.

Oh my god.

Lu Sen felt as if the organs his body had mimicked had shattered—at least one organ had shattered. He really wished Bai Wei had impulsively pushed him down the stairs just now. At least he could pretend to be dead on the stairs for an hour, easing the tension between them.

He had always known that as long as he died once, Bai Wei’s mood would improve a little.

Breaking doors was Lu Sen’s specialty. But he lingered outside the study, finally only daring to sneak a glance through the door. When they bought this house, Bai Wei had said it was too large, and for an ordinary person, it would be less intimidating if they rented out the other half of the building next door as a guesthouse.

Maybe Bai Wei had forgotten about that, but Lu Sen still remembered those words.

And today was the first time he really felt how big this house was. There were things in every corner of the house belonging to him and Bai Wei: photos on the wall, postcards on the corkboard, models in the display cabinet. But most of these things were fake—without Bai Wei, they were worthless.

And he, like those worthless things, was abandoned in the space where Bai Wei was not present.

He should have pretended to fall down the stairs earlier. At least then, he could have accidentally died in front of Bai Wei, making Bai Wei fall into temporary confusion. Maybe that would make Bai Wei a little happier… Lu Sen thought he was really stupid.

His eyes wandered in the study until he finally saw Bai Wei sitting at the desk. Bai Wei was motionless, neither writing nor reading, seemingly lost in thought, staring at the windowsill, at a place in the air where nothing existed.

This made Lu Sen feel even more despondent. It was as if he and this house were things Bai Wei didn’t need.

That windowsill reminded him of the memory of falling off it. If he had been by the windowsill now, at least, when he fell off, Bai Wei would definitely have been watching him.

Instead of fighting with an illusion that didn’t exist.

Lu Sen sat outside the door, slowly recalling what Xie Jingyu had told him.

—–

After they parted ways at the airport, Bai Wei went to Nandu. Perhaps it was because Nandu was the only city in the world, besides the one he had been to, that had any connection to him. Since childhood, Bai Wei’s grandfather had forbidden anyone to mention his father in front of him. In his grandfather’s words, his father was the thing that “ruined” his “son”—garbage, a fox spirit. The dignified old man used every kind of vicious word to describe him.

But there would always be people who, in front of Bai Wei, would mention the identity of his father. His father was not some poor boy; on the contrary, he was also the pride of a family in Nandu. Back when he was at the Naval Academy, he was as exceptional as Bai Ju, the student council president of the academy.

Both families held their children in high regard, treating them like precious jewels, but then they chose to elope.

Perhaps to their classmates at the time, they seemed like a perfect match. The proud and sunny Xie Jingyu, and the quiet, stubborn Bai Ju, who dressed as a boy. Together, they ruined their academic careers, disappointed their families, and wanted to build their own future.

But in the end, it was Xie Jingyu who couldn’t let go of his family’s support. This transformation might have happened at any moment when he realized that he needed to work harder to get the same rewards as others (whom he believed were of a lesser background). His pride and freedom could only exist with the backing of his family.

Being the student council president at the Naval Academy wasn’t only due to his personal excellence; it was also thanks to his family’s support.

The person who truly couldn’t separate himself from his family’s glory was him. Unlike Bai Ju, he always enjoyed the pride of his family.

He began to persuade Bai Ju repeatedly to return to Nandu with him. He would kneel before his family, apologize, and Bai Ju wouldn’t need to do anything. Afterward, he would still be the heir to the family, and Bai Ju would be his wife, his lady, and together, they would rule the family.

“No one is better than you, more suitable for me,” he said, proudly and confidently.

But what he never expected was that every time Bai Ju answered, it was a refusal.

“I only realized many years later that, for her, returning with me meant a complete betrayal of her family… She loved her family just as much as I needed mine. But I was too young, too impulsive. I thought she was just hitting a wall. Later, I even held a grudge, thinking she hated me and was intentionally torturing me.”

This is how Xie Jingyu described it.

After a heated argument, they hit each other with a vase. After both of their injuries healed, Xie Jingyu couldn’t take Bai Wei away, who had been hidden by Bai Ju—after all, they were both excellent students in the same tactical course. He returned to Nandu alone, rejoining his family.

Through his family, he found out about Bai Ju and her son’s life. He heard that they had returned to Bai’s family. Perhaps that was for the best.

He didn’t ask further. Perhaps because it always reminded him of his own failure, he held a grudge over it. He always felt like he lost so much in front of Bai Ju, until after she returned to Bai’s family, it felt like he only “lost a little.”

It was like when he first liked her, thinking he was competing with a male student named “Bai Ju” for the top position. Later, he was shocked to find out that “Bai Ju” was actually a quiet girl.

Bai Wei lived and lingered in Nandu. No one knew what he truly thought, but anyone could interpret his actions from any angle. He only remembered his father’s name, knew nothing about his father’s family business, and even his memories of his father’s face were fading.

At this point, he encountered an accident.

The publishing house he had signed with changed leadership. The new leader had long been dissatisfied with the traditional model of the printing industry and intended to prove his authority by trying new methods, eager to make an impression. Bai Wei was a great choice.

He came from a prestigious family, was handsome, and if he cooperated, appeared on variety shows, accepted endorsements, and became an internet celebrity… It would be a huge income, bringing massive benefits to the entire publishing house.

Moreover, they could introduce the concept of celebrity authors, paving the way for long-term development.

However, Bai Wei was uninterested. He didn’t like to be in the spotlight, didn’t need money, and hated the feeling of becoming someone’s plaything. The leader was frustrated with his high-mindedness.

Finally, when signing the new contract, the leader found an opportunity.

He included a tricky clause in the new contract, referencing an old law. Bai Wei had his lawyer friend review the contract, but the friend didn’t spot the loophole.

Under the leader’s manipulation, Bai Wei was facing a huge fine, even the risk of being disgraced and legally liable. For Bai Wei, who had betrayed his family and fled, this was unacceptable.

He didn’t tell anyone about this and tried to solve it on his own. But his childhood friend, Li Yuan, found out.

After Li Yuan learned about it, his friend Qiao Ye, a rich second generation in Nandu who had been pursuing Bai Wei, also found out.

Qiao Ye was quite a loyal person and also Bai Wei’s secret admirer. He did everything he could to help Bai Wei, trying to prevent this catastrophe. Soon, thanks to his efforts, a result was achieved.

An old publishing group based in Nandu, which had been deeply rooted for many years, suddenly intervened. Their legal advisor contacted Bai Wei, hoping to use a loophole in the procedure to transfer Bai Wei’s contract to their name.

They told Bai Wei that their reason for helping him was because they valued his commercial potential and future prospects. Bai Wei didn’t know why such a big group suddenly put in so much effort to help him, but he was grateful.