Rebirth: A Cinderella's Counterattack

Chapter 186: Chapter 174: Bai Yixian Returns

Helpless at his sister Qianqian’s insistence, Luo Shufan could do nothing but deal with it, since it wasn’t like he could really beat her up. If he did, they would be at odds with each other before outsiders even laid a hand on her. All he could do was pin his hopes on Lin Jiayou, who had sneaked out early in the morning after Luo’s Mom, even taking the emergency money Lin Xu had given him. Seeing that, Luo Shufan pretended not to notice; Jiayou was up early with a happy look on his face, clearly going to visit his girlfriend — it was none of his business.

”Bro, hurry and get up, let’s sneak out and see Big Brother Bai,” Luo Qianqian heard the sound of the door opening and closing twice, then changed her clothes and slipped into her brother’s room.

Luo Shufan covered his head with the blanket, ”It’s impossible. Big Brother Lin took the keys when he left; we’ve got no way to get out.” Or they could only go out one at a time, but he wouldn’t leave without his sister’s willingness, and he wouldn’t feel at ease if she went out alone. The best course of action was for both of them to stay put at home.

”Aren’t we at home? Why do we need the keys?” Luo Qianqian pouted discontentedly, silently cursing Lin Jiayou for his cunning foresight, seeing through her intention to agree outwardly but oppose in secret.

”Go back to sleep. There’s food on the table, eat if you want, if not, I’ll get up and make you something later,” Luo’s Mom would always prepare a hearty breakfast for the three of them before heading out, but sometimes Luo Qianqian just didn’t want to eat, insisting on having her brother make something specific before she would eat, especially when she was bored.

”You sleep,” Seeing her brother struggling to keep his eyes open yet still mindful of her, Luo Qianqian couldn’t help but feel a pang of distress. It seemed he hadn’t really slept, only dozing off after Jiayou left, to stop her, right?

Luo Qianqian turned on the TV, slumped on the couch, hugging a pillow, and ended up dozing off as her thoughts wandered.

”Bzzz, bzzz, bzzz...” Luo Shufan woke up to the persistent vibration, tracking the sound to his backpack where his phone lay stuffed. Glancing at the screen, it read: Bai Yixian.

He quickly answered the call, ”Big Brother Bai, you’re back?”

”Why isn’t Qianqian answering her phone? Did something happen? I just got back and saw the messages and missed call alerts. The place I was before didn’t allow us to turn on our phones,” Bai Yixian explained. ”Where’s Qianqian now?”

Hearing his sister wasn’t answering her phone, Luo Shufan’s first thought was that she might have sneaked out. He quickly left his room, but before he could open his sister’s bedroom door, he saw the TV still on and the lump on the couch. He stroked his head, grabbed a blanket to cover his sister, and then returned to his room, ”No worries, she fell asleep on the couch watching TV. She probably didn’t hear the phone ring in her room.,” Luo Shufan said, yawning.

”That’s good.” A relieved sigh came from the other end, ”What’s happened?” The texts were just asking where he was, but the first call was made a day before the first message.

”We ran into some robbers on the road.” Luo Shufan wasn’t sure whether to disclose everything, so he vaguely mentioned it; his sister should probably explain the details, ”Some thugs, they stabbed my mom’s fiancé’s son.”

”Lin Jiayou was injured because of you guys?” Luo Shufan clearly heard Big Brother Bai’s voice turn colder and shivered.

”Sort of. If he hadn’t arrived in time, I might have been the one injured,” Luo Shufan thought, still feeling shaken by the incident. Though saying this made him feel somewhat guilty towards Jiayou.

”How is Lin Jiayou now?” The tone softened noticeably.

”Much better. He’s already gone to someone named Brother Tiger to deal with the matter,” Luo Shufan reported truthfully.

”Leave this matter to me; you guys don’t have to worry about it,” Bai Yixian massaged his temples, upset that such an incident occurred less than a month after he left. If anything happened to Luo Shufan, he would truly be at fault.

”Qianqian said not to have that person expelled. She has her own plans,” Luo Shufan thought a moment before speaking out. If the guy got expelled, his sister would blame others for it.

Bai Yixian was momentarily startled and said a single ”Got it” before hanging up the phone, dragging his eyes rimmed with dark circles and a face full of fatigue, he hailed a car with a wave of his hand: ”To the western city’s Dihui complex.” Then he closed his eyes. If Luo Qianqian and Luo Shufan were here, they would hardly recognize the person before them. Bai Yixian’s fair skin had taken on a wheatish hue, although it was still a light shade of tan, he was no longer the ’Pale-faced Scholar’ that Luo Qianqian used to call him.

”25 yuan.” Bai Yixian threw down a fifty and said, ”Keep the change,” then got out of the car.

As he entered Dihui, the largest entertainment complex in town, which combined a bar, KTV, bath, gaming, and accommodations all in one place.

”What services do you need, sir, or are you here to visit a friend?” As soon as he walked through the door, a beautiful waitress approached to greet him.

Frowning at the waitress who was obviously bending forward to reveal her cleavage, he said softly, ”I’m here to see a friend, room 8888.”

”Okay, sir, this way please.” The waitress, still basking in Bai Yixian’s good looks, was intoxicated by his voice, but quickly reacted, ”Sir, room 8888? Are you sure?”

Room 8888 was the sole number of its kind; Dihui only had one room with the number 8888, and it was the private VIP room of Dihui’s boss.

Alerted by the waitress’s call, several men in black suits surrounded Bai Yixian. Bai Yixian’s brow furrowed, about to say something, when a voice emerged from behind.

”Bai Yixian? What are you doing here?” The fat man in a flashy gold leopard-print shirt, his belly resembling that of a man in the late stages of pregnancy, pointed at Bai Yixian with a surprised look and said, ”We haven’t offended you, what else do you want?”

Hearing the name, the men in black suits stepped back in unison as if trained, then moved forward a little under the angry gaze of the leopard-print man.

”Is Brother Tiger here? Has Lin Jiayou arrived?” Without a hint of fear upon seeing the man, Bai Yixian said, ”Of course, I’m here for a reason. Otherwise, what would I be doing, picking a fight? Even if I wanted to, could you afford to play along?” He eyed the men in black, looking at their shaking legs, his face full of contempt.

”Brother Tiger is here, Lin Jiayou just arrived not long ago, our boss is upstairs too,” the leopard-print man said after some thought. He was very clear about what had happened with Lin Jiayou—Lei Laohu’s men had gotten into an altercation with the Luo siblings, Luo Shufan and Luo Qianqian. By a stroke of fate, Lin Jiayou rescued them. The attackers ended up with fractures and were evidently held back; furthermore, Lin Jiayou was injured. The boss had already been concerned about a conflict arising with the people backing Lin Jiayou, and now, here was the true protector of the Luo siblings.

”Take me upstairs.” Bai Yixian looked at the waitress, who had lost all interest in flirting, with a face full of pity, afraid that she might lose her job.

”Yes.” With a wave of his hand, the leopard-print man signaled the men in black to stand down, relieved of their burden. He led the way with nods and bows, knowing that the man in front of him was someone they couldn’t afford to offend. When gangs were still prevalent, he could stand toe-to-toe with the boss, but now, disbanded and with an even more powerful backer, this was someone who absolutely could not be offended.

”Boss, Big Brother Bai has arrived.” On the top floor, room 8888 was pushed open by the leopard-print man, and the people inside froze.

Room 8888 was a massive VIP space with excellent soundproofing, bulletproof glass windows, and it was the only such room on the entire top floor of Dihui. Inside the entrance was an enormous living room with several people sitting on the sofas, curtains drawn, dim flickering lights overhead, and drinks and snacks arranged on the coffee table.

”Bai Yixian, what brings you here?” asked the leopard-print man and Boss of Dihui, Xiang Dingtian, the leader of one of the largest underground gangs in the city, Qingyun Gang, with a frown. Then, thinking it through, he understood and said, ”Take a seat. Bring out the drinks, get my treasured bottle.”

”Big Brother Bai.” Lin Jiayou tried to get up but was held back by Bai Yixian pressing down on his shoulder: ”You’re still injured, take a seat.” Since Lin Jiayou had saved Luo Shufan and Luo Qianqian, Bai Yixian was much more amiable towards him.