Zhao Yicheng was searching for Xu Yinsheng.
Just now, in a mere instant, Xu Yinsheng, who had been right in front of him, vanished without a trace, and he himself was swept away by the crowd.
Pairs of straight, slender legs flashed before his eyes, dazzling Zhao Yicheng.
Disoriented, he found himself trapped in this “forest of long legs,” at a loss as to which way to go.
Only at this moment did he truly understand the hardship of being short.
Standing at less than 1.1 meters tall, in a crowd where the average height was 1.67 meters, let alone finding Xu Yinsheng, it was already a blessing if he wasn’t swept away by the crowd.
As Zhao Yicheng fumbled his way forward in the direction of Xu Yinsheng, a pale hand suddenly reached out from the moving crowd.
Just as he was about to get close to Xu Yinsheng, that hand gave him a hard push from behind!
As mentioned before, ever since he drank the shrinking potion, Zhao Yicheng’s other attributes had diminished along with his height, with the exception of strength.
With this sudden push, Zhao Yicheng lost his balance.
His body pitched forward and seemed to collide with someone, sending him tumbling hard to the ground. His head spun, stars danced before his eyes.
It took quite some effort for Zhao Yicheng to find his footing and stand up again.
When he lifted his head, he found himself staring directly into a pair of furious eyes.
They were extremely beautiful eyes, but now they burned with such intense anger that it made his heart involuntarily tremble.
Looking at the delicate face twisted with rage before him, Zhao Yicheng realized he had just been set up.
All of Tianlin City’s business district knew about his rivalry with the Bai family, and that he had taken the largest share when Bai Corporation’s stock had plunged last time.
He and Xu Yinsheng, disguised as himself, must have drawn the attention of some schemer the moment they entered the hall.
That one “push” had sent him toward Bai Ruoxi, provoking this most volatile third Miss of the Bai family and forcing the Xu Yinsheng in disguise to take the fall.
A ruthless move indeed!
Even after taking the shrinking potion, Zhao Yicheng’s intellect remained sharp.
Within seconds, he had unraveled the sequence of events—his only doubt was who had made the move.
“Sorry, I’ll pay for the damages.”
He apologized sincerely to Bai Ruoxi.
In moments like this, one must remain calm and gentlemanly.
Otherwise, it would be bad for his reputation.
‘People who fancy themselves as social elites are always so concerned about their reputation,’ Zhao Yicheng thought with a trace of irony.
He could remain rational, but some people simply couldn’t…
Bai Ruoxi’s hair was a mess.
She wasn’t exactly in a sorry state, but she didn’t look good either.
Her clothes were disheveled, and a glaring orange stain stuck wetly to the back of her white fitted dress.
“You, you, you!!”
Bai Ruoxi gritted her teeth, and Zhao Yicheng took a step back—right into Xu Yinsheng’s territory.
“Little sister, your makeup’s smudged.”
Just as Bai Ruoxi was about to erupt, a pale hand rested on her shoulder, pulling her back from the brink of fury.
The newcomer was dressed in a black suit with a European-style shirt, mother-of-pearl buttons, a black vest, white trousers, and white leather shoes—a look that exuded maturity and steadiness.
However, his complexion was a bit pale, almost bloodless, like a candle flickering in the wind that could go out at any moment.
Bai family’s eldest son—Bai Fengyu.
“Big brother, I…”
Bai Ruoxi, her hair in disarray, stood there somewhat awkwardly, her eyes rimmed red.
Bai Fengyu’s gaze swept across the room, passing over every guest present.
He brushed imaginary dust from Bai Ruoxi’s clothes and tidied them for her.
“Go freshen up. Today is your second brother’s engagement banquet. Our Bai family’s little princess can’t lose her manners.”
“Mm.”
Bai Ruoxi nodded, eyes lowered to hide all her emotions, and followed a servant to the dressing room to change.
After watching Bai Ruoxi leave under the servant’s guidance, Bai Fengyu turned and smiled at Xu Yinsheng, who was shielding the young Zhao Yicheng.
“Sorry for the scene.”
He then took a fruit candy from his pocket and handed it to Zhao Yicheng, who was clinging to Xu Yinsheng’s leg, even reaching out to pat him on the head.
“You’re not hurt, are you?”
In just a few words, he dispelled the earlier tension and showed his concern as well.
Xu Yinsheng couldn’t help recalling Zhao Yicheng’s comments about Bai Fengyu: high EQ, high IQ, decent business acumen—a very tricky opponent, whose only flaw was a frail constitution.
At that moment, Zhao Yicheng’s face was as dark as coal.
Being patted on the head was… truly an “experience.”
But no one was paying attention to him now.
Standing at less than 1.1 meters, unless he looked up, nobody could even see his expression.
“It’s nothing, just some playful scuffling among the juniors, nothing serious.”
Xu Yinsheng waved it off.
And didn’t forget to give Zhao Yicheng’s head a few good rubs.
How could Zhao Yicheng’s head not be rubbed?
If not now, then when?
Who knows if there’ll be another chance!
After all, Zhao Yicheng used to love rubbing her head so much—now it’s her turn!
What goes around comes around!
Xu Yinsheng was secretly delighted, her hand unconsciously applying more pressure, as if she was using his head as a walnut to roll.
In the end, Zhao Yicheng’s face turned black as he slapped away her mischievous hand, picked up a wine glass, and strode out.
Xu Yinsheng hurried to catch up, but a passing waiter with a tray of champagne blocked her way.
By the time the waiter moved aside, Zhao Yicheng had already vanished into the crowd.
Bai Fengyu waved over the waiter with the champagne, took the glass from Xu Yinsheng’s hand and set it aside, sighing, “Ruoxi is a bit mischievous. She’s grown up pampered and doesn’t understand the ways of the world. She doesn’t know how to take care of herself. I hope you can be more forgiving.”
“It’s nothing. I’ve always considered her my own little sister.”
Xu Yinsheng took a sip of wine, making polite small talk while rolling her eyes inwardly.
Talking to people like them was just a waste of words.
Everyone knew they didn’t get along, yet still went through the motions on the surface.
All smiles above the table, yet plotting schemes in the shadows.
“What do you think of Ruoxi?”
Bai Fengyu suddenly asked.
“Obedient, clever, dignified, unconstrained by trivialities,” Xu Yinsheng replied with a slight arch of the brow.
“But when it comes to marriage, who can say for sure?”
This was, of course, a tactful refusal.
Zhao Yicheng had emphasized to her several times in the car: if anyone brought up this topic, just use this line as a shield.
The Bai Corporation was already on the verge of collapse.
If it weren’t for that stream of investment capital, it would’ve gone bankrupt and restructured by now.
Not just Zhao Yicheng—even his father, Zhao Tianfu, who once sought a powerful alliance with the Bai family, had excused himself from the verbal engagement after seeing the other party’s excessive obesity.
Bai Fengyu naturally heard the refusal in her words.
He knew the person before him wasn’t one to act without tangible benefits.
So, he offered a series of enticing terms—after all, even a broken ship still has three thousand nails.
The Bai Corporation might be heading toward bankruptcy, but the Bai family itself was not.
The Bai Corporation belonged to the Bai family and a slew of shareholders, while the Bai family belonged only to the Bai family.
Even if Bai Corporation truly collapsed, the Bai family’s wealth would be more than enough for a life of luxury—just not as illustrious as now.