It's past 10 now. In the Bai family, YiHan's father, Bai FuRen, and eldest brother, Bai Yan, had left for the office for quite a while now. The mother, Hua XiaoRan, glanced up at the peaceful stairway time and again. Filled with worry, she commented, "Why hasn't HanHan come down yet? Even if he wants to sleep, he should eat a little something before going back to sleep. Otherwise, he'll ruin his body with hunger."
XiaoRan's not young anymore but she's still beautiful and dignified. She still radiated with the faint aura of an ancient, huge clan's precious daughter. Not tall, but petite – very much like the kind of girls usually associated with the phrase "misty rains of JiangNan". Elegant, gentle, and fair. The mysterious and mystical lady you'd see in classical paintings. Because she took good care of her skin, she looked like someone in her 30s instead of someone with two children already past 20 years old.
The big sister of the Bai family, Bai XueQing, pulled her away by the arm and softly advised, "Ma, stop worrying. Little brother slept late last night. It's normal if he wants to sleep a little longer today. If we wake up him, he won't be happy again." As opposed to her gentle name, Bai XueQing had the appearance of a strong, sturdy girl. Dressed in a black skirt suit which showed off her curvy stature and a light layer of makeup, she looked like a brilliant and experienced businesswoman.
XiaoRan nodded but continued worrying, "I don't know what's wrong with your brother. It's been so long and his emotions are all over the place. He doesn't answer when we ask what's wrong. Just who made him so unhappy? Your father and big brother only care about the company, the company and the company. They don't even care about HanHan. He's still young. How could his body bear all these negative emotions? Even if they don't help, at least they can help think up a plan!"
XueQing could only helplessly try and calm her mother down, "Father and Big Bro are both very busy. Lil Bro's also growing up. He'll have his own little secrets and frustrations. We can't help it."
XiaoRan sighed. "He can talk to me about anything he's frustrated about. Really." Then, she suddenly put on a ferocious face. "If I know who it is that's been making my precious baby upset, I will make them regret it forever!"
"You're right, Ma," XueQing replied in a stern voice. "If no one's to blame for it, then whatever. But if someone is behind Lil Bro's unhappy state, you don't need to deal with them. Big Bro and I will never let forgive them!"
XiaoRan eagerly agreed, "Right! That's the way it should be. I ate something wrong by accident when your little brother was still in my stomach. That's why his health was so poor when he was still a child. Constantly being hospitalised, how much he'd suffered. It's all my fault. It took great effort to make sure he grew up well. His character's also so soft and easily bullied. You've got the same sturdy personality as Yan, so I'm not that worried when you leave the house. But your brother. Ah, it's all fine with your father and I being alive. But once we're gone, your younger brother will be depending on you and Yan."
"Ma, that's the 800th time you're telling me this. Big Bro and I have always doted on HanHan as he was growing up. Don't you trust us? You should know our love for him isn't any less than yours and Father's." XueQing nodded along but she couldn't help rolling her eyes. HanHan as soft? What a joke. However, it's not inaccurate. That brat's like a mouse. Meek and quiet in public, but a complete tyrant in private. He's a silly little thing with only a tiny shred of courage. As they say, a mother knows her children best. Her mother's the one who really understands Lil Bro's character.
Bai YiHan stood still on the stairway, around the corner and out of sight. Upon overhearing the conversation between his mother and sister, the eyes which he'd just dried started tearing up again. He's always making his mother worry. He's always causing trouble for his sister. This scene made him realise – how long has it been since he'd last had a meal with his family in their home? The last time he'd returned home, it was right after that happened. Lost and hurt, he'd ran home in search of comfort. He didn't think that person would be that despicable. Those disgusting photos had been spread all over the area. His grandfather passed away in anger. Everyone in his family looked at him in rage and disappointment. His brain became a chaotic a mess of confusion until the day he died.
He used to be the treasured young master of the Bai family, the apple of their eye. On one side, his parents doted on him. On the other, his elder siblings protected him. Grandfather, Bai HaiMing, loved him to the core. And his childhood friend, Mu JingYuan. He treated him with such care and love. JingYuan would do anything for him. Life couldn't have been better.
He'd been a bright and happy child who loved acting cute. All the elders loved him. Everyone who saw him would respectfully call him "Little Master Bai". The Mu and Bai families were friends. He'd grown up together with JingYuan. He was JingYuan's precious pearl, well-protected and cherished. He was so doted that if he asked for the moon, JingYuan would give him the stars as well. He'd thought life would pass by in such happiness, but he didn't think his life would end in such a chilling scenario.
Everything started from when his sister fell in love with JingYuan. He was tall, strong, smart and had a special aura about him. Because his parents both died in a car crash, he was forced to take over the Mu Group at a young age. In terms of looks and capability, he's one in a million. As the only daughter of the Bai family, XueQing was proud and ambitious. She kept her head high and never bowed down to anyone (but YiHan). One day, she began to feel something for Mu JingYuan, this flawless man. Bai XueQing lived her life with courage. Love or hate, she'd admit it readily. Since she'd fallen in love with JingYuan, she started to pursuing him. People say that when a lady pursues a man, they're only separated by a thin lace. The two soon grew closer.
Translator's Notes:
1. Misty rains of JiangNan: This is a phrase that describes just that – the scene of the JiangNan river as mist and rain cover the area. For some reason, this phrase can be used to describe females as mystical, mysterious, beautiful, humble and proud of their river (aka, we ain't rich but this river gave us life sort of way). But this meaning behind this phrase doesn't show up in Baike, so I took some liberties on how to translate that metaphor.
2. Yan: From what I can observed, his name used to be YuHao. There are only 2 instances where this name is used in the whole story, aka here. The typos has been corrected.
3. Little Master Bai: You know, I know. There's only 3 children in this Bai family. There's no need to keep reminding us that every few chapters or so. Let me know if you'd prefer to read the literal translation: Third Bai Young Master/Sir.
4. If you've read this via MTL, then you'll realise there's a lot of extra wording and rearranging done in this chapter. Unfortunately, it's the best I could do as you'd be given blocks of dialogue with repetitive speaker tags (lots of repeated adjectives) then blocks of adjectives that don't flow well together when translated.