Shen Qieyi declined right away without a thought.
“Don’t be hasty to reject me. Don’t you think it’s a good idea?”
“But I like it here.” Shen Qieyi said, earnestly looking at him.
“I don’t feel good leaving you here. What if they come back?”
Seeing how much Bai Jingyan cared about her, she felt comforted but still shook her head to decline the offer.
“Won’t you at least think about it? You know I’m not going to ask twice. Don’t come crying after this.” Bai Jingyan pulled out a pillow from below and teasingly hit her with it.
Looking at his childish behavior, Shen Qieyi held her forehead. “Thanks for your offer, but I’m good.”
She knew that Bai Jingyan was offering that for her sake, but she knew she had already owed him too much.
Bai Jingyan pursed his lips. He didn’t want to talk to this heartless woman anymore.
Shen Qieyi finished her tea and looked at Bai Jingyan, who sat there sulking. She sighed and stood up.
“Where are you going?” Bai Jingyan’s eyes followed her.
Shen Qieyi answered without turning her head. “I’ll make lunch. You can stay if you like.”
Bai Jingyan couldn’t sit still for long, and he followed her to the kitchen minutes later.
Shen Qieyi was concentrating on making her meals when Bai Jingyan came slamming in.
He looked at the raw meat in her hand and asked, “What are you making?”
Shen Qieyi ignored him.
Bai Jingyan was touching her kitchen here and there out of boredom and then started chattering about. “It looked so troublesome. Why don’t we order takeout?”
Shen Qieyi was irritated but restrained herself from lashing out at him. “This place is too small for both of us. Can you stop getting in my way?”
“Are you mad at me?” Bai Jingyan held the vegetable in his hand, feeling upset.
She avoided his question. “Why should we order takeout? We have everything here. Just do a little work, and viola, it’s done.”
“It’s convenient.”
“When we work, we could use a faster pace. But when we aren’t working, a more leisurely pace is recommended. Isn’t it better?”
Bai Jingyan listened as he leaned against the counter on his side. He then sneered at her in disagreement. “That’s enough about me. Let’s talk about you instead.”
“What about me?” She retorted back.
“Are you ready to welcome your new life?”
Shen Qieyi turned her head and looked into his eyes. She knew he was serious with his question.
She then turned her stare at the trickling water and was lost in her thought. She couldn’t even imagine what her future held.
Seeing her lost in her thought, Bai Jingyan stopped pressing her about it.
He cleared his throat and said to her as if he had thought about it. “If you ask me, It’s time for you to lead a brand new life, as a brand new you, since you are divorced now.”
“A brand new me?”
“Yes! Absolutely brand new. From external to internal. Let’s start with body management. First, we should lose some weight.” Bai Jingyan looked her up and down without intending to make fun of her.
Shen Qieyi turned to look at him and began to think about it seriously.
Her chubby figure was her flaw. She had suffered a lot of ridicule and embarrassment because of it.
She had never accepted her body as it was. She tried every possible way without her family’s knowing to lose weight. Even if it was harmful, she didn’t stop. But none of it worked. It was not until her family members intervened that she finally gave in.
She discreetly wiped her tears. From the beginning, she tried her hardest to avoid being ridiculed for her weight.
After a long silent, she hesitantly muttered, “But I…”
When she looked up and saw Bai Jingyan’s unwavering eyes, her hesitation turned into confidence, and she nodded.
Bai Jingyan was satisfied with her decision and reached out his arm to rub her hair. “You’re smart to agree. You know the consequences if you don’t.”
Shen Qieyi frowned and avoided his hand. “What can you do to me?”
“What else can I do? I’ll cry and beg for you to agree.” Bai Jingyan lightened up the mood in less than a few seconds.
Shen Qieyi was amused by him and laughed..
“Well, I will be your best companion and see you through to your success. From tomorrow onwards, you will face my harsh training.”
Shen Qieyi’s smile froze. “What?”
“I’ll keep you company.”
After he had his lunch with her, Bai Jingyan took his leave.
Shen Qieyi watched him from her door until he entered the elevator and waited until the door closed behind him. Inside the elevator, Bai Jingyan’s smiling face immediately turned grim.
As he arrived at the underground parking lot, he dialed a string of numbers while he started his car.
The person on the other end picked it up immediately. “Mr. Bai.”
Bai Jingyan sat motionlessly in his seat, staring at the empty parking lot. His mood went somber.
“Find out who caused trouble in Shen Qieyi’s house yesterday. Get details about them, especially the patient. The more precise the detail is, the better.” He hung up right after conveying his message.
He drove away from the parking lot. With anger still in his eyes, he thought of something and made another call.
The dialing tone rang for a long time, and Bai Jingyan was getting impatient waiting for the call to be picked up.
Finally, the call was picked up on the other end. “Hello, Mr. Bai. I haven’t heard from you for a long time.”
Bai Jingyan skipped the redundant greetings and went straight to the point. “I need you to do something for me.”
The man on the other side answered almost immediately, “Mr. Bai, your sudden seriousness surprised me. I know you don’t ask for help a lot. What can I do for you?”
The man tried to change the topic to negotiate a deal. “But you see, things have been difficult lately. You know how we are being scrutinized now.”
Bai Jingyan sneered. “We’re good citizens. I’m not asking you to break the law. But you don’t need too much detail. Just know that I will reward you handsomely when it is done.”
“Sure. Consider it done.”
Bai Jingyan hung up the phone. Although everything went as expected, he still felt somber.
…
It was one o’clock in the morning.
In a quiet alley far away from the town, piercing screams broke the silence of the night.
It was Xie Ran. He was forced into the alley unable to escape.
Five aggressors surrounded each of Xie Ran’s men. They tried their best to fight back. However, it didn’t take long for them to be beaten to the ground and then covered with black cloth on their head.
Xie Ran and his men continued to fight back but were returned with more punches and kicks.
The beatings from the group of men continued for about half an hour. The five men covered with black cloth on their heads had gone weak to the brink of death.
For thirty minutes, they endured hundreds of heavy blows and kick. Not one area of their body was spared from the attacks.
Even the aggressors themselves went out of breath after the vigorous attacks. The man with the scar finally ordered his men to stop beating.
The black cloth on Xie Ran’s head was lifted. He was confused when he noticed a heavy-set motorcycle stopped only a few steps away. The vehicle had the headlights shone fully on him.
Xie Ran was covered in blood. He weakly blinked his eyes to avoid the blinding lights.
A man got down from the motorcycle, walked toward Xie Ran, and crouched to face him.
Bai Jingyan had one hand holding his helmet, and the other rested on his knees. He stared straight at Xie Ran, but all he got in return was a pair of persistent eyes staring back at him.
Bai Jingyan frowned and spat his warning to Xie Ran.
“Remember this face of mine. Come at me if you want trouble!”
“If you dare touch Shen Qieyi again, I will deal with your brothers one by one until the last of you.”
“Don’t play tricks with me. Remember, whoever is the most important to you, will be in the worst danger.”
Bai Jingyan wasn’t someone easy to deal with. The floor reeked with the smells of blood that he despised. It made him stand up to leave.
When Bai Jingyan’s followers saw him leaving, they followed suit and left the five beaten men alone on the ground.
Xie Ran’s vision was getting dimmer by the second.