Chapter 671 - 579
Chapter 671: Chapter 579
This time, however, Bai Qingyue was mistaken. There was indeed someone waiting at home to settle accounts with her, but it wasn’t Bai Yifen and Yifang. It was Bai Lihua.
Bai Lihua glared at Bai Qingyue, his brows knitted in fury and his tone simmering with anger. "Why is Jiang Limei running around telling everyone we’re about to get married? Did you promise her that? Who gave you permission to do that? Bai Qingyue, don’t take this too far. You want to arrange my marriage? You’re not worthy of that right!"
"I may not be worthy, but Father is still here. I’m acting on his orders. If you have a problem, take it up with him." Bai Qingyue calmly adjusted the desk fan, sat down on the sofa, and shouted for Shun Ma to brew a cup of herbal tea.
’Though Bai Lihua never said it aloud, he was deeply unsettled by the way these people ordered his own birth mother around. It was like a thorn buried in his heart, one he desperately wished he could pull out. Now, seeing Bai Qingyue lean back comfortably on the sofa to enjoy the fan, while his own mother toiled away in the stuffy kitchen, drenched in sweat... having to be ready at a moment’s notice to run back and forth pouring tea for the likes of Bai Qingyue... The hatred in his heart burned even hotter, but this wasn’t the time to bring it up.’
"I’ve already spoken to Father. You need to put a stop to these rumors Jiang Limei is spreading, and do it immediately! I, Bai Lihua, can have any woman I want. Why should I listen to you and marry some ugly, old, fat woman? I already refused to meet her, yet you still brought her to our home. Bai Qingyue, do you take me for you? Accepting anyone who comes along, no matter what kind of trash they are!"
Hearing that, Bai Qingyue shot up from the sofa as if she’d been electrocuted, her face twisted and her eyes bloodshot. "Bai Lihua, what do you mean by that? How dare you say it again? Come with me to see Father right now and let him be the judge!"
Seeing Bai Qingyue react exactly as he’d hoped made Bai Lihua feel a little better. He calmly sat down on the opposite sofa. "I’m short on time, so let’s cut the nonsense. I just want to remind you one more time: deal with the rumors Jiang Limei is spreading, and do it quickly. I just got back to Beijing today, and people have been asking me about it nonstop. I don’t want this misunderstanding to get any worse!"
Bai Qingyue glared at Bai Lihua, a mixture of anger and resentment brewing inside her. "How is Jiang Limei not good enough for you? You think you’re such a great catch? You’re no spring chicken yourself! Jiang Limei is the same age as you; she was your classmate from elementary school all the way to middle school. The Jiang Family might not have been that prominent in the past, but now her father and older brother both hold important positions. Her younger siblings are all overseas. If it weren’t for some silly crush she had on you back then, do you really think she’d give you the time of day? Do you even know who her ex-husband was? Her..."
"Enough!" Bai Lihua cut her off. "I don’t care how perfect she is, I’m not interested. If you don’t back off now, you’ll have to bear the consequences!"
"You!" Bai Qingyue sputtered, exasperated. "Don’t be so full of yourself. From last year to now, I’ve introduced you to at least ten women. It wasn’t just you rejecting them—they rejected you too, you know! Look at you, dragging all those children around. Not to mention that sordid affair with Wu Xiaowen that caused such a huge scandal. Do you have any idea how much effort I’ve put into your marriage? Jiang Limei’s prospects are excellent; how is this settling for you? If you won’t think about the Bai Family, at least think of your own children!"
"My children are none of your concern. As for the Bai Family... I just told Father that if you, Bai Qingyue, are allowed to continue running this family however you please, completely unchecked, ignoring my feelings, doting on Xiao Fan, Yifen, and Yifang while deliberately neglecting my children... then I will still contribute to the Bai Family to the best of my ability, but the ’family’ can stay out of my personal affairs."
"What nonsense are you spouting? I treat all the children in this family equally. When have I ever neglected your children?"
"Since you’re in charge of the entire Bai Family, you’re supposed to be attentive to every detail. But after Luo Chunxiang left, how many times have my children fallen ill because they weren’t eating or living well? It’s gotten to the point where the younger ones have all run off to stay with Luo Chunxiang. I rarely get to come home, and when I do, I can’t even see them. How is that not your fault?"
Bai Qingyue: "..."
’Serves you right for having so many kids,’ she fumed internally. ’With all the things I have to manage in this family, I’m already overwhelmed. Who has the spare time to be a nanny to your children!’
Bai Lihua continued, "I also told Father that I’ve already found someone I intend to marry. She’s the widow of an official in my city and currently works as a department manager. I’ll bring her home to meet Father during the National Day holiday, and we’ll hold a simple wedding this winter. You can see to whatever preparations the family needs to make."
Bai Qingyue’s eyes widened. "What? How am I supposed to explain this to Jiang Limei? And Father will never agree!"
"Father has already agreed. So, you must resolve the situation with Jiang Limei immediately. My intended has relatives in Beijing, and I will not allow our relationship to be affected by these rumors!"
"You won’t be in that post for much longer, so why marry someone from over there? Are you doing this on purpose just to spite me?"
"You can ask Father about that. I’m short on time, so I have to go."
Bai Lihua grabbed his briefcase and car keys. At the door, he turned back to Bai Qingyue. "The Bai Family’s finances may not be what they once were, but we still have a foundation. Now there’s a new expense: the cost for some of us to pursue our Cultivation in Ancient Martial Arts. You know exactly how much money I’ve brought home over the past two years. It’s more than enough for this family to live comfortably. So hire a couple of young maids. Tidy this place up and make it look clean and respectable. Don’t let the old and young suffer, and don’t let our guests think we’re so shabby we look like a charity case!"
Bai Qingyue trembled with rage. ’Is he accusing me of mismanaging the household? He, Bai Lihua, is nothing but the son of a concubine. What right does he have to speak to me like that?’
Just as she was about to retort, Bai Lihua dropped another bomb. "I know you’re the one who invested in that new pharmaceutical factory Doctor Jia opened. You and him have been together for so many years, never leaving each other’s side—I suppose your ’affection’ has been tested. But you have no official status with him, nothing to tie him down. He has his own wife and children. His heirs belong to another woman. You’d better watch your back. Don’t go pinching pennies from your own family just to line an outsider’s pockets!"
Bai Qingyue stared daggers at Bai Lihua’s retreating back, her fiery gaze looking to burn a hole straight through him. Her chest heaved with rage, but she clamped her jaw shut and said nothing.
’She couldn’t afford a complete falling-out with Bai Lihua just yet. Xiao Fan’s wings hadn’t fully grown; he still needed Bai Lihua’s support. For now, she would just have to tolerate this insolence from a concubine’s son.’
After leaving the Bai Family estate, Bai Lihua headed to Luo Chunxiang’s place to see his three children, as planned. He parked in front of a shop, intending to go inside and buy some candy and cookies, when he suddenly spotted Wu Xiaowen shopping by herself. Bai Lihua froze in his car. He had recently used every trick in the book to avoid Wu Xiaowen while he was pursuing his new love interest. He had finally managed to make her give up hope, and she had stopped pestering him. He really didn’t want to get involved with her again, but in the end, greed and a flicker of misplaced hope won out. He slowly pushed open his car door and walked toward Wu Xiaowen.