The Bai Clan only convened family assemblies for major decisions. Though this gathering was called on short notice, it boasted the highest attendance in years—nearly every core member present. Their sole focus: the boiler plant incident.
At the hall’s center stood Bai Yuxuan, the primary figure held responsible, awaiting judgment from her elders.
These elders were titans of politics and business. Decades of ruthless maneuvering had forged an icy, crushing aura around them. Merely under their collective gaze, Bai Yuxuan felt her breath tighten.
“How could you let this happen?” Her uncle’s voice cut through the silence the moment the assembly began. “A massive boiler plant—gone overnight!”
“I apologize. My oversight. I never knew they’d act behind my back,” Bai Yuxuan murmured, head bowed.
“‘I didn’t know’?” Another uncle slammed his palm on the table, rising. “Do you grasp the losses this has cost the Bai Clan?”
“I—”
The accusations snowballed. For three relentless hours, elder after elder joined the chorus of blame. Bai Yuxuan could only offer quiet apologies, her shoulders hunched under the storm of reproach.
What chilled her deepest was her father’s gaze. The man who’d thrown her to the wolves showed no remorse, no flicker of pity. Not once did he speak in her defense.
Time crawled. Those three hours felt like three months.
*(If this is a nightmare, let me wake up.)*
“Enough.” An elder’s sharp tone silenced the room. “Blaming her won’t fix this. Bai Yuxuan must answer for her failure.”
“We’ll deliberate your punishment. As a key member, you’ll await our decision.”
Dazed, Bai Yuxuan stumbled out of the Bai estate.
“Young Master, let me drive you home?” Xiao Liu’s car idled at the gate.
She shook her head, silent.
“But it’s about to pour—”
Ignoring him, she walked on. Xiao Liu sighed, watching her vanish into the gathering gloom.
Rain soon lashed down. Bai Yuxuan didn’t flinch. The cold inside her drowned out the sting of raindrops on her skin.
She wandered to her apartment building but bypassed the entrance. Instead, she sank onto a rain-slicked park bench, letting the downpour soak her clothes.
A glance at her watch caught her eye.
*(The 28th already… My birthday. I’d hoped Father might remember. But all he sees is his empire. All I am to him is an expendable piece.)*
Shivering, she hugged herself tighter, the elders’ scathing words echoing alongside the dread of her impending punishment.
“This must be the loneliest birthday anyone’s ever had,” she whispered to the empty, rain-swept street.
“At least I get this desolate view as a birthday gift,” she added, a bitter smile twisting her lips.
The world looked gray—sky, streets, her future. Was this all life offered? Coldness without color, warmth without end?
Then—a streak of warm gold pierced the gloom. The rain above her ceased. An umbrella shielded her.
“What are you *doing* out here?” A familiar voice cut through the drumming rain.
Bai Yuxuan looked up. Through blurred vision, she recognized that golden hair. Her rival. Ouyang Qianxue.
“You okay? Standing alone in this downpour?” Ouyang Qianxue’s frown deepened as the umbrella revealed tears mingling with rain on Bai Yuxuan’s face. “Hey—don’t cry. What happened?”
Bai Yuxuan couldn’t stop the tears. In that frozen household, she’d forgotten how to weep.
“Why are you here? To mock me?” Her voice was flat.
“Mock you?” Ouyang Qianxue scoffed. “You bolted from exams the other day and forgot your student ID. Our teacher asked me to return it. You skipped school yesterday too, so I came to drop it off.” She tugged Bai Yuxuan’s arm. “Inside. Now. You’ll catch a cold.”
Half-dragged into the apartment, Bai Yuxuan moved like a ghost toward the bathroom. Under the shower’s heat, she still felt numb, arms wrapped tightly around herself.
When she emerged in dry clothes, the table held simple home-cooked dishes—and a steaming bowl of congee.
“Eat while it’s hot,” Ouyang Qianxue said, untying her apron. She pushed the bowl forward.
Bai Yuxuan took a spoonful. Warmth bloomed in her chest, spreading through her chilled limbs.
“This… is the best congee I’ve ever tasted.”
“Dramatic. It’s just century egg and pork congee.” Ouyang Qianxue grinned. “Finish up. There’s a surprise after.”
“Surprise?”
Starving, Bai Yuxuan devoured every bite. This humble meal outshone every banquet she’d ever attended.
“Ready for the main event?” Ouyang Qianxue emerged from the kitchen holding a six-inch birthday cake, frosted with cream and jam. “Your birthday, right? I spotted your oven last time I visited. Resourceful, huh?”
“How did you…?” Bai Yuxuan’s voice cracked.
“Your student ID. It has your birthdate.”
The dam broke. Tears streamed freely down Bai Yuxuan’s face as she stared at the candlelit cake.
