The tramp wolfed down the noodles in his bowl while glancing at Wei Yumeng. He took a quick look and shook his head, indicating he hadn't seen her.
But Wei Yumeng was persistent. "Sir, please look at me carefully. I really think we've met before."
The tramp finished the last bite of noodles before looking at her again. After staring for a few seconds, he did find her somewhat familiar.
"I think I've seen you somewhere, but this is my first time in Pengcheng. Have you been anywhere else before?"
His words reminded Wei Yumeng. She suddenly remembered who this person was.
"You're Bai Qing's brother, aren't you?"
Upon hearing this, Bai Yan put down his chopsticks. "You know her? What's your relationship with her?"
Wei Yumeng explained her relationship with Bai Qing and then offered to call her to inform her about Bai Yan's current state, as he looked quite down and out, and she assumed Bai Qing didn't know.
However, before she could even dial, Bai Yan forcefully hung up her phone.
"Mr. Bai, what do you mean by that? Don't you want Bai Qing to pick you up?"
When they first met, Bai Qing had described how her brother had worked tirelessly to support her studies. Their sibling bond should have been strong. Bai Yan's current action seemed illogical.
Bai Yan snorted. "Sister? I don't have a sister who sent me to a mental asylum. If you notify her to come, you'll be sending me to a mental asylum and ruining me."
A mental asylum? Shouldn't it be a hospital?
Wei Yumeng was confused. She recounted the events after his injury in detail. "Jing Yan said he was transferring you to a hospital. He wanted Bai Qing to reunite with you, her brother. How could he send you to a mental asylum? Is there some misunderstanding here?"
"Hmph, what misunderstanding could there be? It's just that that little slut got involved with some man outside. Fearing I'd make trouble for her, she lied to others that I had a mental illness."
Bai Yan's vulgar language made Huo Xiao uncomfortable. "Why are you speaking like that? It's normal for your sister to be in a relationship. Why are you making it sound like something shameful?"
"Exactly. She's someone who shouldn't be seen."
Bai Yan's words left even the usually talkative Huo Xiao speechless. He heard him say to Wei Yumeng, "I can't explain it clearly to you, and there's nothing more to say. Get her and her boyfriend to come here. I want to talk to them face-to-face."
This situation clearly signaled an impending storm. Wei Yumeng knew this wasn't the place to talk. She first sent Huo Xiao back, then discussed with Bai Yan.
"Mr. Bai, why don't you come to my place? We're good friends with Jing Yan, and we can provide a space for you to talk. It's not good to discuss family matters here with so many people around."
Bai Yan knew she was right. He waited until she finished calling Jing Yan before agreeing to go with Wei Yumeng.
Wei Yumeng and Zhan Mohan's apartment was vacant, so they arranged to meet there. Apart from the couple and Bai Yan, Jing Yan and Bai Qing were also present.
Jing Yan was caught off guard when Wei Yumeng called him, saying Bai Yan wanted to see them. He didn't know Bai Yan had escaped from the sanatorium until he questioned Bai Qing. Consequently, the atmosphere between them on the way was tense.
Upon arriving at the apartment, Bai Qing saw Bai Yan sitting there and rushed towards him. "Brother, it's so good that you're alright. If anything had happened to you, I would never forgive myself."
Bai Yan didn't buy into her display of sibling affection and coldly pushed his dear sister away.
"Stop pretending. Now that I'm here, and your boyfriend is here, I want to ask you today, who do you choose between us?"
Choose who?
Bai Yan's question stunned everyone else. One was a boyfriend, and the other was a brother. Why should they choose between them? Did Bai Yan have some psychological issue, a perverted preference?
Jing Yan was clearly angered. "What did you say? I won't trouble you because you're her brother, but don't be ungrateful."
"Brother?"
Bai Yan glanced mockingly at Bai Qing. "You tell them I'm your brother?"
Aren't you?
Everyone looked at Bai Qing. Her eyes darted away, and her face turned pale. The sibling relationship suddenly seemed less certain.
Jing Yan couldn't help but doubt. "Bai Qing, I want you to tell me directly, are you and he siblings or not?"
Bai Qing stammered, unable to speak. She looked at Jing Yan, then at Bai Yan, as if she had some unspeakable secret. However, her reaction was enough to give Jing Yan an answer: she and Bai Yan were not siblings.
"Good, very good." Jing Yan let out a cold laugh. In his rage, he picked up a glass and smashed it towards Bai Qing. The pent-up anger he had suppressed for so long erupted in that instant.
The glass shattered at Bai Qing's feet, cutting her instep.
She was completely oblivious and tried to placate Jing Yan but was roughly pushed aside.
"You're a good actress, and you've spun a good story. I've never doubted you in that regard. But you, you lied to me, and it was fun, wasn't it? You've gotten addicted to playing games with me, haven't you? I want you to tell me clearly right now, how many more things are you hiding from me? Speak!"
Bai Qing flinched at Jing Yan's roar, but she still refused to say anything.
Seeing this, Bai Yan smiled.
"Don't trouble her anymore. Of course, she won't say it. How could she have the face to?"
Hearing Bai Yan's every word, it was as if Bai Qing had committed some unforgivable sin. This prompted Wei Yumeng to interject.
"What is Bai Qing's relationship with you? You're not siblings, so what are you?"
When Wei Yumeng asked the question, Bai Yan looked at Bai Qing. Since she was still unwilling to speak herself, there was no need to spare her any more courtesy. After all, he had called Jing Yan here today to expose this relationship, and it didn't matter who said it.
"She's my wife. She's a child bride bought for me."
A child bride!
When this relationship was revealed, everyone's first reaction was disbelief.
Although they all understood the concept of a child bride, it was generally a practice from older times. However, in relatively remote areas with poverty and scarcity of people, they might still adhere to traditions and buy a child bride for their son.
But such cases were rare, and no one expected someone close to them to be someone else's child bride.
Especially considering Bai Qing's demeanor and speech, which were completely at odds with these three words.
However, Bai Qing's strong reaction, even trying to cover Bai Yan's mouth, was enough to prove that Bai Yan was telling the truth. She was guilty.
Bai Yan was not surprised by her actions and kicked her aside forcefully before continuing.
"Back then, her family was so poor they couldn't afford to eat, so they sold her to me as a child bride. Our family treated her well. Not only did we provide her with good food and clothing, but we also didn't make her do any strenuous labor. Even after my parents died, when she said she wanted to continue her studies, I supported her education and her studies abroad. We did call each other brother and sister, but we have no blood relation. She was sold to our family, so she's my wife. Otherwise, if we had no relation, why would I help someone else raise a wife?"
Although Bai Yan's words were harsh, they were logical.
Even though being a child bride was a product of a societal injustice, in a society without human rights, since she was treated as an object and traded to the Bai family, she should have fulfilled her obligations.
Most child brides were treated like beasts of burden by their in-laws. However, Bai Qing was fortunate. The Bai family not only did not enslave her inhumanely but also provided her with food and education, which was something ordinary families couldn't do.
By all accounts, she should have been grateful for the Bai family's kindness.
Not only that, but Bai Yan had also sacrificed everything to support her studies. Even if she received a good education, was unwilling to accept her predetermined fate, and didn't want to marry Bai Yan, she should have explained it to him.
Whether it was understandable or not was a different matter from whether she had the heart to say it.
She enjoyed the comfortable life provided by Bai Yan, wanted to date a wealthy young man, and even had inappropriate thoughts about Zhan Mohan. After seeing Bai Yan, she even tried to have him sent to a mental asylum.
Such a woman was perhaps too greedy.