It had to be said, no one knew their father better than his daughter.
So it turned out the class reunion was just a front, an excuse Bai Hanyan used to cover for me.
“My dad asked me about this yesterday too, and I’m pretty sure he saw right through my act of playing dumb,” Bai Hanyan said, smiling at me. “But you’re really something else, managing to fool Liu Hui. You’re the first in Guangling to do that.”
I hadn't told her the full plan back then, only that she needed to play along with me. I had originally planned to explain things to her later, but it seemed that was no longer necessary.
“My dad told me that while Liu Hui was in the wrong initially, you went too far in setting a trap for him afterwards…” Bai Hanyan made a funny face. “But honestly, I thought it was quite satisfying. I heard about how he scammed you with that chicken-cup back then… Any guesses where that cup is now?”
I raised an eyebrow. “Where?”
“At my place,” Bai Hanyan said with a grin. “When Liu Hui came to my dad for help, he spilled the beans about how he’d ripped you off. I was standing outside the door and heard it all.”
Hong Yunpeng chimed in indignantly, “How could he even say that!”
“You’re even now,” Bai Hanyan stated. “He scammed you out of your chicken-cup, and you sold him a fake Douchai… If anything, you guys came out ahead.”
I sighed. “In terms of money, we’re definitely a step ahead of him. But regarding Brother Hong getting beaten up, we haven’t settled that score yet.”
“What? You still want to go beat up Liu Hui?” Bai Hanyan asked.
“If I get the chance, I’ll definitely get revenge for Brother Hong!” I declared.
Of course, I couldn’t do it now. I’d have to wait until I was strong enough. I was very aware of the gap between me and Liu Hui at the moment.
Hong Yunpeng looked worried and advised, “Xiao Fei, let this go… Don’t take any risks. I’m tough, a few hits don’t matter. Besides, we’ve earned what we could…”
I smiled. “Brother Hong, don’t worry, I’m not talking about now. Times change. If the opportunity arises, this grudge will be repaid.”
Hong Yunpeng let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good. Let’s order our food then.”
After dinner, I was about to call Wu Tingxiu when she beat me to it, saying she was waiting for me at the Bai residence. I felt a bit helpless having just left, only to have to return.
“Don’t worry, my dad won’t eat you,” Bai Hanyan said. “Besides, I’ll be there. Don’t panic.”
I gave a wry smile. “Then when your dad does try to eat me, you’d better stop him… My meat isn’t tasty, it’ll get stuck in his teeth.”
Bai Hanyan rolled her eyes at me. “When did you become as glib as Wang Yang?”
Speaking of Wang Yang, she couldn’t help but ask, “By the way, why wasn’t he with you guys today?”
“That kid skipped town,” I replied.
“Skipped town? Where did he go?”
“Left Guangling. Said he was going back to his hometown.”
Bai Hanyan pouted. “He didn’t even say goodbye. So heartless.”
“Exactly, that guy’s an ungrateful wretch. He took everything from me, used me, and then left without a word,” I said, feeling a bit disgruntled myself.
“He didn’t even tell you guys?” Bai Hanyan asked, surprised.
I nodded. “No, he didn’t.”
“Could he have run into some trouble?”
I shook my head, not elaborating. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to tell Hong Yunpeng and Bai Hanyan about An Ying, but the situation was too bizarre. I still didn’t quite believe what Wang Yang had told me.
Upon arriving at the Bai family mansion and reaching the backyard, I saw Wu Tingxiu and Bai Zhujing having tea in the study, chatting and laughing.
“Finished with the class reunion so quickly?” Bai Zhujing asked when he saw us enter.
Bai Hanyan smiled sweetly. “We didn’t make it. We just grabbed something to eat outside.”
Bai Zhujing chuckled helplessly and gestured for Hong Yunpeng and me to sit down. Bai Hanyan, ever the considerate hostess, quickly got busy preparing tea, boiling water and washing cups.
Wu Tingxiu looked at me. “I mentioned before that I’d give you a big gift when I got back…”
Honestly, I hadn’t given it much thought. After all, my objective and Wu Tingxiu’s were the same: we both wanted to find Suihou Zhu. She just didn’t know we shared the same goal.
I smiled, saying nothing more. I assumed her so-called “big gift” would be something material. Just as I was wondering how much money she’d give me, she pulled a document from her handbag and handed it to me.
Puzzled, I took it and opened it to find a share transfer agreement! It was a share transfer agreement for Anyuantang! I was surprised and glanced at Bai Zhujing, who acted as if nothing was happening, continuing to sip his tea.
“Both shareholders of Anyuantang have signed. As long as you write your name on it, you’ll be a shareholder of Anyuantang from now on,” Wu Tingxiu said with a smile.
I hadn’t expected her “big gift” to be this, and it truly surprised me. Anyuantang was no small establishment. Excluding the inventory, the value of the building itself plus renovations was easily in the eight to nine hundred thousand range. Of course, that was just the market price. For the transfer to go through, the original shareholders had to be willing. It seemed Wu Tingxiu must have given Bai Zhujing and Liu Hui quite a bit of incentive for them to sign the agreement.
“This gift is too generous,” I said to Wu Tingxiu.
She smiled. “Read the contract carefully first.”
Upon hearing this, I continued reading the transfer contract. I noticed Wu Tingxiu’s name was also on it. After reading it, I understood. It turned out she would become a shareholder of Anyuantang along with me, but all the affairs of Anyuantang would be handled by me. In essence, she was the owner, and I was the manager. Even so, it was a substantial gift.
Hong Yunpeng looked astonished and kept winking at me, clearly wanting to say something. I gave him a look to calm down, signaling that we could talk later. As for Bai Hanyan, she seemed even happier than I was, her face beaming.
“From now on, Xiao Xiang, you’ll probably be the youngest antique dealer in all of Guangling,” Bai Zhujing interjected with a smile.
“You’re too kind, Mr. Bai. I’ll need your guidance in the future. After all, I’m young and might make mistakes,” I replied.
“With Ms. Wu backing you, mistakes won’t be a problem,” Bai Zhujing added.
I didn’t know what he meant by that comment and didn’t dwell on it. Anyuantang was being handed to me on a silver platter; I couldn’t refuse it. I needed to earn a living, and there would likely be many expenses in the future. Having such a good opportunity to make money, I had to seize it. Without any hesitation, I took out the contract and signed my name.