The first time I saw Madam Bai was on her sixth birthday.
That day, my father held a birthday party for her and invited many people. Just then, Madam Bai suddenly returned, accompanied by her son and daughter. Without a word, she walked directly to Fu Qing and demanded that the Bai Group, which my father had painstakingly re-established, be returned to them.
She threatened my father with her status as his adoptive mother, accusing him of being ungrateful, of usurping the Bai family's assets as an adopted son, and of being morally corrupt.
My father endured it all. My mother's expression was unpleasant, but she kept trying to persuade Madam Bai cautiously.
After that day, Bai Qian became the second-in-command of the Bai Group, living a leisurely life, spending public funds as he pleased, and doing no work.
At that time, even though Bai Qian always made mistakes, my father would still "clean up his mess," so Madam Bai and Bai Qian were somewhat in awe of my father, at least outwardly.
My father always said, "People's hearts are made of flesh. As long as you treat them like family, they will eventually feel it."
"We are all family, so don't worry too much about financial matters."
"As long as you are diligent and powerful enough, you will earn their recognition."
Until my father sacrificed himself in a mission...
After my father's death, Bai Qian formally took over the Bai Group, and Madam Bai and Bai Qian's attitude towards me and my mother became increasingly hostile.
My brother began to show abnormalities from the age of eight. His cognition and intelligence seemed to be frozen at that age. My mother was also deeply affected by my father's death, and her health deteriorated.
Therefore, I had to become strong.
I studied diligently, not daring to slack off for a moment, all for the sake of earning their recognition, all for the hope that one day I could take back control of the Bai Group from Bai Qian and protect my family and the legacy my father left behind.
That day, I presented my proposal to Bai Qian, offering some suggestions for the current industrial planning of the Bai Group, hoping they would be implemented.
Bai Qian's eyes lit up when he saw the proposal. He praised, "A tiger begets a tiger, not a dog. Xi'er, you are truly remarkable. Come to work at the Bai Group after you graduate from university. It will be your time to shine."
But three days later, Madam Bai invited me to a banquet and handed me a glass of wine I had never tasted before.
After drinking that glass of wine, I lost consciousness. When I woke up, my hands were bound, and I was lying on a perverted bed. A lecherous old man stood beside me, eager to assault me.
That night, I used all my strength to escape from that old man's villa, and in the end, I was forced to jump off a cliff.
I thought I was destined to die, but I was unexpectedly saved by a man wearing a mask with a crescent-shaped scar on his wrist. Otherwise, forget about rebirth, I would have long since turned into smoke and dissipated into the heavens and earth.
And at this very moment, the person who had once sent me to that old man's bed was standing before me, shamelessly using morality to hold me hostage, saying I didn't treat her as an elder and didn't see her as a grandmother.
Did she deserve it?
Hearing Bai Xi speak, Madam Bai naturally recalled what she had done to Bai Xi six years ago.
She still wanted to make excuses for herself: "I did it for your own good back then. Aren't you working so hard just to live a life of ease and luxury? The chairman of Sun Group is rich and powerful. If you went with him, you wouldn't have to worry about anything for the rest of your life."
These words made Bai Xi laugh out loud in anger.
She never imagined that Madam Bai could be so shameless, framing the act of selling out her nominal granddaughter as a predestined love match.
In this world, the only way to defeat magic is perhaps with magic.
Bai Xi raised an eyebrow and said calmly, "Is that so? Since Madam Bai thinks the chairman of Sun Group is so wonderful, then I will pack you up and send you over right now. After all, Grandfather has been dead for many years, and it's time for you to find a new place for yourself."
At these words, Madam Bai's face immediately turned pale. "You..."
She wanted to scold her, but undoubtedly, any words of abuse she uttered now would be equivalent to scolding herself. Thus, those malicious words were ultimately left unsaid.
At this moment, she finally understood.
Bai Xi was no longer the same as before. She no longer held any hope for peaceful coexistence with Madam Bai, nor did she have any trace of desire to maintain their family ties.
Since she could not morally blackmail her, she could only resort to force: "You brat, don't think you're so great just because you've grown wings. What's wrong with sending you to that old man's bed at the Sun family back then? Aren't you now using your looks and body to exchange for a few mad dogs that bite indiscriminately and run rampant everywhere? What's the difference between that and what I did to you?"
Before she came, Bai Qian had sent a message saying that Bai Xi had hooked up with a decent man with her looks. She had given her a group of thugs, indulging her in running rampant.
It seemed to be... the director of the security bureau, which was why he was protecting this little slut Bai Xi everywhere and speaking up for her, disregarding the upcoming marriage alliance between the Bai and Zhou families.
Although Qian Feng was not as old as the old man from the Sun family, he was still quite old and more than capable of being Bai Xi's father. She was clearly a slut, yet she pretended to be noble.
Thinking of this, Madam Bai let out a contemptuous cold snort. "Bai Xi, I warn you, you'd better go to the security bureau now, withdraw the complaint against your uncle, and return the position of executive director of the Bai Group to your uncle. Otherwise, don't blame me for disregarding our grandmother-granddaughter relationship."
But the Bai family now was not the Bai family of the past.
The Bai family back then only had the Bai Group, but now... she had used the name of the Bai Group to send her daughter to a higher platform and meet more rich and influential men.
Now, her daughter's husband was a member of the dark department and had ascended to a position similar to that of the former side family. Did she still fear a mere Bai Xi?
Young girls like Bai Xi, who only had looks, had no idea that the best way to bind a man was through marriage. Only after marriage did the two truly become a community of interest. A wife and someone kept outside were, after all, two different things.
Bai Xi raised her eyebrows slightly. "Are you not being polite to me?"
Madam Bai, seeing that she countered with a question instead of answering, thought she was considering and therefore added emphasis. "Yes, a wise person knows when to adapt. I'll give you ten minutes to consider."
Bai Xi's index finger gently stroked the red jade bracelet on her wrist and said calmly, "There's no need for ten minutes. I've already made up my mind, and I'm even looking forward to seeing how impolite you can be!"