Seeing the bedroom door about to close, Yao Chunmei quickly stepped into Bai Wenxi's bedroom. "A Wen, I hope you think this through carefully. The Jiang family is the best choice."
"You won't get another chance like this. Even the Zhang family doesn't have the means to help you pay off your debts, but it's a piece of cake for the Jiang family."
Bai Wenxi held back the tears welling in her eyes. "What was Dad doing at home before he went out for the business dinner? Who did he go out to eat with?"
"I'm going to call the police. Dad died so miserably. I can't just hold the funeral without getting to the bottom of it."
Yao Chunmei pushed aside the second aunt and uncle and sat down beside Bai Wenxi. "Your dad was at home at first, but then he went out to talk to people from the bank and the insurance company. It wasn't an ordinary business dinner."
She lowered her voice and whispered slyly into Bai Wenxi's ear. "He was trying to defraud the insurance company, so you mustn't call the police!"
"You're lying! Dad isn't that kind of person." Bai Wenxi's face flushed with anger. Her father had always taught her to be a law - abiding and polite person.
He wouldn't do such things!
Just as Yao Chunmei was chattering away, trying to persuade Bai Wenxi, Bai Yunxi slowly pushed open the door and walked in.
"Mom, Uncle. You can leave first. Let me try to talk some sense into my sister." There was no trace of sadness in her beautiful eyes, only excitement and calculation.
At first, the second uncle and aunt were reluctant to leave. It was only when Bai Wenxi signaled that it was okay that they left, full of worry.
As soon as the door was closed, Bai Yunxi began to sneer. "Sure enough, the eldest daughter of the Bai family. Look how concerned the second uncle and aunt are about you. If it had been me in this situation today, I doubt they'd stick up for me."
Bai Wenxi ignored her sarcastic remarks. There was an awkward silence in the room for a moment.
It wasn't just because this younger sister was the daughter of her step - mother. Ever since she came to the Bai family, she had always talked to Bai Wenxi in a sarcastic way.
She always played little tricks to try to take what belonged to Bai Wenxi, so Bai Wenxi didn't really want to talk to her.
Bai Yunxi didn't think so. Her goal was to trample this older sister into the mud, so she wouldn't shut up just because of Bai Wenxi's cold looks. "Did everyone know what you did last night?"
Her venomous words hit the deepest secret that Bai Wenxi wanted to hide. She turned around in disbelief.
"What do you know?"
"Good sister, I advise you to break off the engagement with the Zhang family." Bai Yunxi crossed her arms, looking very provocative.
"Don't think I don't know just because you don't say anything. You didn't seem right this morning!" Bai Yunxi raised her eyebrows. "What's it like to sleep with a man?"
Bai Wenxi keenly sensed there was more to her words. "You set me up?"
For some reason, Bai Yunxi suddenly became hysterical. "Who do you think you are? Do I need to set you up?"
"Anyone can tell something's wrong with you! Why don't you cover the hickeys on your neck, Miss Bai!"
Bai Wenxi lowered her head and unconsciously touched her neck. Although she felt ashamed and regretful, she didn't want to show her weakness and let this younger sister laugh at her.
Seeing Bai Wenxi's little gesture, Bai Yunxi scoffed. "Stop hiding. Everyone's just being polite to you. Break off the engagement, and I'll ask Brother Wen to give you some money to pay off your debts."
"You're also Dad's daughter and a part of the Bai family. Are you just going to stand by and do nothing?" Although Bai Wenxi didn't expect her step - mother and younger sister to pay the money, her father had always doted on this second daughter.
"Here, this is the supplementary card of the Zhang family." Bai Yunxi was too lazy to listen to this emotional talk and directly took out the credit card.
"Brother Wen doesn't even want to look at you now. If you want to save the art gallery, pay for it. It's fair."
"I don't need it!" Bai Wenxi wiped the tears from her cheeks. She stared at this younger sister with undisguised disgust, as if looking at a pile of trash.
She opened the drawer of the dressing table, quickly touched up her makeup, and walked past Bai Yunxi without even looking at her surprised expression.
She opened the door. Outside were the concerned faces of her uncle and aunt. She held back the pain in her heart.
She calmly announced, "Second Mom, I'll inherit Dad's business. I'd like to meet the old lady of the Jiang family."
"Good! Good! I knew you were a smart girl, A Wen. You know what the best choice is." Yao Chunmei was overjoyed. "I'll go tell the Jiang family right away."
She excitedly ran out into the corridor to make a phone call, not even trying to hide her pride.
"A Wen, you really can't marry the grandson of the Jiang family!" The second aunt grabbed Bai Wenxi's hands, earnestly saying, "The Jiang family is such a high - status family. No well - matched girl dares to marry into their family. Do you know how infamous that boy is?"
"I heard he's a fierce and cruel person. He even killed someone in his hometown! It was only because of the Jiang family that the matter was covered up." The second aunt even started to cry sadly. "That poisonous woman, Yao Chunmei. She doesn't even care about all the good things Big Brother did for her. She's just trying to harm you!"
Bai Wenxi gently held the second aunt's face and comforted her. "It's okay, Aunt. This is my own choice. I'm not afraid."
Looking at the man walking behind the aunt, Bai Wenxi took off the ring on her ring finger. "Fu Wen, here's your ring back."
She looked deeply into Zhang Fuwen's eyes. She still looked as energetic as when they first met.
"I wish you and my sister happiness."
She put the ring in his hand and left without a trace of hesitation. Zhang Fuwen's lips moved, but he didn't say anything to stop her.
Now that she had decided to face the difficulties on her own, Bai Wenxi wasn't a hesitant person.
However, tough as she was and having prepared herself mentally, she didn't expect the blind date with the Jiang family to come so soon.
At Bai Zhongxun's farewell ceremony the next day, many well - known local celebrities showed up.
But the Jiang family was one of the most prominent families in the country. The Bai family didn't have enough influence to invite the old lady of the Jiang family to a junior's funeral.
So when the figures of the Jiang family members appeared at the farewell ceremony, everyone was shocked and couldn't help whispering to each other.
The old lady of the Jiang family first offered a stick of incense to Bai Zhongxun, then kindly invited Bai Wenxi to meet in a small room next door.
"Yao Chunmei said you're willing to marry into the Jiang family?" The old lady of the Jiang family was kind and amiable, not as hard - to - talk - to as the rumors said.
"Yes. It would be my honor to marry into the Jiang family." Bai Wenxi always maintained a faint smile, showing no sign of reluctance on her face.
"Have you heard the rumors about my grandson?" The old lady asked maliciously. "What do you think of him?"
"Since they're just rumors and I haven't seen it with my own eyes, I won't easily believe them." She evaded the question and didn't want to give her opinion.
The old lady of the Jiang family stared at Bai Wenxi's delicate side - profile for a long time and remembered the young and beautiful face from years ago.
"Child, you look a lot like your father. You even look a bit like your half - sister." The old lady of the Jiang family sighed.
"You don't look like your mother, though. Only your side - profile has a bit of her shadow."
She stroked Bai Wenxi's thick black hair and sighed deeply. "If your mother were still alive, she'd be 47 years old now. She'd be an old woman, too."