Bai Shuishui met Bai Tianying's cold gaze, and as she looked at Bai Tianying's face, words flashed through her mind:
This person is destined for an untimely death.
"Hello, my name is Bai Shuishui," Bai Shuishui politely nodded. The secrets of the Bai family were even more trickier than she had imagined.
Bai Shuishui's eyelids trembled, and the eerie aura lingering in the Bai family villa suddenly dissipated, as if it had all been her illusion.
Following the faint spiritual energy fluctuations in the air, she saw Qi Zhi.
Qi Zhi was still lounging casually on the balcony. His expression was lazy, and his bathrobe was loosely tied, exposing a fair neck.
Seeing Bai Shuishui look his way, Qi Zhi flashed a smile and waved at her like a lucky-cat.
[T/N: maneki-neko or "lucky cat", Japanese figurine cat usually found at the entrance of shops, restaurants etc are believed to bring good fortune]
Bai Shuishui suddenly remembered the mermaid under the moonlight that night.
What a goblin.
Bai Shuishui muttered to herself and then followed the Bai family members into the villa. From that moment on, Qi Zhi was out of her sight.
After Bai Shuishui's figure disappeared, Qi Zhi's playful expression gradually faded. He looked at the house in the back courtyard of the Bai family villa, his eyes flickering in contemplation.
Qi Zhi yawned and expanded his consciousness. If he was not mistaken, there was a good show waiting for Shuishui in the Bai family.
As Bai Shuishui stepped into the living room of the villa, she heard the faint yet crisp sound of beads clinking together.
On the sofa, an elderly woman with a head full of silver hair put down her prayer beads and called her with tears in her eyes, "Shuishui—!"
"It was all Grandma's fault back then, causing you to get lost," Grandma Bai stood up and held Bai Shuishui's hand, muttering repeatedly, "It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."
After all, she was an elderly woman. Bai Shuishui couldn't pull her hand away as she did with Qu Lian earlier. She looked at the old woman with a gentle expression:
"Sorry to have worried you."
Bai Shuishui's expression showed a trace of apology. Seeing Grandma Bai's emotional face, she felt touched.
"Mom, Shuishui just got back and must be tired from the journey. Let's talk about everything else tomorrow," Qu Lian said, supporting the over-eighty-year-old Grandma Bai.
"Yes, yes," Grandma Bai responded in a loud voice, and put the string back on.
Bai Shuishui glanced at the prayer beads and instantly recognized them as fake beads made by unscrupulous merchants to deceive devout followers. There was no other use for it other than coiling it for fun.
But the Grandma Bai being led away by Qu Lian kept fiddling with the beads.
With each movement, the crisp sound of the beads clashing reflected the unrest in the owner's heart.
"May the infinite blessings of Tianzun be upon us," Bai Shuishui suddenly uttered as she watched them leave.
"Your grandmother believes in Buddhism." Father Bai said gently.
"Since you lived in a Taoist temple before, I think you and your grandmother will have a lot to talk about." He gave Bai Shuishui a few more words of advice and then went upstairs to rest.
Soon, the living room was left with only Bai Shuishui and the deathly pale Bai Tianying.
Bai Tianying coughed twice, pulled his coat tighter around himself, and said in a low voice, "If there's nothing important, don't go to the backyard. Just stay in this villa and the small garden."
Bai Shuishui's eyes flickered at his use of the word "just."
Meanwhile, Qi Zhi and the system tried once again to break into the back courtyard of the Bai family.
【Host, it’s still not working.】
Qi Zhi pondered over. Now that Bai Shuishui was living with the Bai family, he had to be extra careful in looking after her.
Qi Zhi casually adjusted the collar of his robe and then went back inside to change into a short-sleeved shirt and casual pants. He looked at himself in the mirror and his eyes flashed with smug narcissism.
"Truly worthy of the mermaid clan, born with such good looks." He was even more handsome than when he was a famous actor in the previous world.
【......】 The system ignored him.
Qi Zhi set off, flying over to the Bai family’s villa next door, and gracefully landed in a room on the second floor.
Downstairs, Bai Shuishui had just finished talking with Bai Tianying when a servant, carrying her luggage, bowed slightly and gestured, "Miss, your room is this way."
"Thank you, sorry for the trouble," Bai Shuishui nodded calmly.
The servant left her luggage at the bedroom door and retreated. As Bai Shuishui’s hand touched the door lock, she sensed a faint fluctuation of spiritual energy inside.
Being new to the Bai family, Bai Shuishui had yet to grasp the full situation of the family.
The sudden surge of spiritual energy reminded her of the eerie, chilling aura she had sensed at the entrance earlier.
Bai Shuishui's lips pursed slightly as she raised her left hand defensively in front of her and her gaze turned vigilant.
She opened the door, and a tall man stood in the doorway, filling her entire view.
"You scared me!" Seeing it was Qi Zhi, Bai Shuishui relaxed and playfully chided him.
Qi Zhi took her suitcase, quickly closed the door after she entered the room, secretly casting a soundproofing spell.
Bai Shuishui looked around the bedroom and specifically glanced at the open window, realizing that Qi Zhi must have entered by jumping through the window.
She stood by the window, gazing towards the backhouse. Focusing intently, she could vaguely see a layer of dark, eerie aura shrouding the place.
Bai Shuishui's expression turned serious. "This place is quite strange."
"That's why I didn't want you to come down from the mountain."
Qi Zhi sighed, teasing her half-jokingly. "You, a half-baked Taoist with little skill and low cultivation, be careful not to get yourself in trouble."
Hearing this, Bai Shuishui's eyes widened slightly, but she didn't refute his words. In this era of the Dharma Ending, her skills were indeed lacking.
The bright moon hung in the sky, and the silvery-gray moonlight streamed through the window, casting an ethereal glow on Bai Shuishui's serene and compassionate face.
"Shuishui," Qi Zhi took out a fish scale-shaped pendant necklace from his pocket. The translucent fish scales pulsed with rotating spiritual energy throughout its body. It was clearly no ordinary object.
Qi Zhi dangled the pendant in the air, a faint smile was playing on his lips as he said, "For you."
Bai Shuishui's eyes flickered. "What is this?"
"A protective talisman," Qi Zhi winked. "It's an ancestral heritage of the mermaid clan that has been passed down for three thousand years."
Hearing his playful remark, Bai Shuishui couldn't help but laugh, dispelling the unease in her heart about being in a strange place.
"Thank you." Bai Shuishui smiled, her willow-leaf eyebrows curved gracefully, resembling a beauty from Jiangnan in the misty rain.
As Bai Shuishui reached out to take it, Qi Zhi dodged her hand. "Let me put it on for you."
Qi Zhi's fingers brushed against her neck as he slowly spoke:
"Taoist Bai, this fish scale has been blessed by my ancestors. You must cherish it and never take it off."
After saying this, Qi Zhi patted Bai Shuishui's head like teasing a cat. Out of her line of sight, his expression softened and his eyes were filled with love and doting.
Bai Shuishui, with her hair styled in a Hunyuan bun, felt a weight on her head as Qi Zhi's large hand reached up to touch it. She blinked and swatted away his mischievous hand.
Qi Zhi chuckled, "Alright, I won't disturb your rest."
Seeing him about to leave through the window, Bai Shuishui quickly stopped him, "Wait a moment."
Bai Shuishui took out a protective talisman she had drawn from her suitcase. Looking up at Qi Zhi with a smile, she said, "Courtesy demands reciprocation. Keep this for yourself."
Qi Zhi took the talisman, feeling warm in his heart, but he couldn't help but cheekily say, "This talisman is your token of love to me. Of course I'll treasure it well."
"Qi Zhi!" Bai Shuishui was slightly annoyed. "I gave you something sincerely, yet you keep talking nonsense.
Qi Zhi chuckled, and before Bai Shuishui could get angry and hit him, he jumped out of the window and disappeared into the night.
"Consider yourself lucky for running fast," Bai Shuishui pretended to grit her teeth while looking at the empty night outside the window, but a hint of a smile flashed in her eyes.
*
After sending the fish scale pendant and returning home, Qi Zhi thought there would be a tough battle ahead.
After all, the secrets of the Bai family's back house and the mysterious expert behind Bai Shuishui's father had yet to be revealed.
Unexpectedly, the next day, Qi Zhi received an invitation from the Bai family.
The person said that since the Bai family had found Bai Shuishui, they were hosting a banquet to introduce her to everyone.
Qi Zhi flipped through the crimson gold-gilded invitation, puzzled by Bai Father's intentions behind this.
The original host had very little interaction with Bai Shuishui, so even Qi Zhi and the system were unclear about the circumstances of Bai Shuishui's death in her previous life.
In her past life, Bai Shuishui had been murdered in the back courtyard. Whether it was an accident or a conspiracy remained unknown.
It was still unknown whether Bai Shuishui's death in the backhouse in her past life was an accident or a conspiracy.
Qi Zhi took a photo of the invitation and sent it to Bai Shuishui.
【...they took matters into their own hands.】Bai Shuishui replied with a short message.
Qi Zhi looked at the chat log and narrowed his eyes slightly. It seemed that Bai Shuishui's father had no intention of letting her leave from the start.
The Bai family had a huge business empire, and originally, the frail Bai Tianying was the sole heir.
Now, a long-lost eldest daughter, Bai Shuishui, had suddenly appeared, and rumors were already circulating that the Bai family might change hands.
If Bai Shuishui had simply come to the capital to pay respects to her late mother and not return to the Bai family, Bai Father and the others would have surely suppressed the news of her return.
But now they were making a big fuss about it.
Qi Zhi stroked his chin, constantly fiddling with the protective talisman Bai Shuishui gave him, looking thoughtful.
*
June 24th, overcast with light rain.
The outlines of the villa complex in the ancient European architectural style were softened by the hazy rain mist.
The Bai family servants were busy arranging the banquet venue, and even from a distance of more than ten meters, Qi Zhi could hear their incessant chattering.
Having spent too much time at the Taoist temple recently, Qi Zhi had a backlog of matters piling up at Qi's seafood company that needed his attention.
He started a video conference, planning to go to the Bai family once the drizzle stopped.
Compared to Qi Zhi’s busy work life, what troubled Bai Shuishui was dealing with Qu Lian's enthusiasm.
This woman seemed to fear others accusing her of mistreating Bai Shuishui, so she spent the whole day pampering her.
On the day of the banquet, Bai Shuishui had just finished practicing Baduanjin and was not yet done with her morning exercises when Qu Lian called her up to try on her dress on the second floor. [Baduanjin (eight pieces of brocade) is a Qigong exercise]
Bai Shuishui always started her morning exercises with Baduanjin, followed by the martial arts techniques she had learned from her master over the years. The whole morning exercise routine took at least an hour.
Bai Shuishui paused and let out an inward sigh as she ended her practice earlier.
The dress was already custom-made; the key was the makeup and styling.
"Oh my, Shuishui!" Qu Lian cried out, wrinkling her nose. "Look at you all sweaty! Go take a bath first!"
Bai Shuishui: "......"
For a moment, the room full of designers and stylists stared at her eagerly.
Bai Shuishui pursed her lips. As someone who usually got along well with others, she was still reluctant to delay everyone's work, so she could only comply and let them fuss over her.
Around half past ten in the morning, guests started to enter the Bai residence one by one. They were all influential figures in society, high-ranking officials, and even many faces that frequently appeared in financial news magazines.
"The Bai Group is the result of a merger between the Bai family and the Qian family. Now that the eldest daughter of the Bai family has returned, who knows what changes will happen in the Bai Group?" someone whispered.
"Bai Tianying is frail and sickly. The Chairman may reconsider choosing a new successor."
Just at that moment, Bai Tianying, the sickly child they were talking about, walked into the banquet hall.
The person fell silent, his eyes shifting as he began to flatter, "Mr. Bai is smart and has made great achievements in the group at just twenty-two. Miss Bai, on the other hand, is just a Taoist nun, which is a bit lacking in comparison."
Bai Shuishui had just come downstairs when she heard someone calling her a Taoist nun.
She frowned slightly and was about to argue when she spotted a short-haired young man striding over from the entrance.
Qi Zhi stood straight in front of the person who was bad mouthing, his gaze deep and piercing, as he spoke in a lazy tone:
"The Bai family invited you as a guest, yet you wag your tongue disrespectfully right in front of the hosts."
He stretched out the last few words: "Aren’t you afraid—of losing that tongue one day?"
Hearing such rude words from Qi Zhi, the man glared at him furiously but was held back by the person next to him.
"President Qi is joking." The middle-aged man with slicked-back shiny hair said with an apologetic smile, "It's us who spoke out of turn. Please don't take offense."
Qi Zhi let out a cold snort and strode over to stand protectively beside Bai Shuishui with a displeased expression. The implication that he wanted to protect Bai Shuishui was self-evident.
Meanwhile, Bai Tianying coughed lightly and respectfully called Bai Shuishui 'sister', giving her ample respect.
His calling her 'sister' caused both Qi Zhi and Bai Shuishui to turn and look at Bai Tianying.
From a positional standpoint, Bai Tianying and Bai Shuishui were considered to be in a hostile relationship, yet he had always shown himself to be harmless in front of her.
Or perhaps... was he intentionally trying to show goodwill?
"Mm." Bai Shuishui responded with a cold expression.
She wore an off-shoulder light blue gown, her long hair hanging loose over her shoulders. A fish scale pendant adorned her fair neck, and on her feet were slender high heels from an exclusive luxury brand. She looked gracefully alluring and ethereal, exuding an immortal aura.
Bai Shuishui was usually bare-faced and only wore a Taoist robe, so with her new look, Qi Zhi couldn't help but glance at her a few more times.
Qi Zhi said with a smile, "Shuishui looks so beautiful today."
After speaking, Qi Zhi, dressed in a dark suit, bent down, extended his right hand, and, like a prince, led Bai Shuishui down the stairs.
"I didn't expect President Qi and Miss Bai to know each other." Someone tried to probe into their relationship.
The way Qi Zhi immediately protected Bai Shuishui as soon as he arrived, the two seemed to be quite close.
Qi Zhi tightened his grip on Bai Shuishui's hand slightly, raised an eyebrow, and looked smug for a moment, "She's my girlfriend."
Upon hearing Qi Zhi's nonsense in front of everyone, White Shuishui swung her fist at him and glared at him angrily. "Who's your girlfriend?"
Qi Zhi, this stinky fish! He is becoming more and more reckless with his words.
Qi Zhi wasn’t angry. He caught her fist with a smiling face and said in a teasing, asking-for-a-beating tone, "Just because you aren't now doesn’t mean you won’t be in the future."
As the two bantered flirtatiously, the others finally caught on.
Qi Zhi was clearly protecting the newly-found eldest daughter of the Bai family, so why bother provoking him and inviting trouble for no reason?
"Haha, I wish President Qi success in winning the beauty over soon," several middle-aged men fawned around Qi Zhi.
Seeing this, Bai Shuishui felt a bit puzzled. Qi Zhi seemed to be in the seafood business, so why were these executives showing him such "respect"?
After the executives dispersed, Bai Shuishui quietly asked Qi Zhi, "Why are they flattering you so much?"
Qi Zhi raised his gaze, his pupils seemed to have thousands of stars. His chuckle echoed in Bai Shuishui's ears, "Shuishui, the Bai family is in the real estate business after all. Don't you ever ask around?"
"Who controls the ports in the capital city?" As Qi Zhi said the last sentence, a sharp glint flashed in his eyes.
On the surface, the Qi family was in the seafood business. In reality, the ports of the capital city’s economic zone and the surrounding coastal cities were all under the surname Qi, which was the territory of other merfolks.
Qi Zhi was the emperor who ruled over most of the maritime ports of China.
These executives, especially those in trading businesses, had to go through Qi Zhi for import and export operations.
How could they not fawn over Qi Zhi.
Qi Zhi looked at Bai Shuishui, and raised the corners of his lips, his expression was smugly arrogant:
"Bai Shuishui, with just a flick of my finger, countless women would come flocking. You should appreciate your good fortune."
"Oh." Bai Shuishui sneered, placing her hands on her neck, pretending to take off the fish scale necklace he gave her.
"Taoist Bai, I was wrong."