Fearing she would tire her own darling cub, Qiao Ci stepped forward and took Bai Xingyan's hand.
"That's enough. Your hand will hurt."
Her voice was light, as if stating a simple fact like whether they had eaten today.
Lin Xingyan, engrossed in beating the person, hadn't paid attention to what was happening with Qiao Ci. Upon hearing her, he obediently stopped.
Looking at Li Fei Wu, who was curled up on the ground like a dead pig, he felt a pang of regret. He seemed to have caused a big problem for Qiao Ci.
He cast an apologetic glance at Qiao Ci. He saw the woman in front of him point at Li Fei Wu on the ground and the few people who had just verbally insulted his darling cub. She commanded with great authority, "Him, him, him – throw them all out and blacklist them from the Qiao Corporation."
Then, those people were all escorted out. Li Fei Wu had already realized he had offended someone he shouldn't have and trembled.
It seemed this beating was in vain. He would have to watch his step from now on and hoped the Qiao Corporation wouldn't retaliate.
"Aci... you're from the Qiao Corporation?" Qiao Ci's surname was Qiao, and she could command the Qiao family's security guards. Lin Xingyan, slow-witted as he was, finally understood Qiao Ci's identity.
Qiao Ci readily admitted, "This is my home."
Those who had previously tried to take advantage of actress Qiao Jin were now slinking away, fearing she would call them out and humiliate them publicly.
Who would have thought the eldest daughter of the Qiao Corporation would be involved in the entertainment industry? They had to quickly inform their friends so they wouldn't offend the wrong person.
Before long, Qiao's father and mother entered the main hall, with Bai Hengyuan, who had been thrown out, following behind them.
"Aci, what's going on?" Upon hearing that Qiao Ci had a conflict with the promising young man he had in mind, and had even rudely thrown him out, Qiao's father looked at Qiao Ci with a stern face.
"Someone insulted me, saying I was not presentable. So, I made him even less presentable," Qiao Ci said, knowing that Qiao's father had a gruff exterior but a soft heart, and was fiercely protective of his own.
Hearing this, Qiao's father turned his gaze to Bai Hengyuan.
"It was all a misunderstanding. I didn't know Qiao Ci was your esteemed daughter. My brother angered me, and I spoke carelessly," Bai Hengyuan said, smiling politely to explain to Qiao's father. Then, with what he thought was elegant composure, he looked at Qiao Ci. "It was my fault for not recognizing you. I apologize, Aci."
Hearing him call her Aci made Qiao Ci feel a bit nauseous. She glared at him dangerously, "Is Aci a name you can call me?"
"Qiao Ci! Watch your attitude. How can you speak to a guest like that?" After knowing that Bai Hengyuan had insulted his daughter by saying she was not presentable, Qiao's father had already removed him from his list of potential son-in-laws.
He wouldn't dare marry his daughter to a man who looked down on her so much.
"Dad, I heard you were going to marry me off to this illegitimate son?" Although the word "guest" perfectly distinguished friend from foe, Qiao Ci didn't mind humiliating this garbage man, who had essentially asked for it again, in public.
Qiao's father's face darkened, "What marriage? Aren't you afraid of becoming a laughingstock? Who spread such nonsense?"
"Heh, he said it himself. Nothing is set in stone, yet he presumes to be the future master of the house as soon as he walks in. Dad, I think you shouldn't marry off your daughter anymore. Since your daughter is not presentable in his eyes anyway, why don't you just give him the assets of the Qiao Corporation?"
Qiao Ci's words were like a harsh blow to Bai Hengyuan's face, stomping on it and grinding it into the dirt. His face turned pale, then red, then dark.
"Qiao Ci, you're going too far!" Since this marriage was definitely off, Bai Hengyuan decided to stop holding back. At worst, it would be a case of mutual destruction; his Bai Corporation was not to be trifled with.
Qiao's father, who had been feeling a bit guilty, lost his composure upon hearing this. "Nephew Hengyuan, if you are feeling unwell, perhaps you should excuse yourself and rest."
Bai Hengyuan snorted, then turned his gaze to Bai Xingyan, standing beside Qiao Ci. "My good brother, you're quite something. Relying on Qiao Ci for sustenance, heh."
"Grandpa said my teeth aren't good and I'm suited for eating soft rice!" Bai Xingyan, feeling nervous seeing Qiao Ci's parents, blurted out without thinking when he heard Bai Hengyuan's words.
After saying it, he felt it was not quite right, and the tips of his ears quickly turned red.
It was over. Had he just sold out his grandfather?
Qiao's father and mother's attention immediately shifted to the delicate and handsome youth.
Fearing she would hurt her darling cub's self-esteem, Qiao Ci strongly defended him, "It's still better than some illegitimately born sons who are blindly confident. They wish they could have a bite of soft rice, but they can't even get a warm mouthful. After all, ugly people tend to stir up trouble."
Bai Hengyuan angrily left the scene.
Noticing her parents' confusion, Qiao Ci pulled Bai Xingyan over and introduced him, "This is Bai Xingyan, my... friend."
Then, she turned to Bai Xingyan and introduced, "These are my Mom and Dad."
"Hello, Mom and Dad...!" Meeting the parents so suddenly made Bai Xingyan incredibly nervous. He called out to them as "Mom and Dad" along with Qiao Ci. Realizing he had used the wrong address, he quickly corrected himself, "Hello, Uncle and Auntie."
Let alone him, even Qiao's father and mother were stunned by this "Mom and Dad." Seeing the youth so embarrassed, they couldn't help but laugh and say, "Good, good, good."
Qiao's mother winked at Qiao Ci: Where did you find such a treasure?
Qiao Ci puffed out her chest with pride.
Her darling cub was lovable by everyone.
Qiao's father saw that Bai Xingyan was pure and clear, and cast a chiding glance at Qiao Ci, "If you're going to date, do it properly. Don't mess around with anything inappropriate."
"Okay," Qiao Ci replied obediently.
Qiao's mother quite liked Bai Xingyan. He was handsome and very protective of her daughter.
Standing beside her daughter, they looked like a perfect match, like a golden boy and jade girl. So, she smiled and said, "Tomorrow, Mom will cook personally. Bring Xingyan over to try Mom's cooking."
"Okay, Mom," Qiao Ci replied happily, seeing how much her mother liked her darling cub.
"Okay, Auntie," Bai Xingyan said, a little excited and a little shy, standing there obediently.
Qiao's mother smiled and nodded.
"Don't feel restricted. You young people go have fun," Qiao's mother said, as she needed to accompany Qiao's father to host guests.
Even after returning to the hospital, Bai Xingyan still felt a sense of unreality.
Qiao Ci, who had come with him to the hospital, looked at the elder. As she was about to leave, Bai Xingyan stopped her.
He averted his gaze, the corners of his eyes tinged with red, and stammered, "That... Aci, did you call me your darling cub today? My... darling cub..."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Ci's small face immediately tensed up. "I did not, I did not. You must have misheard."
Seeing that she denied it, Bai Xingyan didn't get angry. His heart was bubbling with joy.
Many people online called him darling cub, and he didn't understand why. But when his Aci called him darling cub, he instantly understood!
Darling cub meant someone of her own. She definitely considered him family.
Coupled with the kindness shown by Qiao's father and mother, Bai Xingyan mustered up his courage and asked, "Aci, do you like me?"
"Yes, I do," Qiao Ci felt there was no need to lie to him. Her actions and demeanor were enough to speak for themselves and couldn't be hidden.
"Then are you willing to date me? I'll treat you a hundred, even a thousand times better." Bai Xingyan gazed at her with utmost seriousness.
He had been rejected by her once before, and he felt very anxious.
"Why must liking someone lead to dating? Isn't this good enough?" Qiao Ci asked, confused.
Besides, if she were to suddenly leave this world...
She couldn't give him a future.
"If you like someone, you naturally want to be together for a long time. Being together for a long time means dating, getting married," Bai Xingyan said, casting a melancholy glance at Qiao Ci. "Or do you just want to play with me...?"