Chapter 10. Song Huai is forced to drink alcohol.

The old man was only sixty years old, but his face showed signs of decline. He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two years ago and was now barely clinging to life. Although everyone wished him a long and healthy life, they all knew that he was nearing the end of his life.

Even though the old man was emaciated from illness, he still possessed the powerful aura of a superior, sitting upright at the table, exuding authority without anger.

Song Huai unconsciously tensed his back.

Bai Xiao lowered his head slightly and respectfully called out, "Father."

Song Huai also immediately followed Bai Xiao's call out, "Father."

Bai Jingzhong was unable to attend the wedding due to his serious illness, so this was the first time Song Huai had met Bai Xiao's father.

Bai Jingzhong seemed oblivious to Bai Xiao. From the moment the two entered, his gaze had been fixed on Song Huai. He struggled to his feet, and, leaning shakily on his cane, approached Song Huai. Tears welled in his cloudy eyes, and his voice trembled as he murmured, "So...so alike..."

Song Huai was puzzled.

Bai Jingzhong seemed to realize his lapse in composure. He composed himself and asked the two, "How have you been lately?"

Before Song Huai could speak, Bai Xiao answered first, "Father, we are fine."

Bai Jingzhong said with relief, "Good...that's good."

Next, Bai Jingzhong inquired about the company's recent business situation from Bai Xiao, who reported back to him in a well-organized manner.

Although Bai Jingzhong has gradually delegated authority to Bai Xiao over the years, he still maintains control over the overall operation of the group. During Bai Xiao's reports, he would occasionally offer some suggestions.

Bai Jingzhong suddenly asked, "Has Bai Zhang caused any trouble recently?"

Bai Xiao hesitated, "This..."

More than just causing trouble, Bai Zhang has practically turned the world upside down since he took over the project in the south of the city!

Bai Zhang is Bai Jingzhong's only younger brother and the youngest son of Bai Xiao's grandparents. He was spoiled by his parents and older brother from a young age and became extremely arrogant. Although he is not much older than Bai Xiao, he is a complete good-for-nothing. He is also very dissatisfied with Bai Jingzhong's decision to hand over the company to Bai Xiao. As a result, he has caused trouble at the company several times in recent years, which has given Bai Xiao a lot of headaches.

Bai Jingzhong also noticed Bai Xiao's dissatisfaction with his younger brother. He simply said, "That's just his personality. He's been spoiled since he was a child. Don't take it to heart."

Having anticipated her father's attitude, Bai Xiao frowned but didn't say much, only replying, "Fine."

Song Huai listened quietly to the conversation between the father and son. Strangely enough, Bai Jingzhong and Bai Xiao were more like superior and subordinate than father and son. Their words lacked the familiarity that a father and son should have, and instead conveyed the authority of a superior and the caution of a subordinate.

Hearing that Bai Xiao's mother died unexpectedly when he was very young, and that Bai Jingzhong loved his wife and did not remarry, and is still single to this day—in that case, the relationship between the father and son should not be so distant, Song Huai thought to himself idly.

Only after Bai Xiao finished reporting on his work and the two left the study were Song Huai finally able to catch his breath.

Seeing Song Huai's pale face, and remembering that he had barely touched his breakfast and lunch that day, Bai Xiao changed his cold and hard tone from when he was reporting on his work. He lowered his head and said gently to Song Huai, "Go and eat something first. I'm going to talk to them about something. I'll come find you in a bit." There was a hint of tenderness in Bai Xiao's voice that he himself was unaware of.

Although Song Huai was extremely reluctant to let Bai Xiao leave his side at this moment, he knew he couldn't delay Bai Xiao's official business, so he could only nod and say, "Okay."

--

Inside the banquet hall, distinguished guests filled the room, and toasts were exchanged.

After a brief appearance, Bai Jingzhong left due to exhaustion.

Song Huai hastily grabbed some food and found a secluded corner to sit down. Just as he was about to start eating, a flirtatious voice came from behind him: "Isn't this my niece-in-law?"

A man adorned with gold and silver, with slicked-back hair, walked towards Song Huai. For a moment, Song Huai was almost blinded by the light reflected from the diamonds on the man's watch.

Song Huai looked at him and felt that he looked familiar. After hesitating for a moment, he asked hesitantly, "Second Uncle?"

Song Huai vaguely remembered seeing this person at the wedding. After thinking for a long time, he realized that this person was Bai Xiao's only uncle, Bai Zhang.

Bai Zhang smiled and sat down opposite Song Huai as if they were old friends. "Your niece-in-law has a good memory."

Song Huai quickly waved his hand, embarrassed, and said, "No...no."

Bai Zhang then gestured to a waiter to bring a bottle of whiskey. After pouring the whiskey, he raised his glass to Song Huai and said, "Last time was too rushed, and I didn't have time to properly congratulate you. This glass is to wish you and my nephew a happy marriage."

After saying that, Bai Zhang raised his wine cup and looked at Song Huai with a smile, but his eyes were fixed on Song Huai, like a beast staring at its prey, looking like a smiling tiger.

Song Huai froze on the spot—he didn't drink alcohol and almost never touched a drop, and the liquor in front of him looked quite strong.

Having overheard the conversation between the father and son, Song Huai knew that the man before him was not someone to be trifled with, and even Bai Xiao couldn't do anything about him.

At this moment, Song Huai is Bai Xiao's wife, and he cannot easily cause trouble for Bai Xiao.

Song Huaichao and Bai Xiao smiled faintly, "Thank you, Second Uncle." Then he stared at the golden liquid in the wine glass for a moment, finally closed his eyes, and drank it all in one gulp.

The spicy liquor choked Song Huai, causing him to cough incessantly and his face to turn bright red.

Seeing Song Huaiming pretend to be a non-drinker, Bai Zhang's smile deepened.

“My niece-in-law is so straightforward, no wonder my elder brother chose her.” He poured Song Huai another glass of wine. “This whisky was just delivered from a Scottish winery a few days ago, it’s a rare find. Here, let me toast you again.”

Song Huai's mind was starting to spin. When Bai Zhang poured him another glass of wine, he didn't have time to think and gulped down the whole glass.

At this moment, Song Huai's vision began to blur, as if a stick was stirring in his mind, making him feel as if the whole world was spinning.

The person in front of him had a light pink tinge on his fair face from drinking, and his eyes were slightly red. His gaze was both blank and clear, which reminded Bai Zhang of the red roses in his garden at dawn, glistening with dew.

It is so beautiful and luscious that one can't help but want to pick it and play with it.

Bai Zhang's Adam's apple bobbed, and his breathing became heavy. From the moment Bai Xiao and Song Huai entered the room, he had noticed Bai Xiao's new wife. She was completely different from the men and women he usually saw in entertainment venues. Song Huai was like a white swan that stood alone in the world, aloof and proud. Although she was in the noisy world of fame and fortune, she was not tainted by any worldly affairs.

From that moment on, Bai Zhang felt an intense itch in his heart. He only hated that Song Huai had married his brother's only son, someone he couldn't touch.

At that moment, a cold voice rang out: "What are you doing?"

A note from the author:

Is anyone here? If so, could you please leave a comment?