Chapter 112

It wasn’t until the lights of the Maybach disappeared from view that Bai Yuerou finally withdrew her gaze, still feeling the lingering warmth of Tang Huaijin’s palm on her small hand, filling her heart with a gentle glow.

Bai Yuerou turned her head for a glance in the direction of the villa, sighing silently in her heart. Just now, since Jin was still present, her mother hadn’t pressed Bai Jingxi about what exactly she’d asked. Yet the memory of that strange expression made Yuerou uneasy, and she hurried home.

She had already made up her mind: no matter what Bai Jingxi had told their parents, she would fight to the end. She had given her word to Jin, and she intended to keep it.

When she got home, it was Bai Jingxi who opened the door. Jingxi scrutinized her carefully, and only after confirming her clothes were neat and her face showed nothing unusual did she let Yuerou in, smiling as she said, “Back already? How’d it take you so long? Mom was just asking about you.”

Bai Yuerou replied indifferently, “Mm, just took a walk with my boyfriend.” But when she heard Jingxi’s next words, her heart clenched tight again.

As expected, just as Bai Yuerou settled on the sofa, Xu Jingwen looked toward her eldest daughter and asked, “Jingxi, did you ask?”

Bai Renli, hearing this, frowned at his wife, sighed, and unwilling to listen to more of their talk, retreated to his room alone.

Bai Jingxi glanced at her sister’s tightly clenched hands-nervous, clearly-and began slowly, “Mm, I asked. He doesn’t mean any harm.”

Xu Jingwen’s face immediately blossomed with a smile. “See? I knew I wasn’t wrong about him. Jin is a good kid.”

But Bai Jingxi only chuckled dryly. “But…”

Bai Yuerou’s just-relaxed expression abruptly stiffened again. She stood up, glaring angrily at Bai Jingxi. “Haven’t I told you before, Bai Jingxi? Don’t use your disgusting ability to interrogate my boyfriend!”

Xu Jingwen was startled by her daughter’s sudden reaction, stammering, “What’s going on, Rou? Would your sister ever hurt you?”

Bai Yuerou just snorted coldly, looking extremely displeased.

For a moment, the smile on Bai Jingxi’s face faltered, but she quickly recovered and said with a grin, “Look at you, why so anxious? I was just about to tell Mom, aren’t you two still a bit too young?”

Xu Jingwen laughed now, teasing, “What’s young about it? You know how long I’ve been hoping for a son-in-law. If you weren’t so hopeless, I’d probably be holding my grandchild by now.”

Bai Yuerou’s face stayed expressionless as she stood up, cast a glance at Bai Jingxi, and said, “Come with me.”

Bai Jingxi said nothing, watching her sister’s back as she headed upstairs, her own expression turning grim. Things seemed to be veering beyond her plan.

Turning, she offered her mother a placating smile, then followed her sister into Yuerou’s room.

Once the bedroom door was closed, Bai Jingxi grinned and asked, “Rou, what’s gotten into you today? Proactively chatting with your big sister for once?”

“Don’t joke with me.” Bai Yuerou turned her back, eyes fixed on the window. “Just say it. What exactly are you after? What do you know?”

Of course she’d asked Tang Huaijin those sorts of questions. By Bai Jingxi’s character, she’d definitely tell their parents and force them apart.

But this time was different. Bai Jingxi only seemed to be teasing her, even helping to cover things up.

“I’m not after anything,” Bai Jingxi replied with a smile. “But the truth is, I know a lot-much more than you do.”

Bai Yuerou’s expression didn’t change. “For example?”

“For example…” Bai Jingxi drew out the syllables, her tone playful. “You two aren’t really a couple, are you?”

Bai Yuerou’s eyes narrowed sharply. She turned to stare, her voice cold: “How do you know?”

Jin would never lie to her. Even if he said he couldn’t like her, there was no reason for Bai Jingxi to guess that much.

Bai Jingxi giggled. “That look is scary, Rou.”

“As for how I know-because this was my plan.”

Bai Yuerou bit her lip and asked, “…What do you mean?”

“It’s simple.” The smile vanished from Bai Jingxi’s face. Looking into her sister’s eyes, she spoke softly: “I trust you’re clever enough to have noticed Xia Xinya’s special feelings for you?”

“It just so happened that Mrs. Xia came to me, hoping I could help correct her daughter. So I offered a suggestion: let Tang Huaijin handle it.”

“…” After a long silence, Bai Yuerou let out a cold laugh. “So, just to achieve your goal, you didn’t hesitate to involve your own sister in your scheming?”

Bai Jingxi sighed. “If that were all, of course I wouldn’t have dragged you in.”

“But, do you really think you’re normal? Xia Xinya’s whole life revolves around you, and aren’t you the same?”

“Your life is nothing but books and Xia Xinya. That’s all there’s ever been. All these years, from elementary school till now, you’ve never had any other close friends.”

“Granted, it was Xia Xinya who drove them away, but can you honestly say you didn’t know?”

“You just couldn’t be bothered to befriend anyone else. No matter who you talked to, you wore a smile, but never truly opened your heart. Deep inside, you’ve always felt alone-like no one could ever understand you.”

“On the surface, you seem kind to others, but in reality, you just don’t care. You don’t care about how others see you, nor do you care about gains and losses.”

“If I hadn’t done this, would you have thought it was no big deal to spend your life with Xia Xinya?”

“So, not only does Xia Xinya need treatment, but you do too, my younger sister.”

Bai Yuerou looked at her indifferently for a while, then suddenly sneered, mocking, “Ha, Bai Jingxi, you really dare to say that. What does it matter to you whether I’m normal or not? Do you think you’re normal? You’re such a good doctor, why don’t you treat yourself first?”

Bai Jingxi let out a disdainful laugh and said, “I’ve never thought I was normal, but what’s the big deal about that? It’s just living life this way. I’m actually grateful for it, as it gives me more time to see other landscapes in the world and find people who are as abnormal as I am.”

As she spoke, her expression became serious, and she said, “So anyone can be abnormal, I don’t care, but you’re different. You’re my sister, you have to be normal. One oddball in the Bai Family is enough.”

“Otherwise, what about our parents? Do you want them to worry about the two of us at their age?”

“…” Bai Yuerou was silent for a long time, then suddenly laughed and said, “You’re too confident, Bai Jingxi, whether it’s about me or Xia Xinya.”

“Oh?” Bai Jingxi squinted her eyes, looking eager to hear more.

“If you’re so confident in your abilities,” Bai Yuerou said with a smile, meeting her sister’s gaze without flinching, “then take a look. Am I lying? Am I guilty?”

She stared into Bai Jingxi’s eyes, speaking each word clearly, “Listen carefully, I like Tang Huaijin, very much, very much. Whether or not it’s because of you that he came to me, I don’t care. I only care about him.”

Her breathing was normal, though slightly rapid due to excitement, but within her normal range.

Her gaze was steady, not wavering.

When Bai Yuerou lies, her small hands unconsciously clench, but this time her hands remained still, naturally hanging by her sides.

Her facial expression was normal, lips slightly parted, matching her habit when telling the truth.

Bai Jingxi was one of those naturally gifted people, possessing a high IQ and excellent memory from a young age. She could construct a data template of a person in her mind, recording a series of behavioral habits unique to that person, such as the number of breaths per minute under normal emotions.

She also had an extremely keen sense of observation, able to record all of a person’s current reactions with just a glance, then compare them with the data in her mind.

The principle was simple, but few in the world could do it. Those with her level of memory lacked her observational skills.

Those with enough observational skills lacked the memory to match.

So this ability was a unique and innate talent of Bai Jingxi, allowing her from a young age to judge whether someone was telling the truth through subtle movements and glances, akin to a human lie detector.

By eighteen, she had completed her graduate studies and had been studying under a master in the field of psychology and mental health for six years, not to learn but to gain recognition, using the master’s name to build her reputation, while the master would be proud to have such an apprentice.

But now, her conclusion was that there was no lie.

Bai Jingxi’s expression gradually turned grim, incredulous as she asked, “You actually fell for him? Don’t you know he has someone he likes?”

“Ha, you sure know a lot,” Bai Yuerou’s smile was somewhat mocking as she said, “But so what? I just fell for him. If that’s the case, I should thank you. You’re the one who brought Jin to me.”

Bai Jingxi’s tone carried a rare hint of anger as she said, “Do you know he could never like you?”

“Maybe…” Bai Yuerou took a deep breath, her gaze somewhat dazed, and softly said, “But I don’t mind. I just like him.”

“…” Bai Jingxi was at a loss for words. Where did it go wrong?

Though she had her own motives, she asked herself honestly, as a psychologist all these years, she had never deceived anyone. Doing this could help Xia Xinya change her sexual orientation, so she wouldn’t cling to Bai Yuerou, and gradually allow Bai Yuerou to accept things from the outside world.

And Tang Huaijin was the best solution so far, using this nominal girlfriend to help his sister transition while also stimulating his sister to accept him.

These tasks had all achieved significant results, so the plan was generally sound.

When she first heard Tang Huaijin’s name from her mother, she had a vague idea, eventually formulating this plan to kill three birds with one stone.

Given Tang Huaijin’s character, he would definitely explain things to her sister, but what Bai Jingxi hadn’t anticipated was that her sister would fall for him, even knowing he had someone else in his heart.

What did this guy have besides good looks that made her sister like him so much?