The real young master thought he was hated by everyone

Bai… who?”

Xie Duzhi didn’t remember Li Heng having any classmates with the surname Bai, and even if he had in the past, it was highly unlikely they would just happen to be around at this time and place.

“…Bai Yinxi?” After thinking for a moment, he threw out a name, guessing that maybe Li Heng had seen some trending news on social media in the past few days.

But soon, the confused expression on Li Heng’s face told him that this had nothing to do with Bai Yinxi.

“Brother, who is Bai Yinxi?” Li Heng frowned, certain he had never heard that name before.

“Bai Feng’s younger brother, not an important person,” Xie Duzhi said briefly, not bothering to explain the trending news from a few days ago.

A poor student who failed his exams had become a part-time streamer to pay for his tuition but was banned for exposing shady practices within the platform.

The incident had gained sudden and suspicious attention, and Xie Duzhi still hadn’t fully traced the funding behind the media hype.

“Is it that Lulu?” Li Heng finally made the connection.

During the prep for exams, he hadn’t paid much attention to streaming-related news. He only found out because a rant video made by other streamers in an anonymous group went viral, sparking widespread discussion. Even his classmates had quoted iconic lines from it during their conversations.

Perhaps there were still fans willing to believe and wait for Lulu after her streaming account was banned, but with that video, it seemed impossible for her to make a comeback.

“That reminds me,” Xie Duzhi said calmly, “I came across his information in a report on our competitor companies a few days ago.”

“Let’s hope she learns her lesson and doesn’t betray the trust of the viewers who still believe in him,” Li Heng replied.

Meanwhile, Xie Duzhi was still pondering.

If it wasn’t “Bai,” could it be something like “posing” or “putting on airs”? Maybe Li Heng wasn’t trying to name a person but describe a behavior.

For example, someone could be putting on airs or pretending to be someone else.

But if it were merely a description, Li Heng’s reaction wouldn’t have been so startled when he abruptly shut his mouth earlier.

Subconsciously drumming his fingers as if tapping on his office desk, Xie Duzhi recalled that this hotel was owned by the Bai family’s Anzhuo brand, which had been heavily promoted since last year. Mrs. Xie had even mentioned it casually at the dinner table.

Not favorably, of course. She had joked that she should sell her shares in the company at a high price before her dowry lost any more value.

Eliminating all other possibilities, the remaining guess, no matter how far-fetched, was likely the closest to reality.

Li Heng must have encountered someone from the Bai family.

And he knew who it was.

“Bai Ruan?” If Bai Wei were in S City, she would’ve certainly informed the family beforehand.

“!” Li Heng was so startled by the name that his eyes widened. He couldn’t figure out how Xie Duzhi had guessed it.

His reaction only confirmed Xie Duzhi’s suspicion.

“So it’s him,” he said lightly.

Rather than ask why Li Heng, who had never interacted with Bai Ruan before, would suddenly feel such emotions toward him, Xie Duzhi calmly deduced, “You saw him in a conflict with someone, where he was in a completely vulnerable position.”

Now that it was clear Li Heng had encountered Bai Ruan, the rest was easy to piece together.

“The person arguing with him must have gotten physical or was about to, but you stepped in.”

There are many ways to make an impression—being friendly, being hypocritical, or being superior. But none leave a stronger impact than contrast.

Given that Li Heng had received a heartfelt birthday gift and card from someone claiming to be a friendly cousin wanting to build a relationship, it was only natural for him to feel sympathy when encountering someone who appeared to be helpless and bullied.

However, he likely didn’t realize that the person being bullied and the person who wanted to befriend him were the same.

All he saw was someone in a pitiful state, which evoked his compassion—and perhaps, in turn, made him want to help.

But Bai Ruan must have rejected that help.

Only by refusing would their next encounter bring about a quicker realization—that Li Heng had, in fact, seen Bai Ruan before. After all, kind-hearted people often dwell on small things, keeping them in mind for a long time.

“Bai Ruan rejected your offer to help,” Xie Duzhi said with absolute certainty. “He didn’t speak to you at all. After you stopped the altercation, he just walked away.”

Li Heng’s habit of scanning the crowd while waiting in the lobby now made perfect sense.

“The person arguing with him was probably his manager,” Xie Duzhi speculated, “or another celebrity from the same company.”

He leaned more toward it being the manager. Being mistreated by someone who was supposed to help you could easily evoke a deep sense of helplessness and pity.

Even if the details weren’t exact, his theory was likely very close to what had actually happened.

Li Heng stared at him in stunned silence for a long moment before finally finding his voice. “Th-Third Brother…”

There were so many questions swirling in his mind that he didn’t even know where to start.

For instance, how did Xie Duzhi figure out it was Bai Ruan when he hadn’t revealed any details? And why did it seem as though he had been there, witnessing the whole event?

He couldn’t help but call out to him again, “Brother…”

Xie Duzhi nodded slightly in response and then added, “Bai Ruan is lying to you.”

“…Huh?”

“Bai Ruan is lying to you,” the young man repeated, “He wants to gain your sympathy.”

Xie Duzhi had interacted with him back when his methods were still immature and had seen through him, so naturally, he was more adept than most at discerning Bai Ruan’s intentions and tactics.

Even so, Xie Duzhi didn’t mention the emerald and the card. “In this scenario, where you don’t realize you’ve encountered him before and only regret not helping a stranger, a formal meeting will make it easier for you to like him.”

This “accident” might even become a shared secret that helps bring the two closer together.

It was rare for Xie Duzhi to explain something so thoroughly, analyzing a situation to this extent. He even felt like he hadn’t explained enough. “Bai Ruan probably had someone investigate you and study your personality.”

He was certain that if Bai Ruan didn’t successfully stage that scene in the hotel today, something similar would happen elsewhere, repeatedly.

In fact, even Li Heng’s return to this particular hotel for dinner had been subtly orchestrated.

But no matter how clever Bai Ruan was, he probably never anticipated that the person he wanted to approach, the one he was scheming to impress, had already seen him on TV, knew his identity, and most importantly, had already developed a negative impression of him.

“But why?” Li Heng couldn’t understand. “If he’s not having a hard time and he wasn’t really being bullied…”

He furrowed his brows in frustration. “And I shouldn’t even know him, right?”

Even though Xie Duzhi had explained everything clearly, and Li Heng fully grasped the reasoning, he couldn’t stop himself from getting caught up in the details.

“Big Brother is very busy; Dad has already handed over most of the family affairs to him,” Xie Duzhi offered a different perspective.

Li Heng knew this well since Xie Shenzhi was heading on a business trip to the south tomorrow. He had promised to bring him a butterfly specimen unique to the area upon his return.

“The second brother is unreliable, but he’s straightforward and dislikes the relatives on Mom’s side, so he’s not that approachable either.”

“Second Brother isn’t that unreliable,” Li Heng half-heartedly defended, thinking of the concert and their conversation from the other day. “It’s just that Big Brother is more mature.”

Xie Duzhi chuckled lightly. “You’re the easiest one to approach in the family.”

He rarely used Li Heng’s childhood nickname but did so now. “You sympathize with him, and that gives him the confidence to make you like him.”

“…But he probably doesn’t lack people who like him, right?” Li Heng hesitated. “He doesn’t necessarily need me.”

“It’s true that he’s not short on admirers.”

After that day, Xie Duzhi had done some investigating. “He has many admirers.”

In fact, even the agency Bai Ruan was currently signed to had been specially set up by one of his “good friends.”

“But if you also like him and become friends, he would have a legitimate reason to come to S City and even visit our home,” Xie Duzhi stated matter-of-factly. “Even the second brother would tolerate him out of consideration for you.”

“And then he’d get a lot of benefits?” Li Heng followed the thread of thought.

“Possibly.”

Xie Duzhi didn’t give a definitive answer. “But more likely, he would want to pull you away from me, use you to create misunderstandings, and maybe even inadvertently lead Mom and Dad to see my true nature.”

“…And then?”

“He would be satisfied.”

Xie Duzhi’s tone was casual. “After all, I took away his chance at adoption and exposed his tricks in the past. It’s normal for him to want revenge.”

After all, this was indeed an opportune moment.

“I promise I won’t sympathize with him the next time we meet,” Li Heng said seriously, almost instinctively replacing his own misfortunes from his dream with those of Xie Duzhi. “I definitely won’t help him or try to befriend him.”

Xie Duzhi smiled again. Even though this was a tricky situation, he didn’t find it particularly difficult to handle. In fact, there was something oddly satisfying about it.

“He’ll probably try to create more coincidences, trying to run into you in various places. Even if you know he’s scheming, you might still end up feeling sorry for him,” Xie Duzhi said with a slight upward curve to his lips.

Li Heng found himself unable to firmly refute that.

Being a bad person and appearing pitiful weren’t mutually exclusive. Even if he was on guard and didn’t offer a helping hand, there was no guarantee he wouldn’t feel some sympathy.

“Then I just won’t go out,” Li Heng frowned again after having just relaxed his expression. Then, slowly, he calmed down. “He can’t come to the house, right?”

There was still a long summer vacation ahead. Even if he stayed home, he had plenty to do. Besides, he had only just started the game he had been interested in and hadn’t streamed in a while—Xie Duzhi’s team had been managing his account, editing high-quality videos from his past streams, which had gained him a lot of new followers.

“Don’t limit yourself just to avoid him,” Xie Duzhi said, uncharacteristically exasperated.

Bai Ruan wasn’t worth such trouble. If anyone should be avoiding someone, it should be him, after having faced enough setbacks.

Yet, there was no denying that being taken seriously in this way felt quite nice.

“The next time you feel sorry for him, maybe think of someone else first.”

“For example, someone who was once isolated—like me,” Xie Duzhi sighed.

Of course, there was no need to mention that he had also intentionally isolated others before.