Chapter 601: Chapter 518: Lock Up

Xiao Man walked forward step by step. Bai Junfan raised an eyebrow. He had long known Xiao Man was a Cultivator, yet he couldn’t feel the slightest pressure from her, much less discern her level of cultivation. This was because his rank was lower than hers. Moreover, Xiao Man was a naturally low-key person who was frugal with her Spiritual Power, rarely using her Divine Sense or Suppression.

However, Bai Junfan had practiced Ancient Martial Arts since childhood and was now a Cultivator himself, so he had developed a certain degree of insight and perception. Adding that to what he’d heard from Gongsun Chongshan’s analysis of the Gu and Tang Families’ cultivation progress, Bai Junfan speculated that Xiao Man’s current cultivation was likely at the tenth level of Qi Refinement.

He was envious of this, and especially jealous of Gu Shaojun.

’Gu Shaojun’s smooth and rapid progress in cultivation—wasn’t it all thanks to Xiao Man’s good fortune? She met the Imperial Physician, learned about Spirit Plants, and the Gu family even had an ancestral Cultivation Technique... He’d tried too, but he was ultimately a step too slow. If only he had met her before she was acknowledged by the Tang family, everything would have been different!’

Gongsun Chongshan had said that destiny was a mysterious thing; it couldn’t be forced, especially when someone else had already gotten there first.

He was incredibly resentful, but there was nothing he could do for now. He still had to maintain a civil relationship on the surface.

Bai Junfan lowered his gaze slightly, hiding the complex emotions in his eyes. Putting on a smile, he said in a gentle tone, "Ah, it’s Xiao Man. What brings you to the hospital?"

Xiao Man felt disgusted just looking at Bai Junfan now, and she especially didn’t want to see him smile. She answered with a wooden expression, "I’m interning at this hospital. I saw you when I passed by the inpatient department this afternoon. Yang Liu’er came to see me, but we haven’t even had a chance to meet. Where do you think you’re taking her?"

Bai Junfan froze for a moment. Someone seemed to have mentioned that Tang Manman was interning at De Ren Hospital, but he had been so swamped lately that he’d forgotten. In truth, for various reasons, he had already given up on the idea of a marriage alliance between the Bai and Tang families and had no desire to see Tang Manman again. A moment ago, he had spotted Yang Liu’er queuing at the pharmacy window in the lobby and assumed she was there to pick up medicine for Lu Jian Country. His heart had filled with jealousy and hatred, and without a second thought, he had gone up and grabbed her. He had already made up his mind: ’If she continues to be disobedient, I’ll find a secure place to put her under house arrest, cut her off from the outside world, and never let her go free again!’

’She is my woman. How could I possibly let another man lay a finger on her? That bastard Lu must have a death wish, daring to trick Liu’er into marrying him. Sooner or later, I’ll make sure he dies without a proper burial! For now, I’ll let him live a few more days.’

He had been just about to take her away, but he never expected Tang Manman to show up!

Though inwardly annoyed, Bai Junfan’s expression didn’t change. He smiled faintly and said, "It’s Liu’er’s honor to be friends with you, Xiao Man. However, we came here together. She’s not here to see you; we have other business!"

Yang Liu’er saw and heard Xiao Man and tried to push away Bai Junfan, who was blocking the car door. "Manman! Manman, it’s me!" she yelled. "I didn’t come with him, I came by myself! I was just peacefully queuing to buy medicine and planned to visit you after. This man just grabbed me for no reason! Quick, help me call the police! He’s a monster! He’s trying to kidnap me!"

Bai Junfan stood like a mountain, blocking the car door. As long as he didn’t move, all of Yang Liu’er’s struggles and shoves were in vain. He patted her head as if placating a child. "Stop making a scene. We’ll talk properly when we get back. No matter what you ask for, I’ll agree to it, alright?"

He then turned to Xiao Man, his smile warm and gentle. "Since you and Liu’er are friends, you probably know about our situation. We’re siblings, though not by blood, and we’re very close. We’ve just had a little misunderstanding, and I need to explain things to her properly."

Xiao Man said, "I didn’t know you were ’siblings.’ I only knew you were once Liu’er’s fiancé, but your family looked down on her, so you two broke up. Since you’re no longer together, why keep pestering her? You wanted a high-society bride and a brilliant future, so it’s only natural for Liu’er to seek out her own simple happiness. That’s perfectly understandable. You should have parted amicably. What else is there to explain?"

Bai Junfan’s expression turned cold. "Who said we broke up? We get along great! This is between the two of us, so you should stay out of it."

"I can’t do that. Yang Liu’er is my friend."

Xiao Man said seriously, "You haven’t broken up? That’s odd. You have this fiancée you’re supposedly on ’great terms’ with, yet you’re taking Wu Qin shopping and on trips. That must be so sweet and enjoyable, huh? And this afternoon—just a little while ago, actually—I saw with my own two eyes as you presented Miss Jun of the Jun Family with a huge, beautiful bouquet of roses. Roses symbolize pure and passionate love. Young Master Bai, your direct and romantic pursuit made so many nurses green with envy! When you were doing all these things, did you happen to remember you have a fiancée? If you still refuse to admit you’ve broken up, then is all this attention you’re showering on other girls some kind of revenge? Revenge because Yang Liu’er married someone else? You might not know this, but your family was the one who forced her into that marriage. If you’re looking for revenge, you should go home and ask your ’dear’ aunt, Bai Qingyue!"

Bai Junfan was speechless.

For a moment, he was at a loss for words. He couldn’t figure out how Xiao Man knew all these things. Giving roses to Jun Ran had been his aunt’s idea, and it was indeed intended as a declaration of love. He had attracted countless envious looks when he’d carried the flowers into the hospital, so he guessed Xiao Man must have seen him then. But taking Wu Qin shopping and on trips... ’Could it be,’ he thought, ’that my movements are being monitored?’

Bai Junfan stared at Xiao Man, his eyes filled with rage and his face thunderous.

Xiao Man simply gave a faint, indifferent smile. She had deliberately exaggerated things, afraid that Yang Liu’er still hadn’t seen Bai Junfan for who he truly was.

Trapped in the car, Yang Liu’er had naturally heard everything Xiao Man said. The thought of Bai Junfan’s shamelessness made her fiery temper erupt. She somehow found a small iron rod, about a foot long, inside the car and began whacking Bai Junfan’s legs and backside with all her strength. Flesh and blood are ultimately no match for steel. Bai Junfan flinched away, and Yang Liu’er leaped out of the car, pointed a finger at him, and started screaming:

"What right do you have to take revenge on me? You’re allowed to change your mind and marry someone else, your family is allowed to despise me and stomp all over me, but I’m not allowed to find my own way out? Do I have to die a miserable death at your family’s hands *again* for you to be satisfied? Bai Junfan, I told you a long time ago, we are through! You go your way, and I’ll go mine. Let’s stay out of each other’s lives! While I still see you as a human being, don’t provoke me! Don’t do something an animal wouldn’t even do! You think I didn’t know? You were trying to kidnap me, to lock me away so the name Yang Liu’er would vanish from this world... Bai Junfan, you’d better be glad you failed. Because if you hadn’t, I would have hated you so much that I’d come back as a vengeful ghost to haunt you for all eternity!"

As she screamed, Yang Liu’er’s anger gave way to her sorrow, and she broke down crying, tears streaming down her face. A few days ago, when Bai Junfan had kicked and beaten Lu Jian Country, she had screamed so hard she’d damaged her throat. Now her voice sounded like a broken gong. If it didn’t heal properly, she might be left with a permanently hoarse voice.

Xiao Man pulled Yang Liu’er to her side, comforting her and telling her not to cry. Bai Junfan actually came over to them, his face a mask of frustration and regret, and even reached out to hug Yang Liu’er. Xiao Man pulled her friend two steps back, dodging his arms. She glanced around. Thankfully, Bai Junfan had chosen a discreet parking spot. This was a side entrance to the building that was rarely used by anyone other than hospital staff, which meant they had avoided drawing a crowd.

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