Chapter 68

Kamu Castle sat on the outskirts of Talun City.

The castle was five hundred years old, its decor primitive and archaic. The main building was surrounded by scattered stables and storehouses, nothing like the elaborate refinement of other ducal castles.

Yet the grounds were immaculately kept, the carefully tended gardens lush with trees and blooming flowers, like a princess's castle from a fairy tale.

This was one of the few ancestral castles Bai Fuzhou hadn't donated. It was locked into a family trust and couldn't be disposed of, so it had to remain with the Kamu Family for its members to live in.

In the modern era, ancestral castles had become a dilemma for most nobles. First, inheriting one meant paying massive estate taxes, and many impoverished nobles simply gave up the inheritance because they couldn't afford the fees. Castles also required enormous sums each year just to maintain; one misstep could mean bankruptcy.

Seeing how troublesome and expensive the castles were, Bai Fuzhou simply donated most of the family's castles to the national heritage preservation association, opening them free of charge to the public. That way, she didn't have to worry about upkeep, and the castles could enjoy eternal vitality among the people.

After finishing his morning studies, Bai Xingmiao crossed through corridor after corridor on his way to lunch in the dining hall.

The castle's hallways were laid with crimson carpet, long and antique. The midday sun slanted through clear glass windows, refracting a warm, bright light like cream.

"Hello." Several sallow-faced women walked out of the dining hall entrance, accompanied by equally gaunt children. They gave Bai Xingmiao a timid bow, then hurried off.

They were all poor, downtrodden women Bai Fuzhou had taken in to stay temporarily at the castle. They'd been rendered homeless by years of domestic abuse, or had lost their livelihoods and been forced onto the streets. Before connecting them with long-term social welfare assistance, Bai Fuzhou took them into her home, fed them well, and sheltered them. Over the past decade and more, the castle had rescued over ten thousand such unfortunates.

Bai Xingmiao walked straight to the dining hall. When he pushed open the door, he saw several women seated beside Bai Fuzhou at the table, chatting and laughing. The moment they spotted Bai Xingmiao, they wiped their mouths and rose, saying, "We're full. You all enjoy your meal."

"Don't rush off—eat a bit more," Bai Fuzhou called after them.

Bai Fuzhou treated these poor women like family, allowing them free access to the banquet hall, and sharing the same food and amenities as herself.

They, in turn, were tactful—never disturbing the master's private life, and unanimously taking on the castle's gardening, laundry, cleaning, maintenance, and planting. They kept the castle spotless and fresh.

Bai Xingmiao had always carried an aura that made strangers keep their distance; everyone instinctively stepped back three paces when they saw him. Since purchasing his own residence, he rarely returned to the castle. Bai Fuzhou normally stayed at the party's official apartment in the city center, so today was a rare chance for mother and son to share lunch at the castle.

Bai Xingmiao habitually walked to his designated seat. As Bai Fuzhou watched her son saunter in, her eyes brightened. "Miao Miao, come here. I have a question for you. Tell me what's going on between Xiao Hao and your Aunt Du."

Bai Fuzhou had also seen the trending topics, and with her best friend recently complaining that her son was getting harder to manage as he grew older, she immediately sought out her own son to find out what was happening.

"Nothing." Bai Xingmiao answered tersely. He elegantly unfolded his napkin and laid it across his lap, and a servant set down a plate of grilled fish, placing a piece on his dish.

Bai Fuzhou tilted her head, amused. "Is the trending topic real? Those two made that huge spectacle chasing the same girl?"

"I don't know. They didn't tell me."

Bai Fuzhou smiled. Her son had always been indifferent to anything that didn't concern him; she wasn't surprised. Still, it hinted that the rumor had some truth to it.

She paused with her spoon hovering over her plate, thoughtful. "Your Aunt Du recently arranged a blind date setup. If someone comes along and undercuts her now, it'll be a disaster. I hope that girl has good luck."

Bai Fuzhou knew her best friend's temperament—she was decisive and fierce. If anyone crossed her or defied her, she wouldn't let them off easy.

Bai Xingmiao sat far away at his designated seat opposite the head of the table, chewing a piece of fish, his expression calm as a still lake.

"Miao Miao, just tell your mother who that girl is. What's the actual situation between them now?"

Bai Fuzhou was genuinely worried. She knew these kids could be stubborn beyond measure. If Jiang Yihao and his mother ended up fighting tooth and nail over this girl again like last time, the one who'd suffer most would probably still be that young woman.

Bai Xingmiao gave the same answer. "I don't know."

"You child, honestly. Would I ever do you all harm?" Bai Fuzhou chided.

The more calmly her son said nothing was wrong, the more Bai Fuzhou trusted her instincts that something was indeed going on.

Those kids were thick as thieves, constantly covering for each other behind the adults' backs—that much every parent knew.

Bai Fuzhou found their petty antics amusing most of the time, but when it came to matters of real consequence, she genuinely hoped the children would act with caution and not let impulse spiral into irreparable tragedy.

She'd watched these kids grow up. She truly wanted them to be happy, and she didn't want any innocent person caught in the crossfire.

Bai Xingmiao took a sip of wine, his gaze settling on the snow-white tablecloth before him. "If you're that concerned, why not go to the Jiang residence and ask around directly? I'm finished eating."

He pushed back his chair and rose from the table.

"Are you full?" Bai Fuzhou called after his retreating figure. Bai Xingmiao left the dining hall without looking back, and Bai Fuzhou stared at her son's back with furrowed brows.

Though Bai Xingmiao was a man of few words, certain gestures revealed his inner leanings—like leaving lunch midway, which showed he had no desire to delve deeper into the topic.

He walked back into the long corridor. Halfway down, his phone rang—it was Ruan Ning.

Bai Xingmiao narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a low voice, "Hello."

"Thank heavens, you finally answered." Through the receiver, Ruan Ning's tearful voice reached his ears, carrying the unmistakable relief of someone who'd been put through the wringer and finally found their lifeline. "Are you free right now? I have something really, really urgent I need to ask you."

Bai Xingmiao glanced at his watch. "What is it? Go ahead."

Hearing Bai Xingmiao's cool, clear voice, Ruan Ning nearly burst into tears. She spilled out everything she'd been holding in one breath, almost choking on her own saliva. "Can you help me get in touch with Jiang Yihao and Bu Chen to ask about the trending topics? The searches say it's all for me..."

Ruan Ning paused, a parade of sensational headlines flashing through her mind—"Two Men Fight Over One Woman, Wealthy Brothers Turn to Enemies," "Plastic Brotherhood: A Decade of Friendship, Stabbing Each Other Over a Girl," "Mystery Influencer? Rising Starlet? Revealing the Stunning Woman Who Captured Two Major Young Heirs," "The Woman the Whole World Envies—A Birthday Light Display Across All of Talun"—and she was too embarrassed to say them out loud.

"Anyway, I can't reach them right now. I want to ask if what's online is true. I'm terrified someone will keep digging and drag me into it. It's too scary. Please help me ask them what I should do now."

Bai Xingmiao was silent for a few seconds. Those few seconds made Ruan Ning's heart clench so hard she could barely breathe. She covered the receiver with her hand, afraid the sound of her own breathing might travel to his ear.

"You mean to say—you had no prior knowledge of the birthday celebrations that people are posting about?"

Bai Xingmiao's voice seemed to drift in from beyond the sky, carrying a hint of late-autumn chill.

"Of course not!" Ruan Ning denied it firmly.

She couldn't explain why, but she sensed a subtle displeasure in Bai Xingmiao's tone regarding her and the other two.

She rushed to clarify: "I really don't know anything. You were there that night too. You pulled me aside to watch the shooting stars, and I spent the whole night with you. I had no idea about the fireworks or the drones. You're the one who'd know best."

At the mention of watching shooting stars together, some of the warmth seemed to return to Bai Xingmiao's voice.

"Trending topics die down in a couple of days. It's nothing serious."

Ruan Ning grew anxious. "You mean I should just do nothing and leave it to fate?"

Bai Xingmiao's voice was like jade tempered in ice—crisp and low. "Bu Chen and Jiang Yihao stirred up trouble; they should handle it themselves."

Ruan Ning let out a hollow laugh. "But their names are attached to mine. If someone digs me up, what am I supposed to do?"

Silence again. Ruan Ning's heart raced, wondering if Bai Xingmiao had gotten busy with something else.

"Hello? Are you listening?"

"'Mystery Influencer? Rising Starlet? Revealing the Stunning Woman Who Captured Two Major Young Heirs,' 'The Woman the Whole World Envies—A Birthday Light Display Across All of Talun'..."

Bai Xingmiao began reciting today's trending headlines in a flat voice.

"..." Ruan Ning's face flushed red. She let out a helpless, wry laugh. "Don't tease me anymore. I'm about to lose my mind with worry. Help me think of a solution."

"Isn't being envied by the whole world a good thing?" Bai Xingmiao said unhurriedly, his voice cool and gentle.

Ruan Ning slapped a hand to her forehead and squeezed her eyes shut. "The searches are just self-media clickbait. Nothing happened between us. Don't believe their nonsense."

"And besides, aren't you close with Jiang Yihao and Bu Chen? If you want to know if something's going on between us, just ask them. I have absolutely zero delusions about those two young masters."

Ruan Ning was so flustered her eyes spun, wishing she could fly to Bai Xingmiao's door and clear it all up in person. This was her greatest fear—if her identity got exposed, baseless speculation would flood in and she'd never be able to explain herself even with a hundred mouths.

"I knew nothing about the fireworks or the drones from start to finish, and I still haven't managed to get through to them. Please, go contact Jiang Yihao and the others for me, okay? I'm so scared. Every time I open my phone, it's the trending topics. Walking down the street, people are talking about it. Everyone says I'm playing games between the two of them, but I'm not. I've barely spoken to them since that cosplay convention..."

By the end, Ruan Ning's voice cracked, and her eyes grew wet with grievance. She clutched Bai Xingmiao like a lifeline and spilled out every detail in one go. She genuinely felt wronged and could only hope Bai Xingmiao would understand the truth and not misjudge her like everyone else.

"Between the two families, they'll quash the trending topics themselves. You don't need to worry."

In the midst of the storm, Bai Xingmiao suddenly said.

"Huh?"

Ruan Ning felt like she'd heard the sweetest salvation from heaven. "Really?"

"Mm."

"And if they don't clear them up, I will."

The last line was soft as a wisp of wind skimming the surface of an early-winter lake, yet it sent Ruan Ning's mood rocketing from hell straight to heaven. Bai Xingmiao's words brushed against her eardrums like feathers, and a pleasant, tingling warmth washed over her entire body.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Ruan Ning's chest heaved, her heart thrumming with hot surges of emotion, at a loss for words. "I knew coming to you would work. You always help me. With you here, I'm not panicked anymore."

Ruan Ning got so worked up that tears started falling. She wiped them away, embarrassed, and kept thanking him profusely.

Bai Xingmiao said, "No need. As it happens, there's something I'd like to ask for your help with."

"Tell me, go ahead!" Ruan Ning answered loudly, conveying her unconditional willingness. "Of course!"

"I recently made an RPG game, but I'm still not happy with the scene design. I wanted to do some fieldwork to get a better feel for it. Would you be willing to come along and gather inspiration with me?"

Huh? Ruan Ning's eyes went wide. "You make games too?"

"The games on the market these days are pretty mediocre, so I figured I'd just make one in my spare time as a pastime. It'd be around winter break. Will you be free then?" Bai Xingmiao said it as casually as if it were nothing.

"Yes, I'm free!" Ruan Ning answered in a rush.

Her respect for him shot up another notch. Making an RPG was a time-consuming, labor-intensive project even for a game company, yet Bai Xingmiao did it just for fun, saying it as easily as if he were popping out to grab a coffee. Ruan Ning couldn't help but admire him even more.

"Winter break? Where are we going?"

"Up north. Tourmaline Bay."

"Tourmaline Bay?" Ruan Ning repeated. That was the famous northern fjord resort—an isolated, ice-bound paradise and the top winter destination for the world's wealthiest. Which also meant it was prohibitively expensive. Just hearing the name made Ruan Ning wince. "That's way too expensive."

Bai Xingmiao: "Only places where humanity rarely sets foot are worth lingering for their beauty."

"That's true," Ruan Ning agreed. She'd watched plenty of game development behind-the-scenes footage; top-tier creators would go to the ends of the earth for a single frame of breathtaking scenery. Bai Xingmiao seemed like a perfectionist too, so going to one of the most expensive destinations in the world to gather inspiration wasn't surprising.

"Then I'll gladly risk life and limb for a good friend. I hope I get to be one of the first beta testers. Meeting you has been such a joy." Ruan Ning laughed brightly into the phone.

"Mm." Bai Xingmiao replied briefly, closing Ruan Ning's urgent call with a satisfying resolution.

Ruan Ning hung up with relief, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead. The matter was handled—even if the sky fell, Bai Xingmiao would hold it up. No more worrying.

After Bai Xingmiao ended the call, Bai Fuzhou also finished her lunch, left the dining hall, and called for the car to take her out. Her expression was grave, as if something bad had happened.

Bai Xingmiao asked, "Where is the duchess going?"

The servant replied, "To the Jiang residence. She said she needed to discuss something important with the duchess."