yournovel Chapter 37 Politics
Chapter 37 Politics
In the rented room,
Bai Yuze's presence gradually faded away.
Ye Yue, who was reclining on the bed, slowly sat up. Her indifferent, deep green eyes glanced indifferently in Lu Zihai's direction, then she touched her stomach.
"Hungry~"
She muttered softly, drawing out the last syllable.
"But Little Sticky Rice said we can't hurt him."
Yeyue pouted, repeating it as if to convince herself. Then she pulled a notebook from the drawer, its cover bearing a few words scrawled on it:
"Okasan's Study Notes"
This is her handwritten record, filled with notes on knowledge she learned from books, anime, and videos—how to be a good mother.
She opened the notebook, her gaze falling on the third item:
"A good mother will prepare breakfast for her child."
Seeing this,
A happy smile immediately appeared on her face.
She did it today.
And they ate all the sticky rice cakes.
But turning to the next page
Her expression turned dejected again.
Article 7 states: "A good mother should give her child enough privacy."
Ye Yue stared at the words, her lips gradually turning down.
Which mother would allow her child to live alone outside?!
What if I get kidnapped by bad guys?
What if it gets eaten?
What if the baby meets a more capable and beautiful mother?
……
As I thought about it,
She closed the notebook and stood up.
Looking at the window to the side, the transparent glass reflected the dazzling light from outside.
She neither reached out to push nor tried to unlock it.
She simply took a step forward, and her entire body passed directly through the closed glass window, silently drifting in the direction Bai Yuzhe had left.
Balcony railing?
nonexistent.
Glass door?
It doesn't exist either.
She's going to protect her little sticky rice cake.
-
Genting District,
Bai Cha Qianxia couldn't say she was happy, and she had never told anyone why, because saying it would seem pretentious.
Living in luxury, surrounded by servants.
Within the entire 3,000-square-meter White Tea Garden, she could get whatever she wanted with a mere flick of her finger. Yet, what she desired most was nowhere to be found here.
wrong,
I think I mentioned it to Bai Yuze yesterday.
Sunlight streamed through the window, casting soft lattice patterns on the tatami mats.
Hakucha Chika knelt before the desk, in front of her lay a case study of corporate acquisitions, detailing how the Genji Group had used cross-shareholding to acquire four competitors in three years.
The densely packed numbers and terms crawled before her eyes like a swarm of ants.
She rested her chin on her hand
My gaze passed over the ants and went out the window.
In the courtyard, two maids walked briskly with their heads down. They were wearing matching gray kimonos, their hair was neatly styled, and their footsteps were so light they were almost inaudible.
Since she returned to this mansion at the age of twelve, she has seen maids come and go, batch after batch, but they are always the same gray, with the same gait, the same beauty, and the same expressionless face.
They treated her with great respect.
But it was only with respect.
No one will sit down and chat with her, tell her what interesting things happened today, or ask if she slept well last night. They will only say:
"Miss, it's time to get up."
"Miss, the etiquette teacher has arrived."
"Miss, this is today's homework."
"Miss, please have your meal."
......
In this mansion, the word "Miss" is like an invisible wall.
This might be the thick partition wall that Bai Yuze mentioned yesterday.
Sometimes, Shiratsumi would think that it would have been better if her half-brothers hadn't suddenly met with such a terrible fate.
Even so,
She certainly won't enjoy such a good life anymore.
But she no longer needs to inherit any family business, nor does she need to learn about these headache-inducing acquisition cases. She can simply be a carefree heiress, chasing after her favorite magical girl idols, finding someone she loves, and living a peaceful and ordinary life.
How good.
But now—
She sighed and looked back at the documents on the table.
"Miss."
A voice suddenly rang out behind me.
Shiracha Chika didn't turn around. She was already familiar with that voice. It belonged to the head maid, Prana, who was in her fifties, with her hair neatly combed and always wearing a gray kimono that was a shade darker than everyone else's.
"The head of the family has returned from the Xia Federation and wishes to see you, Miss."
Hakucha Chika's fingers paused.
Father.
Her feelings for this person were as complicated as a tangled mess.
Is he good to her?
it is good.
very good.
Since she returned to the mansion, he has never said a harsh word to her.
Whatever she wants, she only needs to ask, and it will appear in her room the next day.
She said she didn't like the original piano's tone, and three days later, a grand piano imported from the Amerinsky Federation was brought into her practice room.
but--
The previous twelve years,
When she and her mother lived in that cramped apartment in the working-class neighborhood,
Where is he?
When her mother was sick, she went to the small clinic alone to queue up. Where was he?
Every time Uncle Longjie brought rice, noodles, and medicine, he would smile and say, "This is what your father asked me to bring."
She believed it.
Why doesn't their father ever come to see them in person?
She had seen him before.
I've seen him less than ten times in twelve years.
Each encounter was fleeting; he would pat her head, ask about her studies, and then be surrounded by a group of people as he left. He always carried a faint scent of cedar, completely different from the musty smell of their apartment.
After her mother passed away, she was twelve years old and was brought back to the mansion.
Since then,
She became the young lady of the White Tea family.
"I see."
Hakucha Chika put down her pen and slowly stood up.
She was wearing a casual kimono today, with delicate cherry blossom petals embroidered on a light blue background.
When standing up,
The hem of her robe brushed gently against the tatami mat, making a barely audible rustling sound. Three years of etiquette training had turned these movements into muscle memory.
When to lower your head, when to turn to the side, how big to take a step, where to place your hands, and what curve to keep your mouth.
......
Shiracha Chika walked out of the study and through the long corridor.
White Tea Garden is a typical example of a blend of Japanese and Western architecture.
The exterior is a traditional Japanese garden with artificial hills, flowing water, and pine and bamboo groves; the interior, however, features modern facilities, central air conditioning, constant temperature and humidity, and invisible sensors in every corner.
One side of the corridor features floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking a meticulously maintained strolling garden. Koi carp swim leisurely in the pond, their red and white plumage adding to the serene atmosphere.
Sometimes, Shiratsumi would stand by the pond for a long time, watching the fish swim in circles, never knowing what was outside the pond.
She walked to the Hall of Mirrors and stopped.
This is the only way to my father's study. The entire wall is made of mirrors, which are said to have been custom-made from the American Federation and cost as much as a building in a working-class neighborhood.
She stood in front of the mirror, looking at the girl inside.
She wore a light blue kimono, a cherry blossom-colored obi, and her hair was styled in an elegant updo, revealing a section of her fair nape.
With gentle eyes and a faint smile playing at the corners of her lips, she stood upright and exuded a serene charm.
Looking at that face, she suddenly remembered herself before she was twelve years old, in the working-class neighborhood.
At that time, she was wearing an old T-shirt and shorts, her hair casually tied into a ponytail, chasing each other in the alley with the neighbor's child, her two tiger teeth showing as she laughed.
Unconsciously,
On the surface, she seemed to have become a proper young lady from a wealthy family.
"Miss?"
The head maid's voice rang out from behind.
Hakucha Chika withdrew her gaze and continued walking forward.
Behind her, the head maid's perpetually tense brows relaxed slightly.
......
The current head of the white tea family,
Named White Tea from the South
His study was located at the deepest part of the mansion, requiring him to pass through three security gates.
The first step is a standard metal detector.
The second layer is a fake identity detection gate, a product of the Genji Group, the kind that is mandatory to be installed in all public places in the area; however, the one Bai Cha has is the most expensive civilian version. The third layer is biometric identification, which requires simultaneous verification of fingerprints, iris scans, and vein patterns.
Every time Shiratsu Chika enters the study, she feels as if she is not going to see her father, but entering a heavily guarded government agency.
The door opened.
Bai Cha Qianxia went inside.
The room was darker than she had imagined, with a faint aroma of tea and a subtle smell of medicine in the air.
Bai Cha Zheng Nan sat on the sofa by the window, holding a cup of tea in his hand.
He and Professor Mu were college classmates.
But from a distance,
The other person didn't look like a middle-aged person at all; instead, they looked more like an elderly person on their deathbed.
His hair was already white, his face was thin, his eyebrows and eyes were gentle, and he was wearing a dark gray kimono. He didn't look like a businessman who controlled billions of assets, but rather like a retired old man in a park.
When Bai Cha Zheng Nan saw his daughter come in, he put down his teacup and smiled.
"You're here? Have a seat."
Hakucha Chika sat down opposite him.
A maid entered silently, served tea, and then quietly withdrew. The door closed very softly, but the sound was still clearly audible in the quiet space.
"How have you been these past few days?"
"fine."
"Is the homework difficult?"
"fine."
"Are you enjoying the food?"
"fine."
Bai Cha Zheng Nan smiled and didn't ask any further questions.
He knew his daughter's habit; when the other person said "okay" three times, it meant she didn't want to continue the conversation.
He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then said:
"Longjie told me about what happened yesterday."
Bai Cha Qianxia was slightly taken aback.
"That young man," Bai Cha Zheng Nan looked at her, a strange look in his eyes, and chuckled softly:
"A destitute young man established a smuggling chain from Maple Leaf District to Parrot District. Although the scale was very small, he was incredibly audacious."
He paused, then looked out the window, as if recalling something.
"It reminds me of my grandfather back then."
Shiracha Chika's gaze shifted slightly.
White tea warehouse flat,
She had heard this name many, many times before.
The origins of the family
Xia Lianbang's first pawn, who started as a warehouse manager for the Tokugawa family, has grown into a rising star in the Japanese Autonomous Region that cannot be ignored.
Back then, he was alone.
Caught between the four major families, they managed to carve out a path to survival for the Bai Cha family.
Bai Cha Zheng Nan withdrew his gaze, looked at his daughter, and chuckled, "She's bold, smart, and can fight."
Bai Cha Qianxia did not respond.
She was waiting.
After his father beat around the bush for a long time, he finally said what he wanted to say.
however,
The other person did not continue the topic.
Instead, he changed his tone, asking in the manner of an elderly father concerned for his daughter:
Did you have fun yesterday?
Bai Cha Qianxia looked at him.
He didn't speak.
Bai Cha Zheng Nan didn't press further, but simply drank his tea quietly.
Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, casting dappled shadows on his face.
For a moment, he really seemed like just an ordinary father, a father who wanted to say more to his daughter but didn't know how to start.
After a moment of silence, Shiratsumi Chika finally spoke up and asked.
Why did Father choose Bai Yuze?
Bai Cha Zheng Nan paused for a moment.
Then he laughed.
"Isn't this what our daughter likes? If our daughter likes it, then everything else can naturally take a backseat."
Bai Cha Qianxia rolled her eyes at him.
"I just have a crush on him, but we're more like classmates and friends. To be honest, Old Deng, stop keeping me in suspense."
Bai Cha Zheng Nan's smile deepened upon hearing the term "daughter." Her habit of rolling her eyes was exactly the same as her mother's. When that woman was alive, she always had the same expression whenever she listened to his nonsense.
"Because of Mu Xiaojun."
"Professor Mu?"
Shiracha Chika was somewhat surprised. She put down her teacup and looked at her father.
"Father, weren't you and him high school classmates?"
Bai Cha Zheng Nan remained silent for a while.
My high school classmate.
Yes,
This happened more than 20 years ago.
Can anyone think of,
Twenty years later,
One became the chief executive of Genji Technology, and the other became the chairman of Baicha Group.
Bai Cha Zheng Nan gently stroked the rim of the teacup, his voice slightly deeper:
"Although we were high school classmates, we weren't actually very close. The only time I heard news of him was when he led a team to explore the Abyss Throat in Ninomiya City, but on the way back they were ambushed by adult-stage Fiends... Of the nineteen members of the entire exploration team, only he crawled back to the warning zone with half his body covered in miasma corrosive wounds. Because of this, the Genji blocked the news, but three months later, this chief supervisor disappeared from all public reports."
"When I heard from them again, they had become a teacher at Dongqing University. During this time, I tried to arrange a meeting with Mu Xiaojun for tea three times, but they declined each time. Perhaps they had a problem with me..."
Bai Cha Zheng Nan took a sip of tea and said with a hint of helplessness, "Haven't you noticed? Every time, he only lets you in, but he never actually sees me?"
Bai Cha Qianxia did not respond.
In the dim light,
She sensed that things weren't so simple; there was likely some historical grudge between her father and this Professor Mu.
Bai Cha Zheng Nan seemed to sense his daughter's eye roll and chuckled:
"Don't worry, the grudges of our generation won't involve you two. In fact, if the other party knew that you two had agreed, he would even help that kid."
Shirocha Chika: "What does this have to do with me...?"
Saying this,
She couldn't help but think of the words he had used to reject her yesterday.
to be frank,
She was a little surprised.
She knew Bai Yuze was unlikely to agree, but she didn't expect him to refuse so quickly.
But this is for the best.
This proves that the other person is not the kind of person who is greedy for money or lustful.
"Chinatsu?"
Shiracha Chika looked up and found her father looking at her, with something in his eyes that she couldn't understand.
"You don't usually react like that to the slightest setback."
"I already said, we only have a slight liking for each other."
Shiracha Chika lowered her eyes, her voice low.
"I just want a friend to talk to, unlike you guys, who are so calculating."
Bai Cha Zheng Nan did not refute. He put down his teacup, leaned back on the sofa, and remained silent for a long time.
"Chika, do you know what's going on with your older sister right now?"
Hakucha Chika raised her head.
"That year, the year she married into the Tokugawa family, I saw her off at the door, and she turned back and looked at me."
Bai Cha Zheng Nan's gaze was fixed on the void, as if looking into a very distant place.
"That look seemed to ask, 'Father, am I still a member of the Bai Cha family from now on?'"
He paused.
"Not anymore. She's now a member of the Tokugawa family. Whenever the Tokugawa family is in trouble, she's the first to rush to the front lines. If the Tokugawa family wants to take over any part of our business, she helps devise strategies. When she comes back for holidays, the way she looks at me is like she's looking at an... outsider."
White Tea in Thousand Summers in Silence.
"Your second sister is too."
Bai Cha Zheng Nan continued,
"She went to study in the Xia Federation and married a Xia official. Now, when she talks to me, all she talks about is the policies and interests of the Xia Federation. Although she still treats me as her father, she is no longer a member of the Bai Cha family."
He looked at his daughter.
"Besides them, you have a bunch of nephews and nieces. From the Tokugawa, Minamoto, Oda, and Fujiwara families—every family is raising our White Tea family's 'bloodline,' waiting for that day..."
He didn't finish speaking.
Hakucha Chika knew what he wanted to say.
When Bai Cha Zheng Nan can no longer hold on, those people will have a legitimate reason to jump out and say that they are descendants of the Bai Cha family and are qualified to inherit the family business.
Then, the Bai Cha family will be devoured by the four major families, leaving not even bones behind.
"So, Chinatsu."
Bai Cha Zheng Nan looked at her daughter, her eyes holding something she had never seen before.
It wasn't scheming, nor was it testing; it was a kind of weariness that came from the heart.
"I don't know how many more years I have left to live. If you still haven't found the right person by then..."
He coughed lightly twice.
"Then I'll have to go find it for you."
Shiracha Chika opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't utter a word.
The study remained quiet for a long time.
At last,
It was Bai Cha Zheng Nan who broke the silence first.
"Go on, go on, haven't you finished your homework yet? Don't waste your time keeping this old man company."
Hakucha Chika stood up.
She walked to the door, and when her hand touched the doorknob, she suddenly stopped.
"Father."
"Um?"
She had her back to him and didn't turn around. "Yesterday... I had a lot of fun."
finished,
She pushed open the door and went out.
Bai Cha Zheng Nan stared blankly as the door closed in front of him.
then,
He smiled.
That smile contained weariness, relief, and a hint of indescribable bitterness.
outside the window,
The sun gradually began to set in the west.