Chapter Nineteen: Li Mu is not an ordinary person at all!

As the three of them examined their injuries, an old man stood inside the villa, gazing out at the departing figure of Li Mu. He let out a long, heavy sigh. "Alas, we have missed our chance."

He then looked down at the three people on the floor. His expression was a complex mix of emotions, hovering somewhere between indignation and melancholy. "Oh, with descendants like you, the future of our Bai family is destined to decline! This Li Mu is by no means an ordinary man."

Bai Weiwei, wincing in pain, raised her head and asked what he meant. The old man shook his head in frustration. "Let me ask you this: is the Liuting Hall an ordinary place? I have checked with my sources—he truly entered the Liuting Hall, yet he walked out completely unscathed. Does that sound like the work of an ordinary man?"

Hearing this, Bai Weiwei began to replay everything in her mind. From the moment they first met, Li Mu had shown no fear, nor even a hint of nervousness. At times, the authority he exuded felt like that of a high-ranking official, someone who held the power of life and death in his hands. The mere recollection of that aura made her skin crawl. Yet, at the time, she had been so full of disdain for him that she had completely overlooked the chilling intent he carried. Even today, when he had humiliated their family, his demeanor was one of cold indifference and mockery, without a shred of fear.

The Bai family was one of the most prominent households in Banyang City. Countless people scrambled to curry favor with them, but Li Mu was the only one who seemed entirely unimpressed. He hadn't cared about the marriage arrangement, nor had he cared about their status. The more she thought about it, the more wrong it felt. From the very beginning, Li Mu had projected an aura that was far from common. Bai Weiwei felt a sudden jolt of unease—what exactly had she let slip through her fingers?

In contrast to Bai Weiwei’s contemplation, Li Xiaohong looked on with scorn. "What kind of a good man could he be? He’s just a trash-collecting loser. How could he be anything special? As for his combat skills, I’m sure the business at Liuting Hall was just a coincidence. He probably knows someone there and managed to find out about us, which is the only reason he got out safely and came straight here. What kind of ability could a loser like him possibly have?"

The old man, hearing Li Xiaohong’s words, was overcome with rage. "Li Xiaohong! Shut your mouth!"

Li Xiaohong fell silent instantly. No matter how much she ranted, she remained deathly afraid of the patriarch.

"Grandfather, if you put it that way, I think I’m starting to see it," Bai Weiwei said, her expression no longer calm.

Seeing that she was finally beginning to understand, the old man sighed helplessly. "This Mr. Li is a man of deep, hidden depths. In all my years, I have seen many outstanding young men, but I fear he is the only one with such formidable presence. Bai Weiwei, I am giving you a task."

Bai Weiwei straightened up immediately; she knew the old man’s tasks were never simple, always calculated and purposeful.

"Starting tomorrow, I want you to thoroughly investigate Mr. Li’s background and find an opportunity to get close to him. I have a gut feeling that his status and strength are beyond anything we can imagine."

Bai Weiwei’s face, previously calm, was now clouded with hesitation. "But, Grandfather... things ended so poorly between Li Mu and me. I even had his parents kidnapped. He must bear a grudge against me; I don't think I can fulfill this mission. I admit he is different, but he is still the son of a trash collector. The Bai family is one of the top powers in Banyang—to ask me to grovel before him..." She left the sentence hanging, but her meaning was clear. She could not bring herself to flatter a scavenger's son; it would be beneath her dignity.

Li Xiaohong chimed in, nodding vigorously. "Grandfather, I agree that the young man has a certain strength and an unusual air about him, but at the end of the day, his family is destitute. If a girl from our Bai family goes there, won't she suffer? They can't even compare to an ordinary merchant. Even with our support, this Li Mu is still a pauper. What could he possibly amount to?"

The old man, who had just managed to settle into his chair with the help of his attendants, grew livid at these words. "You are utterly foolish!"

"You only see the surface; you are completely blind to what lies beneath!"

Li Xiaohong opened her mouth to argue, but one look from the old man stopped her cold. She sullenly bit her tongue.

The old man sighed. "You people are driving the Bai family toward ruin! If the family falls, I will sweep you all out the door and find someone from the collateral branches to support—anyone would be better than you!" With that, he signaled for his butler to help him toward his bedroom.

Once the old man was gone, Li Xiaohong rolled her eyes and turned to Bai Zhu with a sneer. "Tsk, tsk. I think the old man is losing his mind in his old age. How could a trash-collecting loser ever achieve anything great? Just because he’s strong? Or because he can fight?" She spat on the floor. "I think the old man is just being biased toward that outsider!"

Bai Zhu, seeing his wife’s incessant complaining, sighed. "Enough, stop talking. If Father hears you, you’ll be scolded again. Let’s check on our daughter and ask what she thinks."

They spoke in hushed tones, hidden from the old man and out of earshot of Bai Weiwei. When they posed the question to her, Bai Weiwei remained silent for a few seconds before shaking her head. "I cannot accept Li Mu. Even if his combat skills are good and Grandfather praises him, even if he isn't simple, I still see him as a loser from a trash-collecting family. A man with no money and no power—I cannot be with him, and I cannot accept him! Besides, they seem to be involved with the Jiang family now; he is even with Jiang Wan. If I go back to him now, what would become of the Bai family’s reputation?"

Bai Zhu nodded in agreement. "You’re right, daughter. Don't worry, Daddy supports you. As long as you don't regret it later..."

Bai Weiwei nodded firmly. "I will not regret it!"