Chapter 1292: I Don’t Have a Father

“You!” Qian Lan gritted her teeth in anger. Bai Shida had been behaving rather strangely as of late. He was not as cautious as he usually was. It seemed like he had grown bolder quite suddenly.

It was more than a little suspicious in Qian Lan’s opinion. A thought came to mind. “Bai Shida, I have a question for you. Why did you fire Xiao Dai, our company’s accountant?”

“My dear wife, you’ve wronged me. I didn’t fire him. He resigned. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him. Xiao Dai is your trusted aide. I wouldn’t have had the courage to fire him without your saying so, heh!”

Qian Lan heaved a sigh of relief. She was still in control. Bai Shida could not have been the one stirring up trouble in the company. She had planted more than enough spies to ensure every action of his was watched.

“I hope, for your sake, you aren’t lying to me! I’ll look into this matter myself!”

“Mother, what’s going on between Bai Beibei and Young Master Gong?” Bai Qi’s grip around her mother’s hand tightened.

“Don’t mention her name in my presence. The crystal chandelier was supposed to hit her but Young Master Gong shielded her with his own body. He even confessed his love for her in front of all the reporters and dignitaries present. That woman somehow managed to seduce Young Master Gong while he was drunk, bewitching him so thoroughly that he proclaimed she needed to take responsibility for him!”

“… What? Did Young Master Gong really say that?” Bai Qi’s face took on an ashen hue, and her eyes flashed with unconcealed jealousy.

How could Young Master Gong fall in love with Bai Beibei? Why? She could not understand.

Qian Lan was still cursing away, unaware of her daughter’s mounting distress. “That little witch is just like her mother, a vixen whose only skill is seducing men. She’s even better than her mother was at her age, the shameless woman that she is!”

Bai Shida listened to Qian Lan rant as he drove. Oh, the irony! Weren’t all men taken in by women and their wily charms? How was she any different?

Did Qian Lan honestly believe men still liked yellow-faced women of her countenance?

It seemed, to him, a great necessity to maintain a good relationship with Bai Beibei. With Young Master Gong doting on her, he really needed some way to curry favour with this daughter of his.

…

No sooner had Bai Beibei walked out of the classroom than she saw her father waiting outside.

“Beibei, has school ended for the day?”

Bai Beibei stopped in her tracks. What was he doing here?

Fawningly, Bai Shida handed the bag in his hand to Bai Beibei, “Beibei, these are some clothes and jewellery your father bought for you while at the mall. Take a look and tell me whether you like them. Don’t worry. Daddy will buy you anything you want!”

Daddy?

The word cut her like a knife. It grated against her ears like nails on a chalkboard. T-this so-called father of hers sold her to another man and still had the cheek to call himself her father! She still remembered how he had said that she was not his daughter and asked her to call him ‘master’ instead.

Now, what was he playing at?

Bai Beibei glared at Bai Shida coldly. He was not fit to call himself her father, let alone treat her as if she was his – not after all he had done to her. It was a complete and utter mockery to insinuate he was any father of hers.

“Beibei, your father was wrong. Daddy ignored you, ill-treated you and denied you any fatherly affection. Please forgive me. You must understand the position I was in. Qian Lan would have made me suffer if I didn’t do as I had done. Please, Beibei. Won’t you forgive this foolish father of yours, just this once?”

Bai Beibei frowned in distaste. “What is it you really want? Stop beating about the bush!”

“Hehe… Beibei, I heard you’ve been dating Young Master Gong. Can you invite him out for a meal with me?”

Bai Beibei immediately understood what his plan was.

Utterly shameless!

Did he think she was a money tree?

“No. I won’t invite Young Master Gong out for a meal with you. Don’t even think about extorting him. That’s the end. Goodbye.” Bai Beibei turned around and left.

Her response was well within his expectations. Not one to accept defeat so easily, Bai Shida continued pestering his daughter. “Beibei, don’t be like that. Have a heart. I’m your father and you’re my daughter. We’re family. All I ask is that you invite Young Master Gong to assist me in a small endeavour, and we’ll be together again – father and daughter, in one happy family. Qian Lan will be a thing of the past.”

Bai Beibei treated him like air. When she reached the school gate, she said to the school security guard, “Uncle Security Guard, this man is harassing me!”

The security guard quickly walked over. “Sir, who are you?”

“I’m her father…”

“He’s not my father. I don’t have a father.”

Bai Shida…

“Sir, please leave or I’ll be forced to take action.”

Looking at the burly security guard, Bai Shida quickly backed down. A wise man knows how to pick his battles. Seeing as he was not in a favourable position, Bai Shida fled. “Beibei, your father will see you some other time. Please consider what I have said.”

Bai Beibei ignored him and left.

…

Winning the national mental arithmetic competition was just the beginning. She still had the world mental arithmetic competition ahead of her. With a month to spare, Bai Beibei decided to find a part-time job.

She had worked as a nanny for Gong Yi, and as an economics tutor for Sisi. Though now that she was in a relationship with Gong Yi, she could hardly find work with the Li family again. Not now, at least. She did not fancy running into Li Xiyang.

She was Gong Yi’s girlfriend. It was only natural that she avoided excessive contact with Li Xiyang. She did not want to create any misunderstandings.

A recruitment poster hanging outside a cafe caught her attention. Pausing, Bai Beibei turned to have a look.

The cafe needed a cashier between the hours of four in the afternoon and nine in the evening.

It looked quite tempting. Since she was free, Bai Beibei decided to make further enquiries before deciding.

“Miss, how many of you are there?” A waiter came up to her and asked politely.

Bai Beibei waved her hand. “I’m not here for coffee. I was hoping to apply for the position as a cashier.”

“Oh, sure. Please wait a moment. I’ll go get the Lady Boss.”

Lady Boss?

Was the owner of the cafe a woman?

A woman appeared not long after.

The woman was wearing a long red dress that accentuated her curvaceous figure. Her makeup was on point, neither too much nor too little. It was just enough to bring out natural beauty. Surprisingly, she did not look old. She was, perhaps, somewhere in her late twenties or early thirties.

“Hello, my name is Wang Xue. I’ve heard that you’re applying for the job as our cashier.” Wang Xue smiled.

Bai Beibei was stunned by her smile. Wang Xue’s smile seemed to light up the whole room. It felt warm and familiar, not unlike the smile her mother had sent her on her 16th birthday.

Her mother had only ever smiled at her once. It was the day she returned from the mental asylum. That day had been her birthday. Her mother had smiled and stroked her hair while holding her in thin, spindly arms.

It was the happiest day of her life.

“Hello, my name is Bai Beibei. Indeed, I am here to apply for the job as a cashier.” Bai Beibei bowed in greeting.

Wang Xue studied her from head to toe and nodded with a smile. “Alright, you’ll start work tomorrow.”

“Pardon?” Bai Beibei did not expect to be hired so easily.

“Is there a problem?”

“Oh, no. Thank you.”

Thus, Bai Beibei officially became a cashier at the cafe. The atmosphere in the cafe was good and everyone treated her well, especially her boss. Work was a most pleasant experience.

Of course, not everyone was happy with this development. That person was none other than Gong Yi.