Entering the room, Bai Rui went straight to Bai Qingqing's side. Bai Qingqing poured him a cup of tea and handed it over, also offering him some pastries.

  Bai Rui's eyes sparkled with gratitude. "Sister, you're the best."

  Bai Jinghuai glared at him. "Enough with the sappiness. Weren't you going to explain yourself? Speak!"

  This time, Bai Rui truly wasn't the one who started the trouble. He hadn’t even intended to go to the pleasure house—it was one of his classmates who had dragged him there, saying that none of them had ever been and wanted to broaden their horizons. With Bai Rui around, they felt more at ease.

  "…We didn’t do much, just invited a dancer to perform. I didn’t even drink their wine. It was boring—she kept swaying around slowly, and I really didn’t see the appeal. Even the food wasn’t great. Nowhere near as good as Baiwei Fang’s dishes, especially their crispy roasted pigeon…"

  "Get to the point!"

  "Oh…"

  Bai Rui had only stayed a little while before feeling uninterested, but his companions were still excited, even teasing him for being oblivious to romance.

  Normally, these classmates were more reserved—otherwise, they wouldn’t have needed Bai Rui’s presence to bolster their courage. Yet, those who had initially been pretending to be aloof suddenly became indulgent and reckless.

  Their behavior and words turned flirtatious and uninhibited. They started revealing personal secrets, discussing their backgrounds, and confessing past misdeeds to the dancers as if completely unguarded. Some even attempted to pull the women into their arms with improper intentions.

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  Bai Rui sensed that something was wrong and tried to stop them, but they suddenly turned hostile and started a fight with him. While fighting, they insulted him, calling him an arrogant playboy who relied on the Duke's family to throw his weight around. They claimed they had never respected him and were merely pretending for the sake of appearances.

  Bai Rui had initially planned to ignore them and leave, but in the end, he couldn’t just walk away. The rest unfolded just as Bai Jinghuai had heard—fists flew, the fight spilled onto the street, and eventually, the servants from their respective households arrived to drag them apart.

  "I'm telling the truth! It was like they were possessed—completely unlike their usual selves. If I hadn’t dragged them out of there, who knows what kind of disaster they would’ve caused."

  Bai Rui argued confidently, but Bai Jinghuai slammed his palm on the table.

  "And you think you're in the right? If you hadn’t gone there in the first place, none of this would have happened! Huh? And you think fighting was the only way to get them out? Huh? Just because you've got some muscle, you think you can throw your weight around?"

  "But they were insulting me! Was I supposed to just take it? No way."

  Bai Jinghuai nearly fell backward in frustration and reached for his cane again. Bai Rui saw this and tried to flee, but Bai Qingqing unexpectedly grabbed his sleeve.

  "You’re telling the truth? That scent… it really made people lose their reason?"

  There was an almost imperceptible tremor in Bai Qingqing's voice. Bai Rui thought she was frightened and immediately softened his tone.

  "Don't worry, Sister, I'm fine. The sachet you gave me worked wonders. Before I left, I even reported it to the authorities. Maybe there was another reason for what happened."

  He comforted Bai Qingqing gently, then sprang up again as the "fatherly discipline" resumed for round two.

  Bai Qingqing’s hands were ice-cold. When Ning Yan had mentioned it, she had been concerned, but she hadn't felt the full weight of it. Now, after hearing Bai Rui’s account, she was truly afraid.

  Her brother had barely escaped disaster!