Chapter 502: Get Engaged
Bai Tianlong’s face darkened instantly, pointing at Lin Tian and shouting, "You little bastard! Who do you think you are? Did I tell you to sit down?"
Bai Shishi looked at Lin Tian, her eyes showing a hint of pleading. She didn’t want Lin Tian and Bai Tianlong to argue too fiercely; one was someone she liked, and the other was her father. If the conflict got too intense, she wouldn’t know what to do.
Meeting Bai Shishi’s gaze, Lin Tian stood up, then held Bai Shishi’s hand and pulled her onto the sofa to sit beside him.
"Old turtle, if I was too polite to you, would you even show me a kind face? If it weren’t for your instigation, would Long and the other two dare to make a move against me?"
Lin Tian glanced at Bai Tianlong with contempt and said lightly.
Bai Tianlong snorted heavily, then sat on the chair behind the desk, looking down at Lin Tian, "So what if I told them to do it? I just didn’t expect you to become so strong. Unfortunately, I have no way to avenge my son now..."
As he said this, Bai Tianlong’s face darkened, thinking of the deceased Bai Jiaming, and his heart wrenched with pain. Now the enemy was right in front of him, holding his daughter’s hand.
What kind of twisted fate is this? It’s just too melodramatic!
Before Lin Tian could even justify himself, Bai Shishi stood up anxiously to explain on his behalf, "Dad, Jiaming’s affair isn’t what you think. It’s..."
Before Bai Shishi could finish, Bai Tianlong slapped the table and scolded sternly, "Now you’re even speaking for this little rascal? Be careful, or you might end up dead by his hand too!"
Bai Shishi grew more anxious, her face red as she defended, "Dad! Can’t you just let me finish? Jiaming’s death is indeed directly related to Lin Tian, but the truth is: Jiaming tried to lure Lin Tian to his death and failed, so he attempted to detonate a bomb to die together! But Lin Tian escaped, barely alive! Was it wrong for him to survive?"
As she said this, Bai Shishi was already in tears. She recalled how back at the Bai Family, she blamed Lin Tian so recklessly, without caring for his feelings. Now, she felt genuinely guilty when she thought about it.
"Impossible!"
Bai Tianlong did not believe this explanation at all, "You must have been tricked by this kid. Why would Jiaming want to kill him? What’s so special about him that he’d be worth killing?"
"Don’t you get it? Isn’t it all your fault? Favoring sons over daughters! If you weren’t so hell-bent on having Jiaming inherit the Xianglong Tea House, would things have come to this today? You didn’t realize whether Jiaming’s brain was suitable for business, did you?"
"If you gave Xianglong Tea House to him, it would eventually collapse under him! Do you even know how many times I’ve escaped death to protect Xianglong Tea House? Do you know how many times Jiaming tried to kill me? At least three times! If it wasn’t for Lin Tian, I would have died long ago!"
Bai Shishi shouted hoarsely, and as she spoke, her makeup was smeared with her tears, the teary-eyed look was truly heart-wrenching. Lin Tian walked up and embraced her shoulders, gently patting her back.
Bai Tianlong was stunned for a while, then shook his head repeatedly, "Impossible! Jiaming is your brother; how could he possibly want to kill you?"
Lin Tian’s gaze was sharp as it swept across Bai Tianlong’s face, and he said in an icy tone, "Why not? Don’t you know whether you raised a son or a wolf? Do you think Bai Jiaming was something good? If it wasn’t for me, Shishi would have been dead! Once Bai Jiaming took the top position at Xianglong Tea House, his ambitions would have grown bigger! His next target would be the Patriarch of the Bai Family!"
At this point, the rest of Lin Tian’s words went unsaid, but it was clear: Bai Jiaming would have been after his father’s position next!
Bai Tianlong’s face changed multiple times, finally collapsing into his chair, shaking his head repeatedly, "Impossible, it’s not possible! Jiaming is my son, how could he want to kill me!"
Bai Shishi’s eyes reddened, and wiping her tears from her face with the back of her hand, she bit her lip with difficulty and said, "Dad, at this point, do I still have any reason to deceive you? It’s all because you spoiled him too much since he was little. Whatever he wanted, you gave it to him. You only cared about expanding the Bai Family and wanted Jiaming to inherit your position as the Patriarch. But what have you been cultivating in him all these years? The art of controlling others? Plots and schemes? But you didn’t expect what you taught him, he used against his own family."
After hearing this, Bai Tianlong’s eyes were blank as he murmured to himself, "Is it all my fault then?"
His face had lost all color, sitting there on the chair, both hands resting on the desk, and the whole spirit of the person seemed to have dissipated. It was as if he had suddenly aged twenty years into a helpless old man. Where was the mighty demeanor of the former Patriarch of the Bai Family?
Seeing her father in this state, and the wrinkles at his eyes and eyebrows, Bai Shishi felt a pang of inexplicable sorrow. She walked quickly behind Bai Tianlong and said softly, "Dad, Jiaming is gone, but you still have me. I will take care of you in the future."
Today’s revelations were too overwhelming for Bai Tianlong, and he couldn’t react in time. Seeing his daughter’s concern, he could only manage a stiff smile.
"Don’t worry, Dad’s fine." Bai Tianlong spoke weakly, which couldn’t reassure Bai Shishi at all.
Bai Tianlong sat in the chair, silent for a long time as if pondering something. After a while, he lightly patted his daughter’s hand and said gently, "Shishi, am I really old?"
Bai Shishi shook her head gently, saying nothing. Her father was indeed old; his face now had wrinkles, and his once thick black hair had started showing white threads at some point.
"Shishi, I’m tired." Bai Tianlong said dejectedly.
"Then go and rest for a while." Bai Shishi linked her arm with her father’s, helping him up from the chair.
Bai Tianlong stood up, walked around the desk, and as he passed by Lin Tian, his eyes suddenly became sharp. His whole presence seemed to surge.
Lin Tian naturally wouldn’t back down, his gaze met Bai Tianlong’s head-on, and their eyes seemed to spark as they clashed in the air.
Faced with this scene, Bai Shishi felt very frustrated. Why couldn’t these two get along a little better?
Eventually, Bai Tianlong’s gaze changed, and his sharpness receded.
He looked at Lin Tian and suddenly said, "Thank you!"
Bai Shishi was stunned, and so was Lin Tian. They were just confronting each other fiercely, so why apologize suddenly?
"I know you saved Shishi many times, and this time you also saved the Bai Family. Saying thank you to you is only proper. I can tell you truly care for Shishi, but I understand a man’s nature well, enjoying life of indulgence. However, I hope you treat Shishi wholeheartedly. She is my only daughter, and if I find out you wrong her, I won’t spare you!"
Bai Tianlong didn’t say it outright, but everyone knew that he was officially handing Bai Shishi over to Lin Tian.
Bai Shishi’s face turned a shade of crimson, with a mix of shyness and annoyance, "Dad, what nonsense are you saying?"
"Alright, I won’t interfere much in the affairs of you young people. Lin Tian, although Jiaming wasn’t killed by you, his death is directly related to you. But you also saved Shishi. The merits cancel out the demerits, let’s bygones be bygones."
Bai Tianlong’s gaze swept over their faces seriously and asked, "Will you two get engaged?"