137. Every Man Secretly Craves Taking on Seven at Once

Even for a prominent family like the Yus, arranging a matter of this scale required time; it was not something one could simply walk away from on a whim.

Therefore, sitting outside the grand assembly hall of the government guesthouse, Bai Haonan finally had the opportunity to use a laptop to search for information about himself.

Because he only knew the most basic mouse and keyboard operations, and his typing was a slow, one-fingered hunt for Pinyin that resulted in several mistakes, he had to ask Xiaowan for help with technical tasks like connecting to the Wi-Fi. In the end, Xiaowan personally completed it for him.

Through the gaps of the towering side doors several meters high, the dazzling and magnificent atmosphere inside was visible. Li Lin had already been pushed to the forefront as the athletic image ambassador for the Jiazheng Group, standing alongside Yu Jiali and the local leaders. She did not need to speak; she just had to smile at the cameras from all directions, which was her area of expertise.

Consequently, Xiaowan, who was now only responsible for Yu Jiali's peripheral affairs, was free to accompany Bai Haonan. She kept biting her lower lip as she watched the scrolling news on the screen.

Eisa truly loved the internet; based on her previous descriptions, she could practically be considered a web-addicted teenager. What she said was correct: starting from past nine o'clock last night, news and photos exposing Bai Haonan had begun appearing on professional sports forums and online bulletin boards. If one did not actively search for information regarding Bai Haonan, they certainly would not stumble upon it out in the open. After all, to ninety-nine point nine percent of people, who cared about a nobody like Bai Haonan? But within the football circle, the news had undoubtedly already spread everywhere.

After all, over the past half-year, the unexplained disappearance of a top-tier league player was bound to spark conversation. Anyone who had ever spent time in the top-tier league circle knew that Bai Haonan had gone missing, and most people in the broader professional circles had also heard about it. Now, like a stone creating a thousand ripples, the news spread instantly: he had actually run off to Guixi to open a fitness center?

The tall, bearded figure in the photos was still instantly recognizable to those who knew Bai Haonan well.

Bai Haonan felt that in his dozen or so years in the industry, the total number of times his name appeared in news media still fell short of what had happened in less than twenty-four hours. He sat comfortably in a single-sofa chair, crossing one leg over the other, leisurely browsing the information on the laptop. Xiaowan sat beside him, half-turned toward him with her hands folded over her thighs in a standard business etiquette posture—something she had practiced diligently back during her pyramid scheme days.

After a long silence, she finally spoke in a low voice, "Yu Jiali knows your true identity? Is that why she calls you 'Old Bai'?"

Bai Haonan did not look up. "Yeah. So, what do you think? Following her, you must have seen a lot of things. To be honest, even if I wanted to follow her, I couldn't. First of all, I lack a cultural foundation, and I don't know how to use a computer. If you asked me to learn from scratch, I wouldn't even know where to begin. Secondly, I'm a man; working together all the time would inevitably lead to certain complications, and I'm not here to sleep with her. So it's only natural that I couldn't stay. If it wasn't this issue, it would have been something else, though this reason is slightly better."

Faced with the man who had shared an intimate relationship with her, Xiaowan seemed to chew over his words repeatedly. After another moment, she adjusted her tone to one carrying a trace of reverence. "Back then... I just felt you weren't an ordinary person. Turns out you're a big star!"

Bai Haonan looked up and laughed. Dealing with Yu Jiali always brought a barrage of nagging, so being in front of Xiaowan felt much more relaxed. "Go search for my information later and see what a real football star is. You'll definitely regret saying that today."

Xiaowan shook her head gently. "In my eyes, you are a big star. I never thought of becoming someone like you, so the moment I first saw you, I felt you were different from everyone else."

Bai Haonan earnestly debated, "What kind of person? Why didn't I notice? Boss Yu always wants me to be this or that, wanting me to be a successful man. Where on earth do you see any success in me?"

Xiaowan stared fixedly at the bearded face. "I stayed in that place for two years. My parents once knelt before me and begged me to go back, but I ignored them because I had been terrified of poverty since childhood. Others told me that pyramid schemes would bring success and money, so I was possessed by the desire to stay there and make money. I even thought they were hindering my ability to make money, harboring resentment that their incompetence was preventing me from living a good life. But when I saw you, I realized that some people are simply destined to succeed. Using the phrasing from our old meetings, some people inherently possess the traits of success: brains, courage, and an immunity to being easily brainwashed or confused. Ironically, it was you who ended up confusing everyone during those days. I've seen plenty of people who came looking for others, but I've never seen anyone as carefree as you. In the assembly hall, you did whatever you wanted, walking around to toast everyone and strike up conversations—even though your actual purpose was just to find Brother Niu..."

Bai Haonan irritably interrupted, "No, that was to observe every woman up close."

Xiaowan offered a faint, somewhat bashful smile, though she quickly reined it in. "I know I'm not good enough for you; I'm much more clear-headed about that than Chen Meijuan. Even though she's bolder than I am, I know you're kind-hearted. No matter how much you claim not to care about anything, you never actually hurt any of us. Because you always said you were just playing around, everyone else thought of it as a game too, and it was only natural for you to pull up your pants and walk away. But you drove Chen Meijuan away—unhesitatingly drove her away—just to ensure that Li Lin and the rest of us wouldn't be corrupted by her again. I also know she has some crazy ideas; I heard she actually caused her husband's death."

Bai Haonan made an exaggerated, startled face. "Everyone has a story, huh?"

Xiaowan smiled bitterly. "In the world of pyramid schemes, who doesn't have a history stained with blood and tears? I've seen so many people there over the past two years, and you are simply different from ordinary people. That's why I'm willing to follow you of my own accord. Even if you were still running pyramid schemes, I'd follow you. Now, you can ask me to do anything—work and study under President Yu, or fulfill any unspeakable demand. I'm not deciding to follow you because of what we shared physically; I just believe you are the kind of person who will ultimately succeed, unlike those tens of thousands of mediocre souls."

Bai Haonan closed the laptop and leaned back against the sofa. "Boss Yu discussed this with me, and to be honest, the more she talked, the more profound it sounded. I want to succeed too, but I'm lazy and afraid of reading. Right! I'm just idle and gluttonous... Perhaps thanks to good luck, I spent a dozen years playing in the top-tier league. Having seen more of the world makes me better than an ordinary office worker, but everything I know is related to football—what the hell is the use of that? Even when I had to rescue someone from a pyramid scheme, I had to resort to selling my body! I'm troubled too. What is this 'success,' and how on earth is one supposed to achieve it? Can you say I didn't work hard enough these past two months? I feel I've done all I could, running around everywhere chasing business. But am I really supposed to follow her advice, build a chain of fitness centers, make money everywhere, and then chase some illusory public listing? I just feel a bit sluggish. I don't understand it, and I don't really want to do it. Why earn that much money anyway? When I was playing football, making money didn't feel all that amazing. Am I supposed to earn even more money just to sleep with more expensive chicks? Sleep my way around the world—is that my goal? Even if the company goes public, I'd still just be an ignorant puppet, and everyone would definitely know I only managed to be some kind of listed company executive because of the Yu family, right?"

Xiaowan looked at the distressed man leaning against the sofa, suddenly reaching out to gently touch Bai Haonan's forehead. "Don't rush. Men only figure things out by their forties or fifties. Well, right—'at thirty one stands, at forty one is free from doubts.' At forty, a person stops being confused about what they should do. You still have plenty of years ahead."

The illiterate man opened his eyes in pleasant surprise. "Is that a real saying?"

Withdrawing her hand immediately, Xiaowan's face was full of encouragement. "Yes! People have said that for thousands of years, all the way from ancient times until now."

Bai Haonan actually let out a sigh of relief. "Damn it, you should have said so earlier! I feel much more at ease now. Being spooked by Boss Yu made me feel immense pressure. Why must everyone constantly struggle and strive? Isn't it fine to just live a comfortable, modest life? Aside from stirring up this trouble with the bookmaker, I feel like I've always been able to live quite happily. Why must everyone chase after some grand reputation?"

Xiaowan pursed her lips and shook her head. "I don't understand big principles; I just want you to be happy. Perhaps once you reach that age, you'll naturally understand?"

It was rare for Bai Haonan to confess his inner thoughts to anyone, but he found he could share them with this crispy radish. "Actually, I don't know what will happen to me in the future either. So you should learn well from her and develop your career properly. You really are different from Chen Meijuan. If you wholeheartedly stick with Boss Yu, you'll have a bright future. Who knows, maybe one day you'll even marry a boss, and no one will ever bring up the past again."

The corners of Xiaowan's mouth twitched into a self-deprecating smile. She said nothing, her eyes remaining fixed softly on Bai Haonan until Boss Yu and the image ambassador emerged. Seeing Bai Haonan sprawled across the sofa with zero posture immediately irritated Yu Jiali. Especially seeing Xiaowan hurriedly leap up to pack the laptop and various odds and ends like a dutiful servant tending to a master, which only served to highlight the man's laziness. Yet, surrounded by officials and businessmen, she could only vent as she passed by by stepping hard on his foot, jolting the dozing Bai Haonan awake so violently that he almost cursed out loud. Seeing that it was Yu Jiali walking past, he resentfully swallowed his profanity.

Meanwhile, Li Lin was once again amused by his foolish, dog-stepping-on-its-tail expression. Pressing her hand tightly over her mouth, her curved eyebrows framed a smile so wide it practically spilled from the corners of her eyes. She was genuinely happy.

Bai Haonan gave a lazy yawn and straightened up, responding indifferently to the government workers who came over afterward to ask who he was. "President Yu's driver. Well, bodyguards count too, right? I'm not here for a meeting; I'm just waiting for my boss to get off work."

Thus, even the government workers in this border prefecture-level city came to know of his devil-may-care attitude, yet they could say nothing—even a god of wealth's dog was allowed to swagger.

Xiaowan quickly handed over her duties to Yu Jiali's secretary and assistants, daring to continue tending to the driver without fearing for her job.

Fortunately, it proved convenient a moment later when Yu Jiali called her over. "Come here. The afternoon meeting is over. Rest for half a minute and immediately head to the auto trade city foundation-laying site. Tell him to take charge of driving—I really want to skin that lazy skeleton of his and render it for oil!"

Xiaowan suppressed the urge to relay the vicious woman's threat to the driver, soothing him with sweet words until she practically had to escort Bai Haonan to the parking lot.

Truly, some men were simply spoiled rotten by women. Xiaowan even laughed to herself, "I really want to go with you. I feel like you're Wei Xiaobao from the martial arts novels, but unfortunately, I don't have the skills to be your Shuang'er."

Bai Haonan seemed to have heard of that name before. "Is that the guy who married seven wives?"

Xiaowan nodded vigorously. "Yes! He liked to play around too, and even became a monk for a while, but didn't he still achieve greatness? Some people are simply burdened with a great mandate... Even if they have to suffer a bit at times, things always end up smooth sailing."

Bai Haonan grew smug. "May your good words come true! But you should still stick with her. With me, there's a real chance I might not even know where my next meal is coming from."

Just as Xiaowan was about to reply, she saw Yu Jiali and Li Lin walking over. She quickly shut her mouth, assumed a deferential posture, and stepped back slightly.

Consequently, Yu Jiali completely failed to notice her indulgence toward Bai Haonan. Approaching directly, she poked Bai Haonan right on the forehead—unaware that this single gesture immediately reduced her to dust compared to Xiaowan in Bai Haonan's heart. Yet Yu Jiali was truly frustrated by his lack of ambition. She had never been one to resort to physical gestures in the past, but right now she felt like stabbing him with a knife. "Stand up straight! Look at you..."

Bai Haonan muttered in bewilderment, "Do you feel like I'm about to flee abroad and never have another chance to discipline me, so you're making the most of every second?"

Hearing him speak, Li Lin—who had been standing nearby with a gentle smile—was startled. "What? Abroad?"

Yu Jiali redirected her own exasperation. "Yes! Look at that! This honest uncle, whose full name and background you don't even know yet, has actually gotten himself into a mountain of trouble and is about to run away again, hiding in Southeast Asia for a few years. Don't think that just because you're hiding there, I won't come over and keep an eye on you at any time!"

Li Lin completely missed the barbed instigation hidden within Yu Jiali's words; her brain's processing chip seemed to have only a sliver of active space. "Go to Southeast Asia? How many years before you come back?"

Bai Haonan glanced at her, his mood lifting. "Tell your parents that once Uncle gets settled down, we welcome you to come visit!"

Yu Jiali gave up and simply kicked him. "It'll be a miracle if you can get settled down! Drive! So many people are waiting..."

Bai Haonan caught the Bentley car keys tossed by the driver, along with Ada. Xiaowan wanted to take the dog using a stealth maneuver, but Yu Jiali reached out and picked it up instead. The crucial point was that Ada had grown quite fat and rather bulky; holding it was like holding a small piglet, nothing like the effortless way Yu Jiali used to hold her Pomeranian. As soon as she got her hands on it, she couldn't help laughing and scolding, "Look at you—hanging around him all day without learning anything good. Bad morals, and even your health is terrible. You're just flabby!"

Having received two slaps, Ada looked utterly aggrieved, wide-eyed as it glanced at Bai Haonan. Finding no sign of resistance from that quarter, the dog had no choice but to endure it.

The rear of luxury limousines usually featured just two seats, so Yu Jiali and Li Lin sitting in the back worked out quite well. Xiaowan naturally took the front passenger seat as secretary. The only slightly odd thing was that throughout the entire journey, Li Lin—usually the chatliest person—remained completely silent, lowering her head like a mute as she lost herself in thought. Xiaowan also tended to keep quiet in front of third parties, which conveniently allowed Yu Jiali to spend the entire trip lecturing Bai Haonan. By the end, even Yu Jiali found herself wondering if she was only doing this because Bai Haonan was about to leave, making her want to squeeze out every last opportunity to vent.

The foundation-laying ceremony itself was quite simple: municipal leaders and several partners each shoveled a few scoops of earth onto the cornerstone, then struck commanding poses while explaining the vast, flattened construction site primarily for the benefit of reporters from the provincial and municipal television stations holding cameras. Once that was done, the whole affair was concluded.

While Xiaowan hid behind the car wiping Ada's rear, the entire motorcade had to set off once more for the next location.

After being tossed around like this until past seven o'clock, the grand procession finally returned to the city center for dinner. It was said that the banquet at the finest restaurant was lavish and bustling. Afterward, there was to be a cocktail party hosted by the city's business elite to welcome Yu Jiali and the other members who had traveled from the provincial capital's chamber of commerce. Since a powerful dragon does not suppress the local snake, doing good business locally naturally required networking across all factions.

Consequently, only Bai Haonan found himself impatient with this endless rounds of toasts and socializing. He ate a little casually, slipped away to sit in the hotel lobby, and zoned out. Ada, of course, wasn't allowed into such high-end venues, but upon being brought out by the driver, the dog spotted him and bounded over joyfully.

Before long, Li Lin quietly slipped out as well.