Rat, Rabbit, And Rabbit Transformed Into Humans And Married Their Natural Enemies. Chapter 44

Chapter 44

Since they were speaking so offensively, Bai Zhi had no intention of being polite.

He stood up, walked around them in a few steps, and sharply interrupted, “Have you said enough? You think you’re so capable just because you know a couple of phrases? If you don’t know how to use them, don’t misuse them; it just makes you look foolish.

“What cowardice and incompetence? What recognizing a thief as a father? Who gave you the audacity to spout such nonsense!”

The two people gossiping behind their hands didn’t recognize this sudden upstart, and they said discontentedly, “Who are you? What we say has nothing to do with you. What, Mr. Xie is already married, and you’re still hung up on him? Otherwise, why are you so eager to defend him?”

Bai Zhi clenched his fists. “Who I am is none of your business!

“What kind of skill is it to chirp behind people’s backs? If you have the guts, say it to Mr. Xie’s face. Do you dare? If you don’t dare, then shut up. You have a mouth, but instead of eating properly, you just spew garbage. Do you think you’re garbage generators?”

“You—you watch your mouth!”

Bai Zhi sneered and continued, “You are the ones who should clean up your mouths. With your minds full of filth and bellies full of malice, you assume others are the same. You are the ones who are vile, dirty, despicable, and full of foul language!

“Do you even know what kind of person he truly is?

“If you don’t know, then shut your stinking mouths! No ivory comes from a dog’s mouth! I don’t mind using a bottle of glue to seal your mouths. Stop running your mouths here; listening to you talk is polluting my ears!”

The two men were rebutted so thoroughly that their faces turned red and white, looking extremely unpleasant. Moreover, this person’s voice was not quiet, and by now, some people had noticed the commotion.

One of them lost his bluster but still refused to back down verbally, saying, “We are just stating the facts!”

“That’s just the ‘facts’ as you perceive them!”

Bai Zhi’s eyes showed a hint of arrogance, disdain, and annoyance. “Hearing a few rumors and believing them to be true, then gossiping behind people’s backs—did you leave your brains at home? Hurry up and stop showing off your low IQ in front of everyone.

“Since you aren’t clear, I’ll make it clear.

“Every single word you just said is slander. If you dare to spread rumors and cause trouble again, I will drag you in front of Mr. Xie to settle the matter!”

The two men were momentarily speechless, unable to recover from the confrontation. They truly didn’t know who this beautiful little darling in front of them was; anyone who had seen him in the circle would surely remember him.

He lashed out in embarrassment, “Who are you! Maybe you just sneaked in hoping to use the back door. What right do you have…”

His words were cut short as a figure walked up and very naturally pulled the fiery little beauty who had just been confronting them into his arms.

After seeing who the newcomer was, the two men exchanged glances, feeling instantly like they had thorns in their backs, needles beneath their seats, and a fishbone stuck in their throats.

They were finished.

Xie Yuzhan smoothed the back of the little rabbit, who was still bristling with anger. Watching Bai Zhi huffily cross his arms, Xie Yuzhan’s mood was quite good, and his eyes held a joyful smile.

He had seen Bai Zhi stand up earlier and had heard most of the words of defense that followed.

He looked at the two guests, who were standing up awkwardly and trying to explain but were tongue-tied. The smile in his eyes quietly receded, replaced by a chilling light. He said, “Gentlemen, your attendance at the Xie Group Annual Meeting ends here.

“As for next year’s cooperation, I believe it was still under negotiation. Given your profound distrust of me, we will revisit everything later.

“Finally, I expect the two of you to apologize to my partner for your rude remarks just now.”

Lu Yunyi and Tang Chen, who had come with Xie Yuzhan, clearly understood the meaning of ‘revisit everything later’: it meant the cooperation was off the table. They had truly hit a steel plate.

Xie Yuzhan’s protective intent was obvious.

Lu Yunyi casually glanced at the two men. “Why are you standing there stunned? Do you need us to repeat it? Many people heard what was said just now. Are you perhaps trying to deny it?”

The two men woke up as if struggling to surface from an icy lake.

Xie Yuzhan’s posture remained elegant, but his eyes and words made them feel as if they were in an ice cellar. With a calm lift of his gaze, he had sealed their fate.

They had been reckless.

This was no incompetent good-for-nothing!

They struggled to catch their breath and hurriedly said, “Mr. Xie! Mr. Xie, please forgive us, and… Mr. Bai, we are truly sorry, we are truly sorry. We were blind and spoke wrongly…”

Xie Yuzhan lowered his eyes slightly to look at Bai Zhi, his arm resting on the waist of the person in his embrace. He asked intimately, “Zhi Zhi, how do you feel about this apology? I don’t think they sound very sincere.”

Bai Zhi pursed his lips. Although the apology wasn’t heartfelt, he always found insincere apologies quite satisfying.

He didn’t look at the two men again. He said, “It’s passable. There’s no need to get entangled with such disgusting things; it’s a waste of time.”

“Alright,” Xie Yuzhan looked back at the two trembling men. “Did you hear that?”

The two men, who had been self-righteous when chirping behind backs, now became miserable, scurrying rats, leaving the venue under the scrutiny and whispers of the crowd.

In the circle’s post-dinner chatter, this incident became the latest joke.

Yu Fei slightly dispersed the onlookers. Everyone wisely scattered. Although no one said anything openly, they all had a myriad of thoughts and speculations. Was Mr. Xie serious about this?

What happened to the supposed purely political marriage?

That expression and demeanor didn’t look like an act. Could it be that Mr. Xie’s uncle had accidentally hit the mark? Were the two falling in love after marriage?

After sitting down, Bai Zhi crunched a mushroom flower. When Xie Yuzhan rubbed his head, he still sounded a bit indignant. “How dare they talk about you like that? They don’t even know the situation!”

Xie Yuzhan handed Bai Zhi a cup of yogurt. The little rabbit had been very articulate just now, and his spirited look was quite endearing.

He was in a good mood and said, “Who isn’t talked about behind their back? Let those people gossip if they like. It’s not necessarily a bad thing for me, but the most important thing is—

“Someone cares on my behalf, so it doesn’t matter.”

Bai Zhi blinked. After a moment’s thought, he understood. It was probably to let these rumors numb Xie Minghong’s senses. Honestly… it was a huge sacrifice and very difficult.

Mr. Wolf was indeed capable of enduring and lying in wait.

If it were him, he wouldn’t be able to hold back. He would definitely grab a knife and go for it. How satisfying is equivalent retaliation?

Ahem.

He comforted him, “Fortunately, we can see the end of all this. Once things are settled, you won’t have to hide anything or tolerate those rumors anymore.”

Xie Yuzhan curved his lips but said nothing. Once everything settled, there would be no need for extra clarification. Reputation? It was the least valuable thing to care about.

After the annual meeting started, Bai Zhi focused on the performances, most of which were quite interesting.

Before the intermission, Xie Yuzhan said he had to leave for a while. Bai Zhi didn’t think much of it, planning to find some snacks during the break. The annual meeting had prepared quite a few small treats that suited his taste.

However, Yu Fei came over immediately and said Mr. Xie was looking for him.

He was a little confused but obediently followed Assistant Yu into the elevator. Didn’t Xie Yuzhan have something to attend to? Why was he looking for him? Didn’t he need to avoid him?

The elevator ascended all the way, finally stopping on the top floor.

After stepping out, Yu Fei told him to keep walking straight, then took the elevator back down. Bai Zhi tilted his head, full of confusion, and arrived at the door at the end of the corridor.

He pricked up his ears and listened carefully. Was there a sound inside?

He pushed the door. It wasn’t locked, so he pushed it wide open. The faint sound he heard earlier suddenly became clear and expansive—it was piano music.

It was the sound of a piano beneath a glass dome.

The cool white light was clear and subtle. In the vast space, only a grand piano was placed near the floor-to-ceiling windows. Smooth, flowing music was streaming from the fingertips of the person sitting at the piano.

He paused, looking at the person bathed in the cool light.

Xie Yuzhan’s expression was slightly detached but calm and serene. His aura was like the moonlight in cold winter—not warm, yet gentle and very bright.

This side of him felt a little unfamiliar, but…

It wasn’t unpleasant.

And the piece was beautiful, even if he didn’t understand the emotions within it.

It made his heart bubble up, emitting colorful, effervescent bubbles—light, sweet, as if he had eaten an entire jar of honey in one go, warm, peaceful, and comfortable.

It was magical how moonlight could be so warm.

When the piece ended, he snapped back to reality and walked over. As the final notes faded, he stood by the piano. When he looked into Xie Yuzhan’s eyes, his heart felt a gentle tap.

A tingling sensation.

Through his glasses, the other man’s gaze was remarkably tender.

He chuckled, pulling himself out of the strange thoughts and feelings. He said, “I don’t know much about music, but what you played was very beautiful… What is the name of this piece?”

Xie Yuzhan gazed deeply at Bai Zhi, who seemed unaware of the effect he was having. After a long moment, he slowly replied, “It is Bach’s Minuet in G Major.”

This piece also had another, more widely known name.

Bai Zhi thought about it but only felt unfamiliarity. He didn’t dwell on it. Music was an art created by humans, and he truly didn’t know much about it.

Whether it sounded good or not was the rabbit’s simple standard of measurement.

He curled his lips. “Anyway, it was very beautiful. It was very comfortable to listen to.”

“As long as you’re comfortable. I’ll play something else for you next time.”

“Okay~” Bai Zhi agreed, then said helplessly, “But speaking of which, what made you decide to come here and play the piano?”

Xie Yuzhan closed the piano lid and slowly walked to the window, gazing at the bustling city nightscape at the end of the year. His tone carried a hazy shade of recollection. “When my parents were still alive, this was a lounge. My mother and I would play the piano together. My piano skills were taught by her and my grandmother.

“Both my parents loved this piece.

“After they left, Xie Minghong wanted to turn this into a collection room. I asked Uncle Lu to intervene to save it, but as you can see, only the basic decor and that piano were left.”

Bai Zhi looked at Xie Yuzhan’s back, able to see his detached expression reflected in the floor-to-ceiling window. He looked very calm, yet Bai Zhi sensed a faint trace of—

Loneliness and nostalgia.

He walked over quickly and gently hooked the hand that was hanging by the other man’s side. Their eyes met, and he said softly, “When you reclaim everything that rightfully belongs to you, you can redecorate this place according to your own ideas.”

Xie Yuzhan squeezed Bai Zhi’s hand. After a long while, he softly acknowledged him.

When the two returned to the venue, the second half of the meeting had already been underway for a short time.

He nestled in his chair. If the performance was interesting, he watched intently. If it was boring, he accepted the various snacks Xie Yuzhan fed him, listened to Mr. Xie and Lu Yunyi discuss complicated interpersonal relationships and commercial finance that were gibberish to him, and simultaneously chatted with Lu Qinghe on his phone.

Seeing the latest message Lu Qinghe had sent, he blinked, not quite grasping it.

“You like Mr. Xie, right? You know the kind of liking I mean.”

Like Xie Yuzhan?

And the kind of liking he knew? He didn’t know! What did he know? Why didn’t he know that he knew? Stop talking nonsense; no one likes a riddle-speaker.

He turned his head to look at Lu Qinghe not far away, shaking his phone. He needed an explanation, now!