Chapter 150: The Ancestor Refuses to Give Face

Liu Man felt a wave of irritation rising in her chest. Forcing a joking tone, she asked with a smile, "How come Weiwei prepared welcome gifts for your uncle's family, but not for us?"

Bai Chuwei remained entirely composed. "Because I don't want to."

She would rather let those little trinkets gather dust in her spatial storage than give them to such scum.

Upon hearing this, Bai Hongguang and Liu Man were so incensed they nearly coughed up blood, staring at Bai Chuwei in utter astonishment.

They had never expected Bai Chuwei to speak with such blunt directness, showing not an ounce of courtesy!

What was most crucial was that Bai Guofu wasn't angry with Bai Chuwei at all. Instead, he glared at them, clearly feeling that the couple had no sense of propriety.

As the Old Ancestor, she was the eldest member of the Bai family present; whose face did she ever need to save? She could do entirely as she pleased!

The four members of the Bai family's eldest branch were secretly overjoyed, their impression of Bai Chuwei improving even further.

After all, because Bai Hongguang was good for nothing, the old master had always favored the second branch.

Liu Man was furious enough to spit blood, her hands gripping her clutch bag tightly as she dug her nails into it.

Who cared about the trash Bai Chuwei handed out anyway? How much could those worthless things possibly be worth?

Having been publicly snubbed by Bai Chuwei, and possessing an inherently domineering personality, Liu Man was determined to salvage some of her pride. With a forced, unnatural smile, she looked at Bai Chuwei and said, "Weiwei, I know you're doing this because you're angry with me. It was my idea to have Yinyin go meet Professor Zhao. I did it entirely for Yinyin's future. If Yinyin can establish a good relationship with Professor Zhao Guangming, it might be even easier for her to get into Imperial University in the future, right?"

Even a wealthy family like the Bai family held prestigious institutions like Imperial University in high regard. Getting in purely on merit was something to be immensely proud of.

Sure enough, both Bai Hongguang and Liu Man noticed the unmistakable shock on the faces of the eldest branch's family!

Even Bai Shang was startled. "Professor Zhao Guangming? Could it be the Professor Zhao who was once a guest on the show *National Treasures Calligraphy and Painting*? That man is a true legend!"

Since Bai Shang loved collecting antiques and paintings, he frequently watched such programs.

*National Treasures Calligraphy and Painting* was a wildly popular appraisal show on state television a few years ago, and Professor Zhao was universally recognized as a master! Not only was his appraisal skill top-tier, but he was also a contemporary master of calligraphy.

Liu Man nodded smugly. "Of course. I imagine Yinyin is having a wonderful conversation with Professor Zhao right now."

Bai Chuwei chuckled softly. "A wonderful conversation is out of the question, but a total failure is guaranteed."

Bai Shang had been holding back his laughter, his small mustache twitching incessantly, while Bai Ze couldn't hold it in any longer and burst out laughing right there.

Bai Shang's face turned red from suppressing his laughter. Noticing that the atmosphere had turned awkward, he immediately stepped in to smooth things over with a smile. "Haha, thank you for the gift, Weiwei. Let me see what treasure my little cousin got me."

Bai Shang gently unrolled the scroll. Inside was a landscape painting, with a poem inscribed in the upper left corner using an unfamiliar script.

Not recognizing the script, Bai Shang only found it unrestrained and striking. He touched the texture of the scroll, his expression shifting slightly. "Judging by this texture and painting style, why does this feel somewhat like... a work from the Western Moon Kingdom period?"

Just as Bai Shang finished speaking, a knock sounded at the private room door. Bai Yinyin walked in with her chin held high and a haughty expression, saying to the elderly man beside her, "Professor Zhao, please come in."

All the members of the Bai family present were startled. Bai Yinyin had actually invited Professor Zhao to dine in their private room?

Upon seeing his idol, Professor Zhao, Bai Shang immediately set the scroll down on the table, stood up, and walked toward Zhao Guangming to greet him.

Suddenly, Zhao Guangming dashed forward like a gust of wind, brushing right past Bai Shang. His eyes locked intently onto the calligraphy and painting on the table, his voice trembling with agitation. "This... who gave you this painting?!"

The characters written on this piece were executed entirely in the legendary Lingbai script!