Server Room, Whale Fall City.
Wu Qiong burst through the door, practically on fire with urgency.
"Shuang'er! Chairman Chang's cause of death is—"
"I already know."
Bai Shuang's face was frosty, her expression calm and composed.
She picked up a string of small medicine packets from the desk.
"Chairman Chang came to Whale Fall City every month for check-ups. The meds we prescribed him were custom-packed—these little bags. Each bag is labeled with the date, dosage, and combination of pills he needed for that day."
Wu Qiong slumped into a chair.
"The meds were from Whale Fall City, and they were pre-packed by date and dosage… That just makes us look more suspicious."
"Not necessarily." Bai Shuang raised an eyebrow.
"Sure, we packed the pills. But once they left Whale Fall City, anyone could have tampered with them.
"Chairman Chang was a chronic alcoholic. He never followed doctor's orders. Someone else had to manage his medication and meals for him."
She tossed the pill bags onto the table with a cold smile.
"Besides, even I didn't know the Six Great Families were planning an early takeover. If we didn't even know when they'd strike, how could we possibly time a poisoning so precisely?
"On the other hand, the Six Families had to have planned this for ages. And the vendors they brought with them? Each one is more suspicious than us. Only they could've known the perfect moment to strike."
Wu Qiong shook his head.
"That's not what I'm worried about. If Chairman Chang was poisoned with an alcohol capsule, then the killer definitely thought it through and planned everything.
"What if they're trying to frame me and use the chaos to seize Whale Fall City?"
"Let them try." Bai Shuang replied coolly.
"This is a society ruled by law. You want to frame someone? Better come up with some damn convincing evidence.
"I'm keeping an eye on the police. You don't have to worry. I already sent a hair sample to Xiao Hei. The police know who I really am now."
Wu Qiong paused, confused.
"Wait… how did you give him the hair? Yanked a few out at the scene? Didn't he suspect anything?"
"Tch." Bai Shuang rubbed the back of her scalp.
"I gave him plenty of chances to pull on my hair all night. I think I'm going bald now."
She sighed with theatrical boredom.
"Can you believe he's 25 and still a virgin? Totally caught me off guard. Sigh! Guess I'll have to take things slow and teach him."
Wu Qiong felt the conversation veering into territory no father should ever enter. So, he changed the subject with a scandalous family anecdote:
"Your great-grandfather stayed chaste for 40 years. Compared to him, that little cop isn't even close."
Bai Shuang side-eyed him.
"He's only been in Whale Fall City a few days and you're already defending him? What happened to the overprotective dad routine?"
"Nonsense!" Wu Qiong sat up ramrod straight.
"Shuang'er, I'm your father! Without my permission, that little cop can forget about stepping through the Bai family doors!"
"Heh." Bai Shuang wasn't buying it.
"You talk to my grandfather and great-grandfather like this too, right? No wonder you've been stuck under the Bai family's thumb for centuries."
Then her expression turned devilish.
"Don't worry. As long as you behave and stay in the family, you'll never go hungry. Wealth, power, luxury—yours for life."
Wu Qiong was practically fuming.
Is this how a daughter should speak to her father?! This is anarchy!
No, no—he had to do something. He had to find a way to tone down Bai Shuang's increasing ruthlessness. If he didn't intervene soon, his once-adorable daughter would turn into a full-fledged villainess.
Just as he was about to leave, he turned back.
"Have you seen Chahua?"
"Yes," Bai Shuang replied.
"Where is she?"
"She went back to the Federation University—to her uncle."
"She went home?!"
Wu Qiong felt a pang of loss.
He hadn't yet figured out his complicated feelings toward Chahua, but after five years of working together, life without her felt... chaotic. Today was the first time he hadn't seen her for a few hours, and everything already felt off.
Bai Shuang gave him a dry look.
"What's the matter? Miss her already?"
"She's my assistant. Without her, I have to do everything myself."
"Tsk. Sounds like old age catching up to you. Can't even take care of yourself anymore."
She pointed at a monitor.
"Anyway, the person you're pining for is back."
Wu Qiong looked up.
Sure enough—Chahua was walking alone into the office district of Whale Fall City.
"Thank heavens!" he sighed with relief.
"I thought I scared her off."
Bai Shuang tapped the table rhythmically with two elegant fingers.
"So... are you planning to find me a stepmom?"
Her tone made Wu Qiong's heart skip a beat.
Given how unstable Bai Shuang's emotions had been lately, if she flew into a rage, she might just send Chahua straight to the underworld.
It wouldn't be the first time. Back on Jupiter, Bai Shuang had executed two criminals on the spot during a construction project.
Sure, they were guilty as hell. But Bai Shuang wasn't a law enforcement officer. She had no authority to carry out vigilante justice.
Still, she'd done it—with her own hands. And to this day, she had no remorse.
Daoism teaches: one begets two, two begets three, three begets all things.
Bai Shuang had killed once. If the time, place, and motive aligned again—she would kill again.
Wu Qiong could sense it—his daughter's emotional stability was cracking.
He feared that if she fully blackened, she'd become a force of destruction: unstoppable, merciless, and irreversible.
But then Bai Shuang cracked a crooked smile.
"Relax. I'm not the kind of person who bites the hand that feeds me. While I was gone, Chahua took good care of you. She's earned the Bai family's gratitude. I won't harm her.
"But you? Don't string her along. If you can't make a real commitment, then let her go."
Wu Qiong's expression dimmed.
"I can't give her anything."
"Then you'd better learn to let go. She's 27 already—two years older than Xiao Hei. If you drag this out any longer, how's she supposed to find a husband?"
Wu Qiong shot back:
"And you're any better? Still stringing that cop along."
"Who says I'm stringing him along?"
Bai Shuang smirked.
"Xiao Hei? I've got him locked down."
Wu Qiong was scandalized.
His daughter had the audacity to say such shameless things in front of her father?!
Bai Shuang, unfazed, pointed at her beautiful face.
"I'm the family head. You're the lucky mascot. As for marriage—I call the shots."
"Ugh! Daughters grow up and turn into rebels!"
Wu Qiong threw his sleeves in frustration and stormed off.
Looking back, he wasn't sure anymore if bringing Bai Shuang into this world had been a blessing—or a curse.