Bai Wei probably noticed his father’s new driver on the very first day. But that wasn’t because he had particularly sharp observation skills—after all, it was hard not to notice someone after being knocked to the ground.
Sitting on the floor, Bai Wei looked up and saw a tall figure against the light, reaching out a hand toward him. After pulling him up, the other person politely apologized, “Apologies, Young Master Bai. I didn’t mean to bump into you.”
Although Bai Wei was a bit annoyed that, even though both of them had collided, he was the only one who got sent flying, it wasn’t really the guy’s fault. As for who had actually been reckless—well, the one who wasn’t looking where he was going was him. He was the one who had charged blindly around the corner.
Thinking that way, the slightly displeased Young Master Bai casually replied, “It’s fine. I wasn’t watching the road,” before waving a hand and walking off.
Looking back later, Bai Wei would think—if only that night he hadn’t secretly sneaked into the garage, hoping to take a sports car for a spin despite being forbidden from driving, maybe a lot of things would have turned out differently. At the very least, his story wouldn’t have had quite so much you brought this upon yourself irony.
Unfortunately, that night, Bai Wei just so happened to overhear something unpleasant—the new driver speaking ill of him.
At the time, An Tianming was busy washing all the long-unused cars in the garage. For some reason, the maid, Xiao Han, was sitting nearby watching. Casually, she asked, “There are so many drivers in the house, why are you the only one cleaning all these cars tonight?”
Hiding in the shadows, Bai Wei silently nodded in agreement. Yeah, why wash so many cars tonight? It was messing up his plan to take one out for a joyride.
Just as he was thinking that, he heard the new driver—who had bumped into him earlier—answer, “Probably because I offended Young Master Bai.”
It took Bai Wei a good moment to process that he was being falsely accused.
No one had ever dared to blame him for anything before. The sheer audacity of it made him storm over on impulse.
The new driver hesitated slightly when he saw Bai Wei appear, his hands pausing in their work. “Young Master Bai.”
Xiao Han quickly stood up. “Young Master Bai, I’ll get back to work.” She hurried off without another word.
Bai Wei wasn’t happy. He hadn’t done a damn thing, and yet this guy was out here claiming he was using his power for revenge. If he actually gave him a hard time now, he’d just be confirming the accusation. Who knew? Maybe tomorrow, rumors would spread that he was some kind of heartless villain.
So, with great patience, he decided to get to the bottom of this.
“You’re new here. Who told you to wash the cars?”
The driver answered respectfully, “Young Master Bai, I just started working as a driver here. This is my job.”
Such an obviously fake answer. Bai Wei wasn’t about to let it slide. “That’s not your job, is it? Just now, I heard you say you were doing it because you offended me.”
The driver forced an awkward smile. “Young Master Bai, you are broad-minded.”
Bai Wei was fairly broad-minded, but the guy’s half-hearted grin made him subconsciously soften his expression a little.
“Let’s get back on track. Tell me first—who told you to wash the cars?”
“Young Master Bai, I was just talking nonsense.”
Bai Wei was getting frustrated with this obvious attempt to brush him off. “I’ll give you one chance, new guy. I’m gonna count to three. If you don’t answer my question, I’ll scratch up my dad’s favorite Rolls-Royce and say you did it.”
The new driver blinked at him, stunned. “Young Master Bai, you wouldn’t actually do that, right?”
Of course, he wouldn’t. He was just bluffing. But that wasn’t something he needed to explain. Instead, he dodged the question with a counterattack. “You won’t answer my question, but you’ve got the nerve to question me?”
The new driver sighed lightly and finally relented. “Butler Fu said the cars in the garage hadn’t been cleaned in a long time, so he told me to do it.”
“Good. Now, come with me.” Bai Wei, having gotten his answer, nodded in satisfaction, then turned and strode toward the main house as if it was only natural for the other to follow.
After walking several steps, he noticed that the new driver hadn’t moved. The guy was still standing by the cars, looking at him with an expression that was both innocent and helpless.
“So, you’re refusing to follow my orders?”
“Young Master Bai, I’m a driver. My duty is to drive.”
Bai Wei wasn’t sure if he should be pissed or admire this sudden show of backbone. He glared at the guy for a long moment, then stiffly turned back. “Fine, you’re a driver. Then drive me to Uncle Fu’s room.”
The new driver let out a helpless sigh. “Young Master Bai, I was really just talking nonsense. Now, I know this wasn’t your order.”
“But I don’t believe what you’re saying.” Bai Wei declared righteously. Having never been wrongly accused before, he was absolutely determined to clear his name.
At last, the new driver gave in. “Alright, Young Master Bai. I’ll go with you to see Butler Fu.”
Now, it was Bai Wei’s turn to be dissatisfied. “We agreed—you’re driving me to Uncle Fu’s place.” He didn’t care that this was a completely impractical request.
The new driver suddenly stepped forward, turned around, and crouched down. “Young Master Bai, cars can’t drive inside the house. How about I carry you instead?”
Bai Wei gave him a sidelong glance, as if to say, You really think you got me with this one, huh? Then, without hesitation, he climbed onto the guy’s back.
When they finally knocked on Butler Fu’s door, Bai Wei felt a little guilty when he saw the man already in his sleepwear, looking drowsy and half-awake.
“Uncle Fu, were you asleep?” Bai Wei asked hesitantly.
Butler Fu stared in stunned silence at Bai Wei, who was still clinging onto someone’s back. “Young Master, get down immediately.”
Having been taught proper etiquette by Butler Fu since childhood, Bai Wei could only blame this stubborn new driver for making him lose his composure like this. He climbed down awkwardly, then quickly changed the subject.
“Uncle Fu, sorry for disturbing your sleep, but there’s something really important I need to confirm with you.”
“What is it?”
“Uncle Fu, we have so many cars in the garage. Why did you order the new guy to clean all of them in one night?”
Butler Fu paused for a moment. “I didn’t.” He looked at the new driver with confusion. “When did I ever give you that order?”
The new driver looked just as baffled. “Wasn’t it you who told Xiao Gu to pass on the message that I should wash the cars?”
Butler Fu immediately understood and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Ah, Xiao Gu tricked you. You could say this is a little initiation prank among the drivers. Every newcomer gets messed with a little. You actually got off easy—just washing cars. One time, a new driver had his car swapped with a broken-down junker and nearly had a heart attack.”
As they left Butler Fu’s doorway, Bai Wei glanced at the new driver beside him. “Guess what part of the process we’re at now?”
The new driver was pretty sharp. “The part where I apologize to Young Master Bai?”
“Correct. So, to show your sincerity, hand me the keys to any sports car and then pretend you didn’t see me sneaking out for a joyride.”
“No can do.” The new driver refused outright, without the slightest hesitation. “Master Bai specifically ordered that under no circumstances should you be allowed to drive by yourself.”
Bai Wei instantly regretted his overconfidence. He should’ve dismissed the guy and let him go rest right after clearing his name. It wasn’t like he didn’t have plenty of experience stealing car keys—why had he gone and exposed his plan to this guy instead? Just as he was kicking himself over it, he heard the driver say—
“Well, since I’m a driver, why don’t I drive for you instead, Young Master Bai?”
Bai Wei didn’t refuse. The truth was, he wanted to go out for a drive because he was feeling bored and lonely. Having company was a much better option.
When he got into the car with the new driver, his only hope was that the guy would be a little talkative. About two minutes later, he regretted that thought as well. The guy was way too talkative.
The moment they were on the road, the driver asked, “Young Master Bai, is the reason Master Bai doesn’t let you drive because you had an accident before?”
“…I just ran into a guardrail, okay? Didn’t even so much as harm a single blade of grass.”
“If it was just a little bump like that, why would Master Bai go as far as to completely ban you from driving?”
“…There was also that one time with the fire hydrant.”
“Just twice?”
“—And that other time, but that was just a light scrape against the curb, which barely counts,” Bai Wei argued defensively. Then, realizing something was off, he turned to glare at the guy behind the wheel. “Are you a driver or an investigator?”
“Young Master Bai, don’t be mad. I was just making casual conversation.”
“You keep assuming I’m mad—how petty do you think I am?”
“It’s not that I think you’re petty. I’m just afraid that one day I really will have to wash the entire garage of cars.” The new driver joked lightly.
Compared to his earlier, overly polite and distant attitude, this hint of teasing actually made Bai Wei feel more at ease. “Relax. Anyone who offends me wouldn’t just be washing cars—I’d be way more ruthless than that.” He played along, smirking.
The new driver nodded seriously, pretending to think it over. “Hmm, you’d probably make them ride in a car that you were driving.”
“…My driving isn’t that bad!” Bai Wei protested, practically indignant. But after three incidents in a single month, even he had enough self-awareness to know he wasn’t being completely wronged. Thinking about it, he couldn’t help but laugh. “You better be careful. With how bad you are at choosing your words, next time, I just might make you sit in a car I’m driving.”
“Well, I might not be good at talking, but I can sing. How about this, Young Master Bai—I’ll sing you a song?” The new driver suggested, after thinking for a moment.
Bai Wei was genuinely stunned. This guy’s train of thought is actually… surprisingly smooth and logical.
Unable to find a reason to refuse, he gave it some thought before nodding. “Go ahead.”
The new driver didn’t hesitate in the slightest before breaking into an old Cantonese song. His voice was deep and rich, with a natural magnetism, and his technique was surprisingly good. Bai Wei, who had trained in classical music since childhood, couldn’t find a single flaw in it.
When the song ended, Bai Wei took a while to come back to his senses.
“Why the hell are you a driver instead of a singer?” he couldn’t help but ask, curiosity overflowing.
The new driver responded without hesitation. “Being a driver pays the bills. Singing doesn’t.”
“Even if you can’t debut as a professional singer, performing at a bar wouldn’t be a bad option,” Bai Wei suggested sincerely. “Besides, you’re pretty good-looking. I think you could easily make money singing.”
The new driver glanced at Bai Wei, his expression unreadable. “Young Master Bai, you study music. Have you ever considered singing for a living?”
“No way,” Bai Wei blurted out.
The driver’s gaze deepened slightly. “So, what you’re saying is… you think singing for money would be beneath you?”
Bai Wei carefully analyzed the tone of that completely emotionless question. He was absolutely sure it wasn’t his own overthinking—there was only one possible truth—
“You’re trying to say that I look down on you, and that’s why I think you should be out there singing for a living, aren’t you?”
“That’s not what I meant, Young Master Bai.”
Bai Wei completely ignored that blatantly insincere response. He wasn’t foolish enough to believe the guy’s repeated “that’s not what I meant” every time.
“The song you just sang? I know it too. I’ll sing it for you.” With a deadpan expression, he gave the guy no chance to refuse and immediately started belting it out.
He was very aware of how terrifying his singing was—probably even scarier than forcing people to sit in a car he was driving. But this new driver deserved it. Bai Wei, fueled by revenge, even repeated the chorus twice just for good measure.
By the time he finished, the new driver looked completely stunned.
“Now do you understand why I definitely can’t be a singer?” Bai Wei said nonchalantly.
At a red light, the new driver slowly turned to him, a newfound sense of respect in his eyes. “Young Master Bai, you study music. How is it possible that not a single note you sang was on pitch?”
“That’s normal. I have absolute pitch, but it’s kind of like Conan—I can have absolute pitch and still be absolutely tone-deaf.”
The new driver mulled that over for a while. “…Who’s Conan?”
This time, Bai Wei was the one who was completely stunned. “You don’t know Detective Conan?”
“That’s a person?”
“That’s an anime! ” Bai Wei asked in disbelief. “What were you even doing during your childhood?”
The new driver shrugged indifferently. “Probably just trying to survive.”
Bai Wei immediately fell silent.
He didn’t dare push any further. What if the guy suddenly started telling him some tragic backstory? Bai Wei wouldn’t know how to respond properly. He had never comforted anyone before—he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to do it right.
“…Uh, if you’re getting tired, we can head back and get some rest,” Bai Wei finally said, suddenly remembering that the guy still had to work early in the morning.
