Bai Li threw the entire encounter to the back of his mind. He didn’t have enough information, and he didn't think it would be wise to poke around.

The longer he sat there, the more it became clear that the people around them weren’t patients or staff.

They would peek over to observe him and the man he was sitting beside. Once or twice wouldn’t have alerted him, but they did it repeatedly.

Bai Li remembered the man he pointed out. Should he have kept his mouth shut? He assumed the man was hospital personnel at the time. A member of Bai Li’s security team would not have been allowed to fraternize with hospital staff like that.

If they were found to be doing so, they would be terminated immediately.

There was no point in thinking about it now. He already identified the man. It was just that man’s bad luck to have appeared in front of Bai Li.

As his mind drifted, the sameness of the white corridors made him confused.

Slowly he made his way back to Julian's office. He hoped that his father and Julian would be finished with whatever conversation they were having.

It irritated him that he had been asked to leave the room, but he couldn’t say anything. He was at a point in his life where his parents should be handling these types of things.

It was a pity. In his case, his parents were the direct cause of his troubles.

Bai Li needed to get that influx of cash. He would be without recourse or back up if he didn’t have his own way to fund his life.

The companies he could start without capital weren't that many, and they would take time before they had any return on investment.

Standing in front of the door, he listened to the hum of voices. It amused him how they stopped talking when he knocked on the door.

He would have to find a way to get a hold of his medical records. It would also be best to get a second opinion. He needed to start collecting and putting together a team of people loyal to him.

When he was first reborn, he compiled a list. It was a list of people that he wanted to find and bring to his side. This plan had changed due to recent events. He would have to be more careful.

In his last life, he discovered and rooted out the people his mother had placed people at his side, but he couldn't guarantee that those weren't pawns she exposed herself or discarded to keep others safe.

It would have been better if this was ancient times, and he could have raised his secret guard himself.

Pushing open the door, he chuckled.

Two concerned gazes turned his way. He was sure they expected him to have a nervous breakdown or something equally dramatic.

He'd already showed his father his mature side. He only planned to act in front of Ping An, and he had ruined that spectacularly today.

Lead poisoning. Why had he never considered the fact that she would poison him?

"Are we finished here?" he asked.

"Li," his father started before pausing. "I...we"

In Ba Li's mind, anything that followed this much hesitance and indecision could not be a good thing.

"Yes," he urged his father gently.

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The sympathetic look that Dr. Jullian Simmonds sent his way was extremely irritating.

Although, seeing his father hesitate like this was a new and interesting look.

"I don't think it would be a wise choice to send you to C High, and it would be best if you visited a child psychologist." His father’s words came out firm despite how he hesitated before.

Bai Li did not expect this. He should have. His father had been actively trying to get him to change his mind about attending C high.

Still, he was not going to give in. He didn't want to have to be cautious all the time. Worse didn't want to start living with Bai Wei. He'd only made his earlier suggestions because he planned to be away at school most of the time. Going home only the barest minimum of times.

Bai Li didn’t know where to begin when it came to the issue of the child psychologist. They probably thought something was wrong with him when he reacted calmly to this entire situation. He couldn't agree to it.

At fifteen, his parents would have access to his medical records. His psychologist wouldn't have any legal grounds to stand on to keep them from the information if his parents wanted it.

Bai Li planned to speak with someone, but it would be on his terms.

He was getting a headache.

Was it trashy of him to prefer the times when his father didn’t care about him? At least he would have more autonomy.

Like he had originally planned.

"That won't work." His voice was firm. "I am going to C high. I have my reasons for choosing that school. As for seeing a psychologist, that won't be happening until I turn eighteen."

"Bai Li," Julian jumped in. "I don't advise that. It would be best to discuss these things with a professional."

Bai Li wholly agreed. He needed help. He had a whole new bag of problems to work through on top of the ones he was carrying from his last life.

"As a minor, I am not covered under doctor-patient confidentiality. My psychologist would have to hand over my medical files or transcripts of my sessions if either of my parents requested it. There are no legal grounds for any psychologist I see before the age of 18 not to turn them over." He watched as the faces of both the men in front of him darkened.

He was sure that Bai Tao had figured out that he wasn't only guarding against Ping An. He hoped his father wouldn't blame him for his trust issues. Though, when he thought about it. Bai Tao had no right to do that.

"Why are you fixated on that school?" Bai Tao asked. He had that sharp look in his eyes.

That was simple. He didn't want to live with his direct family.

"I will arrange for you to have your own apartment in the building. I will have no access to it, on the premise that you eat one meal with the family every day." Bai Tao was trying to barter with him. “This apartment will be under your name.”

This was one of the reasons he didn’t like to leave people to have conversations alone. His father had said they would discuss this later.

Something in the conversation he had with Julian had changed his approach. Bai Li felt he might be in a losing battle.

The only advantage he in their negotiations before was his father’s apathetic dislike for him.

It was probable that he would have to come up with a new agreement.

This was a tempting offer. Having property would be a good start for his plans. Having the apartment under his name meant he could use it as capital later.

There was also the issue of boarding on campus. Even the best dorms at C School had two people to a room. It had simply been the lesser of two evils. That one meal a day, though.

"Can I think about it?" Bai Li asked. The reason he chose C school was because of the family behind the school. It was not a place that either of his parents could stick their hands into. He was sure his father was aware of this.

The most his mother would be able to do would be to put 'friends' by his side. This was probably already happening, and he was sure he could guard against that.

There were only a few other schools that could offer that level of protection. In other schools, he didn't know what kind of trash he might bump into. The journey to and from school also posed a problem.

Another thing he considered was the implications behind which school he attended. He could attend second-rate schools without issues. If he wanted to go to a first-rate school, he had to consider who he was.

As Ping Zen’s first born grandson, he needed to be careful. What he said had to be backed up by actions. If he didn’t want to inherit, he shouldn’t send mixed signals.

He needed to bear in mind that the existence of Lee Shan was likely to be exposed a lot earlier in this life.

When he thought of that, it made him realize that his father must have his own means. He successfully protected both Lee Shan and Bai Fang in his last life.

Bai Li was never able to destroy that small family of three in his last life. He won, but all he did was chase them out of the country.

It was due to his hard work and Ping Zen deciding that he was the best candidate. If not for those two things, he might not have been able to dislodge his father from Wen Shi.

There was a smile in Bai Tao’s voice. "S School."

Bai Li's headache intensified. "NO!" He didn’t need to think about that.

He saw the smile on his father’s face, and the nostalgic feeling of wanting to punch him in the nose came to the forefront.

Sending him to that school was basically announcing that he would be a candidate to inherit Wen Shi.