Translated by Eve
Edited by Kara
Thank you Lin, Kat and ResidentialPsycho for the kofi
Silence.
An awkward silence.No one responded from the other end, so Wei Chen continued speaking. “What’s wrong? Is it not a good time to call?”
Zhou Nan suddenly came back to himself. His gaze was like an x-ray, seeing through Song Xuanhe’s calm exterior and revealing his guilt. Even Xiao Shenglin was a bit puzzled. He had never heard of Song Xuanhe and Wei Chen being on good terms before. But from Wei Chen’s familiar tone, it didn’t seem like they had just met.
Song Xuanhe turned off speaker mode, expression not changing. He brought the phone to his ear and said, “Mr. Wei, hello.”
“Didn’t we say that we’d call each other by our first names?” Wei Chen laughed. He asked, “Is Mr. Xiao beside you right now?”
“No.” Song Xuanhe met with two questioning gazes and smiled. His tone was rather cold, however, “We’ve only met once. I didn’t think that you would call me to have a meal together.”
“I felt like we had a connection at first sight!” Wei Chen’s voice was pure and bright. You could hear the disappointment in his next words. “I had thought that we were at least ordinary friends. I didn’t think that my feelings of friendship were just one-sided.”
Song Xuanhe was still smiling. He remained unmoved as he replied, “Well, now you know. Then, I won’t say anything more. Goodbye.”“Ai ai ai!” Wei Chen raised his voice in haste and quickly said, “I wanted to talk business with you! I currently have a project that I want you to partner in. We’d both benefit from it. Let’s talk about it over a meal.”
“Sorry,” Song Xuanhe said, “I’m not really interested. Bye.”
After saying this, Song Xuanhe hung up without waiting for Wei Chen’s reply.
Zhou Nan folded his arms, giving Song Xuanhe an askance glance. He adopted a callous demeanour. “Be honest. When did you and Wei Chen get so close? He actually called you specifically to invite you to eat with him. I’ll go easy on you if you’re honest. If you resist, I’ll have to use force. If you don’t tell the truth, don’t even think of leaving here today.”
There wasn’t much food left, but Song Xuanhe felt like he could still eat. Therefore, he picked up his chopsticks again and said, “This dish tastes pretty good. Eat a little more. It’d be a shame to waste it.”
Zhou Nan: ….
“I just heard you say that you’ve only met Wei Chen once. What happened?” Xiao Shenglin questioned, but his voice was still gentle and amiable, “Wei Chen is quite the lone wolf. Except for the two friends he has grown up with, I’ve never heard of him inviting anyone else out to eat.”
Song Xuanhe put down his chopsticks and answered, “Weren’t you guys wondering about who Wei Chen had hit with his car? It was Xiao Yuanmu.”
Zhou Nan’s eyes widened, “What the hell, isn’t that a hell of a coincidence?”
Xiao Shenglin furrowed his brows and asked, concerned, “Is Xiao Yuanmu OK?”
“He’s fine. It’s just a superficial injury,” Song Xuanhe said, “As the culprit, Wei Chen apologized and made amends by inviting us out to eat. That’s why I gave him my contact information.”
“He apologized and made amends?” Zhou Nan’s eyes widened even more, “Wei Chen apologizing? Did you know, when he was in high school, he had smashed the skull of his school’s top dog in with a brick? That student’s family didn’t take it lying down and wanted to make a big deal over it. It was also during election time then, so the Wei Family couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. But even so, despite him practically having his head forced down, Wei Chen still didn’t apologize or make it up to them.”
“Well, that bully probably deserved it,” Song Xuanhe said in a bland tone, “But, it’s entirely his fault for hitting someone with his car. He obviously had to apologize.”
“I’ve never heard of Wei Chen, that fellow, apologizing to anyone in all my years of living. Forget making amends, I’ve never even heard the words ‘I’m sorry’ come out of his mouth. He’s extremely proud.” Zhou Nan clicked his tongue twice. A thought suddenly popped into his head. “Maybe he’s scheming something. Otherwise, why else would he ingratiate himself to you?”
When Xiao Shenglin heard this, he laughed and asked, “What kind of scheme?”
“Maybe he’s fallen for Song Er’s Xiao Yuanmu’s beauty.” After saying this, Zhou Nan nodded, certain. He said, “The more I think about it, the more I believe it to be true. After all, your little boyfriend is indeed really handsome. You don’t know, but after Qian Qin’s party had ended, a lot of people were asking about Xiao Yuanmu. It’s not weird for Wei Chen to have taken an interest in him.”
“Guess. Keep on guessing.” Song Xuanhe just watched the other lazily, waiting for him to continue.
“It’s not completely out of the question,” Zhou Nan mumbled. However, he still tactfully shifted topics. “This weekend your cousin is having an opening. He’s having a reception. He must have invited you, right? Are you going?”
Song Xuanhe finished the rest of his favourite dish and wiped his mouth. He thought it over seriously and said, “My university roommate is also having an opening reception this weekend. He called me last Friday. It’s at the White Moon Club.”
“What a coincidence.” Who knows what Zhou Nan was thinking, but he laughed and said, “I bet you that your cousin never expected that the partner he found was actually your university roommate. What kind of expression do you think he’ll make when he finds out? Hahahahahaha….”
Song Xuanhe nodded. When he had gotten the call, he only knew that it was related to the plot, so he agreed without saying much. He hadn’t thought that one of the hosts would be the cousin the original host found really difficult to deal with.
Zhou Nan laughed for a while and then asked, “So, are you going?”
“Yeah,” Song Xuanhe said indifferently, “I promised my classmate. I can’t go back on my word.”
When he pictured the scene of Song Xuanhe and Song Jiabao facing off, Zhou Nan couldn’t help but laugh again. His eyes shone with anticipation. He didn’t cover up any of his schadenfreude.
Xiao Shenglin sighed and said, “Can you not look like you want to see the world descend into utter chaos? The Song Family’s going to be a mess if Xuanhe and Song Jiabao fight again.”
Song Xuanhe knew that Xiao Shenglin was covertly warning him. He was afraid that Song Xuanhe would impulsively make a fuss in public. Song Guochao wouldn’t be giving him any good looks when that happened. Song Xuanhe smiled and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll eat anything but losing won’t be part of the menu.”
After finishing their meal, Zhou Nan was about to head to the bars. Xiao Shenglin had another appointment, and Song Xuanhe headed home alone.
As soon as he entered, an extremely tempting, delicious aroma wafted into his nose. His full belly suddenly had room for more food. Song Xuanhe followed the scent into the kitchen.
When Xiao Yuanmu heard the other come in, he turned his head around. He didn’t show much of an expression upon seeing Song Xuanhe. He said in a cool tone, “You’re back.”
After having not heard this greeting he used to hear every day for a few days, Song Xuanhe paused for a moment. He then casually responded with, “I’m back.”
He then scurried over to the pot and saw that there were fragrant, bright red crayfish inside. He swallowed unnoticeably and asked, “How long until the lobster is done?”
Xiao Yuanmu stirred the crayfish in the pot. Even when cooking, his posture was ram-rod straight. The view of him stirring the pot made for a pleasing picture. When he heard Song Xuanhe’s voice, he lowered his gaze. A few seconds later, he asked, “Didn’t you already have dinner?”
“I can still eat, ah.” Song Xuanhe’s eyes were fixed on the pot. He seemed itching to eat them. “How much longer, ah?”
“It’s done.”
Xiao Yuanmu turned off the stove and plated the crayfish. He carried them to the dining table, leaving Song Xuanhe behind.
Song Xuanhe didn’t get angry. He followed suit and sat down, staring impatiently at the crayfish in front of him. Still, even though he really wanted to eat it, he didn’t dig in immediately. He asked, “Can I eat it now?”
“You haven’t washed your hands.” Xiao Yuanmu took off his apron and said coolly, “Go wash your hands.”
Song Xuanhe nodded and rushed to the kitchen to wash his hands. When he returned, he sat opposite of Xiao Yuanmu. The aroma of the crayfish permeated every corner of the dining room. Song Xuanhe unobtrusively sniffed the air. He raised his head to look at Xiao Yuanmu. “Then, I’m going to eat now.”
“Eat.”
After gaining permission, Song Xuanhe grabbed a crayfish and placed it into his own bowl. He then endured the heat and opened up the shell. The juices flowed out of it and entered his lips.
He ate earnestly. Song Xuanhe’s glittering eyes were full of satisfaction at having a good meal. Xiao Yuanmu, who sat in front of him, didn’t even notice that he had a satisfied smile on his own lips.
However, the smile only lasted a second. Suspicion quickly flashed through Xiao Yuanmu’s eyes. In his memories, Song Xuanhe had never eaten garlic. His brows would furrow, and he’d throw a fit any time he had smelled even a hint of it. Xiao Yuanmu recalled a time where they had dined outside. The waiter had forgotten to tell the chef to not add garlic. When the dishes had arrived, Song Xuanhe had been extremely angry. In the end, that waiter had been fired.
Nevertheless, the Song Xuanhe in front of him now didn’t react to the garlic at all. He was eating the crayfish, evidently very pleased. He was completely different from the Song Xuanhe from his memories.
Xiao Yuanmu looked down. In the memories he had gained from the Xiao Yuanmu of this world, Song Xuanhe had also eaten this happily no matter what he had made. Song Xuanhe didn’t seem to realize that as long as he saw something he wanted to eat, his eyes would light up. His voice would even soften by a few degrees when he spoke.
At least, under normal circumstances, Song Xuanhe would never add ‘ah’ to the end of his sentences or anything else that would add a coquettish tone to his words.
And, it was precisely this other side of him that had made the Xiao Yuanmu before his rebirth gradually fall for him during their day-to-day interactions. In the end, the Xiao Yuanmu from before had really fallen for Song Xuanhe.
“Is it delicious?”
Song Xuanhe looked up, lips stained with a bit of juice. He swallowed and wiped the juices off his lips before replying, “It’s really delicious.”
Xiao Yuanmu’s gaze softened. He looked down as he picked up a crayfish for himself, placing it in his bowl before calmly prying it open. He said in a dull tone, “I thought you hated garlic.”
Song Xuanhe was startled like he had never heard this before. He then smiled and asked, “Since when? How come I didn’t know that?”
Xiao Yuanmu’s fingers paused their action of extracting meat from the crayfish for a second. He then looked up and said, “I must have remembered wrongly.”
“Yeah, you did.”
Song Xuanhe picked up another crayfish. His outward expression didn’t change, but he quickly hollered for the System in his mind: 【Did the original host not like garlic?】
The System hesitated and then said uncertainly：【I don’t think so? It didn’t say anything about that in the book.】
Song Xuanhe：【Then, why is Xiao Yuanmu suddenly asking about this?】
The System：【He probably remembered it wrong. It’s normal for people to misremember things.】
When Song Xuanhe heard this, he furrowed his brows discreetly. It was indeed normal for other people to misremember, but it was odd for Xiao Yuanmu to do so.
In the book, Xiao Yuanmu had relied on his abnormally good memory to store all the information from the Song Family’s bidding documents that he had found in Song Xuanhe’s study. He had also been the person who had teamed up with an old enemy of the Song Group to ruin the Song Family. At first, the enemy hadn’t believed Xiao Yuanmu. However, Xiao Yuanmu had given him a show to prove to him how quickly he could memorize things.
It was precisely with this gifted memory that Xiao Yuanmu had been able to collect so many wins on the business front. This had been because he would use a forgotten or overlooked detail to defeat his opponents.
Therefore, for Xiao Yuanmu to suddenly ask this meant that he was sounding Song Xuanhe out. However, Xiao Yuanmu hadn’t been reborn yet. So, what was he looking into?
He had already been stuffed, but now, he also had something on his mind. Song Xuanhe ate a few more before stopping. He then went to wash his hands in the kitchen again before heading upstairs.
As soon as he left the kitchen, his phone that he had left on the table rang. Xiao Yuanmu glanced at the name on the screen and paused for a moment. His eyes darkened as he said, “Your phone is ringing.”
Song Xuanhe dried his hands. When he saw the name on the screen, he answered it. “What do you want?”
Liu Xu’s voice came through the receiver. Her voice was gentle and soft. “Nothing. I just wanted to remind you of our appointment tomorrow.”
Song Xuanhe frowned and said coolly, “I won’t forget. Anything else?”
“No.” Liu Xu was silent for a few seconds before she continued, reluctant to let things go like this, “Did you not come visit the set for me last time?”
Song Xuanhe stopped walking. He then chuckled. “Director Huang’s new film is about to begin shooting. I’m investing in it. What do you think?”
Liu Xu didn’t speak for a long time. She then spoke with disappointment in her voice. “I understand.”
After hanging up, Song Xuanhe continued to head out of the dining room. When he reached the living room, he seemed to recall something and turned to speak to Xiao Yuanmu. “I’m not coming home for dinner tomorrow. Just make dinner for yourself.”
Xiao Yuanmu looked up, eyes dark and gloomy. “Because of Liu Xu?”
Song Xuanhe was caught off guard. He then realized that Xiao Yuanmu had probably seen the name on his phone screen, so he nodded and said, “Yes.”
“You’re eating dinner with her.” Xiao Yuanmu’s expression was calm, and there were no fluctuations in his tone. “Why?”
Song Xuanhe said ambiguously, “Because of something.”
He didn’t think that Xiao Yuanmu, who rarely spoke more than necessary, would ask him about this matter. However, he was meeting with Liu Xu for something regarding the Song Family. Looking at the timeline, Xiao Yuanmu must have already collected quite a lot of evidence against the Song Family, whether it be related to scandals, gossip, or their trade secrets. He didn’t want to give the other anything else on top of that. After all, it was more beneficial to him if the Song Family remained stable.
However, Xiao Yuanmu, who didn’t usually speak much, seemed to want to get to the bottom of things. He continued to ask, “What thing?”
Song Xuanhe frowned. Ever since he was young, what he disliked the most was when people pestered him, wanting to make him talk about something he didn’t want to talk about. Therefore, his voice dropped a few degrees. “None of your business.”
After saying this, he didn’t wait for Xiao Yuanmu’s reaction. He headed upstairs without looking back.
*
The next day at noon, Song Xuanhe drove straight to Liuquxi after work.
This was a members-only tea house and located in a remote area. Even though it was after work, there were only a few people there.
As soon as he had reached the second floor, Song Xuanhe saw a short, immaculately dressed man approach him. That man smiled at him and said, “Song shao, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you. I am Liu Xu’s manager, Zhang Fei. Please follow me.”
Song Xuanhe nodded slightly and followed after the other with a ‘Lead the way.’
The two of them stopped at the entrance to a private room. The short man opened the door for him and then waited outside.
When Liu Xu saw Song Xuanhe enter, she stood up. It was slightly chilly today, but she only wore a dress with a plunging neckline, putting on full display her lovely body. She stroked her long, curled hair that laid over her shoulder and smiled at Song Xuanhe. “Song shao, please sit.”
Song Xuanhe sat across from her. His expression remained as calm as it had been when he had entered the room. He said in an indifferent tone, “Tell me the important matter regarding the Song Family and my parents that you had insisted I needed to know.”
Liu Xu was startled. She hadn’t thought that Song Xuanhe wouldn’t even bother to make small talk and would get straight to the point.
She pursed her lips slightly into a smile and gently said, “Song shao, how about you take a sip of the tea before we speak?”
“No need.” Song Xuanhe glanced at the steaming, hot cup of tea. He said, “Tell me what you called me here for. I don’t have time to waste on you.”
When Liu Xu heard this, her lips pressed down into a straight line. She also sat down. She was silent for a while before saying, “I called you here to talk about your father, Song Guochao.”
Song Xuanhe raised an eyebrow, pretending to be interested.
When Liu Xu saw this, she felt certain that she had hooked him. She probed, “Did you know that your father has another woman outside?”
“What does that have to do with you?” Song Xuanhe looked up, demeanour languid. It was hard to read his tone.
“I-I’ve been with Mr. Song for a while now.” Liu Xu eyed Song Xuanhe’s expression carefully. Seeing that he wasn’t affected by this, she continued, “But after getting together, I discovered that he was just using me as a substitute for someone else. At first, I had thought it was Mrs. Song, but later, I realized that I was wrong.”
Song Xuanhe laughed. He said in a cool tone, “Of course not. How could a plaything like you compare to my mother?”
Liu Xu’s expression grew rigid. After a few seconds, she looked down. “I know that in Song shao’s eyes, I’m nothing but a mistress clinging onto someone with power, but as someone in the entertainment industry, I have no choice but to compromise, especially given the difference in status between Mr. Song and I. You have the right to look down on me, but you don’t have to worry. After all, I’m just a substitute for Mr. Song’s first love.”
Liu Xu was skilled in speaking. She first had acted pitiful by acknowledging her lower status. She then had belittled herself and turned the conversation towards the main topic. She was worthy of being someone who had been able to get the title of Best Actress in the short span of two years. After all, in a place like the entertainment industry, where one mistake could ruin you, it was more important to be a good speaker than it was to behave yourself with integrity.
Song Xuanhe went along with her. When he heard her words, he peered at Liu Xu, surprise appearing in his eyes. He furrowed his brows and said, “First love? What first love?”
“Did you not know?” Liu Xu’s shocked expression was even more realistic than Song Xuanhe’s. Her lips parted slightly, and she continued after a moment of pause, “It’s the person your father had been dating before he married Mrs. Song. I heard that he had reluctantly broken up with his first love only because the Song Family had been very against it. However, they have always kept in touch.”
Upon hearing this, Song Xuanhe’s eyebrows knitted even tighter. His expression gradually turned serious. A few seconds later, he narrowed his eyes. “You understand the consequences of lying to me, yes?”
“Of course.” Seeing that Song Xuanhe believed her, Liu Xu was ecstatic. However, she flashed a frightened expression. She pulled a folder out from her bag and placed it before Song Xuanhe. She said, “I have evidence. You’ll understand when you look through it.”
Song Xuanhe opened the folder. He actually knew the content inside better than Liu Xu did. Therefore, he only skimmed through it casually before asking, “Why are you telling me this?”
Liu Xu bit her lips. She hesitated for a moment before adding, “I know that I’m not in a position to say anything with my status. If I was just his paramour, I could continue to endure things for the sake of survival. However, I’m not willing to be both a substitute and a mistress. I just thought, if even someone like me is taking this so hard, what about Mrs. Song? She would definitely feel terrible if she were to find out. Although this matter was hidden very deeply, if it were to be exposed, it would definitely negatively affect the Song Family. I’ve already done immoral things. I can’t watch this continue.”
Liu Xu was sincere for the first half. After all, she really did think that way. She was lying through her teeth regarding the second half, however. You could almost see her inwardly fanning the flames through her eyes.
“Why are you giving me this?” Song Xuanhe looked at her.
Liu Xu was caught off guard by his stare. She then spoke in a sincere tone, facing his gaze head-on. “I have made mistakes, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t have a bottom line. I’m telling you this because you have a right to know. I was afraid that when this is exposed, you and Mrs. Song would have been hurt if this had been kept hidden from you.”
Her outstanding acting ability nearly made Song Xuanhe burst out into laughter. Nonetheless, he looked down, acting like he had suffered a blow. He said, “Thank you for this. If there’s nothing else, I’ll be heading out.”
Liu Xu looked at him with concern in her eyes. As she watched him get up, she looked like she wanted to say something but was hesitating. In the end, she simply said, “Be careful. Goodbye.”
Song Xuanhe nodded and then left without looking back.
As soon as he left Liuquxi, his expression changed. He smiled and thought: 【I think that a mere national award is too belittling of Liu Xu. Her acting ability is truly wonderful.】
The System agreed：【You humans are very cunning.】
Song Xuanhe was about to ask whether it was referring to Liu Xu, himself, or the both of them. However, he had yet to weave his thoughts into a question when he saw Xiao Yuanmu standing across the street. Although they were separated by the rush hour traffic, Song Xuanhe could feel the cold in the other’s eyes.
At that moment, the pedestrian crossing light turned green. The cars all slowed to a stop, and pedestrians hurried across the street from both sides. From one side to another, the stream of pedestrians was endless.
However, neither Song Xuanhe nor Xiao Yuanmu, who stood on opposing sides, took a single step.
When there were less than ten seconds on the light, Song Xuanhe began to cross the street. He asked the System: 【When did Xiao Yuanmu arrive?】
The System, who had been distracted watching Song Xuanhe and Liu Xu battle it out with their acting skills and thus didn’t notice that Xiao Yuanmu was less than a thousand metres away, felt guilty. In order to make up for its mistake, it quickly said: 【I just investigated it. He has been following you since the moment you left the office.】
Song Xuanhe’s steps halted. He didn’t know why, but when he heard that Xiao Yuanmu had been standing outside for at least half an hour, a bad premonition suddenly emerged.
However, the pedestrian crossing was about to end. He could only continue heading towards Xiao Yuanmu. Only when he reached Xiao Yuanmu’s side did he stand still. He then looked up and feigned calmness. “What are you doing here?”
Xiao Yuanmu looked down at Song Xuanhe, gaze dark. His expression was serene and unreadable, and his voice was clear and calm. However, his response was very frank. “I followed you here.”
The author has something to say:
Song Xuanhe: I have an ominous premonition.
Eve: SXH eating always tickles my heart. He’s so cute. And haha! XYM finally admitted that past XYM really did fall for SXH…just going to take some time for the reborn XYM to accept his feelings as well. As for SXH…he’s gonna take a much longer time to come to terms with his.
Kara: Ehehehehe…XYM admitting his other self fell in love…soon he will too…I can already see his possessive tendencies!!（・∀・）And ooooh, the family drama finally develops some more! I can’t wait to see what SXH does!（๑∀๑）
