translator: Eve
editor: xiin
On the way back, Song Xuanhe thought about what Xiao Shenglin had said.
If Xiao Shenglin’s death had something to do with his adoption by the Xiao couple when he was young, then why didn’t they get rid of Xiao Shenglin back then? So much time had already passed. Why wait until now?
Besides, it was common for siblings to target each other, or for a son to cause his father’s death even in moderately rich families. Even if news were to get out that this had happened in the Xiao Family, nothing would happen. No one would think or do anything just because of something like this. After all, the more people there were, the more disputes there would be. Even the most upright families had their secrets. As long as the Xiao Family didn’t fall, no one would hold it against them even if Xiao Shenglin had died because of this.
So, why had the Xiao Family waited so long to deal with Xiao Shenglin?
Was it because something had changed, or because of a certain person?
Song Xuanhe suddenly thought of Xiao Yuanmu.
It would make sense if they wanted to kill Xiao Shenglin to cover up the fact that they had tried to use him as a substitute for Xiao Yuanmu.
That would also explain why they waited so long to deal with him. It was just that Song Xuanhe still felt like something was off.
“Ershao, we’ve arrived.”
Zhang Chao stopped the car and opened the door for Song Xuanhe. He observed the other’s gaze. He felt relieved upon seeing that although Song Xuanhe was bathed in the scent of alcohol, he seemed quite sober.
Song Xuanhe snapped out of his thoughts and got out of his car. When he noticed that Zhang Chao was still following him even when he reached the elevator, he paused and turned around. “You can go home. I can head up myself.”
“I’ll leave after brewing you some hangover tea.” Zhang Chao said, “Otherwise, you’ll have a terrible headache tomorrow morning.”
Song Xuanhe wanted to say that he doesn’t get headaches. But soon after, he remembered that this wasn’t his original body. After a moment of silence, he entered the elevator.
Back in his apartment, Song Xuanhe made a beeline for his sofa. He laid down on it, hugging a pillow to his chest.
Although he had drank a lot just now, because he had taken note of the alcohol content of each drink and hadn’t mixed drinks, he felt fairly sober. Nevertheless, he still felt some after effects. He was terribly sleepy and had no energy left.
Zhang Chao headed to the kitchen as soon as he walked through the doors. After brewing the hangover tea, he brought it over only to discover that Song Xuanhe was already asleep on the couch.
He placed the tea down and went to grab a blanket to cover Song Xuanhe with. As he was doing so, he heard Song Xuanhe’s phone ring.
Song Xuanhe was startled awake. As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw Zhang Chao standing beside him with a blanket in hand. He rubbed his eyes, took a sip of the tea on the table and said, “You can go home.”
“Alright. You should head to bed.” Zhang Chao nodded. He bent down to place the blanket on the other sofa. While straightening up, he seemed to recall something. A complicated light flashed through his eyes. “Ershao, can I ask you a question?”
Song Xuanhe was reaching for his phone at the moment. “What?”
“Do you…really not want to inherit the Song Family?”
“Yeah.” Song Xuanhe looked up and saw ‘what a pity’ written in Zhang Chao’s eyes. Earnestly, he said, “Zhang ge, I know that you want me to take it over, but I’m not interested in that. You know, I only want to do what I like. So you don’t have to ask me this again. You don’t have to sound me out on Grandpa’s behalf either.”
Zhang Chao froze. Meeting with Song Xuanhe’s limpid, clear eyes, he sighed softly. “Shaoye, you’ve grown up.”
“Sorry.” Zhang Chao forced a smile. “I won’t do it again.”
Song Xuanhe accepted the call. He shook his head and said to Zhang Chao, “I know that you’re doing this for my sake.”
Zhang Chao nodded softly. He then hesitated. It looked like there was something he wanted to say.
Song Xuanhe didn’t notice his expression. He chatted with Xiao Shenglin, who had called to make sure he had made it home safe. Only after hanging up did he realize that Zhang Chao was still here.
“Zhang ge, is there anything else you want to talk about?”
“How long do you plan to go travelling for?” Zhang Chao had mulled over this for a while before finally spitting this out.
Song Xuanhe raised a brow. “Did Grandpa put you up to this?”
“No,” Zhang Chao said, “I don’t know why, but I feel uneasy hearing that you want to go off on your own. It feels like…I don’t want to say it. I don’t want to jinx it. Maybe it’s because I’m used to being by your side. So being away from you makes me nervous.”
Song Xuanhe was curious now. “What does it feel like?”
Zhang Chao frowned. “Ershao, I watched you grow up. There are some things that would be inappropriate for me to say but I won’t be able to feel at ease unless I say it. So I need to ask you this.”
Song Xuanhe nodded. “What is it?”
“When I helped you check your bank account, I noticed that you donated a large sum of money to charity. You also donated a huge amount to orphanages in the outskirts of town. I don’t mean to tell you how you should or shouldn’t spend money. It’s just that you did this so out of the blue. And…I’ve noticed that you’ve been looking into extreme sports lately. At first, I didn’t think much of it, but you’ve also started to look into the country of Arang.”
【Your assistant isn’t going to figure out what you’re trying to do, is he?】The System said, shocked.
Song Xuanhe raised a brow and remained composed. “I was just reading about them. What do you want to say?”
“Arang’s one of the most war-torn countries at present. All flights heading towards that country have been cancelled until further notice. It worries me that you are looking into it.”
“Ershao,” Zhang Chao said, “Your financial and research activities are worrying me. I feel like…you won’t be coming back.”
Zhang Chao’s voice was nearly inaudible by the time he reached his last sentence. He watched Song Xuanhe with an extremely earnest expression, as if he was a parent who could sense that his teenager was having dangerous thoughts. He seemed to be bracing himself.
It was the first time Song Xuanhe realized that Zhang Chao was this perceptive. Actually, the reason he had looked up the country of Arang was really in preparation for his disappearance. Many people disappeared in Arang every year. The organization and troops of that country was messy, and if he were to disappear there, the Song Family and Xiao Yuanmu would have a difficult time finding him.
He had researched this place because he had decided that it would be the best place to stage his disappearance.
He never expected Zhang Chao to find out.
【Your method of leaving has been blocked.】The System said：【Zhang Chao knows that you were looking into Arang. If you were to disappear there, they will think you committed suicide.】
Song Xuanhe didn’t need the System to remind him of that. He knew that this plan had to be discarded.
However, what was important right now was dispelling Zhang Chao’s suspicions.
“Zhange ge, you’re overthinking things.” Song Xuanhe looked like he was bemused by this conversation. He chuckled. “I donated because I felt like I did a lot of bad things. You should know why I want to donate to orphanages. As for extreme sports, I’m young. I yearn for freedom and thrills. Regarding Arang, I’m interested in this country because they have a unique method of dying cloths. They also have a special, ancient hand-weaving technique. You know that I’m running a studio. It’s obviously for work.”
What he said made sense. Gradually, Zhang Chao’s doubts faded away.
Zhang Chao thought that this explanation was very reasonable. But somewhere deep inside, he still felt like something was off. He couldn’t put his finger on it so he had no choice but to put it aside for now. “Arang’s weaving style and colour dying method is likely Arabian in origin. I’ll help you look for other places that might practice it.”
Song Xuanhe genuinely said, “Thanks, Zhang ge.”
“No need for thanks.” Zhang Chao sighed inwardly, faced with Song Xuanhe’s smile. “Ershao, you’re becoming more and more mature.” There was a wistful and gratified tone in his voice.
Song Xuanhe smiled. Zhang Chao had originally wanted to add something, but Song Xuanhe’s phone started to ring again. He shut his mouth and then changed his words. “Go to bed early. I’ll take my leave.”
“Have a safe trip.”
After Zhang Chao left, Song Xuanhe accepted the video call request. He raised a brow when he saw Xiao Yuanmu appear on the screen. “It’s two in the morning over here. You really know how to pick a good time to call.”
When he saw Song Xuanhe’s cheeks that were rosy from the alcohol and thought of the information he had heard, Xiao Yuanmu’s eyes darkened. “Why haven’t you gone to bed yet?”
Song Xuanhe laughed. “You know why. Why bother asking?”
Xiao Yuanmu’s expression changed slightly but he remained calm. “I heard something just now. I thought that you might like to know. That’s why I called to check if you were asleep yet.”
“At two in the morning?” Song Xuanhe’s raised brow was full of doubt.
Xiao Yuanmu didn’t bat an eye. “Yeah.”
“Fine, tell me,” Song Xuanhe said, “What is it?”
“It’s related to Xiao Shenglin,” Xiao Yuanmu said in a cool voice. “You’re good friends with him, if I recall correctly.”
“You say that like I’m closer to him than you are.” Song Xuanhe piled his pillows onto the sofa and curled up against them. He covered himself with the blanket and said, “You and him are technically cousins.”
“Really distant cousins.” Xiao Yuanmu’s gaze was indifferent. He paused for a moment before adding, “But then again, I guess he’s my brother on paper.”
Song Xuanhe’s expression changed. He frowned. “Because he was adopted by your parents?”
Surprise flashed through Xiao Yuanmu’s eyes. “He told you?”
“He was drunk just now and let it slip.”
“I see.” Xiao Yuanmu was just asking this off-handedly. He didn’t care whether Song Xuanhe already knew this or not. He was just a bit saddened that this meant that their conversation would likely be shorter than anticipated. Therefore, he added a question. “What did he say?”
Song Xuanhe told Xiao Yuanmu what Xiao Shenglin had told him.
Xiao Yuanmu: “That matches what I heard. It’s a bit more detailed.”
Song Xuanhe nodded. He hesitated for a moment and then asked, “Do you think that Xiao Family will do something to Xiao Shenglin because of this?”
Xiao Yuanmu muttered to himself for a while. “No.”
“Why not?” Song Xuanhe said, “If you didn’t go back, then maybe he would be fine. But now that you’re back, don’t you think your parents might want to do something to him to prevent you from finding out about that? Maybe they’re afraid you’ll hold this against them.”
Something streaked across Xiao Yuanmu’s eyes but he still negated the possibility. “Xiao Lin wouldn’t do something like that. The price outweighs the benefits. There’s also too much risk involved. He isn’t that dumb.”
Song Xuanhe’s eyelashes trembled. He pursed his lips. “You don’t seem to like the Xiao Family very much.”
“Yeah.” Xiao Yuanmu admitted easily.
Song Xuanhe didn’t ask why. After a moment of silence, he went back to the previous topic. “Who do you think would try and target Xiao Shenglin?”
Xiao Yuanmu finally picked up on Song Xuanhe’s worry. “Why do you think Xiao Shenglin is in danger?”
Song Xuanhe didn’t know what to say. He gave a vague response: “Intuition.”
Xiao Yuanmu squinted his eyes and his expression darkened. “Your intuition’s attuned to him?”
“It is to you too,” Song Xuanhe said, “Like when your stomach hurts. I can tell really quickly when that happens.”
Xiao Yuanmu’s expression lightened up. He held the phone a bit further away from him. “If anyone in the Xiao Family really wanted to hurt him, it’d be Xiao Baicong.”
Song Xuanhe frowned. “Why?”
Why was Xiao Baicong involved?
“Because of me.” Xiao Yuanmu said blandly, “Xiao Baicong’s people were the ones to leak this information to me.”
“To piss you off?”
“Probably,” Xiao Yuanmu said, “There could be another reason. Like you said, maybe they want to pin Xiao Shenglin’s ‘accident’ on me.”
Song Xuanhe didn’t understand. “Would people believe that? And what would they gain by pinning it on you? What, would there be people gunning for your life because of this?”
Song Xuanhe didn’t believe that that would be the case.
Although this world liked to preach that all humans were made equal, that wasn’t completely true. Differences in social ranks have existed throughout time. There was no equality between people of vastly differing social status. For example, the differences between Xiao Yuanmu prior to Xiao Yuanmu returning the Xiao Family, and Song Xuanhe. Another example was Xiao Yuanmu, the eldest young master of the Xiao family versus Xiao Shenglin, who was just a distant member of the clan.
If Xiao Yuanmu really did want to do anything to Xiao Shenglin after hearing about this incident, no one in the Xiao Family would oppose him.
Xiao Yuanmu’s expression was calm but there was ice in his eyes. “Of course not.”
“However, people will talk if the new head of the family was a vengeful person who wouldn’t let go of a failed substitute. Moreover, if I wouldn’t even let off Xiao Shenglin, with whom I had no longer had any conflicts of interest, after I succeeded the family, would I let go of Xiao Baicong, who used to be the Xiao Family successor?”
After Xiao Yuanmu explained this in a flat voice, Song Xuanhe’s eyebrows slowly scrunched up.
Partly because Xiao Shenglin was in more danger than he had expected. Partly because Xiao Yuanmu didn’t seem to view himself as a member of the Xiao Family at all.
In the novel, although Xiao Yuanmu had found it difficult to accept his biological parents who had appeared so suddenly, he had slowly opened up his heart. He cared the most about his younger brother, Xiao Baicong. Although he didn’t show it, the author’s descriptions made it clear that Xiao Yuanmu treated Xiao Baicong differently from the rest of the family.
For example, Xiao Yuanmu would choose birthday presents that suited the other’s tastes. As another example, he would speak in longer sentences when it was to Xiao Baicong. Also, he would never refuse Xiao Baicong’s requests even if he acted like he wasn’t all that willing…. in any case, the Xiao Yuanmu from the book had been quite close to Xiao Baicong. He was practically a doting older brother.
Xiao Yuanmu grew up in an orphanage. Even if he usually appeared indifferent, when faced with his cheerful, sunshine-like biological brother, he couldn’t help but treat him differently.
Song Xuanhe felt like something fishy was going on. According to the novel, even if Xiao Yuanmu hadn’t completely accepted him as his younger brother yet, he should still be closer to Xiao Baicong than to anyone else. But it was obvious that Xiao Yuanmu had no intentions of doting on Xiao Baicong at all. It even seemed like he loathed.
What went wrong?
Song Xuanhe felt like something was off, but he couldn’t figure it out. He could only let it go. He then changed gears and focused on the matter at hand. “So what you’re saying is, if anything were to happen to Xiao Shenglin, it’s because Xiao Shenglin’s trying to frame you.”
“Xiao Baicong is the most probable perpetrator.” Xiao Yuanmu nodded, “But Xiao Shenglin’s branch is also suspicious.”
Song Xuanhe nodded slowly. He mulled over how probable Xiao Yuanmu’s idea was. Suddenly, he froze and frowned. “Xiao Shenglin’s branch—that’s the one that’s headed by his great uncle, right? They support Xiao Baicong?”
Xiao Yuanmu glanced at him, a sliver of shock flashing through his eyes. “They haven’t declared a stance yet.”
Song Xuanhe’s brows furrowed more deeply. “They would never side with you. They were the most likely culprits behind your disappearance. There’s no way they would side with you now that you’re back.”
Xiao Yuanmu nodded, silently agreeing with Song Xuanhe’s words.
Song Xuanhe felt like this issue was getting more and more thorny. If it was just the Xiao patriarch who wanted to get rid of Xiao Shenglin, things would be easily solved. After all, Xiao Yuanmu was around. But if Xiao Shenglin was dragged into the power struggle between Xiao Yuanmu and Xiao Baicong, things got much trickier.
“This…” Song Xuanhe rubbed his temples. “…Is so annoying.”
Xiao Yuanmu asked, “Do you care that much about Xiao Shenglin?”
“Bullshit,” Song Xuanhe said, “He’s my friend.”
“What about me?” Xiao Yuanmu stared at him.
Song Xuanhe paused. He then looked down to the ground. “You can protect yourself.”
“If I were in danger….”
Xiao Yuanmu’s voice had quieted a lot. He had wanted to say that he hoped that Song Xuanhe would care about him more than Xiao Shenglin if he were in danger.
But when he thought about how many times he had escaped death in his previous life, and the one time he didn’t, he suddenly couldn’t continue. If he was really in danger, he hoped that Song Xuanhe would stand shoulder-to-shoulder with him through it. But at the same time, he didn’t want to involve Song Xuanhe. He wanted to keep the other safe.
The two sides clashed intensely. For a moment, he couldn’t tell if he would rather Song Xuanhe stayed with him forever or if he would prefer that Song Xuanhe was able to lead a happy life with or without him.
“If you were in danger what?”
Song Xuanhe had originally wanted to dodge the question. But when he heard the other stop, his feelings changed. He wanted to know the rest of the utterance.
Xiao Yuanmu’s expression changed slightly. He concealed the darkness in his eyes and suppressed the rasp in his voice. “What would you do?”
Song Xuanhe suddenly went quiet. He looked away. “It’s never happened. How would I know?”
Xiao Yuanmu’s gaze flitted over to the other’s fair, plump earlobe. His Adam’s apple bobbed and the darkness dissipated from his eyes. He chuckled quietly. “True.”
When Song Xuanhe heard that deep rumble coming from Xiao Yuanmu’s chest, he couldn’t help but purse his lips tightly.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Some time later, Song Xuanhe felt that ticklish feeling in his chest travel upwards. He then yawned deeply. Tears formed at the corner of his eyes. Immediately, he said, “I’m tired. I’m going to hang up.”
“Wait.”
Song Xuanhe had nearly pressed down on the screen. He felt it was a bit of a pity he had been too slow in hanging up just now when he saw that Xiao Yuanmu’s face was still here. “What’s wrong?”
Looking at Song Xuanhe, who was curled up on the sofa surrounded by pillows, Xiao Yuanmu’s gaze darkened. He recalled how Song Xuanhe had looked a long time ago when he had been the one sitting while the other had been standing in front of him.
He couldn’t help but wonder, what if he hadn’t held back after Song Xuanhe’s teasing? What if he had f*cked him on the bed right there? Where would they be now? …Xiao Yuanmu widened his legs slightly before crossing them. He then shifted his phone slightly up and coughed. “I heard that you’re on vacation. Where do you plan on going?”
Song Xuanhe tilted his head. There was a meaningful tone to his voice. “Where did you hear that from? I just told Zhou Nan and them that. It’s unlikely that Xiao Shenglin immediately conveyed this to Xiao Ranyun after hearing this from me and that she had also immediately forwarded this information to you.”
Xiao Yuanmu didn’t bat an eye. “Mrs. Song told me.”
Song Xuanhe paused, eyes widening slightly. “Who?”
Xiao Yuanmu: “Auntie Song.”
Song Xuanhe: “When did she tell you that? How did she tell you that?”
“This morning. Right after you finished handling all the procedures.” Xiao Yuanmu even passed on Li Nianan’s reminder. “Auntie Song said that she hopes that I’ll keep in contact with you. And that she hopes that I’ll convince you to not run around the globe.”
“And?” Song Xuanhe asked, “Just that? Also, when did you get her contact information?”
“Auntie Song asked Mrs. James to give it to me.” Seeing Song Xuanhe’s tense expression, a smile appeared in the depths of Xiao Yuanmu’s eyes. He spoke in an innocent tone with that chilly voice of his. “Auntie Song probably wants to be able to check in our relationship whenever she wants. After all, you’ve got a bad rep.”
“What bad rep?” Song Xuanhe’s eyes were wide open and he raised his melodious voice. Because he had drunk, his voice was a bit hoarse. “And we’re not in a relationship.”
Xiao Yuanmu smiled silently. He looked at Song Xuanhe like he was a boyfriend that liked to make trouble for no reason.
Song Xuanhe broke out into goosebumps as soon as that nauseating thought appeared in his mind. Face taut, he said, “Don’t talk to her for no reason. Ignore her calls and texts.”
“Sure.”
Song Xuanhe was surprised that Xiao Yuanmu agreed so easily. Nonetheless, the other’s response did cause him to let out a breath of relief.
But the relief only lasted a second. He then heard Xiao Yuanmu continue: “If you answer my question with a satisfactory answer, that is.”
Song Xuanhe raised a brow. Xiao Yuanmu’s random question from before suddenly popped up his mind. He observed Xiao Yuanmu’s expression guardedly before changing his mind. “Forget it. Talk to her if you want.”
He then hung up without a word.
The author has something to say:
Xiao Yuanmu: I don’t have a lot of tricks but at least the ones I have are useful.
xiin: Mumu’s all like, ‘I know you’re running around in circles avoiding the topic of how much you care about me, and I’ll let you do it for now… because it’s fun to watch :)’
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