translator: Eve
editor: kara
After confirming that Xiao Shenglin would be fine, Song Xuanhe randomly purchased the earliest flight out of the country. He didn’t tell a single soul—he just left two notes. Song Xuanhe had found someone to casually hand one over to Song Xuanlin at the entrance of the Song Group building, and the other was left in his apartment downtown.
Song Xuanlin had thought that it was a prank when he had first received the note. It hadn’t been until the other ignored all his calls, and he had discovered the identical note in the other’s empty apartment, had he realized something was off. Song Xuanlin had then returned to the Song Residence with fury and concern in his chest. However, he managed to hide it from Li Nianan. He had told her that Song Xuanhe had told him about his departure beforehand to avoid having her worry too much.
Zhou Nan and them were different. They had only realized that something weird was going on after their calls failed to go through several days in a row. They had visited Feng Tong’s studio first, but Feng Tong had said that he hadn’t seen Song Xuanhe for a long time already.
Because Song Xuanhe had already finished his designs, he had stopped dropping by the studio for a while now. He had already told Feng Tong that he would be on leave for a while even before Xiao Shenglin’s accident. Song Xuanhe had said that he’d be back for the Fashion Week in October, but that was it.
Feng Tong had then told them as much. However, Zhou Nan had still been concerned. He had headed to Song Xuanhe’s apartment. He knew where the other’s spare key was and had managed to get in. After entering, he had walked around his friend’s empty living room before discovering the memo taped onto the French windows. All that had been written on it was: I went out to have fun. Don’t come looking for me.
Simple and concise. It was heartless enough to instill rage into someone.
Zhou Nan had been so angry that he had kicked the windows. However, because the windows were so sturdy, all that came out of that was crippling pain in his foot. Zhou Nan had hopped on one foot for a long time before the pain had subsided. But once the pain had disappeared, the anger boiled once more. He had yelled: I must have been really freaking stupid to worry about you!
……
Song Xuanhe, who was now several thousands of kilometers away, was walking around and taking several pictures from good angles with the camera in his hand. He politely rejected an unfamiliar girl attempting to hit on him, giving off a distant feeling. He then took a bite out of the sandwich he had bought after debarking from his flight. As soon as the morsel of food had entered his mouth, he frowned. Before he could swallow, he sneezed, and the mouthful of food spurted out. It attracted many gazes from the travellers around him.
The girl who had been hitting on him had originally wanted to continue. However, after witnessing that scene, she left after hesitating for a few seconds.
Song Xuanhe wiped his mouth and then picked up the sandwich that had accidentally fallen onto his clothes and the floor. After tidying himself up, he muttered to himself with a raised brow. “Luckily, I’m standing far away. Otherwise, I would have sullied one of the seven great wonders of the world.”
【And, here I thought you had done that on purpose.】The System said, sounding used to having such things occur：【You’ve been using similar methods to get rid of the guys and girls who have been pestering you these last few days, after all.】
Song Xuanhe said：【You’ve collected so many books and resources about humans. Have you never heard of this saying?】
The System was curious：【What saying?】
【There are three things that are impossible to hide: coughs, poverty, and love.】Song Xuanhe put his camera away and continued on his way：【Sneezes are the same.】
The System was silent for a moment：【I’ve heard another human saying that says that someone is cursing or scolding you whenever you sneeze. Which one do you think it is?】
【Someone’s missing me.】Song Xuanhe smiled：【Zhou Nan’s probably realized that I’ve left the country by now. He probably misses me.】
This time, the System was quiet for a long time：【I think he’s probably cursing you out instead.】
Song Xuanhe went to grab a cup of coffee. He found a random place to sit down before looking over the pictures he had taken today. There was a shallow smile gracing his lips：【Doesn’t he have to miss me to curse me out?】
The System fell silent again. For the last half-month, during their journey from a small country in Europe to this current country, Song Xuanhe had shown him what it meant to have skin thicker than a city wall.
The System thought that Song Xuanhe had probably been a bit wary of his personality settings in China. That was why he had only displayed a fraction of his ability even when against Wei Chen or Zhou Nan and them.
Nevertheless, it couldn’t help but retort Song Xuanhe’s words：【If love can’t be hidden, does that mean Xiao Yuanmu did those things because he loves you?】
Song Xuanhe took a moment to think about it. Before he could respond, the System continued：【In which case, is the fact that you threw off his men proof of your rejection of his love? Proof that you don’t love him?】
【Why is an AI like you talking about love?】Song Xuanhe got up. He picked up his luggage, which only contained a few outfits, and continued in a flat voice：【Even if AI sounds like love in Chinese, it’s not like you can fall in love.】
The System had already gotten used to Song Xuanhe’s attacks after spending all this time with him alone. Furthermore, as a system, aside from feeling like its main chip was overheating a bit, it didn’t feel angry like humans would. Therefore, it was really good at adapting. It continued to ask in a very sincere tone：【So, do you like him or not? My analysis tells me that the reason you had bought a plane ticket after returning from the hospital is because you want to escape reality. You don’t want to face it.】
【Face what?】
The System choked. Sullenly, it said：【I don’t know.】
Song Xuanhe hailed a taxi, told the driver the name of a hotel, and then rested his eyes：【Shut up if you don’t know.】
The System closed its mouth, feeling wronged. It started to calculate how much longer it would have to be with Song Xuanhe. It couldn’t wait to part ways with this ill-tempered host who disliked it. But after realizing that there was only half a year left, it suddenly felt like Song Xuanhe’s temper wasn’t that bad. Regardless, it wouldn’t be speaking to Song Xuanhe again today.
After checking in, Song Xuanhe handed his luggage over to the room’s manager and then took his camera to the streets with him to search for food.
However, rather than finding food, he ended up finding a familiar face.
Song Xuanhe turned around expressionlessly and took another road upon seeing the bright-eyed young man waving at him.
When Guan Zhi saw that Song Xuanhe had pretended to not have seen him, he cursed Xiao Yuanmu angrily. He then ran after the other. It took him a while before he caught up to Song Xuanhe. “Why did you run away from me?”
Song Xuanhe shot back: “Why did you chase after me?”
Although there was a lot wrong with this question, Guan Zhi couldn’t come up with a comeback.
After being met with silence, Song Xuanhe added, “Why are you here?”
Guan Zhi’s gaze shifted away. “I’m on break, so I came out to have fun.”
“Are you constantly on break or something?” Song Xuanhe laughed.
Guan Zhi felt unhappy upon hearing the derision in Song Xuanhe’s voice. He snorted. “We have a lot of vacation time at my school. Jealous?”
Song Xuanhe simply raised a brow silently. Guan Zhi’s cheeks puffed up in anger, but he didn’t know what else to say.
The silence lasted a long time. In the end, Song Xuanhe was the one to break it. “Fine. If you want to follow me, go ahead. Just don’t cause me any trouble.”
“How would I cause you trouble? You’re looking down on me a little too much.”
For the next few days, Guan Zhi proved that Song Xuanhe really had underestimated him.
Although the other was only eighteen years old, he was good at scheduling. When he had found out that the reason Song Xuanhe was touring the world was because he wanted to collect local cultural material, he gave him an introduction to the beautiful places he had visited throughout his lifetime so far. Song Xuanhe actually gained a lot from that.
The overall structure of this world was more-or-less the same as Song Xuanhe’s old one. However, the development and history of each country was rather different. A slight deviation was capable of changing history. Therefore, Song Xuanhe had found himself overwhelmed by the novel, never-before-seen objects and sights of this world in just a short two months.
Guan Zhi followed him from Egypt to Morocco (TN: Again, the author doesn’t use the actual terms but they seem pretty close). As he saw more and more of Song Xuanhe’s impactful photos that were capable of capturing the uniqueness of each sight, his early shock and appreciation turned into admiration. The two of them spent the entire journey bantering and helping each other out. In Egypt, both their wallets had been stolen. In Morocco, they had fallen victim to an attempted robbery outside a pub. As the trip continued on, Song Xuanhe and Guan Zhi had gotten a lot closer. When it was time to part, both of them were reluctant.
“I’ll be there at your show in Y City. My mom and sister will be coming with me. Oh, but I have to go back to school after the show. I won’t be able to keep hanging out with you after that.” Standing at the entrance to the airport located in the country’s capital, Guan Zhi looked upset. He said, “You better remember to send me pictures of the delicious things you eat after. I’ll have my butler send people over to buy it for me. You better not forget. I’ll join you again once school’s out.”
Song Xuanhe took in the reluctant expression on this little spy’s face. The little spy should have split with him at the Casablanca Mohammed V International Airport, but he had insisted on flying with him to China’s capital before transferring flights. In the end, Song Xuanhe rubbed the other’s head, heart softening. “Go back.”
Guan Zhi pouted at him. “You have to promise me that you’ll let me come along with you next time first.”
Song Xuanhe nodded and then pointed with his chin. “Your cousin’s come to pick you up.”
Guan Zhi’s face had brightened up upon seeing Song Xuanhe nod. But when he saw Wei Chen behind himself, his lips turned downwards again. “I didn’t tell him to pick me up. Besides, it’s not like he needs to go to Canada right now. It’s probably a coincidence.”
In contrast, Wei Chen, who was making a beeline towards them, made it clear that this was no coincidence. Upon reaching them, Wei Chen didn’t even so much as glance at Guan Zhi. He smiled at Song Xuanhe, although it didn’t reach his eyes. “I had thought that you had run away to avoid treating me.”
Song Xuanhe smiled back. “I have some time before I need to go to America. It’s yours if you want it.”
Wei Chen looked at Song Xuanhe, surprised. “I feel like your temperament has improved after all this time away.”
Guan Zhi interrupted them. “That’s ‘cause he had vented all his temper onto me. No duh, he’s in a better mood now.”
After having spent so much time getting insulted by Song Xuanhe, Guan xiao shaoye, who had only ever snorted in response while holding in his anger, had finally learned how to talk back.
Wei Chen glanced at Guan Zhi profoundly after hearing Guan Zhi say that. “Looks like both of you have benefited from this trip.”
Guan Zhi shrugged. Once again, he reminded Song Xuanhe that he had to get in contact with him the next time he planned to go on a trip before leaving. He didn’t even say goodbye to Wei Chen.
Song Xuanhe smiled. “What did you do to make him hate you so much?”
Wei Chen rubbed his chin and thought about it for a long time. “Does me spilling water on his bed in order to make him think he had wet his bed count?”
Song Xuanhe gave him a thumbs up.
After exiting the airport, Song Xuanhe suddenly came to a stop. He asked, “What are you doing here at the airport?”
Wei Chen spun his keys around his finger. “Didn’t you say that your time is mine to do as I please?”
“You really want me to treat you to a meal now?”
Wei Chen raised a brow. “What, you have other plans?”
“No.” Song Xuanhe recalled the weekly emails he had gotten from Zhou Nan that were filled with angry exclamation marks and warnings that he better let the other know when he was back in the country right away. He then shrugged. “I’m hungry. Let’s eat.”
Wei Chen picked a place near the airport. It was less than a twenty-minute drive. Because Guan Zhi had messaged him in advance, Wei Chen already had a reservation.
When Song Xuanhe saw this, he laughed. Quietly, he muttered, “Looks like he’s a triple agent.”
Wei Chen had been speaking to the waiter, so he hadn’t heard Song Xuanhe clearly. He asked, “What did you say just now?”
There was an implicit message hidden underneath his words. “I said, the relationship between you and Guan Zhi isn’t as bad as you say it is.”
Wei Chen understood what he was talking about right away. His lips curled up. “Probably because I had always told people that the wet spot was actually just water that had been accidentally spilled whenever people had thought he had wet his bed.”
Song Xuanhe was quiet for a while before nodding. Once again, he gave Wei Chen another thumbs up.
He and Wei Chen were equally matched in a battle of wit. But when it came to evil tricks, Wei Chen was undoubtedly superior.
The System didn’t agree：【Did you forget about the time you had tricked Guan Zhi into eating bugs?】
Song Xuanhe pretended to not hear that. Wei Chen changed the subject. They were now talking about this place’s signature dish.
Wei Chen seemed difficult-to-approach to a lot of people. But in reality, when he really wanted to get close to someone else, he was very attentive. Paired with his vast amount of knowledge, he was able to easily pinpoint his target’s likes and preferences. At least, Song Xuanhe felt like Wei Chen was a lot more pleasing to his eyes after their conversation.
After talking about photography for a long while, Wei Chen seemed to have suddenly recalled something. He asked, “Do you remember Xue Mian?”
Song Xuanhe nodded. “What about him?”
“He’s doing well in America. I heard that he’s already done with that film of his. He seemed to be contemplating whether to stay in America or go back.”
Song Xuanhe wasn’t really interested, so he simply nodded in silence.
Wei Chen wasn’t surprised by Song Xuanhe’s lack of interest in gossip. However, he still continued down this line of conversation. “I heard that he frequently visits RE’s headquarters.”
Song Xuanhe paused. He turned to look at Wei Chen. “What are you trying to say?”
“Nothing.” Wei Chen smiled as he noticed the impatience in Song Xuanhe’s brows. “I just wanted to confirm something.”
Song Xuanhe looked away and concentrated on the delicious food on the table.
Some time later, Wei Chen spoke up again. “Do you know Bai Mo? He’s been looking for you recently.”
Song Xuanhe paused again when he had heard this name that he hadn’t heard for a long time. He asked, “Why?”
“Sounds like he wants to discuss something with you on behalf of his friend?” Wei Chen’s lips were curled up. “His friend’s a designer. I heard that he got into an accident recently. His hands are ruined.”
Song Xuanhe put his chopsticks down. “What do you mean?”
“Jiang Deyi.” Wei Chen tapped against the table. “He had appeared in China last month. His hands were already ruined by then. But, no one had known who he was, so no one had cared about what had happened to him. However, Bai Mo had let out that it was because of you—because of what had happened on the cruise in the past. Even people who hadn’t been on the cruise know a little of what had happened then. Your brother had even met with Bai Mo because of this.”
“I’m curious,” Wei Chen said, an intrigued smile on his lips, “How many familiar faces have you bumped into since you had started travelling?”
After hearing about Song Xuanlin’s meeting with Bai Mo, Song Xuanhe’s brows gradually knitted together. “What did they talk about?”
“I don’t know. What I do know is that after that, Bai Mo stopped insisting that you were the one who had hurt Jiang Deyi’s hands,” Wei Chen reminded him with a bit of derisive tone, “Although the Bai Family’s nothing much, Bai Mo’s an expert in communication. If he’s coming for you, that means others are too.”
Song Xuanhe knew that the derision was actually pointed towards Bai Mo. He also understood what the other really meant by “an expert in communication.” However, he didn’t really get what the other was getting at exactly. “Who’s behind him?”
“Someone from the Zhang Family.”
Song Xuanhe’s expression changed slightly. “Zhang Siwei?”
Wei Chen was surprised. “You know Zhang Siwei?”
“No.”
Zhang Siwei was one of Xiao Yuanmu’s pursuers according to the book. The man was working abroad all this time, so Song Xuanhe had never met him. It was just that, when he had heard that it was someone from the Zhang Family, he had subconsciously thought of him.
“It’s not Zhang Siwei,” Wei Chen said, “He’s not that dumb. It’s his younger cousin, Zhang Simu.”
This name…sounded both unfamiliar and familiar.
Song Xuanhe combed through his memories for this name. He even had the System look through the novel, but nothing came up. Therefore, he had no choice but to give up. “I’ve never heard of this person before.”
“He went to the same high school as Bai Mo. They are each other’s first loves.” Wei Chen said, “Though they’re no longer together, they’re still friends.”
“Friends” had been spoken in a way that made it sound like “f*ck buddies.” (TN: Friends in Chinese is ‘pengyou’ and sex buddies is ‘paoyou’.)
Song Xuanhe nodded and thanked Wei Chen for the heads-up. Actually, Wei Chen didn’t take Bai Mo seriously. He thought that it would be enough to just give Song Xuanhe a warning. That was why he didn’t say much more about that and simply went back to talking about design and photography.
Both of them had enjoyed their meal together.
After they had finished eating, Wei Chen drove Song Xuanhe back to the other’s apartment. Before Song Xuanhe got off, he asked, “No one’s been in your apartment for two months. Are you sure you don’t want to stay at my place for the night?”
Song Xuanhe waved a hand: “I’m heading up.”
It wasn’t until Song Xuanhe’s figure had disappeared from Wei Chen’s sight that he drove away.
The next morning, Song Xuanhe was woken up by a pounding on his door.
Mind hazy, he pulled his covers over his head. Even after waiting for a long time, he could still hear the “thump, thump” on the door, so he had no choice but to throw his blanket off. With a face of exhaustion and impatience, he walked out. Upon seeing Zhou Nan banging on his door looking like a resentful, angry wife, his drowsiness finally faded away.
”You’re already inside. Why the heck are you knocking?”
“How would I know whether there’s someone inside or not?” Zhou Nan replied back in a snarky tone, “This is just routine for me. I hadn’t expected to see a pair of shoes here. What if a gangster had broken in? Isn’t it safer to stand at the door, so I can make a run for it at any time?”
“You think a gangster would let you run away with how arrogant you are?” Song Xuanhe rolled his eyes. He then went to pour himself some water. Sipping on his water, he waited for the rest of his drowsiness to leave. “Why did you come over so early?”
“You had left for two months without saying a thing. You never picked up your phone either. And, the first thing you say to me is ‘Why did you come over so early?’ Seriously?”
Song Xuanhe’s brain was still muddled. His reaction was a bit dulled. He ignored the fury on the other’s face and nodded. “Mn. I asked you why you have come over so early.”
Zhou Nan laughed out of anger. He placed the bag in his hand onto the table and said, “I toiled to grab you breakfast.”
While setting breakfast out, Zhou Nan also ridiculed the other. “It’s one thing for you to leave for two months, but you never called back to tell us that you were safe or to tell us what it was like where you were. What, did you save all your words for Xiao Yuanmu? Even if you value love over your friends, you can’t be like this. At this rate, when you get married, are you gonna….”
Song Xuanhe took a sip of soy milk and said in a flat voice, “I didn’t contact Xiao Yuanmu either.”
Zhou Nan froze. For a moment, his expression went blank. He then said in an astonished tone, “You didn’t talk to Xiao Yuanmu all this time?”
Song Xuanhe nodded.
“F*ck!” Zhou Nan clicked his tongue and shook his head. “I don’t feel that bad anymore. Xiao Yuanmu has it way worse than me.”
After lamenting over that, Zhou Nan asked, “Did you tell Xiao Yuanmu before you left?”
“No.”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” Zhou Nan suddenly felt calm. He didn’t forget to sigh deeply in feigned despair while actually taking pleasure from Xiao Yuanmu’s misfortune. “How tragic, unfathomably tragic! Not even ‘tragic’ is enough to describe this!”
Song Xuanhe glanced at him before pointing at the chair in front of him. “Either sit here and eat or shut up and stay standing.”
Zhou Nan was about to continue when he saw Song Xuanhe’s eyes narrow. He then sat down at once and placed a soup dumpling onto a small plate. “I don’t feel bad for him. Compared to being unable to contact you, having to face you is worse.”
Song Xuanhe ignored him, but Zhou Nan didn’t stop talking. He started to make small talk. “Did you really not contact Xiao Yuanmu? No way, right? There’s no way he wouldn’t try to find you after two months of failing to get in touch. It’s easy for the Xiao Family to find someone. You didn’t live incognito either.”
“Not even eating can get you to shut up?”
“I’m really curious,” Zhou Nan stretched his head over and spoke in a hushed voice, “Tell me the truth—just what’s going on between you two?”
Song Xuanhe glanced at him through the corner of his eye and remained silent.
Zhou Nan continued on. “I had thought that you’ve been lying to me all this time considering what Uncle Xiao had said in Lin zi’s hospital room and that interview. But now that I think about it, it doesn’t feel like you are lying.”
“But if that’s the case…” Zhou Nan frowned, “Doesn’t that mean that you wanted to break up, but Xiao Yuanmu doesn’t agree? Are you both stubbornly sticking to your own version of events, because you are stuck in a deadlock? But, Xiao Yuanmu doesn’t seem like the type to pester someone to death once they mention breaking up. So, what’s going on? You guys seem like you’re still dating but also like you’ve already broken up. Not even couples who marry, divorce, and then remarry are as difficult as you two.”
“Oh, but if you two are together, I’d have gone crazy with anger if I had been Xiao Yuanmu with how you had disappeared for two months. I’d be constantly looking out for news on you. I’d call you as soon as you were back in the country, if I couldn’t be there in person. Right, has Xiao Yuanmu called you yet?”
“Are you that curious about my personal affairs?”
Zhou Nan nodded. There was a strong desire to find out on his face.
“I don’t….”
Before he could say “want to tell you,” Song Xuanhe’s phone rang. The familiar contact name appeared on his screen. When Zhou Nan saw this, his eyes lit up. He looked like an excited neighbourhood auntie at the prospect of overhearing some good gossip.
Eve: Guan Zhi is so cute I can’t. Poor baby being bullied by WC and SXH hahaha. Feel bad for XYM too but SXH will be coming around soonish. (I know, I keep saying this. But really…probably…soonish….there aren’t that many chapters left anyway)
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