Translated by Eve
Edited by Kara
Thank you Anon for the kofi!
Zhang Xiuya’s sobs gradually became louder. Song Guochao, who was about to agree, suddenly couldn’t say the words out loud.
Song Xuanhe seemed to have finally collected himself at this moment. Expressionlessly, he said, “Father, didn’t you just say that it was up to Mother to deal with this as she liked? Why aren’t you saying anything now?”
What Song Guochao valued the most was his image. Likewise, he usually also really hated his youngest son, who had no respect for him and would always contradict him. Right now, hearing his son speak to him with a practically criticizing tone, his slightly pleading expression morphed into hardly-concealed anger. “I’m speaking with your mother! You have no right to interrupt us! Did a dog eat your manners?!”
“Heh.” Song Xuanhe sneered. The upset on his face just now from having suffered a blow had been completely replaced with a calm expression. His face had turned icy. “Grandpa taught me social courtesy. Mother taught me how to tell good people from bad. But, what did Father teach me? To raise mistresses only to then let them come knock on the door and destroy decades of the Song Family’s good name and reputation?”
“You!” Song Guochao’s expression was livid from being spoken to in this cold, disdaining tone. However, what angered him even more was that he couldn’t refute these words. He had indeed never partaken in Song Xuanhe’s upbringing. Furthermore, he had also let the woman who he was keeping outside into the house. But even so, a son should not reproach his father for his mistakes. There was no justification for a son to chide his father!
“This is a matter between grown-ups. There’s no need for you to participate in this conversation.” Li Nianan patted Song Xuanhe so slightly that he almost didn’t feel it. Although she spoke words of criticism, her tone did not sound like she was scolding him. She then cast an indifferent gaze towards Song Guochao. “I can’t be bothered to deal with this woman. Dad was right. I don’t need to bicker with her over this.”
Song Guochao’s eyes lit up. However, Zhang Xiuya beside him sunk her nails into the palms of her hands.
“I just want my sons to get what is meant to be theirs.” Li Nianan turned to look at Song Yansong and said, “Dad, you have watched Xuanlin and Xuanhe grow up. They are your grandsons, your only successors. Everyone both within the family and outside of us knows it. However, now that this has happened, they will definitely be pointed at and talked about by outsiders. As a mother, I absolutely cannot watch my sons suffer such an injustice.”
Song Yansong examined her carefully. When he saw the deep love in her eyes, he nodded softly.
“I know what you’re thinking right now. You want to test them.” Li Nianan sighed. “I know my sons. Xuanlin is a steady person, and he has ambition. He’s the more suitable candidate in inheriting the group. Xuanhe is more unpredictable, but he’s very intelligent. It’s just that he’s got a playful personality. Therefore, I hope that you will quickly make your decision.”
When Song Xuanlin heard this, he looked up. He gazed at his mother as well as his younger brother, whose expression hadn’t changed at all while he was listening to their mother speak.
Song Yansong pursed his lips in a tight line. He knew what Li Nianan was thinking right now. He had always planned on choosing one of his grandsons as his successor, but he wasn’t very happy being forced to immediately delegate one of them.
It was just that Li Nianan had a younger sister who married into the Rogilere Family. Although the marriage was to a member of one of the branch families, it was enough to make them cautious and apprehensive. Moreover, the Song Family was in the wrong right now. If he didn’t agree to her request, then things would only develop in a worse direction.
Song Yansong glared at Song Guochao fiercely and then said in a heavy voice, “What do you think?”
“Xuanhe.” Li Nianan turned to look at Song Xuanhe and said, “Tell Mom something. Do you want to take over the Song Family?”
“No.” Song Xuanhe answered quickly as if afraid that if he were even a second slower, he’d have to take on that responsibility. “I’m happy as a Vice President.”
Song Xuanlin’s slightly pursed lips relaxed. He was usually a bit resentful towards his stubborn and mischievous younger brother for failing to meet expectations, but right now, he felt relieved to hear his brother say this.
“Dad,” Li Nianan said, “I hope that you can instate Xuanlin as the company president. You will still stay on as the company’s board chairman. However, I hope that Xuanlin can begin to truly participate in the company’s management.”
Song Yansong stared at her silently for a while before asking, “What about Xuanhe?”
“I will give Xuanhe all my shares of the Song Group,” Li Nianan said, “My only wish is that Xuanlin will protect Xuanhe in the future so that he can live a happy life.”
“Your shares?!” Song Guochao roared, “Have you gone insane!? Your shares are shared between the both of us! How can you make decisions about it on your own!?”
Li Nianan didn’t pay any attention to Song Guochao. She said, “When the family assets are divided, the percentage that Xuanhe will hold still won’t be more than Xuanlin’s fifty-percent share. However, I hope that you will promise me something.”
Song Yansong’s gaze was heavy. “Tell me.”
“Xuanhe’s unpredictable and isn’t very sensible,” Li Nianan said, “I do wish that he’ll become more thoughtful, but I also want him to be happy. Therefore, I want Dad to promise me that, if one day, he really ends up making a huge mess as long as he hasn’t commited murder or arson, the Song Family will protect him no matter what!”
Song Xuanhe raised his head at once. The shock on his face was no act. He really was astonished.
Were Mother Song’s words only out of love for her son, because she knew him well and wanted to plan ahead, or was it because she knew something else? The book didn’t include a scene like this. He didn’t know if the original host had experienced this too. Song Xuanhe guessed that this likely hadn’t happened in the original story line. After all, he had been the one to cause Zhang Xiuya’s appearance in the Song home. That had never happened in the original host’s life.
It was just that Song Xuanhe didn’t know if it was a good or bad thing for Mother Song to ask for such a promise on his behalf.
Luckily, everyone else was also shocked by Li Nianan’s words. Song Xuanhe’s expression right now wasn’t out of place.
“Xuanhe is also my grandson.” Compared to Li Nianan, who was just his daughter-in-law, Song Yansong loved his grandson, who he had raised himself for a while, a lot more. Therefore, when he had heard her ask him of this, the gloom in his heart dissipated a lot. He said, “I will promise you this. As long as it’s not arson or murder, I will do everything I can to protect him!”
Li Nianan’s expression eased up when she got Song Yansong’s promise. She placed Song Xuanhe and Song Xuanlin’s hands together and smiled. “You two are brothers. From now on, you must help each other. Xuanlin, take more care of Xuanhe. Xuanhe, you must not be so thoughtless from now on.”
Song Xuanlin looked at Song Xuanhe, whose surprise had yet to disappear from his face. When he thought of the dispute between their parents, he nodded earnestly. “I will take care of him.”
Li Nianan smiled. “That’s good.”
Even though Song Guochao was making a huge fuss, Song Yansong had already agreed to Li Nianan’s requests. At once, he summoned his lawyer and changed his will in front of everyone. He then alerted the board of directors that a meeting would soon be held. When the time came, he would announce Song Xuanlin’s appointment and the transfer of shares to Song Xuanhe. His last order was to have Song Guochao send Zhang Xiuya out through the back door. He would not let the Song Family lose face.
This farce had finally been settled. The Song Residence once again regained its peace.
Li Nianan hadn’t seen Song Xuanhe for a long time. She naturally wanted him to stay at home and spend more time with him. Therefore, when she heard him say that he planned on living at home for a while, the coldness in her just now was completely swept away. A smile bloomed on her face, and she ordered the family servant to prepare all his favourites for lunch. She then had him go rest in his room, afraid that he was tired or upset.
Song Xuanhe went back to his room as Li Nianan had suggested. After closing the door, his facade of being disappointed in his father disappeared, and his eyebrows slowly scrunched together.
【Er Gou, did Li Nianan give her shares to her youngest son and ask Song Yansong to protect him no matter what in the original plot?】
Although he had asked this question, Song Xuanhe actually already knew the answer.
【No. 】The System was very certain：【If that had happened, although they don’t have much to do with the protagonist, they would have still ended up being dragged into the protagonist’s revenge. Even if it was just in one sentence, the book would then have had to mention that the Song Family hadn’t honoured their promise. However, there was nothing like that in the book.】
【Mn.】Song Xuanhe had confirmed his conjecture, but his mood was still low.
The System saw Song Xuanhe lying on the bed, silent. It couldn’t help but ask：【Are you unhappy? Is it because of Xiao Yuanmu or because of what had happened just now?】
【Why would I be thinking about Xiao Yuanmu?】One of Song Xuanhe’s legs hung off of the bed, carelessly swinging back and forth：【Song Xuanhe has a good mom.】
After saying this, Song Xuanhe shut his eyes and stopped talking. The System could sense his complicated emotions. Therefore, it also refrained from speaking.
Ever since transmigrating into this book, the only person Song Xuanhe had taken seriously was Xiao Yuanmu. However, that was because he had no choice. He had to follow the plot, so he had to pay constant attention to Xiao Yuanmu.
However, just now, he had seen Li Nianan act differently from how she usually was. She had been like a lioness protecting her young. Despite suffering such a huge blow, she had been able to remain elegant and strike back with her words over and over, all for the sake of giving her child as great of a benefit as she could. She had been incredible.
That side of Li Nianan had made him think of his own mother.
Back then, his mother’s complexion had already turned ashy, but she had still fought hard to hold on until Song Xuanhe’s paternal grandfather and lawyer had arrived at the hospital. She had kept her calm and had persuaded his paternal grandfather, moving him with emotions and tempting him with promises of benefits. She had made him promise that Song Xuanhe would be able to grow up peacefully amidst the complicated Song Family, filled with family members who schemed and fought against each other.
He remembered how his mother had gently stroked his face after his grandfather and the lawyer had left. He remembered the words she had said, those words that had been long enough that they had made the sickly her find it even more difficult to breathe. “My darling baby, no matter where you are, remember that Mommy and Daddy love you. Mommy and Daddy only have one wish for you. We just want you to be happy and free. You don’t have to care about pleasing other people. As long as your conscience is clear, it’s good enough. Remember, Daddy and Mommy will always be watching you from the skies.”
The seven-year-old him had long since stopped believing that people became stars when they died. Despite this, whenever he was sad, he would still look up to the skies. He believed that his parents, who had loved him so much, must have wished that he believed in himself and had someone who loved him, even if that person was no longer around.
Even after arriving in this world, he still looked up at the stars. It had become a vain hope.
It was no longer the same world. His parents naturally couldn’t see him anymore. He couldn’t deceive himself, tell himself that there were people who loved him in the sky, that he wasn’t all alone.
However, the love that Li Nianan had for Song Xuanhe that he saw today, it had shocked him but also brought him an unfamiliar warmth.
Perhaps it was due to the influence of the original host’s emotions. Or, maybe it was because this kind of scene was particularly effective at causing his emotions to ripple. Regardless, him having felt pained and moved at that moment had not been fake.
He could no longer exploit the Song Family with a clear conscience. He could no longer allow Li Nianan to suffer a miserable fate in the future.
*
September seemed to pass in a flash. Autumn approached. Right now, crabs were also in season.
Song Xuanhe had not contacted Xiao Yuanmu for more than ten days. Because he meticulously avoided the other, there was basically no chance of him, who worked on the twenty-seventh floor, and Xiao Yuanmu, who worked on the sixteenth floor, to meet.
These last few days had been like a vacation for Song Xuanhe. Song Guochao had lost a lot of authority after Song Yansong took those shares away from him. Aside from scowling and glaring at Song Xuanhe coldly, he didn’t dare to criticize or scold the other anymore. He appeared tough on the outside but was cowardly on the inside. He practically had no fighting power.
The fact that Song Guochao had no fighting power was not just because the executives all knew that his shares had been transferred and that Song Xuanlin had been promoted. It was also because the matter about Zhang Xiuya forcing her way into his home had been spread around.
The day after Zhang Xiuya had been escorted out, intimate photos of Song Guochao and Zhang Xiuya had been released. Photos of her pompously stepping into the Song Family only to leave dejected had also appeared online.
What the Internet era lacked the least was entertainment news and rumours. However, what was rarely seen were news and rumours like this.
As long as the melon is sweet, no one would resent it for its scarcity.
Furthermore, the rumour that had come out this time was in regards to the extremely wealthy Song Family. The peanut gallery online had a grand old time. Threads upon threads had been made in forums. From a certain forum came a hefty two-thousand-worded, detailed story. It had been a moving love story about Song Guochao and Zhang Xiuya, who had loved each other since they were young, and how they had wanted to break free from the shackles of time. More and more explosive allegations against Zhang Xiuya had appeared on blogs online. The Song Group’s PR department had been so busy deleting posts and taking down “hot searches” that they had hated that they only had two hands.
Fortunately, although the masses were interested in this kind of gossip, it hadn’t affected the Song Group’s stocks very much.
Therefore, although Song Yansong had been furious, he had still remained rational. That was until news that Zhang Xiuya was pregnant had surfaced.
That day, the Song Family had been in total chaos. Song Yansong, who was hale and hearty despite his years, had thrown a stool at Song Guochao, nearly causing the other to bleed. In the end, Li Nianan had given her sons a look, signalling them to grab hold of Song Yansong. It had been only because of that that Song Guochao had averted dying a bloody death.
However, Zhang Xiuya’s pregnancy was irrefutable. The relationship between Song Guochao and her was also clear. There was no way to deny it. Song Guochao couldn’t say that it wasn’t his child, could he? Wouldn’t that be even worse?
Letting others know that he had committed a wrong that many other men have also done compared to letting others know that he’d been cheated on — the resulting humiliation was completely different.
Song Guochao would never announce that it wasn’t his child. Therefore, Zhang Xiuya was forced to have an abortion by the people Song Yansong sent. It was supposed to be a happy thing: being able to have a child in one’s older age. Furthermore, Song Guochao wasn’t close to his two sons either. Compared to those two, Song Guochao felt more affection towards his unformed son.
However, between a son he had yet to even meet and being laughed at for the rest of his life, Song Guochao still chose himself.
Back then, Zhang Xiuya had dared to go to the Song Residence’s door because she was pregnant with Song Yangsong’s grandson. But, the Song Family had shattered her hope at once. She didn’t actually feel that upset about the abortion though. After all, Song Guochao’s attitude back then had already made her see things clearly. The day after her abortion, she took the money offered to her by the Song Family and left the Capital, leaving behind Song Guochao, who resented her for not understanding him.
His reputation and wealth had been destroyed. Even his first love had left him. Song Guochao seemed to have aged ten years overnight. He didn’t even have the strength to lecture that son of his anymore.
Song Xuanhe bumped into Song Guochao, who was eating breakfast, when he came down. He didn’t even look at the other and just minded his own business, eating his own breakfast. No one else at the table said a word.
It was the weekend today. Song Xuanhe had received a call this morning. It was one of the original host’s friends. He had called him out to eat crabs.
Song Xuanhe had thought it over. He had discovered that this friend didn’t have any scenes in the original story and didn’t seem particularly important in the original host’s memories. Therefore, he had agreed.
The place where they were eating crabs was located in the outskirts of town. It was inside a stilted building within an artificial lake. When Song Xuanhe arrived, the person who had called him out was already sitting inside.
“Song Er.” That person waved at him, so he could see where he was.
Song Xuanhe walked over and sat down in front of him. With a smile, he said, “Didn’t think you’d come back. I heard that you were having a great time in Nansheng.”
“Alright, alright,” Qian Ping flashed a candid smile and said, “If it wasn’t because my dad had taken up office over there, I wouldn’t have been willing to be apart from you all. I came rushing back when I remembered that it was crab season.”
“Why didn’t you go to Jiang City then?” After resting for a few days, Song Xuanhe’s smile was relaxed for once. His languid expression caused the waiter, who was serving them their crabs, to blush.
Qian Ping grabbed a crab that had already lost its legs and began to pry open its shell. “Obviously it’s because I heard you found true love as of late. I hadn’t believed it at first, but Nan zi and them told me it’s true. I then asked Lin zi. I hadn’t expected that he’d say it was real too. If it wasn’t because there had been a problem on my dad’s side back then, I would have ran over here a long time ago to see just how good-looking he is to have made you fall head over heels.”
Song Xuanhe scooped a spoonful of crab roe into his mouth. He cocked a brow when he heard Qian Ping say this. “You came back for that?”
“Of course not. But, that was the main reason.” Qian Ping was obviously very interested. He asked, “Where is he? Call him out to eat. Let your friend see him.”
“What’s the use in seeing him?” Song Xuanhe ate the crab roe calmly. “He wouldn’t be yours even if you got to see him.”
Qian Ping was startled. He then laughed. “I still had doubted it a bit, but now, I really believe that you’ve fallen for him hard. Originally, I was just trying to get you to speak, but now, I’m really curious.”
“What’s his name?” Qian Ping frowned. He said, “I remember that he has the same last name as Lin zi. Xiao something? Xiao something mu? Xiao Yanmu? Xiao Yunmu?”
Song Xuanhe couldn’t stop himself from laughing. “I’m not telling you.”
“Call him over.” Qian Ping looked excited. “I heard Nan zi say that he looks like an immortal, that he’s even better looking than the celebrities signed under his family’s company. Come on, let me widen my horizons.”
“Not calling him.” Song Xuanhe refused him without any hesitation.
What a joke. He had a rare chance to relax, to not have to follow the plot with Xiao Yuanmu, to not be on edge the whole day. Calling Xiao Yuanmu over would interrupt his vacation. He wasn’t an idiot.
“It’s just meeting him.” Seeing that Song Xuanhe wouldn’t agree, Qian Ping couldn’t help but frown. “You’re doting on him too much. You become unhappy if other people look at him for even a second too long.”
Song Xuanhe didn’t want to continue with this subject. He made a perfunctory sound of acknowledgement. “I like him too much. I don’t want other people to stare at him like he’s an animal on display, okay? Eat the crabs. Why are you talking so much?”
When Qian Ping heard this, he wasn’t angry. Instead, he opened his eyes wide, clearly even more shocked. “F*ck, this can’t be. You didn’t just find someone to be serious with, you’ve really fallen hard.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” If Song Xuanhe had known that this character, who was unrelated to the plot, would talk so much nonsense, he would have never come here just because he wanted to eat crab. However, there was no turning back now. If he didn’t want the other to keep holding onto this, he’d have to come up with some reasoning. “Don’t mention him anymore. We fought recently and haven’t seen each other in a while. Let’s eat crabs in peace, okay?”
“How can we do that?!” Qian Ping frowned. “How can you not see each other just because you had a fight? Since you like him, you should be more yielding. How can you make up if you don’t see each other?”
“He’s the one who doesn’t want to see me. It’s not like I don’t want to see him.” Song Xuanhe lied in order to shut Qian Ping up. “We need some time to cool down. I don’t want to talk about him right now.”
Qian Ping, thus, shut his mouth. He looked at Song Xuanhe as if wanting to say something more but ended up not saying it.
The two of them ate two crabs in peace. Qian Ping then spoke up again. “Actually, there is another reason why I came back.”
Song Xuanhe raised a brow. Although he wasn’t really interested, as long as it wasn’t about Xiao Yuanmu, he’d listen.
“Do you know about Wei Chen’s medical robots?” Qian Ping asked.
“Yes.”
“I heard that he hasn’t been able to find a good partner yet.” Qian Ping’s expression turned serious. “I want to give it a try.”
Song Xuanhe didn’t comment. He only nodded indifferently.
“I moved out from the compound when I was in junior high and followed my dad to Nansheng afterwards. Although we had played together as kids, I don’t really have a way to get in contact with Wei Chen to discuss business right now. I also heard that he’s rejected a lot of people. I don’t know what he wants.”
“I heard from Zhou Nan that he wants someone who can participate in the testing.” Song Xuanhe looked up. “As well as someone who can provide a lot of data.”
Qian Ping had just been complaining offhandedly. He hadn’t expected that Song Xuanhe would actually know something. The first part, he already knew. However, he’d never heard of the second half before. He asked, “What data?”
“Medical data, ba.” Song Xuanhe didn’t want to meddle in this stuff, so he only made a perfunctory statement. “You should go at it from the testing aspect. Data isn’t easy to obtain.”
Qian Ping nodded, vexed. He sighed. He didn’t want to think about this anymore. He was about to continue speaking when he heard a laugh come from the other side of the bamboo curtain. The voice then said, “Xiao Yuanmu, are you finally full?”
Song Xuanhe was startled. Qian Ping was also startled. He furrowed his brows and pondered over this for a few seconds before widening his eyes. “Isn’t Xiao Yuanmu your boyfriend’s name? This name isn’t common. Is he next door?”
As soon as Qian Ping’s words fell, the voice from earlier confirmed his suspicion.
A smile could be heard in that voice. “Since he’s already guessed correctly and wants to see you, we should go meet them.”
As Qian Ping stood up, Song Xuanhe finally thought of who this familiar voice belonged to.
It was Wei Chen.
The two main characters of their conversation just now had been sitting opposite of them and had heard everything they had said.
Eve: Apologies for the late post. I wasn’t feeling well yesterday so I ended up falling asleep and forgetting to schedule it.
My heart hurt for Xuanhe when he thought of his mother. And then… *snickers* You’ve been caught lying, Xuanhe. Also, MuMu’s finally back!
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