Translated by Eve

Edited by Kara

Song Xuanhe didn't even bother to go back and get his car. In order to make it in time to his appointment with Zhou Rong, he called a taxi and gave the driver the address Zhou Rong had sent him.

Song Xuanhe raised a brow upon seeing the address. Zhou Rong was good at choosing locations. A remote, high-cla.s.s club was indeed the perfect choice for this meeting. It wouldn't have made Song Xuanhe suspicious, and it was hidden from the public, which meant that they wouldn't be disturbed.

“Er shao!”

An upright-looking young man quickly walked over. His steps were full of vigour and happiness, and there was a smile full of excitement on his face as if he really was reuniting with a friend he hadn't seen for a long time.

Song Xuanhe met him halfway and extended a hand. Their chests b.u.mped in greeting. Song Xuanhe then smiled and asked, “What took you so long to come back?”

“My family wouldn't let me leave.” Zhou Rong patted his shoulder. He then raised a brow in surprise. In a teasing voice, he said, “Looks like you've been working out since I had been gone.”

“What do you think?” Song Xuanhe moved his shoulders. Before the other could react, he hooked his leg behind Zhou Rong's left leg and threw him onto the ground. Under Zhou Rong's guarded and shocked gaze, Song Xuanhe bent down slightly with a hand out. He pulled the other back up and chuckled. “Have I improved?”

“At a G.o.dly pace.” Zhou Rong stood up with Song Xuanhe's help. He then looked down as he patted the dust off of his clothes. He smiled back. “I can't knock you down on my own.”

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Song Xuanhe also helped him pat the dust off. “I only know a few moves. It only worked this time because I caught you off-guard.”

Zhou Rong wrapped an arm around Song Xuanhe's shoulders, beaming. “Let's go in. You agreed to spend tonight with me. We're not going home 'til we're drunk off our a.s.ses.”

“How are you still single after all this time?” Song Xuanhe turned around, avoiding the other's touch in a casual manner. He asked, “You've been living there for half a year now, but we've never seen you bring back a girl. I thought that you must have gotten yourself a girlfriend by now.”

“I have to follow my dad every day. Where would I find the time to get a girl?” Zhou Rong's expression changed slightly as he said, “Now, you, I recently heard that the Xiao Family's eldest son, who's been doing well as of late, is your boyfriend?”

“Ex.” Song Xuanhe's smile flattened.

“You broke up?” Zhou Rong pressed down on the elevator b.u.t.ton. He then took a step back so that he and Song Xuanhe were standing shoulder-to-shoulder. “But, I heard that you were serious about him. That it was because of him that you fought with Chao

zi

. When I had heard this, I thought that you definitely had to be serious about him to have fought with a long-time friend like that.”

“It hadn't really been a fight.” Song Xuanhe walked into the elevator and spoke in a casual tone. “Lu Chao teamed up with Song Jiani to screw me over. I've always known that he liked Song Jiani, but we'd been friends for so long. If it had been any other time, I would have turned a blind eye. But, Xiao Yuanmu was different. Besides, he had almost killed him. I was actually so disappointed in him.”

Zhou Rong paused imperceptibly on his way into the elevator. He then continued to walk in as if nothing had happened. He stared at the closing door and said: “I didn't know that.”

“That's only to be expected.” Song Xuanhe sighed quietly. “After all, Lu Chao's already….”

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Zhou Rong's fist tightened beside him. But before Song Xuanhe could notice it, he let go. He looked down, his voice sounding downcast. “That's right. The three of us and Song Jiani grew up together. Who would have thought that things would turn out like this?”

Song Xuanhe leaned against the elevator's gla.s.s wall. He looked down at the artificial oasis beneath them. The sunlight outside pierced through the transparent gla.s.s and shone against his face. It was difficult to discern the expression on his face. “People indeed change easily.”

Zhou Rong's eye twitched slightly. He subconsciously turned to look at Song Xuanhe. However, he couldn't make out the expression on the other's face, because the sun was behind him. All he saw was the other's slightly curled lips.

“Let's go.” Song Xuanhe walked out of the sunlight and stepped out of the elevator. “We're here.”

Zhou Rong came back to himself. With a smile, he followed after Song Xuanhe. “You've changed a lot. I should have met up with you when I had returned in the past. They say that you can notice changes in another person after just three days of separation. I feel like I don't even know you anymore.”

Song Xuanhe paused. He turned to look at Zhou Rong, who was about the same height as him, calmly. All of a sudden, he laughed. “Actually, I also feel like I don't know you very much anymore too.”

Zhou Rong stood a step away from Song Xuanhe. When he had heard this, something flickered through his eyes. His expression was indiscernible. “How so?”

“You're darker now. You look different.” Song Xuanhe smiled as he pointed at the door in front of them. “Is this the room you booked?”

Zhou Rong looked up at the stylish sign. He then laughed a bit nervously as he swiped his card. “I hadn't even realized we arrived, because I was so engrossed in our conversation. Let's go in. I specifically had them give us the best wine they have here. Drink to your heart's delight. No need to be polite with me.”

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Song Xuanhe nodded. He then walked in, a smile still painted on his face.

Zhou Rong's gaze paused on the back of the other's head for a few seconds. He then walked in and closed the door behind him.

Song Xuanhe discreetly surveyed the room. He then went to sit near the bar. He pulled a bottle of wine out of the ice bucket and wiped it dry with a towel. He then read the foreign words written on the bottle with the help of the sunlight streaming in through the windows. He then turned around and smiled: “Didn't expect you to be this generous. This is expensive.”

“I wouldn't do it for anyone else. But for treating you, I obviously have to do at least this much.” Zhou Rong walked over and took the wine out of Song Xuanhe's hands. With practiced ease, he poured the wine into a gla.s.s nearby. He then handed the gla.s.s over to Song Xuanhe: “Try it.”

【The wine is safe.】

Song Xuanhe accepted the gla.s.s and sniffed it. He then downed it in one go: “Not bad.”

“Obviously. I paid good money for this.” Zhou Rong poured himself a gla.s.s and then went to sit down on the sofa. He said, “I had originally planned on giving you this bottle of wine for your birthday. But in any case, it's not that different letting you drink it now.”

Song Xuanhe went to sit down on the arm chair, a refilled gla.s.s in his hand, and crossed his legs. He looked very much like a profligate son of the rich. His smile was languid. “That won't do. You have to give me a better bottle of wine for my birthday.”

“I won this at an auction in the black market.” Zhou Rong pointed to the bottle of wine that he had casually placed to the side. “It cost a lot of money, and my dad even beat me because of it. I had been waiting to surprise you with it. Waiting until the three of us could drink it together. I hadn't expected that things would stay the same, but the people would change. That's why I brought this with me to give to you tonight. This way, at least the person I had bought the wine for will have drank it. After all, who knows what will happen in the future?”

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Song Xuanhe finished his gla.s.s and poured himself another. “You're right.”

There was a moment of silence. Zhou Rong looked down at the gla.s.s in his hand. In a quiet voice, he said, “If Chao

zi

was still here, it wouldn't be this quiet. You like liveliness but not as much as him. He loved to do anything and everything. He used to call up everyone and anyone to his get-togethers. The three of us could never talk alone. I had thought that we wouldn't sit together in a room and have a proper chat like we used to in school until we were old. I had never thought that this day would come so soon.”

“Song

Er, Er shao

, why did Chao

zi

die?” Zhou Rong looked up, his eyes a little red. “Didn't we promise to be friends for the rest of our lives? We're still alive, so how could he have left us first?”

Song Xuanhe propped his chin up with his hand. His gaze was calm, but it looked unfocused. He said in a flat voice, “You said it earlier. Things stay the same, but people change. The world is unpredictable.”

Zhou Rong was taken aback for a moment. He then nodded. “Right…Things stay the same, but people change, and the world is unpredictable. Things stay the same, but people change….and the world is unpredictable.”

Song Xuanhe reached out to knock gla.s.ses with him. “It's okay.”

Zhou Rong finished his gla.s.s and then refilled both his and Song Xuanhe's. As he poured the wine out, he asked, “Who do you think is the happiest that Chao

zi'

s dead?”

Song Xuanhe's gaze swept over his seemingly expressionless face. “Who?”

“Probably Lu Yue,” Zhou Rong said, “He had lived outside for so many years. He learned a lot from that mom of his. Now that Chao

zi

's dead, the Lu Family only has him and his mom. Don't you think he's happy?”

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Before Song Xuanhe could reply, Zhou Rong continued: “Aside from Lu Yue, who else do you think is happy?”

【Careful. His emotions are fluctuating like crazy.】

Song Xuanhe leaned back discreetly. “I don't know.”

“How do you not know?” Zhou Rong looked up with a smile. “It's so obvious….”

Thump, thump, thump….

Zhou Rong furrowed his brows. He looked at the door, which the thumps had come from. Song Xuanhe said, “Maybe it's a server bringing in a fruit tray.”

“I didn't order any fruit.”

“I did.” Song Xuanhe smiled. “How can you not have fruit with wine?”

Zhou Rong glanced at him. He then turned around, swiped his card, and opened the door.

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Song Xuanhe followed after him. When he saw the person on the other side, he paused. “Song Jiani, what are you doing here?”

Song Jiani glanced at Zhou Rong. She then walked over and tugged at Song Xuanhe's hand. She blinked and said, “Xuanhe

gege

, Auntie told me to get you. You have to go home for dinner today, remember?”

Zhou Rong's expression changed slightly. He smiled at Song Jiani and peered into her eyes. “What's this? The two of you….”

Song Jiani avoided Zhou Rong's gaze. She s.h.i.+fted closer to Song Xuanhe and hugged his arm. “Don't you know that I've always liked Xuanhe

gege

? Auntie wanted me to get him, so I obviously have to take him away.”

As she had said this, Song Jiani pulled on Song Xuanhe's arm, wanting to leave.

Zhou Rong held onto Song Xuanhe and said to Song Jiani: “Xuanhe and I promised not to go home until we're drunk. What are you here for? What, do you want to join us too?”

Song Jiani looked at Song Xuanhe. Her fingers dug into his flesh. “Xuanhe

gege

, you can drink any time. But, you have to go home today. Otherwise, Auntie won't like me anymore. Come with me, okay?”

“What if I don't let you take him away?” Zhou Rong grabbed Song Xuanhe's other arm. He narrowed his eyes as he said to Song Jiani, “You shouldn't involve yourself in matters between men, you know.”

Song Jiani's face paled. She bit down on her lip nervously, but her grip on Song Xuanhe was tight. “I'm not gonna partic.i.p.ate. In any case, Xuanhe

gege

has to leave with me now. Auntie has already called me several times, urging us to come back. If I don't bring him back, Uncle and Auntie Song's impression of me will worsen. Zhou Rong, can't you drink some other time?”

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“We haven't seen each other for so long. I want to drink tonight,” Zhou Rong said, “You go back and speak to Auntie Song tonight. I'll apologize to her tomorrow.”

Song Jiani turned to look at Song Xuanhe, expression flickering. A moment later, with a slightly trembling voice, she said, “I'm not leaving.”

Zhou Rong stared at her for a moment. Suddenly, he laughed. “If you're not willing to leave, come in and drink with us then.”

Eve: Things gonna go down soon. And as annoying as Jiani had been, looks like at least her feelings are sincere.

Kara: When Eve says “Things are gonna go down soon,” she means from here on, almost every chapter is going to be a punch to the face. ∑(ﾟﾛﾟ〃) (´；ω；`)