Translated by Eve

Edited by Kara

Song Xuanhe's eyelid twitched. The hand hanging at his side came up and rested on the car's door handle. He opened the door and looked up at Xiao Yuanmu. “What are you talking about?”

Song Xuanhe's lowered gaze looked pure and innocent, tinged with just the right amount of befuddlement. If it hadn't been for the fact that Xiao Yuanmu's gaze had been fixed on the other's face the whole time, he might have been deceived by this kind of inquisitive expression.

However, when he recalled the Song Xuanhe from that night, who had clung onto him with misty eyes, crying out softly for him not to leave, Xiao Yuanmu's eyes darkened. He looked away and said, “You were drunk after the reception last time. Do you not remember anything?”

“I don't.” Song Xuanhe replied without any hesitation. He would never admit to remembering such an embarra.s.sing thing. “I'll take you back. Get in.”

Xiao Yuanmu glanced at him. Seeing the other's indifferent appearance, he bent at the waist and boarded the car.

After closing the pa.s.senger side door, Song Xuanhe let out an inaudible sigh. He then went around the car and got in through the driver's side.

“You're not coming back with me?” Xiao Yuanmu looked out the window with an insipid gaze.

Song Xuanhe didn't look up. “I have something to do.”

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Xiao Yuanmu turned to look at him, tone unchanging. “Something to do with the Song Family?”

Song Xuanhe's heart skipped, and he brought his guard up. He remembered that according to the original timeline, Xiao Yuanmu would probably soon find evidence of how the Song Family had bribed authorities for the sake of obtaining rights to a development zone. Him asking this question might be an attempt to gain additional chips while the Song Group was in a state of unrest.

When he thought of what Li Nianan had told him when she had transferred the shares to him, Song Xuanhe pursed his lips. No matter what, the Song Group could not fall so quickly.

“You're interested?” Song Xuanhe kept his eyes forward, keeping his voice casual.

Xiao Yuanmu naturally didn't miss the flash of vigilance on Song Xuanhe's face. The light in his eyes glinted slightly. The Song Xuanhe of his first life had treated him like he was a maggot. Therefore, he had never taken Xiao Yuanmu seriously. He had even foolishly left the door to his own study open. However, although the Song Xuanhe in this life seemed rude and unreasonable, he would always protect Xiao Yuanmu at a crucial moment. Based on that, it would be reasonable to a.s.sume that this Song Xuanhe cared about him. However, Xiao Yuanmu couldn't read his thoughts. All he knew was that Song Xuanhe was guarded against him and had his misgivings towards him.

The memories from his pre-rebirth self had quite an effect on him. If it weren't for the memories from the Xiao Yuanmu who had fallen for Song Xuanhe, he would probably have chosen to relax and rest for a while before returning to the Xiao Family rather than waste time here with Song Xuanhe. Just like the Song Xuanhe from his first life, both the Song Family and Song Xuanhe in this life were nothing but insects that could be crushed with his fists.

But, these memories were so deeply engraved that they constantly affected his mental state. They caused his plans to change.

Even after his memories had fused together, although he had known that Song Xuanhe didn't have any feelings for him—rather than feelings, the other seemed to be more on guard—those memories had still been unforgiving. They made him unable to leave with an easy heart. It was like the emotions that he had abandoned long ago had finally returned to him, making it so that his cool-headed brain would no longer be able to make decisions purely based on reason.

Xiao Yuanmu thought that, since this was the case, he'd just treat the time they had now as a vacation. He'd also take this time to figure out why Song Xuanhe had taken an interest in him and why he had wanted to be with him. He had planned to see through the other and find his true face. Whenever he managed to accomplish that, those colourful, beautiful memories would naturally fade to grey. Like that, they would no longer be able to affect him.

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Upon observing Song Xuanhe, he had discovered that the other was indeed hiding something. However, the other's appearance and behaviour had not been faked. Since he wouldn't be able to get over these feelings by “uncovering Song Xuanhe's true face”—as there wasn't one to uncover—he thought that he would find out the reason why Song Xuanhe seemed to fear him instead. He figured that once he knew why the other had approached him despite obviously holding apprehension towards him, he'd go back to normal.

Hundreds of thoughts whirled in his mind, but only a second had pa.s.sed in reality. Xiao Yuanmu's gaze was serene as he said, “No. I just wanted to know when you're going to come back to the apartment.”

Song Xuanhe suddenly understood what he was getting at. Xiao Yuanmu was probably asking him this because he didn't want him to come back and disturb him.

It was fortunate that they just happened to have the same view on this matter. If it wasn't because he had to, Song Xuanhe wouldn't want to live under the same roof as Xiao Yuanmu either.

Although he thought this, Song Xuanhe curled his lips into a wicked grin. “Don't worry. I'll be back soon. Don't miss me too much.”

The finger on Xiao Yuanmu's lap curled slightly. A second later, his voice lowered. “I don't miss you.”

This was the effect Song Xuanhe wanted. He was inwardly proud but didn't show any of it on his face. “That's fine. I—”

“

I missed you

” was what he was going to say when his ringtone cut him off.

It was an unknown number, but Song Xuanhe still put on his bluetooth receiver and answered, “This is Song Xuanhe.”

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“It's me, Xiao Shenglin.” From the other side came Xiao Shenglin's gentle, smile-filled voice.

Song Xuanhe raised a brow. “You changed your number?”

“Yes. The number from before was a number I randomly got after coming back into the country. Something came up, and I'm not using it anymore. This is my new number.”

Song Xuanhe glanced at Xiao Yuanmu and then asked, “What's up? Did you need something?”

“I wanted to ask you to go eat, ah,” Xiao Shenglin laughed. “I was having a meal with a friend, and I mentioned your skills as a designer. He really wants to meet you.”

Song Xuanhe was startled. He didn't respond right away.

Xiao Shenglin continued, “I know that it'd be really easy for you to open up your own studio, but he's the great van Noti's last disciple. His name is Feng Tong. He's got a lot of connections in the world of fas.h.i.+on design. I think that even if you don't plan on getting serious, it wouldn't hurt to have a meal with him and get some insight.”

“Okay.” Song Xuanhe could tell that the other was doing this out of kindness without any ulterior motives. Therefore, he naturally wouldn't refuse. Furthermore, he'd seen the shows Feng Tong had independently headed after finis.h.i.+ng his apprentices.h.i.+p. The other's use of colour intrigued him, causing him to be quite interested in meeting the other. “Thanks.”

Xiao Yuanmu noticed that the smile hadn't fallen from Song Xuanhe's lips even after he had hung up. He couldn't help but look away. A flicker of darkness flashed through his otherwise calm eyes. He really wanted to know who the person on the other side of the call had been to be able to make Song Xuanhe look so openly happy.

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After dropping Xiao Yuanmu off, Song Xuanhe turned the car around and headed to the place Xiao Shenglin had booked.

He obviously wasn't going to meet that designer so hastily. He and Xiao Shenglin were just having a meal together.

Since he had gone back to live at the Song Family's main residence, Song Xuanhe had stopped holding himself back. He still went to work and got off work very punctually. However, after work, he wouldn't return to the Song Residence straight away. Instead, he'd take a stroll or go sit at some place that he was interested in.

Meanwhile, it just so happened to be time for the soccer world cup. He had gone to a sports bar specifically meant for soccer fans to watch the games when he had b.u.mped into Xiao Shenglin, who had also come alone. The other had been quietly sitting in a corner of the bar. When his preferred team had scored, his eyes would curve up into a smile, making him look very gentle. When he noticed Song Xuanhe, he had called him over to sit with him.

Song Xuanhe loved soccer. In his original world, he had specifically attended the matches of his favourite team. This hadn't changed even after coming to this world. When he had been bored, he had tuned in to countless matches. Naturally, he now had a favourite team.

He hadn't expected that he and Xiao Shenglin would actually be fans of the same team.

When their team won, while others whooped with joy, they would only smile at each other and clink their gla.s.ses together.

Later on, after having several meals together, Song Xuanhe discovered that, regardless of whether it was the other's personality or hobbies, the two of them were very compatible. He was willful while Xiao Shenglin was gentle. Even when they didn't agree, they would not argue. Moreover, he and Xiao Shenglin had many interests in common. It was like they could talk about anything. Therefore, it wasn't like they would disagree often.

Furthermore, Xiao Shenglin was a character who existed outside of the plot. Song Xuanhe could relax more when interacting with him. Therefore, after having spent some time together, Song Xuanhe and Xiao Shenglin's relations.h.i.+p had already become like that of good friends who had known each other for a long time. It was a pretty common occurrence for them to just call each other up and have a meal together.

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When Song Xuanhe arrived, Xiao Shenglin was already there. Seeing him come through the door, Xiao Shenglin smiled. “Qian Ping called me today. He said that you guys b.u.mped into Wei Chen while out for crabs.”

“Yeah.” Song Xuanhe sat in front of him, stretching his long legs out. “He was sitting next to us. Qian Ping had been talking about him, and Wei Chen overheard.”

Xiao Shenglin's smile deepened when he heard this. However, he wasn't worried. He knew that Qian Ping and Song Xuanhe were not the type to talk badly about someone behind their back. Therefore, he just said, “Qian Ping said that you were going to ask Professor Li for his data?”

The waiters carried a few dishes in and then quietly left the room. Their actions were nimble and agile.

Song Xuanhe nodded. “Mn, I'm going to help him ask.”

Xiao Shenglin nodded and didn't ask anything more. He picked up his chopsticks and started on another topic. “Zhou Nan's asked me to ask you to go bowling tonight. Are you going to come?”

“Sure.” Song Xuanhe just so happened to want to get some exercise in. “It'll help with digestion.”

When the two of them met up with Zhou Nan, Song Xuanhe realized that it wasn't just Zhou Nan but a few other familiar faces as well. One of which was Wei Chen.

When Wei Chen saw Song Xuanhe, he also raised a brow in surprise. He said, “I didn't think I'd see you here.”

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“I didn't expect it either.” Song Xuanhe's lips curled up into a smile. He didn't say anything else and just went to grab a bowling ball.

Wei Chen followed after him. When he saw how well Song Xuanhe and Xiao Shenglin got along, how relaxed and familiar he was with the other, he couldn't help but say, “I didn't know the two of you were so close.”

Song Xuanhe glanced at him. “I didn't know that you and I were close either.”

“We can get to know each other.” There was a smile on Wei Chen's lips. He didn't seem affected by Song Xuanhe's obvious attempt at shooing him away. “We'll get closer as time pa.s.ses.”

“You and I are not that close, and I don't really want to be close to you either.” Song Xuanhe's bowling ball left his hand and rolled in a straight line. It was a strike.

Last time, when Song Xuanhe had picked up Wei Chen's call, Zhou Nan had thought that Wei Chen probably treated Song Xuanhe quite well. However, seeing Wei Chen stick to Song Xuanhe with a beaming face while Song Xuanhe gave him a cold expression made his eyes widen in shock.

Although he didn't know Wei Chen very well, he knew of the other's personality. The other didn't usually pay attention to other people. There were few people who he'd ever show a pleasant expression to. So, why was he talking to Song

Er

and smiling at him?

Zhou Nan's gaze swept over Song

Er's

pale, smiling profile. With a start, he thought…

It couldn't be that Wei Chen is interested in Song Er?

It couldn't be!

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Everyone knew that Song

Er

had a boyfriend right now and that he really liked this boyfriend. Furthermore, it wasn't like Wei Chen hadn't known Song

Er

before. But in the past, the other hadn't fawned over him that much. Zhou Nan also hadn't seen the two of them exchange all that many words before. So, why had Wei Chen changed att.i.tudes so suddenly? Moreover, he'd never heard of Wei Chen liking anyone in the past.

Zhou Nan's expression changed slightly. It couldn't be that Wei Chen liked going after taken people?

Regardless of what Wei Chen wanted, Song

Er

, that idiot, wasn't a match for him. Although Zhou Nan wanted to get on Wei Chen's medical robot project, he couldn't watch on indifferently as the other tempted Song

Er

into two-timing.

Moreover, although Xiao Yuanmu, that youngster, looked innocent, he was actually enigmatic and difficult-to-predict.

As the old saying goes, the future of young people was boundless, so don't look down on them for being poor right now.

If Song

Er's

willpower was weak now, he might regret it in the future.

“Awesome!” Zhou Nan walked over, glancing at Wei Chen, in a seemingly inadvertent fas.h.i.+on. He then smiled at Song Xuanhe, “Let me introduce you to someone.”

Song Xuanhe didn't know what Zhou Nan wanted, winking at him like that. However, he didn't want to deal with Wei Chen, so he put the ball down and followed after the other without a word.

When they reached the door to the lounge, Zhou Nan frowned and said, “Is there something Wei Chen wants from you?”

Song Xuanhe's steps paused. Xiao Yuanmu appeared in his mind. He calmly asked, “What?”

“Don't you think that Wei Chen's att.i.tude towards you is a bit weird?” Zhou Nan said, “It wasn't like he wouldn't speak to others before, but there have been many people who have fawned over him but still ended up failing to get in with him. Moreover, he's never been one to wrong himself. Aside from his mother and grandmother, I've never seen him act amiably to anyone else.”

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“So, you think he's approaching me with an ulterior motive?” Song Xuanhe asked.

When Zhou Nan heard this, he looked Song Xuanhe up and down, clicking his tongue. He then shook his head. “I can't think of anything you have that would interest him. Your uncle's data can't be enough to make him like this.”

“Of course not.” Song Xuanhe's lips curled up. He didn't really know what Wei Chen wanted right now. However, he did know what Wei Chen would want in the future.

“What does he want?” Seeing Song Xuanhe so calm, Zhou Nan felt suspicious, “You don't actually have something he really wants, do you?”

After saying this, Zhou Nan thought for a long time. He planted his chin onto his fist and said, “It can't be regarding Old Master Wei's seventieth birthday, can it? Recently, he's been on the hunt for some nice antiques. Do you have one?”

“No.” Song Xuanhe shook his head. Seeing Zhou Nan frown, he said, “But maybe, Song Guochao or my mom have something.”

Zhou Nan seemed to suddenly come to a realization. Mrs. Song had always loved collecting antiques. She had studied relic restoration in university too. It was to be expected that she had some valuable things on hand. This would explain why Wei Chen was acting so friendly towards Song Xuanhe.

Song Xuanhe didn't want Zhou Nan to continue thinking about this issue. He asked, “Who's the person you wanted to introduce to me?”

“You'll know when you see him.” The smile on Zhou Nan's face was unrestrained. “This person is also the reason why Wei Chen had to come.”

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Song Xuanhe wasn't interested at all. However, he still cooperated and pretended to want to meet this person.

Zhou Nan pushed the lounge door open. The three people inside looked up.

The person in the middle smiled. “Zhou

shao

, didn't you say that there was a talented individual hidden in this bowling alley? A chef who is really good at making desserts? They still haven't arrived. We're all starving.”

Zhou Nan: “They're coming. You'll get it when you eat them.”

Song Xuanhe, who was following from behind, c.o.c.ked a brow. He hadn't thought that these people had actually come to eat, not to play. However, he had just eaten, so he wasn't all that interested in the desserts that they were talking about.

“Let me introduce you guys to someone.” Zhou Nan beamed. “My good friend, Song Xuanhe, the Song Family's second son.”

The person who had just been speaking smiled politely towards Song Xuanhe. The other two people were bent over their phones. Who knew what they were playing? They didn't even look up.

Song Xuanhe didn't care. He had only come here to avoid Wei Chen. He found it much more comfortable sitting here without having anyone try to talk to him.

Despite being the person doing the introductions, Zhou Nan didn't feel awkward either. He smiled and continued to introduce the three people in the room to Song Xuanhe before sitting next to the latter.

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The hacker Song Xuanhe had found before was very good. Not only did the other find information on Zhang Xiuya, but he had also even found her location after the other had left the country with the Song Family's money.

Song Xuanhe was a bit surprised. He replied: Additional charges?

******: I was bored. This is just a follow-up for you. If you want to pay me though, I'll take it.

Song Xuanhe knew what a money grubber this person was. He sent the other fifty thousand yuan.

******: Didn't have to give that much. If you have something else you want to investigate, let me know.

Song Xuanhe didn't reply, because Zhou Nan had stuck his head over.

“What's wrong?”

“Who are you chatting with?” Zhou Nan was just asking, not actually caring about the answer. He spoke into Song Xuanhe's ear. “When the food arrives, I'll introduce you again.”

Song Xuanhe looked up, his gaze falling on the two young people huddled close together. He said in a flat tone, “No need. I just came to rest.”

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Zhou Nan clicked his tongue. “You'll understand in a bit.”

As soon as he had finished speaking, a knock on the heavy door came. Zhou Nan answered, and the person on the other side entered.

Several little dishes were placed in the centre of the coffee table. The desserts looked simple and unadorned. However, they emitted an extremely faint, tempting, milky scent.

The two people who had been huddled together looked up. Song Xuanhe's gaze just so happened to meet with one of them when he looked away from the desserts. When he realized who it was, he was taken aback.

“It's you?” The young man's s.h.i.+ny eyes widened.

Song Xuanhe didn't think that he'd see this baby-faced man two days in a row. But despite his shock, he only nodded calmly.

When the young man had spoken, everyone's gaze had turned towards Song Xuanhe's direction. The other person who hadn't raised his head all this time asked, “You know him?”

The young man nodded and then shook his head. When he saw Song Xuanhe's flat expression, he snorted, “I only saw him once.”

Zhou Nan was surprised. He turned to Song Xuanhe and asked, “When did you meet Guan

shao

?”

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Song Xuanhe hadn't heard what Zhou Nan had called the young man clearly. His tone was indifferent. “We sat together at the same table yesterday.”

The young man called “Guan

shao

” looked away. He picked up one of the desserts and took a bite. When he saw no one else move, he said, “It's all right. Try it.”

Although he seemed to be addressing everyone, his eyes were on Song Xuanhe.

Song Xuanhe noticed his gaze and said, “I just had dinner.”

He meant that he didn't want to eat it.

Everyone's expression changed subtly when they heard this. The young man's expression also sunk. He placed the dessert down and said, “I don't want to eat something even he looks down on.”

Zhou Nan poked Song Xuanhe with his elbow and whispered, “I'm not dealing with this. Go coax that kid.”

Song Xuanhe was baffled. He had lived in two different worlds but had never coaxed anyone before. Even so, Zhou Nan had saved him from Wei Chen's hara.s.sment, so he had no choice but to resolve the room's awkward atmosphere if he didn't want to leave.

Furthermore, the pastries did smell good. They didn't seem greasy. Song Xuanhe leaned over and picked up one that looked good and took a small bite. It tasted pretty good. His eyes curved into a smile, and he said, “It's good.”

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He had picked up a pastry and taken a bite out of it before commenting. This series of actions was both natural and carefree. There was no awkwardness that would usually come from being slapped in the face by your own words. Rather, his actions gave off a languid, unrestrained feeling. Not only did it not feel like he was just pretending to be calm, but he also really did seem calm and confident.

When the young man saw him eat the pastry, his expression improved. He walked over and sat down on the sofa near Song Xuanhe. When he saw Song Xuanhe look over, he pursed his lips and said, “I want to eat this one. Sitting over there isn't convenient.”

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Song Xuanhe raised a brow and finished his pastry in an unhurried fas.h.i.+on. He then wiped his hands with a napkin before getting up, preparing to leave.

Compared to Wei Chen, who liked to pretend like they were close, this arrogant and willful young master was obviously much more troublesome. Outside would probably be more comfortable.

However, as soon as Song Xuanhe stood up, the young man furrowed his brows and asked, “Where are you going?”

“Out.” Song Xuanhe didn't have any ill will towards the young man, because the other's willful appearance was similar to how he had been himself at seventeen/eighteen. No one would hate themself. But, it was precisely because Song Xuanhe knew himself well that he knew that the young man would be hard to deal with.

The young man also stood up. He folded his arms and raised his chin. “I'm going with you.”

Song Xuanhe faintly felt like this action was rather familiar. However, he didn't think much of it. If the other was going to follow him, what would be the point of going outside?

To face double the trouble?

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When he thought of this, Song Xuanhe sat back down.

The young man's expression changed. Even if he had been blind, he'd be able to tell that Song Xuanhe's action of standing up and sitting down was because he didn't want to interact with him.

His lips pressed into a straight line. He snorted and was about to leave. However, before he reached the door, it was pushed open from the outside.

Xiao Shenglin and Wei Chen appeared. When Wei Chen saw the young man, a smile graced his previously expressionless face. “Guan

shao

.”

The young man nodded. “Wei

ge

.”

Wei Chen looked around the room, his gaze pausing on Song Xuanhe's body for a few seconds. He then stepped into the room. “I just heard that you were here, so I came over. Are you planning on going out to play?”

“Didn't you come to eat?” Wei Chen glanced at the rather untouched pastries. “Do they not taste good?”

The young man followed Wei Chen's gaze. His eyes paused on Song Xuanhe before he looked away. “It's okay.”

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“Then, eat some more. I happen to have something to talk to you about.” Wei Chen headed over to Song Xuanhe's side and sat down. He then said to the young man, “Come sit.”

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The young man looked at Song Xuanhe one more time. He then sat next to Wei Chen. At this moment, he noticed Xiao Shenglin, who was also walking over. He asked, “Who's this?”

Wei Chen introduced him. “Xiao Shenglin, my friend.”

After saying this, he introduced Xiao Shenglin to the young man. “This is Guan Zhi, my younger cousin.”

Xiao Shenglin smiled and greeted Guan Zhi.

No one noticed that Song Xuanhe's, who had been leaning back lazily while playing on his phone, eyelid twitched at this introduction.

Guan Zhi?

The youngest of Xiao Yuanmu's pursuers? The book had never mentioned that he was Wei Chen's cousin though?

Eve: I love Guan Zhi. He's like a tsundere adorable little chick following after Xuanhe hahaha. In my mind he's like the baby cousin who wants to play with the older, cool cousin. But instead the cool cousin gives him a controller that's not connected to the game console.