Translated by Eve

Edited by Kara

Liu Xu stood on the balcony, glancing down at the rare flowers that were blooming in welcome of winter's chill. She looked terrified.

Although it was freezing on this winter night, she only wore a sleek, champagne-coloured evening gown. She looked beautiful standing there as her languid curls were blown into disarray. A few locks fell against her thin, smooth shoulders while the rest of it fluttered with the brisk wind.

Suddenly, she heard the sound of approaching footsteps.

Standing against the railing, Liu Xu's eyelashes quivered. Her hands atop of the railing slowly s.h.i.+fted towards each other before clasping together. When the footsteps sounded close by, she pulled her tightly entwined hands apart and turned her head.

The new arrival had their back against the light. His tall, slender appearance was a bit hard to make out because of that. Delighted surprise emerged in her eyes, and her tone was sweet and soft. “Song

shao

.”

Song Xuanhe stood in place. His eyes swept over Liu Xu's body. There was no expression on his face even when he noticed that she was not dressed for the cold. He nodded indifferently. “Huang Cong said that you were looking for me?”

“Yes.” Liu Xu turned around, wrapping her frozen arms around herself. She raised her head slightly, eyes downcast, revealing her pale, frail face and slender neck. She said in a soft voice, “Actually, I called you here today to apologize.”

While keeping a distance of a metre and a half from Liu Xu, a sliver of intrigue flashed through Song Xuanhe's eyes. However, the expression he revealed on his face was that of confusion. “Apologize?”

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“Yes, I've wronged you.”

Liu Xu looked up. Her eyes were very attractive—they were round, pure, and charming. The outer corners of her eyes were also long. From Song Xuanhe's angle, it looked like there was a frail innocence within them. Her eyelashes also fluttered gently. Her appearance was definitely very effective in arousing tender feelings towards her.

But, Song Xuanhe remained unmoved. Everyone in the entertainment industry was very proficient in utilizing their looks. Liu Xu was naturally no exception.

Moreover, he was a fas.h.i.+on designer. He had seen countless handsome men and beautiful women. It was very difficult for the average person to move him. Furthermore, a model's makeup for a certain fas.h.i.+on show would be determined by the show's background and the clothes that were to be showcased. Furthermore, the makeup artists in charge of the models' makeup would typically have more than one ongoing job. Therefore, he was very familiar with all sorts of looks and how they were achieved.

For example, right now, he could see that Liu Xu had lengthened the upper lines of her eyes that naturally drooped down. It went very well with her eye shape, looking very natural. It made her look even more cla.s.sy and beautiful. This effect had been achieved with the use of subtle makeup.

The fact that Liu Xu wanted to use makeup and her acting skills to sway Song Xuanhe meant that she didn't understand him at all.

Upon seeing through such a boring trick, impatience bled into Song Xuanhe's eyes. “If you're going to apologize, just tell me the reason. Don't equivocate.”

Liu Xu had been s.h.i.+vering with her arms around herself. When she heard him, she froze. She then looked at Song Xuanhe's indifferent face with watery eyes and bit down on her lip. “Actually…it's partially my fault that Song Guochao—Mr. Song's—lover had gone to cause trouble at your home.”

Song Xuanhe raised a brow, signalling her to continue.

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Liu Xu was already trembling from the cold from being out here so long. When she saw that Song Xuanhe showed no signs of having tender, protective feelings towards her, she stopped biting down on her lip and hugged herself even tighter. She said, “I couldn't stand by and watch it go on anymore. I couldn't just do nothing while Mr. Song kept his first love as a lover outside, away from the eyes of Mrs. Song and the Li Family. I had also been furious over the fact that I had been nothing but a subst.i.tute for his first love. Therefore, I had looked into it and ended up discovering Zhang Xiuya….”

When she saw that Song Xuanhe's indifferent expression hadn't changed, Liu Xu sobbed quietly and lowered her head. “I hadn't expected that Zhang Xiuya would be pregnant, let alone that she would go cause trouble at the Song Residence with ulterior motives. Now, everyone knows about this. I'm sorry….”

“Are you done?”

Liu Xu was taken aback. She looked up, eyes filled with tears. She asked, “I…Song

shao

, can you forgive me?”

Song Xuanhe laughed. “I'm not the one from whom you should be asking forgiveness. The real victims here are Song Guochao and my mother. If you really regret it, you should apologize to them. If you're done, I'm leaving.”

“Song

shao

.”

Upon seeing that he was really going to leave like he had said, Liu Xu didn't have time to worry about anything else. She promptly grabbed hold of his arm.

She said in a hurry, “Song

shao

, I can't go see Mr. Song. I have been so scared since I had found out what had happened with the Song Family. I didn't have the courage to show up and clear things up at all. And shortly after, Mr. Song found out that I had something to do with it. He's already decided to treat me like the culprit. He's already ordered my company to shut me out. I'm already at the end of my rope.”

Song Xuanhe furrowed his brows. “So, what do you want me to do about it?”

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Liu Xu's eyes lit up. She thought that Song Xuanhe was finally willing to help her. She said, “I just need you to speak to my company on my behalf. You just…you just need to say that we're friends.”

“Are we friends?” Song Xuanhe pulled his arm away. From the corner of his eye, he saw a glint from some kind of metal in the darkness of the tall building opposite of them. The corner of his lips raised. “If I'm not mistaken, I do believe that Film Empress Liu and I are not friends.”

After having said this, Song Xuanhe took a step and prepared to leave as he knew that Liu Xu's goal had already been achieved.

What he hadn't expected was that after just two steps, a soft body would press onto his back. That hour-gla.s.s figure was stuck tightly against him, causing his body to go rigid for a moment. When he came back to himself, he had already pushed Liu Xu onto the ground.

Liu Xu had not expected any of this to happen. Not only did Song Xuanhe have no interest in her even after she had thrown herself into his arms, but he also had even pushed her away roughly. Because she had never been treated like this before, she knelt on the ground in a daze for a moment, unable to react.

Song Xuanhe's expression had turned thoroughly cold. Liu Xu's action just now had made him recall something from long ago. All interest in going along with her disappeared. He gave Liu Xu, who was still sitting on the ground, a frigid glance and then left without looking back.

Since Song Xuanhe had left them earlier, Huang Cong was struggling to engage Xiao Yuanmu in conversation. It hadn't even been ten minutes yet, but it felt like he had been going at it for ten years.

Xiao Yuanmu was really the hardest person to find a common interest with or flatter that Huang Cong had ever met in all his years.

Except for when they had been discussing Song Xuanhe in the beginning—in which Xiao Yuanmu had said a few more sentences and looked at him with a chilling gaze—no matter what they talked about after that, Xiao Yuanmu's gaze never changed. It was forever that indifferent, serene expression. He would also occasionally answer back with one or two words. Therefore, Huang Cong had no idea how to continue the conversation.

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What Huang Cong was most proficient in was reading people. The reason why he was so successful in sucking up to others was because he would watch for slight changes in their expressions. But, this was of no use when it came to Xiao Yuanmu, because the other showed no expression on his face whatsoever!

Because of his age and the uniqueness of his profession, the thirty-year-old Huang Cong had seen all sorts of people. Of these, there were quite the number of high-ranking, influential people. But even if those people were imposing and spoke rarely, they would still inadvertently reveal minute fluctuations in their expressions. Therefore, Huang Cong had always thought that there was no such thing as a person who could hide their emotions while under his observation.

Now that he'd met Xiao Yuanmu, however, Huang Cong realized that he had been ignorant. Despite this, he didn't want to use this opportunity to grow at all. All he wanted was to quickly get away from this place that made his legs shake!

Even so, no matter how much he wanted to escape, he didn't dare walk away as he pleased. Thus, he could only pray for Song Xuanhe to hurry back.

Who knew if it had been because Heaven had heard his prayers but, as Huang Cong was once again smiling and trying his best to make conversation with Xiao Yuanmu—while praying for the ninety-ninth time for Song Xuanhe to come back soon—Song Xuanhe really appeared before his eyes.

“Song

shao!” You're finally back!

The cold had yet to disperse from Song Xuanhe's face. When he saw Huang Cong look at him exaggeratedly like he was the other's saviour, he put his foot back down and subtly changed direction.

Huang Cong quickly rushed over. He even ignored that his excessively impatient action might have exposed the fact that he really didn't want to stay with Xiao Yuanmu anymore and offended the other. He tugged on Song Xuanhe, who had wanted to change directions, and spoke in a stirred-up voice. “You're finally back. Mr. Xiao and I were so worried about you just now. You don't know how complicated and dangerous the entertainment industry is. Sometimes, even if you only say a few words, people can use those few words against you. We were both afraid that you would say something wrong and end up being plotted against.”

Song Xuanhe currently didn't like being touched by others. The moment Huang Cong had grabbed him, his brows that had just unfurrowed knitted again. He pulled his arm out and said, “Use your words. Don't touch me.”

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Huang Cong smiled and said, “My emotions were too stirred up just now. I was so concerned for you.”

Song Xuanhe glanced at Huang Cong and then walked around him to reach Xiao Yuanmu's side. He asked, “What were you two talking about just now?”

What had frightened Huang Cong to such an extent?

“Nothing.” Xiao Yuanmu's gaze fell over onto Song Xuanhe's slightly tense jaw. He grabbed hold of Song Xuanhe's hand that was hanging by the other's side. When the other started to struggle out of his hold, he squeezed harder. “Since you're done, let's leave.”

Song Xuanhe couldn't throw Xiao Yuanmu's hold off. His slightly tensed jaw grew even more tense. His voice had also gotten colder. “Let go.”

Huang Cong, who had been about to say something, noticed as the atmosphere around them turned hostile. He swallowed his words down and took a step back, laughing. “I suddenly remembered that Film Emperor Xue was looking for me. Since Song

shao

is back, I'll take my leave.”

When he had finished, he held his breath and glanced at the two people who didn't even bother to look at him through their peripheral vision. He then exhaled and left.

“Your hand is cold,” Xiao Yuanmu said in a flat tone, “It's shaking.”

Song Xuanhe was taken aback. He stopped struggling and turned his face away. “It was too cold on the balcony.”

Xiao Yuanmu looked at the other's downcast gaze and thick eyelashes. A dark light flashed through his own eyes, and his voice softened. “I'll warm it up for you.”

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When he heard this, Song Xuanhe pursed his lips, but he didn't fight him anymore.

The next morning, Song Xuanhe was once again woken up by his phone's incessant ringing.

He frowned as he ruffled his already dishevelled hair, making it all the more unruly. He glanced at the “incoming call” notification on his phone and then lied back down onto the bed. He slowly stretched out his limbs and closed his eyes again. Shortly after, he fell back to sleep, accompanied by the sound of his ringtone.

By the time Song Xuanhe had finally crawled out of bed, he already had more than twenty missed calls. They were all from Song Guochao. He chuckled and then threw his phone back onto the bed before heading into the bathroom. He took a shower, changed his clothes, and then headed downstairs.

They were having pasta for breakfast today. He had to admit that Xiao Yuanmu's seafood pasta was unparalleled. The reason why he hadn't lazed around in bed and had instead punctually gotten up was because of this bowl of pasta.

By the time he had reached the first floor, the pasta was already set on the dining table. The television in the living room was turned on, but Xiao Yuanmu was nowhere to be found.

Song Xuanhe looked around but didn't see him. He hesitantly headed into the dining room. There, he saw Xiao Yuanmu coming in from the balcony, phone in hand.

Xiao Yuanmu glanced at him and said in a cool voice, “Let's eat.”

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Song Xuanhe nodded. He hadn't expected that Xiao Yuanmu would make a call so early in the morning. He turned around but seemed to suddenly think of something. His eyes lit up. “Who were you talking to just now? Was it Yang Jie from last time? I remember hearing that he just joined a company. Does he want you to change jobs?”

Xiao Yuanmu paused his steps and turned to ask him, “Do you want me to change jobs?”

“I obviously….”

Before Song Xuanhe could finish, he heard the other's chilly voice say, “So that you can take advantage of that to break up with me?”

The expression on Song Xuanhe's face grew rigid for one second. But shortly after, he forced himself to show an expression of surprise. There was also an Oscar-worthy performance of anger and incredulity. “Why would you ever think that?!”

“I think you're the one who wants to use your resignation as an excuse to break up with me!” Song Xuanhe struck back promptly, “If you weren't thinking about that, why would you say that? You saying that just proves that you were thinking about it!”

After having made this illogical, fallacious argument, Song Xuanhe suppressed the corner of his lips that wanted to rise up due to the pride he felt over his own resourcefulness. He gazed at Xiao Yuanmu with suspicion in his eyes.

Xiao Yuanmu raised a brow, s.h.i.+fting his chin slightly. He was using it to point in the direction of the living room.

Song Xuanhe followed the other's chin and looked over. He saw that the television was currently broadcasting some entertainment news. The host of the entertainment news show was a young woman. She was currently speaking in an excessively lively tone. “Breaking news this morning: Film Empress Liu had a secret rendezvous with a young pretty boy. It's said that the pretty boy isn't part of the entertainment circle. An insider has leaked that this pretty boy is an extremely handsome young master of a wealthy, influential family. Apparently, he has been dating the older Film Empress Liu for some time now. It's said that there were signs of this relations.h.i.+p prior to today's photograph. Who knows if this means that there will be hearing good news from Film Empress Liu soon? Liu Xu has yet to make a statement regarding this. We will be following this story closely.”

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Song Xuanhe: ….

“You're watching entertainment news this early in the morning?” The look Song Xuanhe gave Xiao Yuanmu was coloured with reproach. “Entertainment news is all fake. Most of the photos are photoshopped.”

Song Xuanhe had just finished speaking when several pictures appeared on the large screen in the host's broadcasting room. In one photo, Liu Xu was pulling on the arm of a tall young man. In another photo, Liu Xu was hugging said young man from behind. There was a mosaic over the young man's face, but anyone who had attended the banquet last night would be able to recognize that it was Song Xuanhe.

Xiao Yuanmu's eyes fell on Song Xuanhe as if waiting for him to explain himself.

Song Xuanhe looked extremely surprised. There was also a hint of fury. “I was wondering why she was pulling on me and hugging me yesterday. So, it was all because she wanted to set me up like this!”

Xiao Yuanmu's eyes were ice-cold. Expressionlessly, he asked, “You didn't know before?”

“No…” Song Xuanhe changed what he was going to say. “Well, I knew a bit. I knew that she wanted to use the conflict between Song Guochao and I to resolve her issue of being cut off by her company. It just so happens that I don't get along with him. Therefore, I had originally planned on doing what she wanted to disgust Song Guochao. But, I hadn't thought she'd be this bold.”

Xiao Yuanmu stared at him for a long time before saying, “You don't like Liu Xu.”

Song Xuanhe replied without any hesitation. “Of course not.”

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“Then, who do you like?” Xiao Yuanmu followed with his next question quickly after.

“I don't…” Xiao Yuanmu had been too fast just now. It had almost caused Song Xuanhe to slip up. Song Xuanhe managed to slam the brakes just in time, and his mind whirled. “I like whoever I'm currently with.”

He knew that Song Xuanhe wasn't telling the truth. However, Xiao Yuanmu, who didn't care about whether the other told the truth or not, didn't get angry. In any case, when he saw how the other could not hide the crafty light in his eyes, Xiao Yuanmu's lips curled upwards. He didn't pursue the matter any further. “Let's eat.”

On the way to the company, Song Xuanhe's phone rang nonstop. He concentrated on driving, acting like he hadn't heard it ring. Xiao Yuanmu, who was sitting beside him, was also looking out the window, lost in thought. He didn't have any interest in Song Xuanhe's incessantly ringing phone.

Yang Jie was currently helping him with the merger and acquisition of several companies that currently didn't seem to have any good prospects but would develop impressively in the future. Things had been proceeding very successfully. He had also managed to find his outstanding, capable a.s.sistant, Louis, from his previous life. He had the other help manage his company that was about to launch overseas.

Everything was progressing extremely smoothly. If this were to continue, then his company would be right on track within three months' time. When that time came, he'd have to leave.

Leaving China for the United States had been his plan since he had been reborn. From the moment he had won that lottery ticket that had been worth more than his capital in his previous life, everything he had done so far had been according to that plan. Regardless of whether it was with regards to his company policies or how he would contend against the Xiao Family in the future, China had never been the place he had planned to establish his company's headquarters. Leaving China was an indispensable step.

He had never thought of himself as someone who would stop just because of someone or something. Actually, not even Song Xuanhe could make him change his plans. It was just…he didn't know why, but when he thought about how he would not be able to hear Song Xuanhe offhandedly say “delicious” anymore, his desire to cook for himself diminished greatly.

This seemed like a trifling matter, but for someone like Xiao Yuanmu, who had never wavered because of someone else, it was something worthy of being on guard over.

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The phone rang once again. This time, the ringtone was different. Xiao Yuanmu pulled away from his thoughts and turned to look at Song Xuanhe, who had just picked up the call via his bluetooth receiver.

He didn't know what the other was talking about. Although there was a smile on Song Xuanhe's face, his expression was frosty. The finger on Xiao Yuanmu's leg s.h.i.+fted slightly. This was the first time he'd seen such a look of repulsion and loathing on Song Xuanhe's face.

Therefore, when Song Xuanhe had hung up, for once, Xiao Yuanmu asked a superfluous question, “Who was it?”

The ice on Song Xuanhe's face had yet to thaw. He said, “Liu Xu.”

Xiao Yuanmu looked away, a pensive look in his eyes. When Song Xuanhe had mentioned Liu Xu yesterday, he hadn't had such an expression on his face. Even when Huang Cong had warned him about what Liu Xu had been planning, he had even spoken up for Liu Xu a bit. Just what had happened last night to make Song Xuanhe's reaction change so drastically?

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Xiao Yuanmu involuntarily recalled the tense expression that had been on Song Xuanhe's face when he had come back from the balcony. There had also been the other's apparent aversion towards being touched.

That level of repulsion and fluctuation in emotion…rather than saying it was because he had been in a bad mood, it had been more like a stress response to having encountered something or a similar situation that made him recall something he didn't want to remember.

Xiao Yuanmu's eyes darkened slightly. A rejection of touch due to physiological stress typically occurred after a person had experienced being forcibly touched and suffered psychological hurt as a result….

The car slowly drove into the parking lot. When parking the car, Song Xuanhe's hand fell onto the handbrake. Xiao Yuanmu stretched his hand over, brus.h.i.+ng against the other's hand in a seemingly accidental manner. However, Song Xuanhe didn't react. He only looked at Xiao Yuanmu oddly.

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Xiao Yuanmu undid his seat belt calmly. Usually, those who suffered from traumatic stress would find it difficult to control their own emotions and find it hard to calm down in a short period of time. However, Song Xuanhe had remained calm the whole time last night. Even when he had refused other people's touch, he had been very restrained. It was obvious that, although he was affected by whatever had happened to him, the effect wasn't particularly p.r.o.nounced.

When they had arrived at the elevator, Xiao Yuanmu's gaze was cast downwards. He thought, perhaps Song Xuanhe's trauma was the reason why he had never been overly intimate with him in any of his lives.

Song Xuanhe had no idea what Xiao Yuanmu was thinking about. He also didn't know that, in this short amount of time, Xiao Yuanmu had already helped him come up with a reason for why the original host had never laid hands on Xiao Yuanmu. If he knew, he would immediately admit to it and thoroughly put this big shot's heart to rest.

The door to the executive elevator opened. The President's a.s.sistant who was about to exit the elevator widened his eyes upon seeing Song Xuanhe. He said at once, “

Er shao

, you're here!”

After saying this, he seemed to realize that he had sounded a little too worked up just now. He glanced at the other employees who were waiting for the other elevator and lowered his voice while leading Song Xuanhe into the executive elevator. “The president is waiting for you in his office. You should make a detour in a bit and head straight for the president's office. Don't let Mr. Song catch you. He charged straight towards your office this morning, furious. I'm afraid it's no small matter.”

“What does my brother want?” Song Xuanhe asked in an indifferent voice as he rode the elevator, arms crossed.

“Of course it's the matter regarding the entertainment news today.”

Song Xuanlin's a.s.sistant was just like Zhang Chao, Song Xuanhe's a.s.sistant. He had also been working as a personal a.s.sistant to Song Xuanlin as the other had grown up. Therefore, he knew a lot more about the personal affairs of the Song Family members more than the average person.

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“You weren't at home, so you didn't hear how Chairman Song also said you were making trouble upon seeing the news,” The a.s.sistant said, “Don't let yourself end up b.u.mping into the muzzle of Mr. Song's gun later. He's technically in the right this time. He's probably been holding back all this time and has been waiting for you to go overboard, so he can teach you a lesson.”

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Song Xuanhe smiled at the other, the smile not reaching his eyes. “You're quite prejudiced against Mr. Song, ah.”

The a.s.sistant smiled. He was Song Xuanlin's personal a.s.sistant, so he was naturally very familiar with Song Xuanhe. When he heard the other say this, he knew that the other was only joking. However, he still had to talk about proper matters. “Mr. Song coming to cause trouble isn't likely to be solely motivated by personal matters. You currently possess the twenty percent of shares that he and the madam had used to own together. After the scandal between Liu Xu and you came out, even Chairman Song was rather angry. Mr. Song may use this matter to take back those shares. It would be best if you did not clash with him.”

“Are shares as cheap as cabbage?” Song Xuanhe laughed, completely unconcerned. “Are they something that can be transferred that easily? Something that should change hands every few months?”

The a.s.sistant also knew that the probability of that happening wouldn't be high. However, the effect the shares would have in Song

Xiao Shaoye's

hands—who didn't intend to inherit the company—versus the effect the shares would have in Song Guochao's hands were vastly different. He was in Song Xuanlin's faction, so he would naturally consider this matter more carefully.

Song Xuanhe obviously knew what the a.s.sistant was thinking. However, he didn't expose the other. Incidentally, the elevator doors opened this very second. He made an upwards gesture with his chin and said, “Lead the way.”

The a.s.sistant nodded and took a step out. After having confirmed that no one else was around, he warned Song Xuanhe again, “I'll lead the way. I'll take you on a detour around several departments before heading to the president's office. However, Mr. Song is lying in wait on this floor with intentions of catching you. Therefore, if you see Mr. Song, leave first. Don't worry about me.”

Song Xuanhe laughed. “Are you a secret service member?”

When the a.s.sistant heard this, he had turned his head, wanting to tell Song Xuanhe that this matter was extremely serious. However, before he could speak though, he saw Song Xuanhe straighten up. Song Xuanhe raised a brow and said, “You don't have to lead the way anymore. Mr. Song has already found his way over.”