Translated by Eve

Edited by Kara

“Xiao…What's wrong?”

Song Xuanhe was startled. He subconsciously raised his hands to hold up Xiao Yuanmu's slipping body. His left hand landed on the other's waist while his right hand pressed against the other's head. But upon touching Xiao Yuanmu, he discovered that both the other's forehead and back were drenched with cold sweat. Xiao Yuanmu's eyes were tightly shut, and his lips were deathly pale.

“Xiao Yuanmu?” Song Xuanhe patted the other gently on the face. The sensation beneath his palm was ice-cold. When he saw the other's eyelashes tremble slightly, he promptly said, “Where does it hurt? I'll help you to your bed and call the doctor over. Bear with it for a bit.”

Xiao Yuanmu's eyes opened slightly. Even though he was feeling weak, the cold in his eyes hadn't lessened in the least. In fact, it was even chillier than normal. It was like something had sent ripples across a serene lake, only for the lake to be suddenly encased in a layer of ice and snow. Beneath that ice was endless vigilance and darkness.

“No need.” His voice was calm. He brushed off Song Xuanhe's hand that had been on his waist and slowly straightened his back. Aside from the dark, icy gaze in his eyes and his overly pale face, you wouldn't have thought that he had collapsed just now. There were no signs of him feeling uncomfortable anywhere either.

If it wasn't for the fact that Xiao Yuanmu had just fallen against him and that he had touched the other's cold, wet forehead with his fingertips just now, Song Xuanhe would have been deceived by this serene act.

“You're not feeling well. But, it doesn't seem like you have a fever.” Song Xuanhe's gaze s.h.i.+fted from the other's tense jaw to his frosty eyes. He calmly said, “You nearly fainted just now. We have to call the doctor.”

The chill in Xiao Yuanmu's eyes intensified with every word Song Xuanhe uttered. His voice was even colder than before, but there was also a trace of hoa.r.s.eness from his lack of strength. He spoke in a halting manner, “I. Said. There's. No. Need.”

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He lifted his chin. With his gaze slightly lowered towards Song Xuanhe, the frigid, stifling aura around him could no longer be repressed. In a very oppressing voice, he said, “Leave now. Don't appear in front of me again until tomorrow morning.”

Song Xuanhe didn't budge. He simply pulled out his phone and made a call.

Xiao Yuanmu raised his hand, wanting to slap the phone out of the other's hand. His tone was stern. “Did you not hear what I just said?”

“I heard you.” Song Xuanhe avoided him. As he noticed Xiao Yuanmu's increasingly paling face, he barked back coldly, “Who said that I have to listen to you?”

This interlude didn't affect his actions either. His call went through to the hotel's emergency line right away. He was about to tell the butler to bring a doctor over right away, but Xiao Yuanmu took the phone from him. His cold fingers trembled slightly as they brushed against Song Xuanhe's.

“Song Xuanhe….”

It looked like stealing the phone from him had taken up the last of Xiao Yuanmu's energy. He suddenly staggered back. He couldn't help but cover his stomach with his hand. His pale lips pressed into a straight line, and a sickly pallor slowly took over his complexion. Despite this, his back didn't dip down at all, remaining as ram-rod straight as ever. He was determined not to show any weakness.

One hand was on his stomach while the other was tightly holding onto Song Xuanhe's phone. Although his fingers were clenched so hard that they had turned white, his tone was still as calm as ever. He even added another statement, “My stomach is unwell. It's chronic. I'll be fine after resting for a while. Don't bother me.”

Song Xuanhe continued to stare at him. The System had told him about Xiao Yuanmu's situation just now: his irregular work/rest schedule and his consecutive all-nighters combined into a low-grade fever. His exhaustion and emotional fluctuations had resulted in stress-induced stomach cramps.

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Song Xuanhe had never had stomach cramps before. However, he had suffered from alcoholic gastritis because of excessive drinking before. He remembered the occasional sharp, twisting pain and that difficult-to-endure sensation of feeling bloated and achy. Back then, there had been a forty-something-year-old man in the same emergency room as him. That man had also been experiencing extreme stomach cramps. He had been curled up on the bed, trembling and howling. He had alternated between shouting and vomiting. It had seemed like he would faint from the pain at any time.

Song Xuanhe had always been afraid of pain ever since he had been young. He had remembered being so shocked by that patient that his own pain had seemed to subside. He had then asked the doctor, “What is wrong with him? Is there something wrong with his organs?”

The doctor had only glanced at him calmly and replied, “Severe stomach cramps.”

“Do they hurt?”

“Are you hurting right now?” The doctor asked him.

Song Xuanhe naturally nodded. The doctor then laughed. “They hurt ten times as much as you're hurting right now.”

From that day on, Song Xuanhe had completely changed his messy lifestyle. He had eaten three meals a day at fixed times and had stopped drinking heavily. The tragic image of that stomach cramp patient had been firmly etched into his brain.

Looking at the seemingly calm Xiao Yuanmu right now, Song Xuanhe's hanging hand suddenly twitched. All of a sudden, his chest hurt.

What kind of frightening pain had Xiao Yuanmu gone through to be able to remain calm and composed when enduring pain that would make anyone else roll around, shout, and cry? Meanwhile, he didn't act any differently. How many difficulties had he overcome to be able to maintain such a strong, indifferent facade at all times? Even when he was in so much pain that he had broken out into a cold sweat, he wasn't willing to let anyone see even a hint of weakness.

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Suddenly, Song Xuanhe understood why Xiao Yuanmu had been rejecting his help. At the same time, he found himself incapable of breaking the other's hard sh.e.l.l. He didn't want to cause the other to bleed just to settle his own heart.

Song Xuanhe took a step back. He glanced at Xiao Yuanmu, who was currently as white as a blank piece of paper, before looking away. He pretended to believe the other. “If that's the case, I won't bother you anymore. Go back and rest in your room. But, I'm going to put a bowl of congee and some water in your room. After all, the kitchen worked hard to make it. You won't refuse this, right?”

Xiao Yuanmu watched him for a moment. Actually, he didn't want anyone to disturb him at this time. He didn't want any other breathing being inside the suite. But, he knew how stubborn Song Xuanhe could be. Furthermore, he couldn't hold on for much longer.

“Bring it in and leave.”

Song Xuanhe nodded and then immediately went to bring the congee over onto the bedside table in Xiao Yuanmu's room. He also brought in a thermos of hot water. Afterwards, he glanced at Xiao Yuanmu, who had been standing at the door with a hand over his stomach the whole time. He pursed his lips slightly. “I won't bother you anymore. Rest.”

As soon as he saw Song Xuanhe considerately close his door, Xiao Yuanmu's back, which he had been forcing to stay straight, bent over. Hand over his stomach, he slipped to the floor. The cold sweat on his forehead was dripping down and falling onto his black suit pants, disappearing without a trace.

A long time pa.s.sed before the pain finally subsided a bit. There were no sounds of movement outside. Xiao Yuanmu s.h.i.+fted from his position on the ground—curled up with his arms around his stomach—and locked the door. He then grabbed onto the door's copper handle and slowly stood up.

He had already been doing his best to straighten his back, but the pain emanating from his stomach forced him to bend over again. After reaching the bed, he let go and allowed himself to fall heavily onto the mattress.

Before closing his eyes, Xiao Yuanmu's gaze had s.h.i.+fted from the congee and thermos to the wall. He then stared at the wall for a moment as he waited for the dusky colours in front of him to disappear. He then shut his eyes and tried to endure the familiar pain.

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A slightly cold smile appeared on Xiao Yuanmu's lips. This was…the most profound gift that his biological family had given him.

As the pain increased, a trickle of blood fell from Xiao Yuanmu's lips as he bit on them even harder. However, his mind was clearer than ever before. He had felt like things had constantly been out of his control after his second rebirth. But with the return of this chronic illness from his previous life, it felt like control was gradually returning to him. The hesitation and infatuation he felt were also being slowly driven out.

The Xiao Family. That was his ultimate goal.

Song Xuanhe didn't return to his room. He stayed in the living room, perpetually ready to react if anything else were to happen to Xiao Yuanmu.

The System saw that Song Xuanhe was silent and that there was a never-before-seen complicated expression on the other's face. It couldn't help but say：【Even if you had brought him to the hospital, there isn't any way for them to treat stress-induced stomach cramps. They would only be able to help dull the pain. Besides, it's just a low-grade fever. You don't have to worry. 】

Song Xuanhe knew this. If it hadn't been because he understood this, he would have never let Xiao Yuanmu go back into that room on his own. It was just that he had suddenly thought of something. Would Xiao Yuanmu truly be happy if he went back to the Xiao Family?

From the contents of the book, he knew that Xiao Yuanmu was crafty and skilled. Regardless of whether it was with business or the Xiao Family, he was able to handle it all with skill and ease. But…had he been happy?

Song Xuanhe had never thought about this before. The readers of the book had probably never thought of this before either.

Xiao Yuanmu in the book had found his biological parents, taken back his n.o.ble ident.i.ty, taken revenge on the people who had offended him before, and had become the Xiao Family Head who everyone looked up to in the end.

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When he had read all of this in the book, Song Xuanhe had naturally thought that Xiao Yuanmu must have been happy. As an orphan, he should have been happy to finally be with his parents again. As someone who used to be on the bottom rungs of society, he should have been happy that he had become the successor of a ma.s.sive corporation. He should have been happy to personally take revenge on all of his enemies….

But, the author had never said whether or not Xiao Yuanmu had been happy. All he had said was that, after Xiao Yuanmu had been reborn, he had come to possess everything mortals yearned for. Anything and everything that humans would scrabble madly for were easily attainable for him. Everything he had once lacked was now made up with the best of the best.

That had been why Song Xuanhe and the other readers had thought Xiao Yuanmu had been happy.

But if he had been happy, why had Xiao Yuanmu still been so gloomy and cold even in the story's late stages? Had it really been the things Song Xuanhe had done prior to his rebirth that had made him permanently cold?

Song Xuanhe covered his eyes. When the light disappeared, he felt like he could hear the m.u.f.fled moans from Xiao Yuanmu through the walls as he endured the pain. They were weak and faintly audible—like he was an injured cub that had been forced back into a corner by the darkness, only to be helpless as the darkness's vines continued to lash out and take away its last breath.

【Song Xuanhe!】

The System's voice suddenly rang in his head, drawing Song Xuanhe out of his thoughts.

【What's wrong?】

【What were you thinking about just now?】For the first time, the System's tone was solemn. It said：【Abnormalities had suddenly appeared in the data pertaining to the completion progress status for this world's central mission. This means that you suddenly had had an intense desire to destroy a crucial part of the plot. If you don't control your thoughts and actually end up doing something like that, the main System will immediately sense it. At that time, your mission would be forcefully terminated. In that case, because you would be judged as having had made the most grave of violations, you won't even be given the chance to live out the rest of your life in your original body. Your soul would immediately be destroyed on the spot.】

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The System said：【Song Xuanhe, do not act presumptuously. Do not treat your life like it's a joke.】

Song Xuanhe quietly listened to the System. He didn't lift the hand over his eyes, but he had already opened his eyes. Light from the chandelier above him trickled in through the cracks between his fingers, but for some reason, it currently reminded him of darkness. It felt like the light was turning him blind.

【Song Xuanhe?】The System called his name again, this time with concern in its voice：【Please think this through. Think about it, the plot regarding Xiao Yuanmu causing your tragic death with his words won't happen anymore. All you have to do is quietly stay in this world for another year and a half, and then, you'll be able to return to your original world with a healthy body! Don't make a mistake because of a moment of impulsiveness!】

Make a mistake?

Song Xuanhe laughed. The System was really worrying too much. He was not such a chivalrous person who would speak out against any and all injustices he saw. If he had been someone like that, he would never have agreed to the System's proposition to begin with. He wouldn't have overlooked all those things that had happened to Xiao Yuanmu because of the plot either, let alone have helped instigate them.

From beginning to end, he had the least rights to sympathize or want to help Xiao Yuanmu.

【Song Xuanhe?】

When it heard Song Xuanhe's laughter, the System felt fl.u.s.tered. Every time Song Xuanhe laughed like this, it was because he wasn't in a good mood. This didn't mean that he really intended to go against the plot, did it?

【Song….】

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Song Xuanhe interrupted the System and coldly said：【Don't worry. What you're worried about will never happen.】

【Really?】The System didn't feel very rea.s.sured.

【Really.】Song Xuanhe dropped his hand that had been covering his eyes, and he smiled：【Don't worry.】

The System was only half-convinced. It still wanted to add one more thing：【Your parents' and your best friend's grave are all on that side. Don't….】

【Shut up!】

Song Xuanhe suddenly stood up. For the first time, an icy, dark expression had appeared on his face. His fists were clenched tightly, and there was an extreme chill repressed in his low voice：【Z48, watch what you say. Don't ever mention something you shouldn't in front of me again.】

It was the first time that Song Xuanhe had called the System by its original name. It was also the first time that it had ever seen such a terrifying expression on Song Xuanhe's face before. For a moment, it had been frozen stiff. Its data told it that it would be best for it to not speak right now. But for some reason, when it looked at Song Xuanhe, it was suddenly reminded of Xiao Yuanmu.

Song Xuanhe's current expression was very similar to how Xiao Yuanmu's expression had been just now.

The System cautiously said：【I understand.】

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Song Xuanhe stared into thin air with that cold gaze for a moment. A long time later, he sat back down. He then grabbed a pillow and lied down on the sofa. His long, curled eyelashes fluttered shut, wiping clean the fierce glint in his eyes. Everything went quiet.

The next time he woke up, it was because of his cellphone's ringtone. There was no contact name, but the number seemed faintly familiar.

Song Xuanhe glanced at the already-darkened sky. He then looked at the tightly shut bedroom door. Slowly, he picked up the call. There was a trace of hoa.r.s.eness in his voice from having just woken up. “Who is it?”

“It's me, Lu Chao.” Lu Chao's voice was very quiet, and there was a strange lilt to his voice. “Thanks to

Er shao

, that brother of mine has been brought back. Because you said that you had a favourable opinion of him, my father has cautiously settled him down in a master bedroom on the second floor and is preparing to invite you over for a meal.

Er shao

, will you do us the honour?”

When he heard Lu Chao's voice, Song Xuanhe had been about to hang up. But when he heard what the other was talking about, he chuckled. “There's no need to have that meal. The Lu Family has done well. I will make sure to have a few words with those supplier uncles. If there's nothing else, I'll be hanging up.”

“Song Xuanhe!” Lu Chao's voice suddenly rose, echoing into Song Xuanhe's ear through the receiver. He couldn't help but bring the phone further away from his face.

“In any case, we were once good friends. You know that I hate that illegitimate brother of mine the most. You know that what I hate the most is the fact that his wh.o.r.e of a mother had destroyed my family. And yet, you had requested for my family to bring him back and recognize him as one of our own. Do you know that because of this, Lu Yue's hooker of a mother had dared to demand for a position in my Lu Family? My mother had been so angry that she had nearly tried to kill herself by jumping out of the building!”

Song Xuanhe brought the phone back to his ear. He was in a bad mood right now and wanted some entertainment. Therefore, he said, “And?”

“And what?!” There was a hint of hysteria in Lu Chao's suppressed voice. “My father actually allowed that wh.o.r.e into our home. My grandparents, who had always been against this, gave their silent approval. Because my mother hadn't allowed it, my father threatened to send her to a mental hospital!”

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“Song Xuanhe, you knew what would happen if Lu Yue was brought back! My mother treated you so well! Are you even human?!”

Lu Chao denounced him over and over. Every sentence was filled with a difficult-to-suppress loathing. It sounded like he wanted to skin him alive through the phone.

“Is that it?” One of Song Xuanhe's hands hung over the sofa's armrest, absentmindedly fiddling with the pages of a magazine on the coffee table. His tone was that of utter indifference as if he disdained Lu Chao for being so boring.

“Song Xuanhe, I'll make sure you pay for this!”

Lu Chao was so angry that he couldn't speak anymore. After that final declaration, he hung up.

Song Xuanhe threw his phone onto the sofa and picked up the magazine he had been fiddling with. He started flipping through it, bored out of his mind.

——Immensely rich, hidden families around the world, who don't show up in wealth rankings: the people who really const.i.tute the crazy rich.

The headline was pretty boring, but Song Xuanhe still continued reading.

The Eight Great Families are comprised of eight separate formidable families from all over the world. They include

Germany's

Hoffman Family, Canada's Guan Family, j.a.pan's Yuan Family….

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Song Xuanhe furrowed his brows and went directly to the Xiao Family description.

The Xiao Family is a powerful family whose origins can be traced back to ancient China. It is currently one of the major eight families. Since the 1980s, the Xiao Family has invested in the steel and railway industries. They have also entered the field of investment and banking. Even now, no one knows exactly just how much wealth the Xiao Family has ama.s.sed. Not only are they at the top of the pyramid, but also no one else comes even remotely close to them.

The Xiao Family puts great emphasis on the education of their children and on privacy. Before a member of the Xiao Family comes of age, there will be little information about them. After having become an adult, members of the Xiao Family will appear at the forefront of one of the many industries the Xiao Family is involved in. Because of this, the matter of where the Xiao Family is based has become an even greater mystery. No one knows where they are settled….

After he had failed to find anything interesting while skimming through these two paragraphs, Song Xuanhe threw the magazine to the side, still bored. He then simply stared off into s.p.a.ce, thinking about who knows what.

Gradually, he fell asleep. By the time he had woken up again, it was already morning.

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Incidentally, the butler also appeared at this time. Even when he saw that Song Xuanhe had slept on the couch without having changed his clothes, his expression didn't change. After instructing the kitchen to prepare breakfast, the butler respectfully asked, “Song

shaoye

, do you have any special instructions for breakfast?”

Song Xuanhe glanced at the tightly shut door and spoke in a quiet voice. “Prepare something light. It'd be best if it was something a person with an upset stomach could eat. If it's available, I would prefer it to be sweet congee.”

The butler nodded and left to relay the instructions to the kitchen respectfully.

Song Xuanhe went into his room to take a shower and change clothes. Upon coming out, he knocked on Xiao Yuanmu's door exactly three times.

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The door opened very quickly. Xiao Yuanmu was still dressed in yesterday's clothes, but his complexion had improved greatly. He glanced at Song Xuanhe and then said, “I'll come out after I take a shower.”

Song Xuanhe nodded. He had been about to respond, but Xiao Yuanmu shut the door on him.

He stared at the closed wooden door in front of him, the corner of his lips rising. He then turned around and made a beeline for the dining room.

The butler was very quick. Shortly after, servers came by carrying the ordered items to the dining table. When he saw that only Song Xuanhe was at the table, he asked, “Should I ladle the sweet congee out or place it on the side?”

Song Xuanhe wasn't fond of eating sweet things in the morning. He looked at the exquisitely patterned porcelain bowl and said, “Leave it on the side. We'll serve ourselves when we want to eat it.”

The butler nodded and then bowed. When the servers had finished placing all the dishes on the table, he said, “If you have any other instructions, I will be at the door.”

Song Xuanhe made a soft sound of acknowledgement. He had been about to ask what food would be good for one's stomach when he saw the waiter turn to face the dining room entrance. “Mr. Xiao, good morning.”

Xiao Yuanmu nodded back calmly and sat down in the seat opposite of Song Xuanhe. When he saw the food on the table, the gaze in his eyes changed slightly. He then looked up to watch Song Xuanhe, who had his head lowered as he drank his congee.

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Noticing the other's gaze, Song Xuanhe put his spoon down and asked in a cold voice, “What?”

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Xiao Yuanmu looked away. After what had happened last night, he no longer held back the cold aura around him. However, his eyes had regained their usual tranquility. He said, “I will hand in my resignation letter today.”

Song Xuanhe mixed the congee with his spoon. There didn't seem to be any emotion in his voice. “You told me that yesterday.”

“And, I'll be moving out of your apartment.”

Song Xuanhe looked up, a sliver of surprise on his face. However, Xiao Yuanmu couldn't read the emotion in his eyes. “Are we breaking up?”

Xiao Yuanmu met with his gaze. He had already made his decision last night. However, he was hesitant to give an affirmative answer to this question. He suddenly thought about the cold congee and lukewarm water that he had seen on his bedside table this morning as well as the warmth the water had brought him as it had slid down his throat and into his stomach.

Once they part, they may never see each other again. He didn't want to have someone who could influence his emotions around him either.

But, there was no reason to end things in a hurry. It would be fine as long as he dealt with all of this before he entered the Xiao Family.

Xiao Yuanmu looked away and said, “I'm just going to move out, that's all.”

“So, what you're saying is, you're going to quit and move out, but you still want us to be a couple?” Song Xuanhe tilted his head, his voice a bit strange, an indecipherable meaning in his words. “Why do you think that I'll still be willing to keep dating you even after you quit my family's company and move out of my apartment?”

Eve: Oddly enough, things actually get sweeter after they 'breakup.' So don't worry~ But along with the sweetness there will still be some angst.

Kara: Dang. You tell him

He

bao! We don't need any indecisive men in our lives! Nothing but the best for our baby! Hmph!

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