Translated by Eve
Thank you Anon of the kofi!
Morning light trickled in, shining onto the wooden floor. Tiny dust particles floated in the air, illuminated by the incoming rays of sunlight. The lump on the bed was half-enveloped by the sun"s beams and a slight rise-and-fall pattern of movement could be seen.
It was unknown as to how much time had pa.s.sed, but a quiet groan eventually emitted from the sheets and a messy head of black hair burrowed out. What followed was a young man"s ruddy face—presumably red from the lack of airflow beneath the blankets—also emerged. His long, curled eyelashes fluttered slightly. His peaceful, closed eyes struggled to open a bit but shut once more soon after upon being blinded by the light. He had to rub his eyes with his long, slender fingers before they could fully open.
Song Xuanhe raised a hand in an attempt to shade the light from his eyes. His consciousness slowly came back to him. Yesterday"s memories were like fragments, a.s.sembling together haphazardly. Slowly, it came back to him.
He reviewed his memories in a languid fashion. From Xiao Yuanmu"s questions about the Song Family"s situation in the car, to Xiao Yuanmu"s questions over why Song Xuanhe had pursued him after they got him, Song Xuanhe knew that he hadn"t given anything away.
As expected, Xiao Yuanmu was suspicious of him. He had unexpectedly taken advantage of his drunk state to ask Song Xuanhe why they didn"t sleep together. How did Song Xuanhe respond to that again?
He tried to recall it but his mind was a bit blank. He then pulled a scene out from his memories. Oh, that"s right. He had asked Xiao Yuanmu why they had to sleep together.
In his mind, the image of Xiao Yuanmu"s expression nearly falling apart upon hearing Song Xuanhe"s reply appeared. Song Xuanhe couldn"t help but chuckle. He had never seen such a vibrant expression on Xiao Yuanmu"s face before.
What had he said after? Xiao Yuanmu must have been infuriated by his answer!
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Song Xuanhe sifted through his memories feeling proud of himself. Indeed, Xiao Yuanmu had pushed him off his lap in a fit of rage. Then, Song Xuanhe had grabbed Xiao Yuanmu and called him…Daddy?
Daddy?
He called Xiao Yuanmu Daddy?
The mischievous smile on Song Xuanhe"s face froze. He sat up at once and hugged the pillow next to him tightly. Shock and disbelief filled his eyes. However, the heat emitting from his backside obviously wasn"t under his control. From his neck to his ears, everything had reddened. He felt both ashamed and angry.
Who knew if it was because he still had a sliver of hope remaining or if he had already fallen into despair, but Song Xuanhe shoved his pillow against his face and nervously said, 【Er Gou, help me look into it. People"s memories tend to get messy when they"re drunk. It"s even possible for memories to be fabricated.】
【A drunk person"s memories might become messy but they wouldn"t end up with fake memories.】The System responded quickly. It then continued with a sympathetic tone of voice：【You really called the bigshot "Daddy" yesterday. You also begged him not to leave while calling him "Daddy" and crying. You didn"t remember it wrong.】
That scene once again appeared in Song Xuanhe"s mind. It had completely destroyed his last sliver of hope. Expressionless, he lied back onto the bed, wondering how he was going to face Xiao Yuanmu.
【Right, you also mentioned your mom. You begged for your parents to not abandon you. Will Xiao Yuanmu become suspicious over this?】
Song Xuanhe threw the pillow away and flipped himself over. He had suffered too great an attack. His tone was completely flat：【He won"t. The original host"s parents lived separately when he was six years old. Back then, the original host"s mother went back to her maiden home. Song Guochao didn"t care about the original host and left him in his paternal grandfather"s care. Xiao Yuanmu won"t think too much about this when he finds that out.】
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The System sighed in relief：【That"s good. But in any case, Xiao Yuanmu won"t be able to find out anything about you even if he suspected you.】
Song Xuanhe hummed lazily. When he thought about how he had to see Xiao Yuanmu later, he didn"t want to talk anymore.
The system was curious：【My data"s telling me that you"re really unhappy right now. Why?】
Seeing Song Xuanhe remain silent, the System a.n.a.lyzed the other"s reaction just now and asked：【Is it because you called Xiao Yuanmu "Daddy?"】
【What"s there to be unhappy about? Isn"t it just a form of address? I also call you "Brother", ah.】
Song Xuanhe"s eyelid twitched. He rolled his eyes and said：【Are "Brother" and "Daddy" the same? Don"t talk to me. I"m annoyed right now.】
Song Xiao Shaoye rarely got angry. However, once he was angered, practically no one could appease his fury.
And yet, the system somehow managed to do it.：【My data tells me that the reason you"re not happy is that you don"t want to see Xiao Yuanmu. Since it"s like this, just don"t go see him. In any case, there"s no scenes you have to act out for the next month. The System will not force you to stay with him.】
Song Xuanhe sat up at once. The dejection was completely swept away and his eyes had lit up. He was so excited that he had forgotten to speak with his mind and directly said out loud, “For real?”
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【Of course.】The System said：【As far as I know, the next scene you have to make an appearance in takes place thirty six days from now. Before that, you don"t have to see Xiao Yuanmu at all.】
A month was enough time to erase the memory of him calling Xiao Yuanmu "Daddy!"
Furthermore, this was the first time he could relax and do whatever he wanted since coming to this world!
Song Xuanhe got out of bed quickly. He casually tidied himself up and then went to grab his keys. With the system"s help, he managed not to disturb Xiao Yuanmu, who was inside the study, and headed to his family"s main residence.
When he heard the door close, Xiao Yuanmu"s typing paused. A moment later, he continued writing his email reply.
Song Xuanhe hummed while getting out of his car, clearly in a wonderful mood. He had just reached the garden when he saw the elderly auntie, who worked at the Song Residence, come over. When she saw him, her imposing expression became a lot kindlier. Before he could speak, she made a "hush" gesture.
“What"s wrong?” Song Xuanhe brought his head in close and asked quietly.
The auntie patted him on the shoulder and lowered her voice. “The mistress Mr. Song keeps has come to the door. The Old Sir is furious. Xiao Shaoye, you should leave quickly. Otherwise, the mister might take his anger out on you again.”
The auntie"s suppressed voice was full of concern and affection. However, Song Xuanhe"s eyes lit up. He had nearly forgotten that Liu Xu had sent photos to the Song Family. This was going to be a great show. Furthermore, he was the director of said show. How could he not go watch it?
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“Zhao ah yi, I"ll be fine.” There was a schadenfreude-esque smile suppressed in Song Xuanhe"s eyes. Before Auntie Zhao could say anything, he quietly added, “I can"t avoid making an appearance now that such a big issue has cropped up at home. Furthermore, I don"t feel at ease leaving Mom alone.”
Auntie Zhao sighed upon seeing Song Xuanhe"s lipid, bright eyes. She thought, such a good child, ah. He"s usually so headstrong but he"s always thinking about his family. If it weren"t for what had happened between the mister and missus, Xiao Shaoye would have grown up to be an even more sensible person.
Song Xuanhe had a favourable impression of this elderly, kindhearted auntie. When he saw that she was still worried, he gave her a few more gentle rea.s.surances to put her heart at ease before letting Auntie Zhao let him in.
Before he entered, she still warned him once more. “Xiao Shaoye, don"t contradict Mr. Song like you usually do. Right now, he has nothing to defend himself with. But if you speak, he might be able to find something to justify himself with.”
Auntie Zhao had spent a great portion of her life in the Song Residence. She naturally knew the personality of every member of the Song Family very well. Furthermore, how could she not be wise when all the members of the Song Family respected her? She was afraid that Mr. Song would divert the issue and berate Song Xuanhe instead, taking advantage of him because of his young age. That was why she couldn"t help but warn him.
Song Xuanhe naturally thanked her like a good child. When Auntie Zhao, who already sympathized with him, saw this, her heart softened even more. However, she could only watch as he entered through the doors.
The Song Residence was huge. One had to pa.s.s through an underground sunroom that was fashioned like a courtyard to get to the living room from the main entrance. After pa.s.sing through the simple and unadorned sunroom filled with greenery and flowers, you would reach the large living room. Three of the living room"s walls were made of gla.s.s, allowing the interior to be basked with the sun"s rays.
When the people inside saw Song Xuanhe walk in, the room fell silent.
Before Song Yansong could speak, Song Guochao furrowed his brows and yelled in an impatient tone, “What did you come back for?!”
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Song Xuanhe didn"t reply to him. His gaze fell on the woman who was crying silent tears next to Song Guochao. He then asked Song Yansong, “Grandfather, we have a guest?”
When he heard this, Song Guochao"s expression changed slightly.
“Is that not the case?” Song Xuanhe looked at that woman curiously, expression that of loss and innocence. “But I"ve never seen this auntie before. Is she one of my aunts on mom"s side that"s been abroad all this time? Is she crying because she was too happy from finally getting to see Mom again after so long?”
As soon as Song Xuanhe finished speaking, the atmosphere in the living room became even heavier. Song Guochao"s mouth shut. All he wanted to do was to run over and cover Song Xuanhe"s mouth.
In the end, Song Yansong was the one to speak. “She"s not your aunt. How could a woman like this be mentioned in the same breath as your aunts? Never say such a thing again.”
Song Xuanhe blinked and repeated Song Yansong"s words with a meaningful tone. He looked pure and confused. “A woman like this…what kind of woman is she? If she"s not my aunt, who is she?”
“Guochao….” The silently crying woman sobbed, raising her head. Her pale skin was streaked with tear marks but that didn"t affect her beauty. Instead, her naive, pure beauty was all the more apparent. A tearful beauty would make one"s heart clench.
Song Guochao"s heart ached for her. He glared at Song Xuanhe and angrily rebuked him. “You ill-bred creature! Who taught you to use such a tone when talking about your elders?!”
Song Xuanhe was startled upon being scolded like this. He turned to look at Song Yansong, looking hurt. He was even more confused now.
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“You disgrace!” Song Yansong threw the vase on the table at Song Guochao, not holding back in the least. “You"re the one who"s ill-bred! Kick that woman out right now! If she ever sets foot in my Song Residence again, you too will have no need to ever walk through the doors to my home ever again!”
The vase smashed against Song Guochao"s forehead. Blood instantly began to trickle down. It frightened the sobbing woman. She widened her eyes and went to cover his head, completely losing her head in fear. Her trembling voice was full of distress and concern. “Guochao, are you okay? Guochao!”
“Butler.” Song Yansong"s expression was dark as he said, “Escort this woman out.”
“Dad!” Song Guochao didn"t care about his bloodied forehead. He turned around and said, “Xiuya is the woman I"ve spent most of my life with! How could you humiliate her in front of the younger generation? If you kick her out like this, how can she stand with her back straight in the future?”
Song Yansong didn"t speak. At this moment, Song Xuanhe"s expression changed. He looked at Song Guochao and the woman in his arms, shocked. His eyes then turned red. Sounding hurt and incredulous, he asked, “This is the mistress Dad"s been raising outside?”
“A mistress dares to openly set foot in my Song Family"s home?” Song Xuanhe turned to look at Song Yansong. His eyes were so red it made Song Yansong"s heart hurt for him. “Grandpa….”
Song Xuanhe lowered his head. It looked as if the hard exterior of this young man, who usually acted arrogant outside, had finally been shattered to pieces. His shoulders trembled slightly, as if he was suppressing the grief and indignation this hard-to-bear blow was causing him.
Song Yansong was partial to Song Xuanhe, his youngest grandson who he had personally raised for a year. Even though Song Xuanhe had become more and more insolent with each year, Song Yansong had still protected him, giving the other the confidence to fight against Song Guochao. Right now, when he saw his grandson so upset, the always cold and stern old man couldn"t help but feel distressed for him.
His originally dark expression grew even darker. The gaze directed towards Song Guochao became even colder. “The older you get, the more muddleheaded you become. You actually brought this kind of creature into my home and hurt your wife and sons. Song Guochao, I order you to take this woman away at once. Furthermore, there"s no need for you to come to the company for a month. Stay at home and reflect on your mistakes!”
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Stay at home and reflect on his mistakes? Him, a fifty year old man? Song Guochao widened his eyes in disbelief. Furthermore, a month away from the company…. His position as a vice president might be taken over in that time.
“I"ll leave!” The woman sobbed broken-heartedly as she let go of Song Guochao. She fell to the ground, soft, and knelt in front of Song Yansong. “Old Mr. Song, please don"t punish Guochao. It was I who didn"t understand my place and came to disturb Mrs. Song. I won"t ever do that again. Please don"t punish him. He"s already so old, he can"t suffer being pointed at by other people! If you"re unhappy, please vent your anger on me instead!”
“Xiuya!” Song Guochao was both touched and upset. At that moment, he recalled how he had been forced into his marriage back then, and how this woman had been willing to sacrifice herself for him and be his secret lover. He had never expected that even now, this woman would still plead on his behalf.
“Father.” Song Guochao also knelt down, bitter tears streaming down his own weathered face. He said in a grievous tone, “I have always loved Xiuya! Back then, I married Li Nianan because the family wanted me to. We"re already married and Li Nianan has always had the t.i.tle of Mrs. Song. Xiuya has never resented her. Right now, I just want to spend the rest of my life with the woman I love. I just want Li Nianan to be a bit magnanimous and accept Xiuya"s existence. Is that too much to ask?”
When he heard Song Guochao"s shameless words, Song Xuanhe nearly burst out into laughter.
It wasn"t just Song Xuanhe. Everyone in the room was shocked by Song Guochao"s shamelessness, except for Zhang Xiuya, who looked moved.
“Sure.” Mrs. Song, who had been sitting there silently with a cold expression finally spoke. From Zhang Xiuya"s sobbing to Song Guochao"s confession, her expression hadn"t changed. Even though she was speaking now, her slightly lowered gaze and slow, pleasant voice carried a n.o.ble and disdainful tone. “I will give up my position. I won"t be an obstacle between you and your first love. I will give the t.i.tle of Mrs. Song to her. What do you think?”
Zhang Xiuya"s eyes lit up. However, both Song Guochao and Song Yansong both said at once, “Absolutely not!”
Song Yansong saw that Song Guochao wasn"t completely stupid and the stuffiness inside his chest lightened. He turned to look at Mrs. Song and eased up his tone. “Nianan, this isn"t the time to get angry. Guochao has indeed gone too far. Dad will teach him a lesson for you. This woman will never be able to enter my Song Family"s doors. Don"t worry.”
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Song Guochao also nodded his head repeatedly. He said, “I only want to be with Xiuya. I don"t want to divorce you.”
Li Nianan sneered. She stood up and walked over to Song Guochao, looking down on Zhang Xiuya"s tear-streaked face. She said, “I was originally planning on turning a blind eye to this. After all, whose husband doesn"t keep a few playthings around? However, since she"s come to my door, and you"ve also said that I"ve taken the t.i.tle that should"ve been hers, shouldn"t I—the woman who had taken her place—give way?”
Faced with her cold, disdainful tone, Song Guochao choked in anger, face reddening. Zhang Xiuya beside him also gnashed her teeth but she couldn"t do anything but lower her head and sob.
In contrast, Song Xuanhe c.o.c.ked a brow up in surprise. He hadn"t interacted with the original host"s mother very much prior to this. In his mind, she usually doted on the original host without any principles, as to make up for having abandoned him when he was young. Actually, he"d never expected that he"d see her so bada.s.s.
Li Nianan swept her gaze over Zhang Xiuya"s lowered head. She then pa.s.sed by the two of them and walked over to Song Xuanhe. Her heart ached and she spoke with a softened voice when she saw him with his head lowered, as if he could not accept this. “Xuanhe, don"t be upset. Come sit with Mom.”
Song Xuanhe looked up. When Li Nianan saw his reddened eyes, her voice became even softer. “Don"t worry about Mom. Mom"s fine.”
After saying this, she pulled Song Xuanhe past the kneeling Song Guochao and Zhang Xiuya and sat down with Song Xuanlin.
Song Yansong gave Song Guochao a cold, askance glance. Seeing the other kneel there silently, he couldn"t help but feel even more disappointed in this son of his. He could only console his daughter-in-law himself. “Nianan, listen to Dad. This woman is nothing but a plaything that can"t be shown in public. It"s beneath you to lower yourself to her level. There"s no need for you to argue with her. Dad will definitely make sure everything is handled in a way you will be satisfied.”
Li Nianan grabbed Song Xuanhe"s hand. Her response to Song Yansong was very respectful. “Dad, I never planned on making a fuss about Song Guochao"s cheating. I also know that it"s normal for this to happen in these circles. However, only I, Li Nianan, have ever had to experience having my husband"s mistress come knocking on my door! If this matter isn"t handled well, how will I have the face to show myself at parties? How will other people look at my sons? How will they look at my Li Family? Furthermore, if this matter comes out, how will they look at the Song Group?”
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Li Nianan"s eyes reddened. “I"ve endured this for this family"s sake. It was all for the Song Group. I know that if we divorce, that would mean that the Song Family and Li Family will become divided. At that time, there will be upheaval in the stock markets. That was why I have endured it up to now. I did it for my family…for my two sons.”
“However!” Li Nianan"s beautiful eyes cast a cold glare towards Song Guochao and Zhang Xiuya. “I helped build up this enterprise with my painstaking efforts, but now, they"ve destroyed everything! My sons will be pointed at and talked about from today on and the Song Group will be plagued by this scandal! Since things have already come to this, I don"t want to struggle like this anymore. Dad, I"m so tired….”
Song Yansong"s expression had sunk when he had heard the concealed threat in Li Nianan"s words in the first half of her speech. However, when he heard the second half uttered in a sobbing tone, he felt guilty towards her. Regardless, it had been his Song Family that had let Li Nianan down.
It was precisely because of this that he couldn"t let Li Nianan divorce Song Guochao!
When this scandal comes to light, Li Nianan"s younger sister, who"s on very good terms with her and had married into one of the major eight financial groups, would never take this lying down!
“Dad knows that you"ve been wronged.” Song Yansong"s expression softened. Weariness seeped out from his face. The usually hale and hearty old man seemed to have aged ten years. He said in a hoa.r.s.e voice, “But Dad begs you to give Dad one last chance. Dad will definitely make sure things are handled well, that you will be satisfied.”
Advertis.e.m.e.nts Seeing Li Nianan remain silent, Song Yansong continued, “Dad knows that this will make things hard on you. But you also know that this is no small matter. The Song Group cannot withstand that big of a blow. Song Guochao is incapable of taking on a responsibility as big as the Song Group and Xuanhe and Xuanlin still need time to grow up. Dad is also struggling. Please just wait until they"ve grown up, ah!”
As soon as Song Yansong spoke, Song Xuanlin, whose expression had been taut this whole time, his eyes also turned red. “Grandpa….”
Song Xuanhe noticed Song Yansong"s gaze. He secretly called the old man a wily fox. However, he still cooperated and looked up. He looked at Song Yansong, appearing moved. His lips opened and closed but no words came out.
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Right now, silence was better than words.
When Song Yansong saw his grandsons" reactions, he gained confidence in himself. When he looked at Li Nianan again, her expression had indeed eased up quite a bit.
However, although Li Nianan"s heart ached for her sons, she didn"t plan on letting this go so easily. She pursed her lips and said, “Dad, I know how severe this matter is. However, it hadn"t only been family members who had seen Song Guochao bring Zhang Xiuya inside the house. Outsiders are all waiting to see the farce that is our family! If Zhang Xiuya isn"t dealt with properly, then how can I ever show myself outside again! What will I tell my parents who are worried about me?!”
Song Yansong"s expression changed. Li Nianan"s last words reminded them that she was not someone who could be deceived or walked over. She had the Li Family standing behind her. She also had her younger sister who had married into one of the major eight financial groups.
At this moment, even Song Guochao, who hadn"t spoken all this time, had finally come back to his senses. Although he wanted to be with Zhang Xiuya, he didn"t want to suffer the Li Family"s oppression! Even more, he didn"t want to offend Li Nianan"s younger sister who had married into a major financial group!
He loved Zhang Xiuya and knew that she had been wronged. He also knew that it must not be easy to be with him in secret. But when he thought about the possibility of being excluded from the social circles of the upper cla.s.s, how he might lose his position in the Song Group, and how he might never be able to lift his head again, Zhang Xiuya"s grievances and difficulties were no longer all that important.
Moreover, he had been generous to Zhang Xiuya over all these years, giving her an easy life. If he were to lose everything, then Zhang Xiuya would also be left with nothing!
Xiuya had always been understanding. She would definitely forgive him.
Advertis.e.m.e.nts Song Guochao comforted himself with that. When he thought of the tragic ending that might await him, he promptly shouted, “Father!”
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“I was wrong!” Song Guochao didn"t care about the blood still flowing down his forehead. He shoved Zhang Xiuya away and said with an ashamed expression, “I was confused just now. I was muddleheaded. I have never thought of divorcing Nianan, ah! And I absolutely refuse to do so now! I didn"t know that Zhang Xiuya would come knocking on our door! You also saw it just now, how shocked I had been seeing her after getting out of my car! I had never expected that she would appear in front of Nianan!”
Song Yansong snorted and said, “Is this something you should be telling me?”
Song Guochao was startled. He then turned to look at Li Nianan at once. “Nianan, I was wrong. How could Zhang Xiuya compare to you? She had been too greedy, coming to beg me in tears before our door. I had been soft-hearted just now. If you"re angry, you can handle this however you like. As long as you don"t divorce me, you can do anything.”
Li Nianan sent a mocking glance towards the deathly pale Zhang Xiuya. Her lips curled up into a sneer. “So, no matter what I do to your first love, you won"t care?”
Eve: See, I usually don"t like to blame the mistresses because sometimes they are innocent/victims. But I mean…she came here knowing that she would tear a family apart…. So I don"t really have pity for her. As for Song Guochao, trash. Utter trash. I feel so bad for Li Nianan and the original host for having to deal with such a s.h.i.tty man. Mummy Song, you go tell him where to stick it!