Translated by Eve
Edited by Kara
Thank you Creeperco and Gem for the kofi
Early the next morning, Song Xuanhe headed directly to the company. Because Mother Song had come, he didn"t eat with Xiao Yuanmu. It wasn"t until the two of them were sitting together in the car that Song Xuanhe retroactively realized that there was something off about Xiao Yuanmu.
Although Xiao Yuanmu normally had no expression and was a man of few words—if there was no need, he would not say more than necessary—he still would look calm and innocent, which was unlike how he looked now, gaze lowered while deep in thought, surrounded by an extremely oppressing air, with a darkness occasionally flitting through his eyes.
His silence before made people think he was a handsome, melancholic youth with an aloof aura. His actions induced admiration and infatuation. But, his silence now made it seem like he was pathologically antisocial and possessed both a high IQ and meticulous thought. With one look, he could make people"s hair stand on end.
If it hadn"t been for the System confidently telling him that Xiao Yuanmu had yet to be reborn, Song Xuanhe would have let go of the steering wheel and run away by now.
They couldn"t maintain this silence. When he thought of the pool party they were about to go to, Song Xuanhe made conversation, "Can you swim?"
When Xiao Yuanmu heard his voice, he gently raised his eyes. His long eyelashes pointed in his direction before he looked back down again. "No."
Song Xuanhe thought about what was about to happen. He pursed his lips, and his eyebrows subconsciously furrowed together. "Then, stay as far away from the pool as you can."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuanmu looked up again. He stared directly at Song Xuanhe, gaze calm. "Why?"
"Afraid that you"ll fall in."
【Even if you say that, the boss will still fall in. This is part of the main plot. It can"t be changed.】
"Can you swim?"
Song Xuanhe was just about to reply to the System when he heard Xiao Yuanmu"s voice. He turned around and looked at Xiao Yuanmu, surprised. This was the first time he"d asked him a question. This big boss had thrown the question back to him with a tone of wanting to continue the conversation.
"Yes, but just average," Song Xuanhe said, "I don"t like the water all that much."
Xiao Yuanmu looked away. The lights outside the car window quickly flickered past his eyes. One couldn"t tell what expression was in his eyes. He said with a casual tone, "Where did you go last night?"
"The main residence." After saying this, Song Xuanhe recalled how he had just left after getting that call. He hadn"t told Xiao Yuanmu where he was going or when he was coming back.
"How did you get back yesterday? A taxi?"
"I walked."
Song Xuanhe pursed his lips. Although the apartment was not far from the company, the location of the dinner party had been quite a distance away from the company. If he had walked back from there, it would have still taken him approximately half an hour even if he had walked fast.
When he thought of this, he didn"t know why, but he suddenly felt that it was rather inappropriate of him to have left Xiao Yuanmu all on his own.
The pool party was located in a villa district in the western suburbs. Because the villas in this district had only recently gone on the market, there weren"t many inhabitants. The streets were empty at night, and the roads were quiet. Aside from the street lamps and the ornamental lighting from the gardens, there were few lit lights within the homes on either side.
Therefore, amidst the stillness, the brightly lit, modern, two-story building that had music blasting from it was especially eye-catching. It made Xiao Yuanmu, who has always preferred the quiet, frown.
Song Xuanhe had just opened his car door when people began to congregate towards them from the lawn. There were both males and females around. Amongst them, a man cloaked in a white bathrobe came out front and wrapped an arm around Song Xuanhe"s shoulders. He said with a smile, "I"ve invited you several times before, and you"ve never come out. This time, I asked Lin zi to invite you, and you show up. This is differential treatment, ah!"
"I like differential treatment." Song Xuanhe smiled, pulling the man"s arm off of him. He then pulled Xiao Yuanmu over and introduced the two of them, "Let me make an introduction. This is Xiao Yuanmu. This is Zhou Nan, my friend."
Zhou Nan"s gaze fell on Xiao Yuanmu for a moment but very quickly moved away. He clicked his tongue. "Not bad, ah. Is he the one you"ve been pursuing all this time? It seems that it isn"t differential treatment. This is putting love before your friends."
While saying this, there was a smile in Zhou Nan"s tone. But within the teasing, it was clear that he didn"t care for Xiao Yuanmu. He didn"t even give him so much as a glance while speaking nor did he seem to have any intention to greet him. It wasn"t that he despised him, but he wasn"t being respectful either.
A normal person would have been angered, being ignored like this. Xiao Yuanmu"s expression, however, did not change. He was calm and indifferent the whole time.
Seeing this, Zhou Nan chuckled and said, "He seems better than the previous ones."
Song Xuanhe shrugged. He headed inside with Zhou Nan.
When they reached the living room, he saw that there was a group of people already sitting inside, chatting. Zhou Nan winked at Song Xuanhe. There was an unclear, suggestive meaning in his eyes. Song Xuanhe didn"t understand what it meant.
His eyes landed on each and every one of the people sitting in the living room. He then raked through his memory. The original host had been acquainted with everyone here, but he hadn"t been particularly good friends with any of them. He didn"t understand what Zhou Nan"s wink was about.
"Song shao."
When the people inside saw them, one of them stood up and said, "Xuanhe, it"s been so long."
Zhou Nan echoed the sentiment upon hearing it. "Ever since he entered his family"s company, he"s stopped showing up. If I didn"t know that he was working there, I"d think that he was a spy. Couldn"t even catch sight of his shadow."
The person who spoke laughed. His handsome features radiated warmth. "I thought that you wouldn"t come today. I was planning on inviting you out to eat in the coming days."
Song Xuanhe smiled and replied, "I just entered the company, so there has been much to do."
That person nodded understandingly. His gaze paused on the person behind Song Xuanhe. An inquisitive look appeared on his face, "Who is this?"
Song Xuanhe turned his head slightly and took a look at Xiao Yuanmu. He introduced him again, "Xiao Yuanmu."
He had only said the other"s name and omitted what relationship they had. This made the people inside exchange glances. For a moment, they weren"t sure what the relationship between Song Xuanhe and Xiao Yuanmu was. Only one person wracked his brain and thought about it for a long time with furrowed brows before it dawned on him, "He"s the one you"ve been pursuing, ba? You got him so quickly, ah!"
As soon as this person"s words fell, everyone began to size Xiao Yuanmu up. Only the person who had asked who he was looked at Xiao Yuanmu apologetically. He then took a step forward and reached out a hand. He said, "Xiao Shenglin. I"m very happy to meet you."
Xiao Yuanmu looked into the other"s eyes that held a smile. He reached out a hand. "Xiao Yuanmu."
Xiao Shenglin"s smile was very pure. It made you feel comfortable and want to approach him. He said, "Which Xiao are you? The Xiao with the cao radical on top?"
Xiao Yuanmu nodded slightly, "Yes."
"Then, it seems like we share some fate. I am also that Xiao."
Xiao Shenglin easily dissolved Xiao Yuanmu"s awkwardness. While speaking, he also gave Song Xuanhe a covert glance. It was obvious that he didn"t approve of this kind of introduction.
Song Xuanhe curved his eyes into a smile. There was more sincerity in his eyes this time.
Actually, he had already a.n.a.lyzed the people from the original host"s memory, who showed up today. Therefore, he had an impression of everyone here. He also knew that the two people sitting on the sofa were the scoundrel friends of the original host who had stabbed him in the back.
It could be said that the majority of the people at this party were all people who would toss stones at Song Xuanhe when he was down in the future.
The only two exceptions were Zhou Nan and Xiao Shenglin. The two of them had always treated the original host with genuine sincerity. Only, compared to the lackeys, who really knew how to bootlick, the original host had not been particularly close friends with these two.
Zhou Nan was a good friend who had grown up with the original host. They would frequently keep in touch and meet up. Meanwhile, the original host had just been a casual friend and would only occasionally meet up with Xiao Shenglin, who had gone abroad after junior high.
Xiao Yuanmu"s gaze un.o.btrusively fell on Song Xuanhe and saw that his expression when looking at Xiao Shenglin was different from how he was when looking at others. He suddenly said, "I"m rather thirsty."
Xiao Shenglin: "There"s all sorts of beverages here. It"s at the bar. There"s also some outside by the pool. Do you want me to take you there?"
Xiao Yuanmu didn"t respond. He only stared at Song Xuanhe quietly.
Song Xuanhe smiled at Xiao Shenglin and said, "I"ll take him."
"A gin fizz." Sitting down at the bar, Song Xuanhe ordered his drink and then turned to look at Xiao Yuanmu. "What do you want?"
"The same."
Song Xuanhe raised a brow and then looked at the bartender. The bartender nodded.
A moment later, the two c.o.c.ktails were placed before them, a slice of lemon on each of the rims.
Xiao Yuanmu picked one up and took a sip. He then placed it back on the counter. Song Xuanhe held his chin up with one hand and held his drink with the other. He looked through the window at the people outside by the pool, who were frolicking about in a suggestive manner, bored.
No one was around to order more alcohol, so the bartender headed to the pool. Maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was the lively noise coming from the pool, but although neither of them spoke, the atmosphere wasn"t awkward at all. There was a comfortable ease.
Zhou Nan, who was on the other side, took back his gaze. He crossed his legs and said to Xiao Shenglin, "Don"t you think that there"s something weird about Song Er and his little boyfriend? There isn"t any of that lovey-dovey air that couples have between them. If I didn"t know that he was the one Song Er had been pursuing, I wouldn"t think that they were a couple."
When Xiao Shenglin heard this, he took a look in Song Xuanhe"s direction. He smiled helplessly and said, "What lovey-dovey air? I think they"re fine as they are."
Zhou Nan clicked his tongue. "What do you know, you extremely straight man who"s been single since he was in his mom"s womb? When Song Er was with his previous little lovers, didn"t he always have his arms around their waists and kissed them wherever they went? With this one, the two of them sit half a metre apart. Have you ever seen a couple like this?"
Hearing this, Xiao Shenglin frowned. His smile diminished a bit, "This means that he"s learned how to respect another person. He"s decided to be serious. What"s wrong with that?"
Zhou Nan rolled his eyes dramatically. He stopped trying to preach to deaf ears and got up. "I"m going to take Song Er to the pool. You sit here by yourself, ba."
Xiao Shenglin watched Zhou Nan quickly head over to the other side. He swallowed down the words he was about to say.
After Zhou Nan reached Song Xuanhe, he draped his arm on his shoulder and stuck his head over. "Want to go swim?"
Song Xuanhe didn"t turn to look at him. He lazily said, "No."
"It"s boring sitting here. If you don"t want to swim, we can go upstairs. There"s some people who want to see you."
Knowing that there was no way to resist the plot, Song Xuanhe could only look up and ask, "Who?"
"You"ll know when you see them." Zhou Nan gave a glance towards Xiao Yuanmu and said, "Let"s go."
Song Xuanhe looked at Xiao Yuanmu. He had just been about to say something when Zhou Nan cut in, "Are you afraid that he"ll get eaten? You can be at ease on my turf. Let"s go upstairs."
After saying that, he smiled at Xiao Yuanmu. "We"re going upstairs for some matters. Have fun."
Xiao Yuanmu stared at him for two seconds and then nodded slightly.
Song Xuanhe was pulled upstairs by Zhou Nan. He heard him say, "You can"t be serious about that one downstairs, ba?"
"What do you mean, "are you serious?""
"Tsk, what are you pretending for?" Zhou Nan gave him an askanced look, "I"ve never seen you regard any of your past boyfriends with so much importance. Although something"s fishy to me, I can"t put my finger on it. It can"t be that Lin zi is right, that you really plan on dating him seriously?"
"Xiao Shenglin?"
"Who else?" Zhou Nan walked over to the door, hand falling onto the handle. "I don"t think that you and that guy downstairs are well-suited for each other. You can date, but don"t actually fall in. Before anything else, your family will be really troublesome."
When he saw the sincerity in Zhou Nan"s eyes, Song Xuanhe couldn"t help but lament. How bad had the original host been at judging people to think that that pack of cruel and unscrupulous fellows were his real friends while ignoring his friends who actually cared about him?
Song Xuanhe had a flaw. That was that he found it really difficult to say anything harsh when others treated him with sincerity. With just a few words, he would subconsciously soften. Therefore, towards people he truly liked and acknowledged, he would be very easy to deal with. Even if the other had expectations that exceeded Song Xuanhe"s ability, he would grit his teeth and do it anyway, afraid of disappointing the other.
It was probably because he had experienced too much malice after his parent"s deaths. So, even if it was just a tiny bit of goodwill, even if it was the concern of a stranger, he would always want to pay them back.
Therefore, when he saw that Zhou Nan was seriously concerned for him, even if he knew that he wasn"t the original host, he couldn"t help but respond genuinely in return, "I know. You don"t have to worry."
Zhou Nan felt awkward, being looked at by him like that. He laughed, "Who"s worried about you? Go in."
The room was a study. There was already a young man wearing black-framed glances sitting inside. When he saw them come in, he stood up.
"Mr. Zhou, is this the Mr. Song you spoke of?"
Song Xuanhe followed Zhou Nan in and sat before the man with black-framed gla.s.ses. He raised an eyebrow when he heard this.
Zhou Nan introduced them, "Yes, this is the friend I told you about, Song Xuanhe."
"h.e.l.lo, Mr. Song. My name is Zhao Si. The Si from "temple". I"m very glad to make your acquaintance."
Song Xuanhe stood up and shook his outstretched hand. The corner of his lips rose as he said, "h.e.l.lo. Your name is quite interesting."
Zhao Si smiled, looking a bit bashful. He said, "Many people say that."
The two of them sat down before Zhou Nan got straight to business. "Today, I had you come because I wanted to cooperate with you on a project. The material is all on the table. You can take a look."
Song Xuanhe had foreseen this as soon as he entered the room. Therefore, he didn"t look surprised when he picked up the information. He flipped through it and discovered that it was a project summary for the manufacturing of AI robots. The information was very detailed. From the budget to the objective, everything was very explicit. Its future prospects seemed very good.
It was just that the original script had only said that Song Xuanhe was called away. It hadn"t specified where he had gone. It had also probably been to discuss investment with Zhou Nan. However, nothing ever happened afterwards in the book. Therefore, the original host must have refused. Song Xuanhe didn"t want any side issues arising with this.
Song Xuanhe"s finger that was flipping through the information paused. His gaze fell on the obviously very nervous Zhao Si. He was just about to speak when his eyes fell on a very hard-to-p.r.o.nounce city name. "Your company is located in…Ji Ao City? Where"s that?"
Regardless of whether it was technology or history, everything was more or less the same to that of Song Xuanhe"s original world. Even the boundaries around each country were more or less the same. Therefore, although the city names were not the same, he could faintly make a guess as to where it was.
However, when Song Xuanhe saw this Ji Ao City, he couldn"t guess where it was.
Zhao Si smiled at him and said, "It"s close to where Yun City borders the limits of the country. It is very remote. Although it"s called a city, it"s actually not much different from a small town. Moreover, our company is situated in the town"s mountainous area. It"s even less convenient to get there. However, we chose to situate the company there, because there is a very uncommon mineral in that area. That mineral is exactly what we need to manufacture the robots. Also, if the factory and company are together, it will be much more convenient to inspect and make improvements in the future during the production period. Furthermore, if we stay there, we can research and develop in peace."
Song Xuanhe nodded, seemingly deep in thought. Actually, he had only heard four words: It is very remote.
This was a case of someone sending you a pillow just as you were getting sleepy. He was just thinking about going to find a remote and difficult-to-find place that was also still livable and had people tending to it. It would serve to be his hiding spot in the future when he went on the run.
"It"s really remote?"
Zhao Si nodded nervously. He thought that Song Xuanhe was dissatisfied with how desolate the location was. Actually, he had gotten a few investors interested before, but the majority of them had all relinquished this project because of the location. However, he had his own reasons for choosing that place and wasn"t willing to change it.
Nonetheless, he was also not willing to let go of any chance in getting investors.
Therefore, Zhao Si hurriedly said, "Although the location is very remote, I can guarantee that it will not obstruct the company"s development. Regardless of whether it"s in recruitment or cooperation, we have a set team. It won"t…."
"I agree," Song Xuanhe interrupted him. He smiled and said, "However, I have one condition."
Zhao Si had yet to come back to himself from the glee brought upon by Song Xuanhe"s sudden agreement. When he heard that Song Xuanhe had a condition, he became nervous. "Tell me."
"I hope that my investment will be kept completely secret. Aside from the three of us, no one else should know about this matter, even if it"s other members of your team. I hope that you say that there is only one investor: Zhou Nan."
Zhao Si was startled. He subconsciously turned to look at Zhou Nan.
Zhou Nan frowned and said, "Why are you doing this?"
"I have my reasons." Although they had only interacted with each other for an hour, from the original host"s memories and the book"s description, Song Xuanhe decided to trust his intuition. He told Zhou Nan, "This is very important to me. Not just for now, but even in the future, do not tell anyone that I"m an investor."
Zhou Nan saw that he was serious. He thought it over for a while but nodded in the end. He said, "I understand. No one else will know about this."
Song Xuanhe gave him a genuine smile then. He stood up, reached a hand out, and said, "To a pleasant cooperation."
Just as he left the study, the System"s voice rung in his head: 【The scene has begun.】
【Didn"t it begin from the moment we entered, big bro?】
Song Xuanhe had practically let down the huge stone in his chest after determining his future hiding spot. He felt free from all worries. While chatting with the System in his mind, he wore a smile.
【I"m not talking about that one.】Er Gou"s tone was anxious.【The boss fell into the water. He really can"t swim!】
Song Xuanhe"s steps paused. He questioned:【Wasn"t this written in the plot?】
【The issue is that the person who is supposed to save him in the plot hasn"t appeared, ah! In a bit, he"ll really drown! If the protagonist dies, your mission will be considered a failure!】
Zhou Nan, who had pushed the door open and came out from behind Song Xuanhe, saw him standing at the top of the stairs. He was just about to holler when he saw Song Xuanhe run into the neighbouring room.
Zhou Nan was startled. Just then, he heard noise coming from downstairs. He quickly rushed over to the window by the stairs and looked down at the panicked crowd by the pool. He also saw Song Xuanhe, who was about to dive down into the water from the window sill of the room next door.
"What the f*ck?! Song Er, get down from there!"
Song Xuanhe was also quite nervous. He really was just a mediocre swimmer, let alone a diver. However, the System had a.n.a.lyzed that if he jumped down from this window, he would fall right into the water. Moreover, he would fall very close to where Xiao Yuanmu was currently flailing. He already had no time left. If Xiao Yuanmu died, so would he. Therefore, even if he was nervous, he had to jump.
Splash—
A big splash rose up from the pool. Song Xuanhe quickly held his breath. He furrowed his brows, screams from the sh.o.r.e entering his ears. It had been too long since he had last swam. His form wasn"t very skilled. It took him a few strokes before he got the feeling back. Then, he quickly swam over to Xiao Yuanmu.
Xiao Yuanmu could feel the water fill his nose and then his lungs. His strength gradually left his body. But when he thought of the rib-breaking force the person who had pushed him had used, a power arose in his body. He gritted his teeth and tried to go up to the surface, but no matter how he moved, the water continued to fill his mouth and nose.
He had a bad cramp in his calves. His body heat seemed to seep away with his strength. His eyes also felt full of blood. The ear-piercing screams and voices also gradually disappeared. Xiao Yuanmu slowly closed his eyes.
Actually, death wasn"t so bad.
Sooner or later, his life would end. How different could it be?
The Director"s kind smile flitted through his brain. His mind slowly calmed down. In this world, the only person who made him feel warmth, the only one he was concerned about, was the Director. He hoped that he could be filial towards her in the next world.
"Xiao Yuanmu!"
While absent-minded, a m.u.f.fled, familiar voice sounded. Xiao Yuanmu opened his eyes a bit before widening them. He was astonished.
Light illuminated the top of the pool from above. The person who was doing his best to swim towards him was surrounded by that light. The azure water moved about the circle of light. The rays of light in the water were dim, falling upon the other"s moving hands and frantic face, making up the most beautiful scene Xiao Yuanmu had ever seen in his entire life.
The author has something to say:
Xiao Yuanmu: My sweetheart is a merman. One day, he"ll blow bubbles and come save me in a halo of white light.
Song Xuanhe: Is the halo you"re talking about the one that dead people have on top of their heads?
Eve: And it was at that moment, MuMu knew he was a goner <>
Kara: Ah, this couple is so silly and awkward. I love them so much. *wipes tears* Also, now I"m wondering who the person who was supposed to save him was and where they are. Perhaps a love rival from the novel?? Either way…WHY YOU NO SAVE OUR MUMU??! ( ゜Д゜；)！？