translator: Eve

editor: kara

Song Xuanhe was woken up by the soft sound of his alarm and the ringing of his phone. Before he was able to vent his anger from having been woken up, he received some news from Song Xuanlin: Song Jiabao had been sent to rehab.

The fog cleared from his brain, and he sat up. His voice was a little hoarse. “Rehab? Why not prison?”

“The police suspect Song Jiabao and Zhou Rong of dealing and using. This morning, Song Jiabao and Zhou Rong showed symptoms of using. However, they had been in the detention centre since last night. No one else entered. Although the police don’t know what kind of drug it is to have such a long latency period, it’s already been confirmed that they took drugs.”

Song Xuanhe’s brows gradually furrowed as he listened to Song Xuanlin’s steady voice. Even ignoring the fact that it was impossible for Zhou Rong and Song Jiabao to have dealt and used drugs considering their family circumstances, it was still really weird for them to have a drug addiction.

Song Xuanhe had assigned someone to keep an eye on Zhou Rong ever since the latter had secretly come back to the country. He had observed every single one of Zhou Rong’s actions leading up to this event. Therefore, he knew quite a bit about Zhou Rong.

Back then, the person who had watched Zhou Rong had not reported any issues. Zhou Rong had rarely left his hotel. Aside from occasionally going out to eat, he had spent the rest of his time at the hotel reading, working out, or resting. His schedule had been very regular, and he had stuck to it strictly.

Based on this, Song Xuanhe could tell that Zhou Rong was a very prudent and self-disciplined person. The probability that someone like this would do drugs was close to zero.

But, Song Xuanlin wouldn’t take a shot in the dark. His new sources were also reliable. So, Song Xuanhe trusted him.

That meant that it was very suspicious for the two of them to suddenly show symptoms of drug use.

Moreover, Song Xuanhe clearly remembered that Zhou Rong had only had one dose of that new drug. He was certain of it.

Back then, his contact had discovered that Zhou Rong had brought back a fountain pen box with him. Inside that box had been the new drug. After that, the contact had checked many times whether Zhou Rong had any other doses on him. After Song Xuanhe had gotten an identical box made—the only difference being that this one had a secret compartment—he had made sure to confirm this fact once more.

It was precisely because of this that Song Xuanhe had been able to deal with Zhou Rong so easily. It was because he knew that Zhou Rong hadn’t had any other trump cards.

So, where did these new doses come from? It couldn’t be the one that the police had taken as evidence, could it?

But in any case, it didn’t concern him any longer.

Song Xuanhe only mulled over this for a few seconds before his furrowed eyebrows smoothed out. He yawned and then laid back down. He sighed a bit absent-mindedly, “I hadn’t thought they did drugs.”

Song Xuanlin was silent for a moment. He then said, “Uncle and Aunt are at the main residence. They’re downstairs. They’re saying that you told someone to send Song Jiabao in. They think that it was your fault Song Jiabao became addicted.”

Song Xuanhe chuckled. In a relaxed tone, he said, “Song Jiabao had teamed up with Zhou Rong to try and force me to take drugs yesterday. Wei shao, Guan shao, and Zhou Nan brought a team of officers to come save me. Aren’t they afraid of me going to testify against them because of their wrongful accusations?”

Song Xuanlin knew that Song Xuanhe would never do something like that. When he heard the other de-escalate the matter like this, his brows furrowed. “Song Jiabao tried to force you to take drugs?”

“‘Take’ isn’t quite the right word for it,” Song Xuanhe said with a smile, “There was a syringe involved. I heard that just one use will cause a lifetime addiction.”

Song Xuanlin’s expression darkened. The cries downstairs intermittently echoed in his ear. He opened the door and said, “Don’t come home for the next two days. Don’t come to the office either. I’ll contact you again once I’ve settled everything.”

Song Xuanhe stared at his home screen for a moment. He then chuckled. “What’s with Song Xuanlin?”

The System spoke up：【According to my analysis of what he had said before about wanting to be a good big brother, there is a seventy-percent chance that he wants to resolve this for you.】

Song Xuanhe pulled his covers over his chin and shut his eyes as he mumbled: “Whatever floats his boat.”

*

“Mr. Xiao, Mr. Zhang has already arrived. Would you like for me to escort him to your office?”

Joe kept a one-metre distance between himself and Xiao Yuanmu. He spoke quickly while handing the meeting notes over to Xiao Yuanmu.

Xiao Yuanmu nodded slightly but didn’t stop walking. In a flat voice, he said, “If Yang Jie comes over, tell him to head straight to my office.”

“Even if Mr. Zhang is present?”

“Yes.”

Joe nodded. He quickly instructed a nearby assistant and only finished upon reaching Xiao Yuanmu’s office. He opened the door for Xiao Yuanmu and then said, “Mr. Xiao, the Xiao Family banquet takes place at seven o’clock this evening. Mrs. Xiao has reminded the secretary division once again. She wishes for us to remind you of this.”

Xiao Yuanmu made a sound of acknowledgement. He then nodded to Zhang Siwei, who was walking over. They then entered the office together.

Joe stared at the closed door for two seconds before heading back to the secretary division. The other secretaries perked up upon seeing him. “Joe, did you tell Mr. Xiao about the dinner tonight?”

“Yes.” Joe smiled good-naturedly. “Mr. Xiao has already given his answer. He will attend on time.”

The secretary who had asked the question sighed in relief. “Mrs. Xiao has called three times today. I haven’t been able to give her a clear response all this time. Now, I can finally give her an answer. But in any case, she’s got a really good temperament.”

The other secretaries agreed. They all praised Mrs. Xiao, who had visited the company a few times, quite a bit. A few minutes later, they started to gossip about the Xiao Family.

One person said, “Mrs. Xiao is so easy to get along with. So, why is Xiao so cold? He seems to have some prejudice against the Xiao Family.”

“The Supreme Commander’s always cold. I’ve never seen him not cold. He’s polar opposites with Louis. One’s happy all the time while the other is aloof all the time. It’s his personality that’s the problem.”

“He doesn’t have any prejudiced views,” Someone else chimed in, “Xiao just doesn’t show his feelings on his face very much. Joe, you spend the most time with him. Have you ever seen him smile?”

When Joe recalled the expression on Xiao Yuanmu’s face after those phone calls, he smiled. “Yeah.”

The other person was shocked. “When? He didn’t smile even when we succeeded in the acquisition last time. And yet, all the new female employees like him. I had thought that the girls of our country liked funny, sunshine-like guys. I had never expected them to fall for the boss’s appearance.”

“Appearance tops everything,” An intern of East Asian descent said, “The people from our country believe that good looks are a talent in itself. Mr. Xiao’s talent is maxed out in that case.”

“That’s right.” The person who had just spoken suddenly put on a mysterious expression. His voice became hushed. “Mr. Zhang’s been coming to the company a lot these days. He always stays in Xiao’s office for a long time every time too. He spends the most time in Xiao’s office after Louis and Yang. Even more than Joe. Moreover, Xiao’s never showed interest in girls. Chinese celebrities and new designers all have come looking for Xiao. They were all men. Do you think Xiao and Mr. Zhang are….?”

That profound expression and the trailing sentence inevitably caused people to ponder over this. Joe frowned and was about to speak up when he heard a voice speak up from behind him. “Ladies and gentlemen, this isn’t the lounge. It’s also still work hours. If you want to gossip, choose a different location and time. Most importantly, remember to invite me.”

Louis winked at the blonde girl sitting closest to him. He then waved his hand and entered Xiao Yuanmu’s office while laughing.

“Hi.” Louis interrupted the two men’s conversation. With a chuckle, he said, “Guess what I just heard outside?”

Xiao Yuanmu’s cold, serious expression had not yet disappeared from his face. He didn’t look up as he tapped on the leather couch. Zhang Siwei was flipping through the documents in his hand. He didn’t look at Louis at all either.

“The two of you always look so solemn whenever you talk.” Louis shrugged. “If the people outside saw this, they definitely wouldn’t think that there was a spark between you two anymore.”

Zhang Siwei looked up and pushed his gold-rimmed glasses up. In a flat voice, he asked, “What spark?”

“You and Xiao.” Louis sat down next to Zhang Siwei. His smile was bright and warm. “They said that you spend more time in Xiao’s office than Joe. And that, maybe you’re Xiao’s secret lover.”

Zhang Siwei’s gaze shifted back down. He had absolutely no interest in this topic, so he went back to ignoring Louis.

“But, they were partly right.” Louis smiled. “You’re not Xiao’s secret lover, but you are the nanny of Xiao’s secret lover. One who even Song, who’s all the way in China, knows.”

Xiao Yuanmu finally looked up. “Are you certain that Zhou Rong had met with the Schroder Family in the South?”

Zhang Siwei nodded and said, “Yes. He’s also been in contact with Jiang Deyi. I think that he must have gotten in contact with the Schroder Family through Jiang Deyi.”

Louis had no idea what they were talking about. However, he did know of the Schroder Family. Therefore, he forced his way into the conversation. “Are you talking about the Schroder Family that works under the Hoffman Family? The one that smuggles drugs?”

A flicker of surprise flashed through Zhang Siwei’s eyes. He frowned and asked Louis: “How do you know the Schroder Family is involved in drug trafficking?”

“That’s not all I know. I also know that they manufacture drugs as well. Up to sixty percent of the new drugs on the market come from them. A cousin of mine accidentally used something else while smoking marijuana. The drug had come from the Schroder Family. Back then, my cousin’s dad had gone straight to the Hoffman Family. I still have the contact information of the Schroder Family’s heir. His name was…Hayden, I believe?”

Xiao Yuanmu’s eyes darkened. He said, “The Hoffman Family will be attending the Xiao Family banquet.”

“Not just that.” Louis smiled. “I came to tell you something. Jung Hoffman himself has expressed interest in cooperating with us. I believe that you’ll get to meet him soon.”

When Xiao Yuanmu heard this name, he stopped his tapping. A complicated light flashed through his eyes.

The author has something to say:

Seven of the ‘pursuers’ have already appeared. Can you all guess who they are?

Eve: I think that Zhang Siwei is an entirely different character than Assistant Zhang, in case anyone is wondering. As the translator I should know for certain but it’s midterms, it’s been a long time since I read this and I’m brain dead LMAO. From ctrl+Fing, it seems like they are different.

xiin: *digs frantically* where’s the promised sugar? what’s all this intrigue!