translator: Eve

editors: kara

When Xiao Yuanmu finally found Mrs. Xiao, she was conversing with two other madams of similar age. Upon seeing Xiao Yuanmu come over, the smile on her face deepened, and she walked over to welcome him. Beaming, she pulled him over by the hand. “You’re here. Come over quickly.”

“Let Mom introduce you. This is Auntie Zhao, and this is Auntie Qian. They’re good friends of mine.”

Xiao Yuanmu discreetly pulled his hand back and nodded. “Auntie Zhao, Auntie Qian.”

Auntie Zhao smiled as she handed him a simple but exquisite wooden box. “This is a gift for you.” Auntie Qian also pulled out a delicate embroidered pouch that seemed to contain something hefty. There was a metallic clang when she offered it to him.

Xiao Yuanmu didn’t accept it immediately. Mrs. Xiao said, “Take it. Treat it as a belated coming-of-age gift. They gave your younger brother gifts when he had turned eighteen. You both deserve to have a share. This is what you deserve.”

“That’s right,” Auntie Zhao said, “We had given you a jade pendant and a lock of longevity when you had been born too. They’re still locked up in a drawer within your room. Don’t treat us like strangers.”

Xiao Yuanmu’s gaze changed slightly. He thanked them and then accepted the gifts. He handed the gifts to Yang Jie shortly after.

Mrs. Qian smiled and asked, “I heard you have someone you like. Where is he?”

Mrs. Xiao’s smile faded. Before Xiao Yuanmu could speak, she said, “That child has something going on, so he couldn’t make it.”

Mrs. Zhao said, “What could be so important? What a pity.”

Mrs. Xiao smiled and changed the subject. “Your father had said that you would be here quickly. Why did you only come now?”

“I encountered Mrs. James and Auntie Song,” Xiao Yuanmu said, “So, I stopped to greet them.”

The two madams were surprised. Mrs. Zhao said, “I know Mrs. James, but who is this Mrs. Song? I don’t think I’ve heard of her before.”

Mrs. Xiao had also been puzzled at first but quickly snapped out of it when she heard Xiao Yuanmu call her. Her smile froze, and she skirted around the topic. “Mrs. James really likes you. I should go see her.”

Xiao Yuanmu’s lips curled up slightly. He looked down and kept silent.

When Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Qian had heard Mrs. Xiao say this, they didn’t pursue the issue any further. They simply exchanged glances before tacitly changing the subject.

“Yuanmu, ah,” Mrs. Zhao recalled what they had been talking about prior to his arrival and spoke up in a soft voice, “I heard that you live in your own apartment now. The Xiao Family has several properties in Y City. Although your parents and brother don’t usually live there, they still occasionally pop on by. You had been separated from your family for so long. You should treasure the time you have together now.”

Mrs. Xiao nodded upon hearing this. “The house is close to your company. Move in with us when you have time.”

Before Xiao Yuanmu could respond, Xiao Baicong walked out from the crowd. He wore a dark, fitted suit and had on a Jacquard-woven, blue-green silk tie. It gave him the liveliness of a youth and the steady temperament of a man. There was a smile on his slightly juvenile face. He had a noble air to him.

He had just so happened to overhear their conversation. He smiled and said, “Ge, are you moving in with us? I can help you tidy up a room. But, shouldn’t we head to the main house first?”

Mrs. Xiao, who had looked a bit nervous just now, relaxed upon seeing him arrive. She grabbed the hand of her eldest son and spoke in an annoyed tone, “Didn’t I tell you to come over a while ago? Where did you go off to?”

Xiao Baicong smiled at her. “My friends were over there, so I went to chat with them. Ze Yu and Wei Yang were going to come over with me, but we had bumped into some classmates who we haven’t seen in a while. They ditched me at once. That’s why I ended up coming here alone.”

Ze Yu and Wei Yang were Mrs. Zhao and Mrs. Qian’s children respectively. When they had heard him mention their children, their smiles deepened. Auntie Zhao said, “Baicong’s the only sensible one amongst them. Ze Yu should learn from you.”

Xiao Baicong’s smile was warm like the sun. “If it weren’t because my mom and brother are here, I would have also been dragged away by them.”

Mrs. Xiao glared at him in feigned annoyance. “I told you to introduce your older brother to your friends. And yet, you went off to play for so long.”

“I was scared that my brother would scare them off with how cold he looks. That’s why I had warned them in advance.” Xiao Baicong smiled at Xiao Yuanmu and asked, “My brother wouldn’t blame me, would he?”

Xiao Yuanmu’s voice was chilly and completely without ripples. “No.”

“Like I thought.” Xiao Baicong walked over to Xiao Yuanmu. “Let’s go, Ge, I’ll introduce you to my friends.”

Xiao Yuanmu declined coolly. “No need.”

Mrs. Xiao, Mrs. Qian, and Mrs. Zhao were all taken aback. Xiao Baicong’s smile grew fainter. “Ge, are you upset at me for coming so late?”

“I have a video conference at five o’clock.” Xiao Yuanmu looked at his watch. “It’s almost time. I have to prepare for the meeting.”

“This child.” Mrs. Xiao heaved a sigh of relief. “Why are you working today too? Can’t you push it off?”

“No,” Xiao Yuanmu said in a flat tone, “This partnership is extremely important with regards to the company’s future development. This meeting was planned prior to this banquet, and changing the date now would be inappropriate.”

Mrs. Xiao sighed, but there was still a smile on her face. “Then off you go. Remember to come back when you’re done. Let your brother introduce you to others your age. Make some friends.”

Xiao Yuanmu nodded and then bid farewell to the other madams. He then glanced at Xiao Baicong before telling Mrs. Xiao, “I’ll be going now.”

“Go on.”

“I’ll go with Ge,” Xiao Baicong said with a smile, “I left something in my room, so I might as well go now to get it.”

“Alright.” Mrs. Xiao’s tone was very doting as she spoke to her youngest son. “Don’t disturb your brother’s work.”

“I know.” Xiao Baicong beamed at Xiao Yuanmu. “Ge, let’s go.”

Xiao Yuanmu’s gaze paused on Xiao Baicong for two seconds. He then turned around and left. Xiao Baicong waved to their mother and then followed after Xiao Yuanmu with a grin on his face.

“Ge.” Although Xiao Baicong was five years younger than Xiao Yuanmu, he was nearly the same height. He quickly caught up to Xiao Yuanmu and turned to look at the other’s profile. “Are you really going to move in with us?”

Xiao Yuanmu’s gaze remained straight ahead. Coolly, he said, “No.”

Xiao Baicong’s smile didn’t change, but his gaze paused on the other for a second. “Why not? Because, you’re not used to us yet? But, we’re a family. You’ll get used to it after some time. And, we can get closer.”

“I’m too busy.”

“The house isn’t far from your company,” Xiao Baicong said, “There’s a chauffeur who can take you to and from work. It won’t waste any time.”

Xiao Yuanmu glanced at him silently.

Xiao Baicong continued to smile as if he didn’t mind Xiao Yuanmu’s coldness towards him. He acted like a little lackey who adored his older brother. Once again, he changed the subject, seemingly intent on making Xiao Yuanmu talk more. “I had gone to China with the family tutor once when I was ten years old and learning about world history. Back then, I had found it boring. Is China fun?”

Yang Jie: “Not at all.”

Xiao Baicong stood still and turned to look at Yang Jie. His brows furrowed. “I was asking my brother. What are you interrupting us for?”

“He’s right.” Xiao Yuanmu also stopped walking. In a flat voice, he said, “I have work to do. Go get what you came up here for.”

Xiao Baicong pursed his lips and looked at Xiao Yuanmu with a wronged look in his eyes. “Do you dislike me?”

“That’s right.”

Xiao Baicong was taken aback. Incredulity filled his eyes. He didn’t think that the other would be so frank and answer so quickly.

“Can I go in now?” Xiao Yuanmu raised his chin slightly, indicating for Xiao Baicong to make way.

Xiao Baicong looked at Xiao Yuanmu and Yang Jie behind him. He frowned. “Why do you dislike me?”

“No reason.” Xiao Yuanmu opened the door. As he was walking into the room, he paused and turned to look at Xiao Baicong. His pitch-black eyes seemed bottomless, and there was a freezing bite to his gaze. “Just like you.”

The door shut in Xiao Baicong’s face. He stood there in place for a long time before he broke out into laughter. In a tone pregnant with meaning, he said, “Smarter than I had given him credit for.”

After closing the door, Yang Jie had pricked his ears to listen for any movements outside. When he had only heard silence, he was puzzled. “Xiao ge, even if you don’t like your younger brother, you shouldn’t be so…blunt about it.”

Xiao Yuanmu remained silent and casually found a sofa to sit on. He pulled out his phone and dialed the number belonging to the person who was constantly on his mind.

Yang Jie hadn’t yet noticed that he had made the call. He continued: “And if my memory serves me correctly, there’s no meeting today. Did you come up because you are tired or—”

“What’s the matter?”

A familiar voice suddenly echoed through the air. When Yang Jie took a few steps over, he saw a face he hadn’t seen for a long time. Yang Jie paused. He looked like he had expected this but was also surprised at the same time. His gaze was very complicated.

When Xiao Yuanmu saw the person on the other side of the video call, he smiled faintly. He loosened his tie and said in a low, hoarse voice, “Did you just wake up?”

Song Xuanhe had been woken up by his ringtone. His messy hair fell over his forehead, and his eyes were half-opened. There was a layer of water over his hazy eyes. He was the complete opposite of the man with sharp features on the other side of the call.

His tone was full of impatience. “It’s so early, what do you want?”

Xiao Yuanmu’s eyes were drawn to the expanse of exposed skin on Song Xuanhe’s chest from where his buttons had come undone. He quickly averted his eyes and then looked up at Yang Jie. He turned the screen away from the other’s view. “I had bumped into Auntie just now.”

Song Xuanhe had stayed at the studio until five in the morning before going home last night. His eyelids were still drooping, and it took a lot of effort to open his eyes. Sunlight reflected off of his eyes. His irises were lighter than usual. “And?”

After that one word, he shut his eyes. His tone was filled with annoyance as if asking, Why did you wake me up for something like that?

“She had asked me when we were going to get married.”

Song Xuanhe’s eye twitched. He opened them at once. “What?”

Xiao Yuanmu smiled. “Awake yet?”

The author has something to say:

Yang Jie: Mrs. Song never said that.

Eve: It would be funny if Yang Jie had actually said that out loud.

xiin: A Mumu who likes to troll Xuanhe is so cute~