translator: Eve

editor: kara

When Song Xuanhe heard those two words, he knew that Xiao Yuanmu had only been joking. However, the shock he had suffered just now did manage to chase the sleep away.

Song Xuanhe looked at Xiao Yuanmu with a chilly expression. Without any hesitation, he reached out to press the “end call” button.

Xiao Yuanmu: “You don’t have to look into Zhou Rong’s case.”

Song Xuanhe paused, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

Xiao Yuanmu: “I will handle it. You don’t have to bother yourself with it.”

Song Xuanhe frowned. “What did you find out?”

“A lot of things,” Xiao Yuanmu said in a mild voice, “I’ll tell you everything once it’s all over.”

Eyes still narrowed, Song Xuanhe said, “This is my business. You have to give me a reason why I shouldn’t look into it. Or at least, tell me who the mastermind behind all of this is.”

“The Hoffman Family’s involved.” Xiao Yuanmu furrowed his eyes slightly, and his tone became much graver. “You’ll only put yourself in danger by getting involved. Leave it be. Be good.”

When he heard Xiao Yuanmu’s last two words, he raised a brow. His lips parted, but he didn’t retort. He simply looked away. “Are you in a bad mood?”

“Mn.”

Yang Jie, who was standing off to the side, was taken aback. His gaze was on Xiao Yuanmu’s profile. Although he couldn’t read the other’s face, Xiao Yuanmu’s lips were raised up slightly higher than normal. He then looked away, his own lips pulling into a straight line.

All of a sudden, he realized why Xiao ge liked Song Xuanhe.

Song Xuanhe didn’t know that there was someone else in the room. When he had heard the other admit to being in a bad mood, he flashed a look of keen interest. “Tell me why. Might make my day.”

Xiao Yuanmu was sitting upright, one hand holding his phone up while the other rested on his leg. He observed Song Xuanhe on the other end for a moment. “You might not necessarily feel happy when you hear it.”

“Try me.” Song Xuanhe raised a brow. His cold expression from having been woken up warmed up a bit, and a small smile graced his face. “I feel like anything that makes you unhappy will probably make me very happy.”

“Xiao—my mother,” Xiao Yuanmu examined Song Xuanhe with his pitch-black eyes as he spoke in his low, chilly voice, “She’s really interested in you. She was so disappointed when you didn’t come.”

Song Xuanhe’s smile froze. He asked, “What does this have to do with your bad mood?”

“I’m worried she’ll go looking for you.” When Xiao Yuanmu saw Song Xuanhe’s pursed lips, his tone softened. “Or that she’ll seek out Auntie Song and ask her about us.”

“What is there to say about us?” Song Xuanhe was skeptical. “Even if she asked my mom, she wouldn’t be able to find out all that much.”

Xiao Yuanmu smiled and nodded. There was a raspy laugh in his voice. “Maybe.”

Song Xuanhe stared at the other man with squinted eyes for a moment. Just as he pushed the “end call” button, their eyes suddenly met. Song Xuanhe frowned.

“You….”

His phone was very sensitive though. Before he could finish his sentence, the call ended.

This was the first time they had ever video-chatted. They had always communicated via phone call in the past. That was why Yang Jie didn’t know that Song Xuanhe had always hung up so abruptly. When he saw how Song Xuanhe had hung up without a word, he couldn’t help but widen his eyes in shock.

Ever since he had started to work for Xiao Yuanmu, whether it was when they had been working covertly in the Capital or while RE was making tremendous progress, he had only ever seen Xiao Yuanmu being the one to hang up on any call first. This was the first time he had ever seen someone hang up on Xiao Yuanmu.

The other person had even done it so suddenly. He hadn’t wasted any time.

“Xiao ge…” Yang Jie cautiously tried to discern Xiao Yuanmu’s expression. Unfortunately, he wasn’t Song Xuanhe. Only Song Xuanhe was able to read his emotions. Therefore, even though he had observed the other for a few seconds, he still wasn’t able to tell how the other felt. All he could do was comfort him hesitantly. “Maybe Song Er’s hand slipped. Maybe it wasn’t on purpose.”

Xiao Yuanmu was already used to Song Xuanhe hanging up on him whenever he felt like it. His bad mood had already improved a lot after their phone call. When he had heard Yang Jie say this, a sliver of a smile flashed through his eyes. “No, he did it on purpose.”

Yang Jie choked. He wanted to say something else but couldn’t think of anything. All he could do was lick his lips and stand there silently.

Xiao Yuanmu got up and handed his phone over to Yang Jie for safe-keeping. He fixed his tie and said, “Let’s head downstairs.”

Yang Jie hesitated briefly upon recalling the fact that Song Xuanhe had said that Xiao Yuanmu was in a bad mood. But when he saw Xiao Yuanmu heading towards the door, he still followed after him with a downcast gaze.

Before they made it out of the room, Xiao Yuanmu’s phone rang. It wasn’t the default ringtone. It was a really weird sound.

Xiao Yuanmu paused and turned to look at Yang Jie.

Yang Jie pulled the phone out and looked at the contact name. He then looked up at Xiao Yuanmu: “It’s Song shao.”

Xiao Yuanmu’s eyes lit up. He accepted the phone and accepted the video call request. Song Xuanhe’s face once again appeared on the screen.

“Sorry,” Song Xuanhe said with an innocent expression, “My finger slipped, and I hung up by accident.”

Yang Jie: ….

Yang Jie glanced at Xiao Yuanmu and tactfully returned to his place in the corner of the room.

Xiao Yuanmu’s lips curled up slightly, and he sat back down onto the sofa. He gave a quiet sound of acknowledgement and simply waited for Song Xuanhe to say what he had to say.

Obviously, he didn’t believe Song Xuanhe when he had said that his finger had slipped. He also knew that Song Xuanhe would never call him unless he needed something.

But, Song Xuanhe didn’t speak for a long time. As time passed, his brows gradually furrowed. There was a hint of displeasure in his brows.

Xiao Yuanmu’s finger curled up slightly from its spot on his leg. He shifted slightly and calmly opened up the conversation. “What’s wrong?”

Song Xuanhe carefully examined Xiao Yuanmu’s expression. His rich and mellow voice was very soft. “I want to confirm something. Move the phone downwards. I want to see the entirety of your upper body.”

Xiao Yuanmu paused. Something flashed through his eyes, but he still did as he was told.

Song Xuanhe’s eyes followed the length of Xiao Yuanmu’s tie downwards. His gaze fell onto a button of the other’s suit jacket for a second before it continued to lower. In the end, his eyes focused on the hand that was a few centimetres beneath that particular button.

Xiao Yuanmu noticed Song Xuanhe’s gaze. He shifted his legs from their crossed position, but his gaze remained serene. “What are you looking at?”

Song Xuanhe asked, “Are you alone right now?”

Xiao Yuanmu glanced at Yang Jie, who stood not far from him. He raised a brow slightly but didn’t say anything.

Song Xuanhe thought this meant he was alone. His unhappy expression deepened, and there was a shred of anger and worry, which he didn’t even notice himself, in his voice. “Is your stomach hurting right now?”

Xiao Yuanmu’s eyelashes quivered slightly, and his hold on the phone tightened. His expression didn’t change. “Why do you ask?”

Yang Jie looked up abruptly and cast his gaze over at Xiao Yuanmu. He parted his lips, wanting to say something, but ultimately decided to stay quiet.

The way Xiao Yuanmu had evaded the question by asking one of his own made Song Xuanhe certain that he was right. He then asked back, “So, is your stomach hurting right now or not?”

Xiao Yuanmu’s expression changed slightly. Still calm and composed, he said, “No.”

Upon hearing this, Song Xuanhe’s face tensed up. The incoming sunlight illuminated his fair skin making it appear nearly translucent and frigid. “Did you know that whenever your stomach hurts, your voice will be lower than normal? Your lips will also subconsciously press into a straight line when you speak. You also have the habit of placing your hand near your abdominal area.”

For the first time, Xiao Yuanmu’s calm mask cracked. A sliver of fear appeared in his eyes.

This was the first time anyone had been able to so accurately perceive his emotions and his physical condition. If it had been anyone but Song Xuanhe, or if it had been someone from his previous world, he would have likely been on guard against them. He might have even tried to think of a way to make this person disappear.

But, the person who knew him so well was Song Xuanhe—the current Song Xuanhe.

He was different.

Xiao Yuanmu knew very well that Song Xuanhe was special to him. But, he didn’t know how to put the complicated feelings he had for him into words. He didn’t only feel happy and relaxed around him, he also felt negative emotions as well. But regardless of whether the feelings were positive or negative, he didn’t want to give up any of them.

Song Xuanhe didn’t know what Xiao Yuanmu was thinking about. All he saw was the other with his eyes downcast.

Actually, he didn’t know why he was so angry over Xiao Yuanmu feeling unwell. It didn’t feel like he was purely angry at Xiao Yuanmu either. There was something else as well.

This other thing made him feel agitated and annoyed. Song Xuanhe’s expression and tone grew even colder. His interrogative tone was like a laser beam as it fired time and time again. “Why haven’t you gone to the hospital if you’re feeling unwell? Why haven’t you told someone? Do you care that much about how others perceive you? Is it more important than your health?”

Yang Jie turned to look at Xiao Yuanmu, who was sitting on the sofa, as Song Xuanhe’s words echoed throughout the room. He saw Xiao Yuanmu sitting there in silent acquiescence, eyes lowered. Yang Jie felt helpless. He didn’t know if he should be shocked over how aggressive Song Xuanhe was being towards Xiao Yuanmu or blame himself for failing to notice his boss was feeling unwell despite being his assistant.

“Xiao Yuanmu,” Song Xuanhe asked, “Do you not care about your body?”

Xiao Yuanmu’s pupils shook slightly. He raised his eyes to meet Song Xuanhe’s eyes. One could not see the bottom of his jet-black eyes. It looked like there was both a millennium-old glacier and a suppressed, bubbling volcano hidden within their depths.

His voice was quiet and hoarse. There was a trace of urgency in his voice. “Do you like me?”

The completely irrelevant question caused Song Xuanhe’s anger to dissipate. Confusion appeared in his eyes.

Just as he was wondering whether he had heard wrongly, Xiao Yuanmu repeated his question with a different word: “Do you love me?”

Song Xuanhe’s befuddlement was written all over his face: “What?”

Something flickered through Xiao Yuanmu’s eyes, and his hoarse voice regained some of its chill. “Nothing. Louis said that people in love should tell each other that they love them. We never did that. That’s why I wanted to ask you about it.”

Song Xuanhe’s lips twitched. His fury had completely disappeared after being asked such a question in such a nonsensical way.

But, Xiao Yuanmu didn’t let it drop. He asked again, “Do you love me?”

Song Xuanhe paused. He raised a hand to ruffle his dishevelled hair. “I’m late. I have to head to the studio. I’m going to hang up.”

The screen darkened, and Xiao Yuanmu’s lips curled up slightly…but only for a moment. Shortly after, they were once again pressed into a straight line.

Yang Jie took a step forward and asked in a concerned voice, “Xiao ge, is your stomach really hurting?”

Xiao Yuanmu finally dropped the phone into his pocket. He then got up and headed for the door for a second time. “It’s nothing.”

It wasn’t that it wasn’t hurting. He just felt like it wasn’t anything to worry about.

Yang Jie paused. His hand clenched, but he still followed after the other man. He knew that no one but Song Xuanhe would be able to persuade Xiao Yuanmu.

And just now, Song Ershao, who had always been overbearing and willful in his mind, had just hung up in a panic when faced with the question that no man in a relationship could avoid.

Yang Jie suddenly realized that the saying, “Every item has its weakness,” was absolutely true.

The author has something to say:

The big shot is number one when it comes to changing the topic and fighting to survive.

But when it comes to running away, no one can beat my son Xuan!

Eve: Xuanhe being worried and angry over Mumu warmed my heart. And then I died at how he panicked over the love question. It wasn’t a no~~~