“So, if Brother Xiao has something to do later, please take care of him.” Yang Jie saw that Song Xuanhe had fallen into thoughtfulness and said, “I’m not certain what’s happened at the Xiao Family, but I’m very glad that you can accompany him at this time.”

Song Xuanhe lifted his gaze when he heard this, even as Yang Jie continued, “Although I never liked you much, I also know that you’re indeed the most suitable person for Brother Xiao. I don’t know if what I’ve said is wrong, or if I’m overthinking things, but I still want to tell you that Brother Xiao has been on his own for many years. The one and only person he’s placed in his heart is you, and the one and only person he likes and cherishes is you.”

“There may be many people who like you, and many people you like, and you have many friends, and many relatives, so you don’t place as much care on Brother Xiao as he does for you, but I still hope that you can be better to Brother Xiao, because he really likes you. We can all see it.”

Yang Jie fell silent after saying this, looking at Song Xuanhe with a complex gaze. He seemed to be struggling in his heart for a long time before finally, he spoke again awkwardly, “I also know that you like Brother Xiao, and I know that you two really match each other. But I just want to say, be better to him, and don’t make him sad. Otherwise, I really will…”

“You’ll what?”

Xiao Yuanmu’s voice sounded out from behind Yang Jie. Yang Jie was startled, immediately standing up straight and turning around. His face flushed when he saw Xiao Yuanmu, “Brother Xiao!”

“Enough.” Xiao Yuanmu came over and took Song Xuanhe’s hand, casually returning the cell phone to Yang Jie. He laughed quietly, then said, “Get ready to go.”

Yang Jie felt a sense of relief, turning to run off.

Song Xuanhe wanted to laugh at seeing his appearance of wanting to make fierce remarks one moment, then running way faster than a rabbit the next. However, the corners of his lips slowly fell as he laughed, and he turned his gaze towards Xiao Yuanmu. It just happened that Xiao Yuanmu was also looking at him. Xiao Yuanmu smiled, then said, “Yang Jie told you not to make me sad. What are you going to do?”

“What would make you sad?” Song Xuanhe asked.

“Nothing you do would make me sad.” Xiao Yuanmu pecked at the corner of his lips, then laughed quietly, “Nothing.”

Song Xuanhe’s eyelashes trembled, and he held onto his hand tightly.

The smile at the corner of Xiao Yuanmu’s mouth deepened at this. He squeezed his hand lightly and said, “Come on, let’s go back to the hotel and rest early. We’ll go back to America tomorrow morning.”

“If you’re in a hurry, it’ll be the same if we sleep on the plane.” Song Xuanhe thought about how Yang Jie had said that something must have happened in the Xiao Family just now and asked, “What happened when Madame Xiao called you just now?”

Xiao Yuanmu nodded, the smile in his eyes fading as he said lightly, “It’s nothing major. It won’t delay our rest.”

Song Xuanhe could tell from Xiao Yuanmu’s expression that things weren’t so simple, but he also knew that Xiao Yuanmu had his own plans. So, he didn’t intend to refute him and instead lifted his legs to walk as he said, “In that case, we’ll go back and sleep earlier today.”

Xiao Yuanmu’s voice was deep and hoarse as he whispered in a low voice into his ear, “We can also sleep a bit later and rest properly on the plane tomorrow.”

Song Xuanhe’s throat tensed up. He shifted his gaze and met with Xiao Yuanmu’s bottomless black eyes for a moment before looking away silently. The hand he was using to hold Xiao Yuanmu’s tightened slightly.

The next morning, Song Xuanhe had to force himself to look presentable, dropping his chin and straightening his back as he entered Xiao Yuanmu’s private plane. Then, under the watchful gazes and welcome from the crew, he walked into the lounge and closed the door, only opening it again ten hours later.

When Song Xuanhe came back out again, Xiao Yuanmu was in the midst of a video call with Louis, his back to Song Xuanhe. Louis, who was on the other end of the screen, was the first one to notice Song Xuanhe, and he smiled and said hi.

“Long time no see, Louis.” The corner of Song Xuanhe’s lips held a smile as he returned the greeting.

Louis spoke, “Although it hasn’t been that long, I always feel like it’s been a long time since we met, Song. I still remember that time when you and Xiao made breakfast at my place, but forgot that I also need to eat breakfast. I was really quite sad, but I still miss you, Song.”

Song Xuanhe thought about that day and burst out laughing. He asked, “What are you guys talking about?”

“Work.” Xiao Yuanmu invited Song Xuanhe to sit down beside him and said lightly, “And Xiao Baicong.”

Song Xuanhe frowned, “What’s going on with Xiao Baicong now?”

“He’s been kidnapped.” Louis answered first. He didn’t try to conceal the gloating in his tone as he spoke, “Xiao, you didn’t tell Song about your younger brother being kidnapped? But, I do feel that the urgency of this matter is far, far less than how interesting it is.”

“Kidnapping?” Song Xuanhe’s eyes widened slightly.

Wasn’t this the last plot in the book before the author trashed the ending?

Since when did the timeline become so chaotic?

The system was also extremely surprised. It had never thought that this major event happening in the Xiao Family would be that Xiao Baicong was abducted. This should have happened two years after Song Xuanhe and the system left the world, and it hadn’t expected it to have advanced so much. Although they didn’t know the follow-up plot, this matter was still considered an important part of the story.

Although Song Xuanhe’s emergence in the plot had led to many deviations, the important plot lines had barely been affected. The system was very confused about why such an unexpected event would happen this time.

“Yes!” Louis said, “It seems that Xiao really hasn’t told you about it yet. In that case, ask Xiao.”

Seeing Song Xuanhe looking at him, Xiao Yuanmu raised his hand and helped him tidy up his sleep-ruffled hair. He spoke faintly, “Xiao Baicong was kidnapped at almost the same time as when I left America. The kidnappers only sent a message saying that it was someone that I had offended before, and that they would only release Xiao Baicong if I went to save him alone.”

Song Xuanhe sneered, “This matter is obviously targeting you. Is the Xiao Family really telling you to go?”

“It really is obvious.” Louis couldn’t help interjecting, “But there’s also another obvious personality, which is––as long as the initiator of this matter is Xiao Yuanmu, then everything can also be explained clearly.”

“What do you mean?” Song Xuanhe’s brows furrowed slightly, but before it could form a full frown, his mind flashed and his expression grew cold, “The Xiao Family thinks that Xiao Yuanmu was the one who kidnapped Xiao Baicong?”

“Based on the time Xiao left America, and when Xiao Baicong was kidnapped, it seems very likely, doesn’t it?” Louis shrugged his shoulders, “And if Xiao goes alone, then Xiao Baicong can also claim that Xiao planned it, because he would only be able to hide it from everyone if he went alone, isn’t that so?”

“But once there’s any kind of conspiracy behind this, as long as he goes alone, then it would seem like he was the one who did it even if it wasn’t.”

“You’re right!” Louis snapped his fingers and said, “This is the problem we were discussing just now. In fact, we all know that although Xiao is nominally only temporarily in charge of the Xiao Family, he has already convinced most of the Xiao Family to support him in just over half a month of time. In this kind of situation, Xiao doesn’t need to do anything to Xiao Baicong at all, because the Xiao Family will be his sooner or later, and Xiao Baicong doesn’t have the ability to contend against him.”

“But now that Xiao Baicong has been kidnapped, everything that had already become clear has become unclear.” Song Xuanhe continued the thread of Louis’s statements and spoke coldly, “If something happens to Xiao Baicong, then the blame can be placed on Xiao Yuanmu. How can the Xiao Family be reassured letting a person who won’t even let off his own younger brother inherit the Xiao Family? Besides, he hadn’t grown up in the Xiao Family and has lived outside for so many years.”

“Clever.” Louis said, “This is the core question. Does the Xiao Family trust Xiao?”

Both Louis, who was on the other end of the screen, and Song Xuanhe looked at Xiao Yuanmu at the same time. Xiao Yuanmu’s hand had been placed on Song Xuanhe’s shoulder, and when he saw him looking, he rubbed his fingers against the delicate skin of his neck. He said indifferently, “Obviously, Xiao Baicong wouldn’t have made such a move if the Xiao Family trusted me.”

Song Xuanhe was stunned for a moment, then immediately reacted, “Do you mean to say that Xiao Baicong’s kidnapping was directed and acted out by himself?”

“Eighty percent likelihood.” Louis said.

Xiao Yuanmu’s gaze was dark and deep, “One hundred percent likely.”

Song Xuanhe and Louis exchanged glances when they heard Xiao Yuanmu sound so certain. Song Xuanhe asked, “Did Xiao Baicong show any hints of it before?”

He didn’t believe that Xiao Yuanmu was someone who would target a person aimlessly. If Xiao Yuanmu was so certain about something in front of others, then it meant that the matter was something he’d already confirmed. For him to say that Xiao Baicong had directed and acted out this kidnapping by himself proved that he at least had evidence of Xiao Baicong’s involvement.

To Song Xuanhe’s surprise, Xiao Yuanmu replied, “No.”

“Then, how do you know…” Song Xuanhe pursed his lips halfway through the sentence and changed his question, “Then, what’s your plan?”

Xiao Yuanmu’s lips hooked briefly and he said to Song Xuanhe, “Xiao Lin’s body is recovering well, but it’s not convenient for him to meet with people. I asked someone to send news to Xiao Baicong and make him think that I had deliberately concealed Xiao Lin’s condition. He thinks that Xiao Lin is about to die, and once Xiao Lin really dies, things would progress following a foregone conclusion…”

Xiao Yuanmu didn’t finish the rest of his words, but Song Xuanhe and Louis both understood.

In order not to let the situation follow the foregone path, Xiao Baicong had to take risks and make it so that Xiao Yuanmu was thoroughly stripped of his title as the temporary head of the Xiao Family while Xiao Lin was still aware and sober. Only in this way could he still have hope of being the head of the Xiao Family.

But Xiao Lin was too shrewd, and Madame Xiao wasn’t stupid. This wasn’t an easy matter to achieve.

Xiao Baicong could only choose from the one option that would most likely make them lose their reason, which was himself.

As the youngest son who’d been held in the palm of Xiao Lin and Madame Xiao’s hands like treasure for more than ten years, he naturally knew how much importance his parents attached to him. He even knew that his parents had once worried about the harm and loss of interests that would be caused by Xiao Yuanmu’s return. At this time, when the Xiao Family has been handed to Xiao Yuanmu, it would be the moment when his parents felt the most guilt towards him.

If something happened to him at this time, and it was their eldest son, who was still under probation, who led to this accident, then the current trajectory would easily be broken.