Louis and Song Xuanhe’s expressions grew solemn when they thought of this.

Only Xiao Yuanmu still looked calm. Seeing their worried expressions, he even pulled up a smile and said, “it’s alright.”

Song Xuanhe frowned. How could it be alright?

Xiao Baicong’s move couldn’t be considered brilliant, and it was easy to find loopholes in it if one thought about it deeply. However, Xiao Baicong wasn’t the only one who was aware that even if Xiao Lin and his wife was aware of this point, they would never gamble with Xiao Baicong’s safety. Song Xuanhe and the others knew it too. Once they chose to agree with the requirements of these so-called ‘kidnappers’ and let Xiao Yuanmu go in alone in exchange for Xiao Baicong, then the distance that had originally existed between them and Xiao Yuanmu would be exposed out into open, under the sun.

Could a son who had obviously been removed from their orbit could really take care of his younger brother and manage Xiao Family without any hostilities or grudges? Once the seeds of this doubt was planted with Xiao Lin, who was the current head of the Xiao Family, then Xiao Yuanmu’s position in the family would become very awkward. When that happened, Xiao Baicong would have achieved his goal.

A son who wasn’t weak and who could be trusted completely compared with a son who was powerful but unpredictable. When the choice had to be made, many people would choose the former.

Therefore, that was why Xiao Baicong’s move couldn’t be considered brilliant, but it was definitely the most effective way of dealing with Xiao Yuanmu.

Xiao Yuanmu knew what Song Xuanhe and the others were worried about, but he didn’t say much about it. He just curved his lips in a brief smile, rubbing his fingers along the skin of Song Xuanhe’s neck, his gaze deep and bottomless.

One hour later, their plane arrived in Y City.

After getting off the plane, someone from the Xiao Family fame to take Xiao Yuanmu to the Xiao Family’s residence in Y City. Because the situation was urgent, they didn’t try to avoid Song Xuanhe and even brought him along with them.

Madame Xiao’s face was haggard. Her eyes grew red when she saw Xiao Yuanmu, and she opened her mouth, about to say something, then froze for a moment upon seeing Song Xuanhe behind him. She pulled up a smile and said, “Xuanhe came, too. Take a seat and have a cup of tea first.”

It was as though the previous quarrel had never happened at all.

Song Xuanhe went with the flow and called out ‘Aunt’, then sat down and settled himself in calmly. After getting seated, he even smiled and said, “Aunt, I’m glad to see you again.”

Madame Xiao forced out a smile. It didn’t have her previous elegance and indifference, but she still behaved appropriately “I’m glad to see you, too.”

“Xiao Yuanmu used to always say that you liked flower tea.” Song Xuanhe took out a box of beautifully packaged tea canisters from his luggage and handed them over with a warm smile, “So we brought some back for you this time when we came back to the country. I don’t know if it suits your tastes.”

Madame Xiao accepted the canisters and handed it to the housekeeper who was attending to them from the side. She asked him to bring over a tea set so that they could make a cup of tea and give it a try.

Song Xuanhe smiled slightly, one hand interlaced with Xiao Yuanmu’s as they waited for the water to boil. Dried flowers bloomed into bright colors in the water, but they all remained silent throughout.

Madame Xiao took a sip from the porcelain cup, the scent of flowers entering her nose. She could tell that it was high quality tea as soon as it entered her mouth. The gloom lingering at the bottom of her heart dissipated slightly, and she thanked Song Xuanhe sincerely, “It’s very delicious. Thank you for choosing it.”

“Yuanmu picked it.” Song Xuanhe chuckled, “He’s been very busy, but because I went to the forest to collect inspiration, he came back to China in a hurry because he was afraid that something might happen to me. I heard that the routes had to be approved via an express channel, which made me feel a little guilty. Originally, I wanted to take him to relax around Nan City since it was rare for him to take a rest, but unexpectedly, time was very tight and I could only accompany him to Nan City’s tea gardens to pick tea. Many of the teas there are good, and he picked them all himself. However, because time was short, I only brought this box with me. Later, I’ll have someone send you the rest.”

There was a smile on Song Xuanhe’s face as he spoke, and his words came at a leisurely pace. If this was any ordinary time, then this would definitely be a comfortable pace of conversation, but at this time, Madame Xiao’s heart was filled with anxiety. Song Xuanhe speaking so slowly made her feel like her heart was being roasted over a fire again and again. She wanted to open her mouth to interrupt him several times, but her inherent upbringing meant that she could only choose to smile and listen even while anxiety burned her heart.

Now, hearing that Song Xuanhe had finished speaking, Madame Xiao felt a moment of relief and picked up the thread of the conversation, “You two are very thoughtful. This time, we were in a hurry to call Yuanmu back because something has happened at home. Aunt didn’t mean to disturb your time together.”

Song Xuanhe smiled like a fox, “I know.”

When Madame Xiao saw that Song Xuanhe seemed to be very agreeable, the vigilance at the bottom of her eyes relaxed slightly. She turned her head to say to Xiao Yuanmu, “Yuanmu, Mother has something to discuss with you. Can you go upstairs with Mother?”

Xiao Yuanmu put aside the smile at the bottom of his eyes and nodded, his expression calm. He spoke to Song Xuanhe before getting up, “The pastry chef here is good at making desserts.”

Song Xuanhe watched as Xiao Yuanmu and Madame Xiao went upstairs, then smiled at the housekeeper to the side, “I heard that your desserts are excellent. I wonder how your Napoleon is?”

The housekeeper bowed slightly and said, “Le Goff’s Napoleon is very popular with Madame.”

Song Xuanhe raised his eyebrows. He was very interested, “I wonder if I could have the honor of tasting it.”

“Of course.”

The housekeeper left to order the pastry master to make the dessert, and the smile on Song Xuanhe’s face faded. He sat downstairs alone, looking out at the carefully trimmed flowers and plants in the garden as he waited for Xiao Yuanmu to finish his discussion and come back downstairs.

About half an hour later, Xiao Yuanmu and the others came back downstairs. Most of the anxiety in Madame Xiao’s eyes had dissipated, and she even showed a real smile. It appeared that she was very satisfied with the results of their conversation.

“Have you finished your discussion?”

Song Xuanhe was smiling as he asked Xiao Yuanmu this.

“It’s finished.” Xiao Yuanmu came up to him, placing his hand on his shoulder as he suggested, “We can leave now.”

Madame Xiao was also smiling slightly, “Xuanhe, I’m sorry to have kept you waiting so long for us.”

“It doesn’t matter.” Song Xuanhe’s smile showed no discontent at all. He then said, “I’ve always heard Yuanmu say that the Napoleon made by your French pasty chef here is very authentic, so I just took the liberty to ask the housekeeper for some dessert. I hope you don’t mind, but it’s also because I’ve been looking forward to it all the time. After all, the wait time for delicious food is never too long.”

Madame Xiao’s smile changed slightly, “Napoleon?”

“Yes.” Song Xuanhe didn’t seem to have noticed the change in Madame Xiao’s expression. He smiled, “I’m really looking forward to it now.”

Madame Xiao looked at Xiao Yuanmu. She was justa bout to speak when she heard Song Xuanhe continue, “You said that there was something urgent that you needed Yuanmu to come back for. Has the matter been solved now?”

“It’s been solved.” Madame Xiao’s smile faded slightly, “Thank you for your concern.”

Song Xuanhe smiled slightly, “It’s good that it’s been resolved. Yuanmu was very anxious on the way back, but when I asked him what it was, he didn’t want to tell me. He doesn’t hide most of the things that happen in the company from me, so I thought that it was likely something to do with the affairs of the Xiao Family. I was originally worried, but now I’m relieved to hear that it’s been dealt with.”

Madame Xiao nodded, then turned to the housekeeper and said, “Go to the kitchen and check.”

The housekeeper nodded and turned to go.

Song Xuanhe was still smiling, “In fact, I’m not in a hurry. I was a little agitated and unhappy due to some things last time we met, so I’ve always wanted a chance to talk to you again.”

“Me as well.” Madame Xiao glanced at Xiao Yuanmu, and the smile on her face faded a bit further. She seemed to be trying to explain herself as she said, “What I said last time didn’t actually mean anything in particular, but I wasn’t clear with how I expressed myself. As a mother, I’m actually very happy that you protect Yuanmu like this.”

Song Xuanhe’s expression was apologetic, “I was too aggressive at the time. Later on, I kept feeling regret when thinking about how you are Yuanmu’s mother. No matter what, you should be the one who loved him the most, and made the most plans for him. They all say that mothers are willing to give everything they can for the sake of protecting their children, so how could you treat him badly? I was impulsive to have said anything.”

For some reason, although Song Xuanhe clearly looked sincere, and spoke in an earnest tone, Madame Xiao always had the feeling that he was implying something. When she thought about her younger son, the hand she had in her lap clenched, and she looked subconsciously at Xiao Yuanmu. However, after seeing Xiao Yuanmu’s calm expression, she felt that she may have overthought it. Song Xuanhe couldn’t know that Xiao Baicong had been kidnapped. After all, she’d only told Xiao Yuanmu about it after he came back. Song Xuanhe couldn’t be mocking her with this.

With this thought, a trace of guilt crossed Madame Xiao’s heart. Her eldest son and youngest son were naturally both in her heart. However, her youngest son was now in danger and needed her eldest son to take risks to save him. Even if she was unwilling as a mother, she still had to have her eldest son take this risk, and couldn’t ignore her youngest son who was already facing a crisis due to the possible danger to him.

What’s more, her youngest son had only just become an adult and had been well protected by his family since childhood. He may not be well-rounded enough to deal with the kidnappers, and may already have suffered too much by now. He had to be rescued as soon as possible. If the worst happened and her eldest son was kidnapped, then at least he had lived alone outside for so many years, and knew how to deal with such things. He could protect himself, and then hold on until the Xiao Family could send people to save him.

Everything had its own priorities. Even though Madame Xiao was very worried and unhappy, she felt that this was the best solution.

While Madame Xiao was still thinking about this, the housekeeper had already returned from the kitchen. He whispered in her ear, “It will take another hour or so.”

Madame Xiao was stunned for a moment. Thinking about her younger son whose life and safety was in imminent danger, she couldn’t help looking up at her eldest son and hoping he would say something.

However, Xiao Yuanmu didn’t notice her gaze. He was still whispering something to Song Xuanhe. There was a trace of fatigue between his quiet eyebrows and eyes, but he was very serious.

Madame Xiao was stunned by the sight. She suddenly recalled that when her eldest son had heard that her youngest son had been kidnapped and he needed to go save him, he hadn’t hesitated to promise. He’d only put forward one request, saying, “Since the kidnappers are targeting me, it’s difficult to ensure Xuanhe’s safety. I must first send him to Louis, then go save Baicong.”

At the time, she’d wanted to refute. How could Song Xuanhe’s safety be more important than his younger brother’s?

However, when she saw the determination at the bottom of Xiao Yuanmu’s eyes, she couldn’t say a word. She knew without asking that in Xiao Yuanmu’s eyes, family might be very important, but it became less important when compared with Song Xuanhe.

Xiao Baicong was his younger brother, and it already wasn’t easy for him to agree to save him regardless of his own safety. Song Xuanhe was the person he loved, and it was a legitimate and reasonable requirement for him to only agree to do other things after ensuring his safety.

However, it would take a lot of time to send him over to Louis before going to save Xiao Baicong, so Madame Xiao had said, “It’s also very safe here. Let him stay here, then.”

Xiao Yuanmu had smiled and shook his head. There was a trace of helpless doting at the bottom of his gaze, “He doesn’t like staying in strange places. If he’s here, he’ll feel very uncomfortable.”

Was Song Xuanhe’s comfort more important than your younger brother’s life and safety?

This sentence had stuck in her throat, because she knew that if she asked, then there would really be nothing left of this mother and son relationship between her and Xiao Yuanmu.