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After all, compared to having your mistress cheat on you with a stranger, it was a whole new level of humiliation if your former mistress was cheating on you with your own son.
To a male chauvinist like Song Guochao, even if Liu Xu wasn’t his anymore, the fact still remained that she had once been his. Therefore, after he had found out that a mere plaything had screwed him over and caused his twenty percent of shares to be transferred, he had ordered for her company to cut off her resources to teach her a lesson in a fit of rage. However, he had never expected that she would get together with another man. 4ak2wc
Let alone for that other man to be his own son.
It was just that, even though he was already so livid that his face was turning purple, there was still a sliver of rationality left in Song Guochao. Therefore, when he noticed the discreet glances coming from passing executives, Song Guochao gritted his teeth and said to Song Xuanhe, “Come with me to my office.”
Song Xuanhe walked out of the elevator, brushing his unstyled hair back. Confusion appeared in the pair of eyes beneath his smooth, clean forehead. “Why, ah?”
“Shameful!” When he saw how Song Xuanhe didn’t respect him or care about him at all, Song Guochao raised his voice. But upon seeing everyone’s gaze turn towards their direction, he lowered his voice again. It sounded like his voice was being forced out of his throat. “Don’t you know what you’ve done?” ct4q2s
“No.” Song Xuanhe’s lowered eyes were full of innocence and befuddlement. “I haven’t been late nor have I left work early as of late. I didn’t make any mistakes at work either. So, what did I do?”
After saying this, Song Xuanhe’s innocent expression changed slightly. His eyebrows furrowed just a bit. A moment later, it looked like he had thought of something. At once, his eyes widened slightly.
Song Guochao didn’t know why, but he had a bad feeling about this. A subconscious desire to stop Song Xuanhe from speaking arose inside of him.
But before he could open his mouth, Song Xuanhe beat him to it, sounding like he had just come to a realization. “Are you talking about the news about me participating in last night’s premiere?” lZdXdS
Song Guochao’s lips open and closed. He immediately wanted to cut Song Xuanhe off.
Unfortunately for him, Song Xuanhe didn’t give him a chance. While the innocent expression on his face didn’t change, one could make out a trace of willfulness and indifference in his eyes. “A female celebrity had been pestering me last night. I hadn’t wanted to pay her any attention, but she had kept tugging at me. I don’t know what her goal was. But in any case, I pushed her away and left immediately. I have no idea why it was on the news this morning.”
As he listened to Song Xuanhe imply that the mistress he had kept was worthless and had been the one who was clinging onto him unsolicitedly, Song Guochao’s anger flared so high that he felt like he would burst. To add to this matter, Song Xuanhe was unexpectedly not done. “Don’t worry. I have a boyfriend. I would never fool around with a woman of unknown origin like her. After all, even if I’m a scoundrel, I still have principles. I would never do such shady things while I’m still taken.”
When he had finished, there was still that innocent expression on Song Xuanhe’s face as he smiled obediently. He then pointedly said, “Don’t you agree, Mr. Song?” doeg2j
How could Song Guochao disagree?
With an ashen expression, although he was so angry that his cheeks were puffed out so much that they were probably stiff to the touch, he didn’t say a thing.
At this moment, it seemed like Song Xuanhe had suddenly remembered that Song Guochao had been looking for him to discuss something. He asked, “Right, what did Mr. Song want to speak to me about?”
Song Guochao sucked in a deep breath while looking at that face that held some similarities to his own. Words of violent rage brewed in his mouth but were swallowed down in the end. He gnashed his teeth and said, “I was about to….” coGert
Song Xuanlin interrupted Song Guochao upon finally arriving. With his tall stature and long legs, he reached the two of them in no time at all. Appearing unbiased, he stood exactly in the middle of the two people. There was a steady expression on his face as always. “Mr. Song, Chairman Song called just now. He said that he’ll be arriving at the company in half an hour. You are in charge of the quarterly meeting this month. However, Mr. Zhang of the finance department has suddenly taken some emergency time off. He has submitted the finance report forms to me, and it seems like you will likely have to undertake his duties.”
Song Guochao’s rage was doused upon suddenly being informed of this pressing matter. He had been preparing for this quarterly meeting for a long time now as he had wanted to use it to turn his situation around. Therefore, he had already prepared all relevant powerpoints, documents, and speeches. An issue cropping up in the financial department meant that he had to re-arrange everything. Suddenly, he was no longer in the mood to make trouble for Song Xuanhe. In the blink of an eye, he turned around and headed for his office.
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The assistant, who had called Song Xuanlin over, sighed in relief. He gave Song Xuanhe a signal with his eyes, looking glad that they had managed to get out of that situation. He then pointed at Song Xuanlin and gave a thumbs up, silently praising the other for his great plan.
Shortly after Song Guochao had arrived, the assistant had slipped away to call Song Xuanlin for help. Therefore, he naturally had no clue that Song Xuanhe had already resolved the issue with Song Guochao. That was why he was winking at Song Xuanhe right now. However, Song Xuanhe didn’t think anything of it. Meanwhile, the person who had watched the entire process while hiding in the corner thought it was so funny, the corner of his lips curled up. Gpts3o
This person had long since come to understand just how sharp the legendary, irascible Song er shao
Song Guochao, who was currently standing at the podium, had just finished his section. He then had the financial department’s deputy manager speak about the Song Group’s financial situation for this quarter. When they saw the quarterly reports, the expressions of all the executives and shareholders turned ugly.
Trembling underneath this oppressive atmosphere, the finance department’s deputy manager talked about this quarter’s financial situation. When he had finished, he quickly left the podium. At this moment, the meeting room was absolutely silent. Song Yansong’s expression was so cold that it looked like ice would form on top of it.
Suddenly, he spoke up. “Song Xuanhe, you are the marketing department’s director. Tell me why the company’s performance has declined.” ZlrboW
Although Song Xuanhe had been thinking about something else, he had also been paying attention to the meeting. When he heard Song Yansong say this, he raised his head at once. Although he had no interest in taking part in the running of a company, he had signed many documents every day while at work. Therefore, he naturally had a fair understanding of the company’s situation. As such, he wasn’t flustered at all. “I think that the primary reason for the decline in company performance this quarter is….”
Song Xuanhe obediently made his analysis. Although it wasn’t outstanding, there were no faults within his statements either. As he listened to this, Song Yansong’s expression eased up. The people around also sighed in relief.
News that Song Guochao had stopped Song Xuanhe this morning and that the father-son pair had nearly broken out into another big fight had already made its way around the company prior to this meeting. Everyone here had naturally already heard about this. Although they didn’t know what had been the cause, considering the fact that even Chairman Song’s expression was heavy meant that it had been no small matter.
They were all part of the company’s administration andor were shareholders. They didn’t want the meeting to become a battleground for the Song Family. They also didn’t want to accidentally listen in on something they shouldn’t or watch as either Song Guochao or Song Xuanhe was reprimanded on the spot. Therefore, when they had heard Song Yansong speak, the majority of the people in the room had shifted uncomfortably on their butts. They just wanted to leave as soon as the warning signs appeared. zQZdFa
When they had seen Song Xuanhe pass Song Yansong’s test without any mishaps, the other people in the room couldn’t help but turn to look at Song Guochao, whose expression currently wasn’t anything good.
Song Guochao, as expected, wasn’t happy. One of the reasons why he had worked so hard to take charge of this meeting was because he thought it might have helped him take his shares back. When he had seen the scandal regarding Song Xuanhe on the news this morning, although he had been furious, when he had seen the equally unhappy expression on Song Yansong’s face, he had realized that this was his chance.
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That had been why he had rushed over to the company in search of Song Xuanhe in the morning. As long as he had been able to drag Song Xuanhe into his office and chide him, with Song Xuanhe’s temperament, he would have very likely had to leave the company. Song Yansong had already been angry. If Song Xuanhe had missed the quarterly meeting as well, Song Guochao might have been able to get his shares back if he had asked for them.
But, Song Xuanhe had not acted the way he had imagined. Not only had he made Song Guochao choke up in front of everyone, but he also had even given an adequate analysis of the report form during the meeting, thereby shattering Song Guochao’s hopes to pieces. hjlDkc
Song Yansong decided to let Song Xuanhe squirm for a bit by not immediately commenting on his analysis. He then said in an insipid tone, “The reason you brought up was obvious. Be more mindful in your work from now on. Don’t fool around so much outside.”
He had neither been harsh nor easy on him. Song Yansong then turned to Song Guochao. “You were in charge of this meeting, so you must best understand the company’s situation. Tell me why the company’s performance has gone downhill.”
Song Guochao froze up. Wasn’t the reason what Song Xuanhe had just said? There were no other reasons he could think of.
Therefore, Song Guochao repeated what Song Xuanhe had just said but in his own words. He hadn’t added his own thoughts nor changed anything. GJuwjW
Song Yansong’s expression, which had just improved, sunk once again. He slammed his hand against the table. “Why are you so narrow-minded despite being a vice-president? What’s the point in me asking you this question if all you’re going to do is repeat the obvious?!”
Song Guochao trembled. Although he felt like he had lost a lot of face just now, he still tactfully decided not to talk back.
Song Yansong sighed, disappointed in his son for failing to meet expectations. He then turned to Song Xuanlin. “You say it.”
“Aside from the reasons brought up by the two Mr. Songs, the company’s decline in performance is also in part due to the newly implemented price restriction policy….” urNLE8
Song Xuanlin easily summarized the cause of the company’s decline in performance with great depth. In the end, he also suggested a plan of action to improve the company’s performance.
With Song Xuanlin as further comparison, the image of Song Guochao being reprimanded became even more firmly engraved in everyone’s minds. As for Song Xuanhe, everyone knew that he didn’t care about work. Therefore, it was already an improvement that he had been able to give an analysis without any errors.
Song Yansong’s expression finally eased up. He gazed at his eldest grandson, who had grown up a long time ago, with a complicated gaze. Out of the corner of his eye, he also subconsciously glanced at Song Xuanhe, who didn’t seem to be paying any attention. Song Yansong sighed heavily inside. His determination over a certain decision wavered.
Song Xuanhe didn’t know what Song Yansong was thinking. This was because he had been shocked upon hearing Song Guochao repeat his words. Although he had always known that Song Guochao had no talent for business, it was different seeing proof of this in person. 1oxR9G
There were many reasons why a company’s performance would decrease. Naturally, it was impossible for him to have covered all the reasons as he had only mentioned several points. Song Xuanhe had only mentioned the ones he had because, firstly, those were the only ones he had been able to confirm while reviewing and signing documents, and secondly, he hadn’t paid much attention to this stuff anyway.
But regardless of anything else, Song Guochao had been in the business scene for twenty to thirty years now. Moreover, he was ambitious with regards to the Song Group. And yet, he couldn’t even notice such a simple problem as this. He didn’t just have no talent—he shouldn’t even be in business!
When the meeting had ended, because of the stifling atmosphere around the three generations of the Song family, the other executives and shareholders all rushed out in a hurry.
Song Guochao and Song Xuanlin also left. The only people left were Song Xuanhe and Song Yansong. After Song Xuanhe had been chided by the other, he could finally leave. d38K1w
When Song Xuanhe had returned to his office, Xiao Yuanmu was already waiting for him there. Since he had moved back into the apartment, and Xiao Yuanmu had started to cook again, the location of his daily lunch had shifted from the dining hall to his office. This had already been going on for quite some time, so the first thing Song Xuanhe, who was already used to this, did was go over and look at today’s lunch.
Two meat dishes, one vegetable dish, and one soup. It was a very standard home-cooked meal. The delicious, fragrant, beautiful food in the light-coloured Tupperware enticed Song Xuanhe’s already rumbling stomach.
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He walked over to his seat and picked up his chopsticks. Xiao Yuanmu also began to eat. A peaceful meal passed just like that.
After his assistant had taken the Tupperwares to wash, Xiao Yuanmu asked, “I heard that you had a fight with Mr. Song in front of the executive elevator this morning and that you said you would never two-time while dating.” baUs95
Song Xuanhe paused while stretching his arms. He went over what he had said this morning before bringing his arms back down and nodding. “That’s right.”
Xiao Yuanmu asked in a quiet, casual voice, “What about long-distance relationships?”
“A long-distance relationship is still a relationship.” Song Xuanhe leaned back against the sofa, arms wrapped around a pillow. There was a languid tone in his voice from having just eaten his fill. “Since it’s also a kind of relationship, I’d still do the same.”
Xiao Yuanmu made a quiet sound of acknowledgement as if he had really just been asking casually. 0Ct8Ql
But, Song Xuanhe’s interest was suddenly piqued. The original novel hadn’t been finished. It didn’t say which man who this big shot, who had been surrounded by all sorts of men, would end up with or if he’d entered an immoral 8P relationship. It hadn’t revealed what Xiao Yuanmu thought on the emotional front either. Therefore, the very curious Song Xuanhe asked, “What about you?”
“What about me?”
“Seven—I mean two-timing, ah.” Song Xuanhe nestled into his spot on the sofa, staring at Xiao Yuanmu with curious eyes.
“I wouldn’t do that.” VafmKq
Xiao Yuanmu’s response was very straightforward. He had never even thought about going steady with one person, so he would obviously never want to waste time on an even more troublesome emotional entanglement like that.
When Song Xuanhe heard how unhesitating he had been in answering him, he suddenly lost all interest. He dropped one of the extra pillows onto the ground and said in a bored tone, “Who knows for sure?”
Xiao Yuanmu’s expression didn’t change when he heard the other’s doubtful statement. He didn’t have any intention of explaining himself either. He glanced at the clock and then got up in preparation to leave.
However, after taking one step, he heard Song Xuanhe suddenly say, “Say, imagine there was a really bad person who everyone thought was utterly despicable. You accidentally find out about his pitiful past and the reason for said pitiful past. Would your opinion of this person change?” 2JvYlk
Xiao Yuanmu stopped walking, but he didn’t look back. He said in a cool voice, “What does that have to do with me?”
Song Xuanhe was slightly taken aback. He stared at Xiao Yuanmu’s back silently.
When he didn’t hear any sounds behind him, Xiao Yuanmu continued to walk towards the door. When he reached the door, he once again heard Song Xuanhe suddenly speak up. “Then, what if you had a younger brother like that? Would you try to guide him back onto the right path?”
“No.” A dark light flashed through Xiao Yuanmu’s eyes. His gaze was frosty, and his tone was frigid. “I don’t have a younger brother. Even if I did, whether or not he mends his ways is his own problem. It has nothing to do with me.” jRyU8o
After Xiao Yuanmu had left, Song Xuanhe continued to stare at the door for a long time. He then lied back onto the sofa.
After he had come out of Song Xuanlin’s office, he had been constantly thinking…what if the original host had heard Song Xuanlin say those things to him before his personality had been fully formed? Would he still have turned out the way he had?
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He didn’t manage to come up with an answer. However, Song Xuanhe did recall his own younger cousin, who always loved to fight with him. He also recalled that cousin’s parents. Although they had been strict, they had also indulged that cousin of his.
If he hadn’t been pulled back into the sunlight by Zhou Yunyang, that sweet, stubborn, naive idiot who had loved to preach, maybe he would have turned out more-or-less like the original host. He might have ended up walking more-or-less the same road. 6O3eFm
Following his sudden realization over how absurd he had used to be, Song Xuanhe began to resent his aunt and uncle who had purposely raised him to be a good-for-nothing person. He had always thought that, if his aunt and uncle had been willing to scold him even once, then perhaps he wouldn’t have wallowed in that metaphorical dark swamp all on his own for so long.
However, Xiao Yuanmu’s words had dispelled all of his pent-up hatred.
Even between those most closely related, no one was responsible for anyone else, let alone his aunt and uncle, who had been more distantly related and feared that he would fight their son over their family’s inheritance in the future.
It was because he had been unable to overcome his emotions that he had been perpetually wishing to have a real family again. He had just wanted to forget the fact that, since a long time ago, he already had no home or family to return to. AwESuJ
Eve: Xuanlin surprisingly will have some character development. I will say that I was saddened here when I thought about how the original host could have turned out differently if someone had just cared. Can’t say I wasn’t disappointed with Xuanlin here. Also partly because I love the doting older brother trope. I was also sad over SXH’s thoughts about his past too. My poor baby.