#146-Chapter 146

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.translator: xiin

Now, looking at the the gentle and affectionate gaze that Xiao Yuanmu used on Song Xuanhe, Madame Xiao suddenly felt a deep sense of melancholy at the bottom of her heart. If her eldest son hadn’t disappeared back then, how great would it be if he’d grown up together with her younger son? 

An hour. Her younger son might be suffering during every minute and every second of this time. This hour could determine too many things. She couldn’t imagine what her younger son might have to pay in return for this one hour waiting for dessert.

“Sorry.” Madame Xiao’s expression was apologetic as she interrupted the conversation between the two. She spoke quietly, “Doug just told me that our pastry chef Le Goff suffered some hand injuries when cutting the pastry. You might not be able to taste his craft today.”

Song Xuanhe knew that Madame Xiao would be unable to hide her distress, but he hadn’t expected that she would be so worried about Xiao Baicong that she would ignore basic etiquette as a host and directly use such a bad excuse to get rid of a guest.

However, Song Xuanhe hadn’t really wanted to eat the Napoleon to start with. It was just that making a Napoleon was relatively time-consuming, so he’d deliberately used his choice to test the waters. 

Now that he’d gotten the results of his test, he was also too lazy to stay any longer. His tone was very understanding, “In that case, please help me pass a message to Mr. Le Goff, wishing him a speedy recovery.”

Madame Xiao nodded, “I thank you in his stead.”

Song Xuanhe and Xiao Yuanmu got up. Madame Xiao sent them outside and watched them leave.

As soon as they got into the car, Song Xuanhe asked, “So? Where is Xiao Baicong now?”

Xiao Yuanmu named the province closest to Y City. Song Xuanhe’s brows wrinkled, “He’s quite vigilant.”

“When are you going?” Song Xuanhe continued.

“Immediately.” Xiao Yuanmu replied, “I’ll send you to Louis. Wait for me there.”

“I don’t think that Louis wants to see us right now.” 

He thought back to when they’d been on the plane just earlier. Xiao Yuanmu had acted up for some unknown reason, and his hand, which had originally been touching his neck, suddenly hooked around him and pulled him over for a kiss. He’d completely forgotten that Louis was still on the other side of the plane. This on its own wasn’t much, since Louis had grown up in an open country and was used to their shows of love. The key point was that Louis’s girlfriend had pushed open the door and come in at that time. As soon as she went in, she saw him and Xiao Yuanmu kissing.

At the time, Louis’s girlfriend fell into a stunned trance, her expression turning very miraculous. No matter how Louis explained, she was unwilling to believe that Louis was really a straight man.

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But by this time, Louis should have explained it to his girlfriend.

When Song Xuanhe and Xiao Yuanmu arrived at Louis’s house, they were both very concerned about this issue. So, Song Xuanhe very cordially asked about how he was doing.

Louis rolled his eyes and said, “I’m single again because of you guys.”

Song Xuanhe put up a sympathetic and patted him on the shoulder, “I’m very sorry.” 

Louis saw through his fake act, but he still opened the door to let them in. He didn’t give this couple who had no sympathy for others another chance to laugh at him and said directly, “Xiao, what’s your plan?”

Xiao Yuanmu set aside his smile and spoke in a calm tone, “I’m going on my own.”

Song Xuanhe’s forehead wrinkled, and Louis also looked at him uncomprehendingly.

“I have a way to deal with Xiao Yuanmu.” Seeing the fury in Song Xuanhe’s eyes, Xiao Yuanmu explained himself, “I have people by his side. Don’t worry.” 

“How many of your people?” Song Xuanhe asked, “Or do you mean to say that all of the people around him are yours. Since they’re yours, just have them send him back directly and be done with it. If they’re not all yours, then it shows that Xiao Baicong is still in charge over there. Will you be able to deal with so many people with the few that you have?”

“He won’t do anything to me.” Xiao Yuanmu smiled despite seeing that Song Xuanhe was angry and said, “Trust me. Nothing will happen to me for sure.”

Song Xuanhe closed his mouth and didn’t speak any further after seeing Xiao Yuanmu’s determined expression.

In fact, he knew how cautious Xiao Yuanmu was. If he said that he didn’t have to worry, then it meant that he basically had 100% assurance that there wouldn’t be any problems. But that didn’t mean that there was no chance that nothing could go wrong. What if something went wrong? 

There were so many people around Xiao Baicong who had common interests with him. They would be willing to take risks for Xiao Baicong’s sake for the sake of those interests alone.

This situation had originally been directed and acted out by Xiao Family. If he only wanted to alienate Xiao Yuanmu from the Xiao Family, then it would already be one of the better scenarios. However, if he was planning to go double or quits and took this opportunity to eliminate trouble at the roots, would Xiao Family really be able to retreat safely?

The Xiao Family only had two sons. Other than Xiao Yuanmu, there was only Xiao Baicong. Even if Xiao Baicong wasn’t completely clean of implication with this matter, Song Xuanhe could maliciously speculate that Xiao Lin would clean up the situation for the sake of his younger son’s future no matter how angry or bitterly disappointed he was because he would already have become the successor to the Xiao Family. Since he would have already lost one son, he couldn’t afford to lose all his sons.

Even if Xiao Lin was unwilling to do such a thing, Madame Xiao would force him to do so. Xiao Baicong was naturally very clear on this. 

In this case, Xiao Baicong might really put all his eggs in one basket. No matter how careful Xiao Yuanmu was, Song Xuanhe didn’t dare to make bets with Xiao Yuanmu’s life.

On the other hand, Louis really wanted to believe Xiao Yuanmu. He felt that since Xiao Yuanmu was so certain, he must have made full preparations. So, he completely set down his concerns and smiled, “In that case, we’ll be here waiting for your good news.”

Xiao Yuanmu looked at the quiet and withdrawn Song Xuanhe and held his hand tight, comforting him silently.

Song Xuanhe raised his gaze. This was the first time Xiao Yuanmu had seen such a worried look in his eyes. It was like his eyes could only hold him, would only have him, and only care about him. He suddenly wanted to stay in this pair of clear eyes and look for a moment longer. 

“Can you promise that nothing will happen to you?” Song Xuanhe looked at Xiao Yuanmu seriously, wanting to get his assurance again.

“I promise.” Xiao Yuanmu hugged him gently and avoided his gaze. He was afraid that if he looked again, the plan that would happen in a while would no longer be carried out on time. He spoke very quietly, “Trust me.”

Song Xuanhe made a very light sound of acknowledgement and hugged Xiao Yuanmu back.

Louis looked on from the side, then reminded them darkly, “I’ve just broken up.” 

“Because of you guys, I broke up with my childhood girlfriend who I’d just gotten back together with for less than two weeks, yet again. And she even thinks that there’s something wrong with my character, thinking that I lied to her about my sexual. It might take me even longer to get back together with her again this time. Don’t you guys feel any guilt?”

“If you guys know that this is my house, then I think you might not hug each other for so long…”

Seeing that Song Xuanhe and Xiao Yuanmu showed no intention to move, Louis could only give up and try to attract their attention in other ways. He said seriously, “Xiao, do you plan to let Xiao Baicong direct and act out his own play and then come back safely just like that?”

“Of course.” Xiao Yuanmu released Song Xuanhe. He paused for a moment, the shadow at the bottom of his gaze dispersing. Then, “That’s impossible.” 

“What are you planning to do to him?” Louis was very curious and excited.

Xiao Yuanmu spoke indifferently, “Do to him what he planned to do to me.”

Louis didn’t understand what he meant, “You’re going to direct and act out your own kidnapping too? Then have him save you and expose him?” Louis felt that what he was saying sounded stupid halfway through and shook his head, “No way.”

The bottom of Xiao Yuanmu’s eyes was like a stretch of darkness. Louis and the others naturally wouldn’t know Xiao Baicong’s ultimate goal, nor had he known in his previous life. Therefore, even if he’d noticed something suspicious, he’d still gone to save Xiao Yuanmu. It was just that a strange combination of circumstances had resulted in Xiao Baicong accidentally stepping into the trap set for him. 

In this life, he had made Xiao Lin’s illness happen early, and Xiao Baicong had really been unable to sit still. He’d moved this kidnapping drama that he’d directed and acted out by himself to an earlier time, and the people Xiao Yuanmu had already bought to his side performed as expected, participating in Xiao Baicong’s plan without arousing any doubt. This was how he could so clearly know that Xiao Baicong’s drama was no different this time from his previous life.

Since that was the case, he would follow the trajectory from the previous life. However, this time, he would make it so that Xiao Baicong went from accidentally stepping into the trap he’d set up for him, to having no choice but to step into it himself. He would also make all his plans happen in vain, so that he would completely be unable to hold the position of Xiao Family head.

“What exactly is your plan?” Louis was curious.

Xiao Yuanmu only frowned, “You’ll know when the time comes.” 

With that, he looked at his watch and got up, “It’s time to go ‘save’ Xiao Baicong.”

When he saw that Song Xuanhe was looking at him, the shadow at the bottom of his gaze dispersed, and he showed a small smile. He bent over and spoke into his ear, “Yesterday, I said that nothing you do would make me sad, except for one thing.”

Song Xuanhe raised his gaze and met his eyes.

Xiao Yuanmu continued quietly, “I’ll only be sad if you leave me.” 

The corners of his eyes til