Chapter 4: What Am I?

Chapter 4: What Am I?

"I take full responsibility for my actions," Song Shimu declared, hooking an arm around Qin Xu's neck. "We've made up already."

Qin Xu stared at him blankly. "Did you forgive yourself on my behalf?"

Qin Song's expression softened slightly. Tan Manjin entered a moment later and, seeing Song Shimu draped over Qin Xu, said worriedly, "Making up doesn't require clinging to someone. Go back and lie down."

Qin Song added, "Qin Xu, why are you putting on airs with a patient? Do you expect Shi Mu to get up just to talk to you?"

"..." Qin Xu waited until Song Shimu lay back down, then voluntarily gave up his seat. "There's still work at the company. I'm heading back to the office."

As he turned to leave, Tan Manjin stopped him. "No matter how busy you are, you shouldn't skip meals. Eat first before you go."

"My secretary called; there's an urgent matter," Qin Xu said.

Qin Song was the first to doubt it. "You just fired your secretary yesterday. Who called you?"

"..."

Tan Manjin looked surprised. "That assistant was always so careful and thorough. Why did you fire him?"

"Embezzlement and taking kickbacks," Qin Song explained.

Tan Manjin’s expression changed, but she didn’t press further. Instead, she urged Qin Xu to sit down. "Eat before you go. I’ve noticed you’ve been leaving early and coming back late these past few days—don’t tell me you’ve been skipping meals like this."

"No."

With his parents insisting, Qin Xu had no choice but to stay.

Song Shimu had been focused on the food, but when he heard about Qin Song firing the secretary, a flicker of surprise crossed his face.

"073, did the antagonist fire a secretary at this point in the story?"

"No, it must have been the previous one... The reason doesn’t match."

Lost in thought, Song Shimu glanced at Qin Xu, who returned the look briefly before ignoring him.

Over the next few days, Tan Manjin and Qin Song took turns looking after him, occasionally coming together. Qin Xu never showed up again.

Each day, Song Shimu would wake up and ask the system if it had managed to contact the main system. Getting a "no" each time, he’d simply lie back down.

A week later, Song Shimu was finally cleared by the doctor to be discharged.

According to the original story, Tan Manjin and Qin Song were supposed to pick him up today. As Song Shimu packed his things and waited, he heard the door unlock and turned to see Qin Xu walking in.

"Mom and Dad had to fly abroad for something. I’m here to take you home," Qin Xu said, letting his assistant help Song Shimu pack while he settled into a chair to doze.

Song Shimu looked him over. After a week apart, Qin Xu seemed worn out—the whites of his eyes were bloodshot, and dark circles were visible under his eyes. He clearly hadn’t been resting well.

Song Shimu pinged 073. "What has Qin Xu been up to these past few days?"

"Probably working. The original story doesn’t go into detail."

Song Shimu pressed his lips together, sensing it was more than just work. The first time they met, Qin Xu had evidence of Song Yinmu pushing the protagonist and made no secret of his dislike. His picking me up was also different from the original.

But ultimately, it wasn’t any of Song Shimu’s business. He just needed to wait for 073 to contact the main system and then die peacefully.

Once everything was packed, the assistant carried it out.

Walking beside Qin Xu, Song Shimu pulled a USB drive from his pocket. "This isn’t broken."

A couple of days earlier, Tan Manjin had visited with a laptop, working while she ate. After she was done, Song Shimu borrowed the computer to check the contents of the USB drive and found that Qin Xu had been telling the truth.

It contained all the evidence of Song Yinmu pushing him. Whether Song Yinmu would face legal consequences depended entirely on his own decision.

Qin Xu said coldly, "For something that cost just a few bucks, the quality is pretty good."

Song Shimu handed the USB drive to Qin Xu. "I didn’t make a copy. Do you want it back?"

Qin Xu scoffed. "Who would believe that?"

"Suit yourself," Song Shimu said, putting it away.

Qin Xu walked ahead, intentionally staying half a step in front of Song Shimu.

Once in the car, the assistant asked where to go. Song Shimu, busy texting a friend about his discharge, didn’t hear. Qin Xu had to prompt him before Song Shimu gave an address.

Qin Xu relaxed into his seat and remarked casually, "From the hospital room to the car—you must be dying to talk after all that silence."

Song Shimu smiled. "Why aren’t you talking, then?"

"I’m not as free as you are," Qin Xu said.

"Funny, I’ve got plenty of free time. I’ll talk whenever I feel like it."

Qin Xu opened his mouth to reply but suddenly felt their exchange sounded childish, so he closed it again.

The assistant, sensing tension, kept glancing into the rearview mirror.

Noticing this, Qin Xu said sharply, "You’re holding three lives in your hands, and you’re still distracted?"

"..." The assistant immediately focused back on the road.

After addressing the assistant, Qin Xu turned to Song Shimu. "Get your affairs in order these next few days, then join Qinfeng."

Song Shimu nodded. "Okay."

Qin Xu’s phone buzzed with a message. He glanced at it and was about to reply when something occurred to him. He turned and asked, "What did you just say?"

Song Shimu looked puzzled. "Didn’t you tell me to join Qinfeng?"

Qin Xu stared at him for a long moment. "What about starting your own business?"

"Our family runs such a huge company—why wouldn’t I join it? Starting my own business would just be making things hard for no reason," Song Shimu said.

"What about your former employees, then?"

"They’re highly educated and experienced. Staying with me would waste their talent. I’m sure they’ll do even better without me." Then, thinking of Qinfeng’s scale, he added, "...Or you could hire them? They’re all quite capable."

"...Are you sure you want to join Qinfeng?" Qin Xu ignored the employee question and asked Song Shimu again.

Song Shimu picked up on his reluctance. "So you were just saying that earlier about me joining Qinfeng?"

Qin Xu fell silent, wondering why Song Shimu was different from his previous life.

Did he find out something? Or was he changing tactics, planning to infiltrate the company and look for weaknesses?

If that were the case, had Song Shimu already set his sights on Qinfeng at this point in his previous life?

Qin Xu narrowed his eyes, deciding to play along, "I'm just afraid you might still have other priorities."

"Not anymore, I’ve lost the drive. Just give me a small position to retire in," Song Shimu said.

Qin Xu didn’t believe him and sneered, "You really don’t strive or compete."

The car drove into Manshan Yuan, a well-landscaped residential area with lush greenery. The bright sunlight filtered through swaying green leaves, forming dappled light shifting on the ground.

The protagonist’s home was located toward the back of the villa area. Like the other buildings, it was a Western-style house with bright colors and warm decor.

Flowers bloomed on the balcony, pink and white petals vying in beauty, clearly reflecting the homeowner’s passion for life and how they knew how to live well.

Song Shimu stood at the entrance, looking up at the flowers with complexity.

Qin Xu stood considerately at a distance, believing he understood his feelings, and said, "You can actually wait a few days to move."

Song Shimu shook his head, "Today. I’ll visit my mom this afternoon."

He knew deeply that he wasn’t the original owner, so he didn’t plan to handle too many of the original owner’s belongings.

Even if it wasn’t by choice, since he had taken over another’s body, it was only right—both emotionally and logically—to inform the original owner’s mother and see her for him.

Song Shimu went inside to pack his things, with the assistant helping carry them.

Out of respect for the deceased, Qin Xu held back from targeting Song Shimu for the time being, but he certainly wasn’t going to help either. He didn’t even bother entering the house, instead sitting on a wicker chair outside and checking new emails.

Lately, he had been busy overhauling the company—from the headquarters down to the various factories at the subsidiaries. Every product and project was being held to the strictest standards. Any quality issues or problematic employees had to be replaced.

He wanted to eliminate all potential threats to Qinfeng before Song Shimu could react.

In his previous life, he had thought the issues at the subsidiaries were minor and inconsequential, incapable of shaking Qinfeng’s centuries-old foundation.

But reality had slapped him hard. Even now, he didn’t understand exactly how it had happened, but he was certain there was something unnatural about Song Shimu.

If he could produce electric currents out of thin air, he could just as easily bring his company down out of nowhere.

"Are you Qin Xu?" A man suddenly approached him, around fifty years old, with a well-proportioned figure, simple clothing, his face lined with deep wrinkles, and graying hair.

Qin Xu recognized this face—it was his biological father, Song Hongkai.

"What are you doing here?" Qin Xu didn’t need to guess Song Hongkai’s purpose; he wanted money.

In his previous life, Song Hongkai had sought him out many times. Each time, Qin Xu had security escort him away, but Song Hongkai was thick-skinned—if once didn’t work, he’d keep coming back.

It wasn’t until Song Shimu schemed to have Song Hongkai thrown in prison that the harassment stopped.

Song Hongkai’s eyes flickered at the question. "You know me?"

Qin Xu had no interest in playing out a family reunion. He cut straight to the point: "Are you here for me or Song Shimu?"

Song Hongkai’s eyes darted around before he put on a pained expression. Sighing, he tried to grab Qin Xu’s shoulder, but Qin Xu dodged.

"Actually, back then, switching you was out of desperation."

Qin Xu sneered, "No money but still fooling around? Getting someone pregnant outside of marriage really is a desperate move."

Song Hongkai choked on his words but explained, "I just made a mistake any man could make. You’ll understand when you’re older."

"An excuse for cheaters—I really don’t understand how you all stand together so firmly," Qin Xu retorted mercilessly.

"...You’re still young. I won’t argue with you about this." Song Hongkai, feeling embarrassed but not daring to show his anger, forced a kindly tone. "Qin Xu, the reason you’re where you are today is because I switched you back then. Now that you’re the president of Qinfeng, isn’t it time to repay me?"

Qin Xu curled his lip. "Song Hongkai, if I were you, I’d be hiding. Intentionally switching children is a crime."

Song Hongkai showed no fear. "The surveillance footage from back then is long gone. You can’t sue me."

"Really?" Qin Xu scrolled through his photo album and found the video Yue Lan’s lawyer had provided—the very footage of Song Hongkai switching the children.

He played the video and held his phone screen toward Song Hongkai.

Just as he extended his arm, a bucket of water came pouring down from above, soaking Song Hongkai completely—and Qin Xu’s phone as well.

"..."

"Damn it!"

Above them, on the second-floor balcony of the villa, Song Shimu held an empty bucket, pretending to be surprised. "Oops, there are people down there? I thought it was some animal shitting at my doorstep. It reeks!"

"Damn it! You bastard!" Song Hongkai wiped the water from his face and cursed furiously.

Qin Xu drew his hand back to check his phone, relieved that he was sitting under the eaves—otherwise, Song Shimu might have drenched him too.

Song Hongkai pointed at Song Shimu and yelled, "You have the nerve to— glug... cough, cough!" Before he could finish, another bucket of water poured down on him.

"What did you eat this morning? Your mouth stinks. Let me clean it for you." Song Shimu shook the bucket in his hand, emptied it, and handed it to the assistant. Another full bucket of water remained at his feet.

Qin Xu silently stood up and took a few steps further under the eaves. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Song Hongkai trying to follow, so he pushed him away casually. "Trespassing is illegal."

"This is my damn wife—" Once again, he didn’t finish his sentence before another bucket of cold water poured down. This time, it seemed Song Shimu lost his grip—the bucket fell too, hitting Song Hongkai squarely on the head. "Ah!"

Qin Xu coldly reminded him, "If I remember correctly, you’ve been divorced for twenty years."

Song Shimu had had enough. "Did your brain and ass switch places?! When you got married, your wife was someone else. When you had a child, your wife was someone else. Now, twenty years after the divorce, your wife suddenly becomes my mom?!"

"How can you have the audacity?! Every thought that comes out of you stinks like straight crap! Can you just get lost? Seeing you makes it feel like the air for miles around is poisoned!"

"You!" Song Hongkai clenched his fists, his gaze at Song Shimu murderous.

"Me what? You think you can criticize me?!" The assistant handed over a hose connected to the tap, and Song Shimu took it, aiming it directly at Song Hongkai.

"Within three seconds, get out of here. Otherwise, you’ll get more than water!"