Chapter 25: Childhood Friend Online

Chapter 25: The Childhood Friend Goes Online

Tan Manjin also thought this was plausible. Qin Xu had always been introverted and never one to show off. If he was proactively sharing something, he definitely had an ulterior motive.

Before they could investigate, Qin Xu sent another message: "His cooking skills are on par with Aunt Sun's. You should try them when you get back."

"Huh? Were we overthinking it?" Tan Manjin wondered.

"Such high praise—is it genuine or sarcastic?" Qin Song also couldn't quite grasp his eldest son's meaning. After all, his eldest son had always been particularly sharp-tongued with the younger one, so this sudden praise felt like he was possessed.

"It looks really delicious. It probably isn't sarcasm, right? ...Never mind, let's not dwell on Qin Xu for now. Praising Shi Mu is more important," Tan Manjin said.

"Right. If it's truly good, Shi Mu will officially be the only real chef in our family."

The phone screen on the table lit up as two messages popped up in the group chat. Song Shimu lowered his head to look.

Tan: "It looks so delicious! Shi Mu, you can cook?"

Old Qin: "Impressive! Our family finally has a master chef (thumbs up)."

In front of his parents, Song Shimu felt he should be modest and humble, so he typed: "I can make some home-style dishes, but I’m nowhere near Aunt Sun’s level. If you’d like to try, I can cook for you when you return."

Tan: "Great! We’re only away for two weeks. We’ll definitely try your cooking when we’re back."

Old Qin: "Yes, Shi Mu, just make what you’re good at. We aren’t picky."

Song Shimu replied: "Okay."

After the cooking topic, Qin Song felt he should still remind the two boys, so he said: "While we’re away, you two need to get along. Remember, no fighting, okay? @Qin Xu"

Qin Xu had just served himself a bowl of fish soup. As he lowered his head, he saw the message singling him out and typed a question in reply.

Qin Xu: "Shouldn’t the reminder be for both of us?"

...No one responded.

Song Shimu silently typed: "Okay."

Qin Xu put down his phone and drank his soup expressionlessly.

Song Shimu, looking at the top message, said: "You praising me like that makes me feel like you’re being sarcastic, like my cooking is terrible."

Qin Xu glanced at him, picked up his chopsticks, and said while serving himself food: "When I scold you, you don’t listen. When I praise you, you think I’m scolding you. Is there something wrong with your brain?"

Song Shimu laughed. "You’re always giving me fierce looks, yet you still help me in a fierce way. I thought you were just stubborn, so when I made this meal, I never expected you to praise me."

"......" Qin Xu reached out and served Song Shimu a portion of spinach. "Just shut up. I only did it because I have high principles, not because I wanted to help you."

Song Shimu, recalling how Qin Xu had let go of his neck that afternoon even before Qin Song arrived, couldn’t help but ask, "This afternoon, when you were grabbing my neck, was that also because of your high principles?"

"......" Qin Xu gave him a sharp look and stayed silent.

Song Shimu found his expression strange and grew even more curious. Leaning closer, he asked, "Did you have a change of heart?"

Qin Xu: "Impossible."

"Then what? Did your conscience kick in?"

"You might as well say I didn’t want to end up doing hard labor."

"So, was it because you didn’t want to go to jail?" Song Shimu followed up.

"No."

"Then what was it? It couldn’t be that you were moved by my beauty while nearly fainting and decided to let go, could it?" Song Shimu thought back to the situation—Qin Xu had indeed stared at his face for a long time.

"Ugly as hell. Who would like a monkey’s red butt?" Qin Xu sneered.

"............"

Song Shimu gasped, nearly choking himself. "Then just tell me the reason!"

Qin Xu pressed his lips together and said, "I didn’t expect you to have that kind of tendency."

"What tendency?" Song Shimu asked, confused.

Qin Xu thought he was playing dumb. "What tendency could it be? What was I doing at the time? And what was that expression on your face? What were you up to?"

Song Shimu was even more baffled. "What expression did I have?"

"......" Qin Xu didn’t want to say more. Even now, he felt like he’d been forced to become part of Song Shimu’s game.

"Can you not clam up now?" Song Shimu, seeing Qin Xu fall silent, felt his curiosity unsatisfied and grew impatient. What could be so hard to say?

"Tell me, what expression did I have? Or is this just an excuse for your stubbornness? You just softened up," Song Shimu provoked, pushing his buttons.

"Expectation. Explain to me what you were expecting at that time?" Qin Xu frowned, finally revealing the situation.

"...?"

"Expectation?"

"You must’ve imagined it."

As soon as Qin Xu said it, Song Shimu recalled the situation and thought to himself how observant Qin Xu was, but he denied it outright. "I was about to be strangled. How could I have been expecting anything?"

"...You’d better not have been expecting anything," Qin Xu said coldly.

Putting himself in Qin Xu’s shoes, Song Shimu found it inexplicably funny. "So, were you scared at the time?"

"......"

"No, I just didn’t want to let you... get what you wanted," Qin Xu said stubbornly.

Song Shimu tilted his head and laughed, serving Qin Xu a large piece of fish and placing it in his bowl. "Consider this meal my apology. Don’t be angry."

"Quite the schemer—making up for a big mistake with a small gesture."

"If you want to eat, I’ll cook for you," Song Shimu said readily.

Only then did Qin Xu look satisfied, lowering his head to focus on his meal.

In the three days since Qin Xu returned, Song Shimu had very clearly felt the sharp increase in his workload.

Tasks that used to take a few hours now took most of the day, greatly reducing the time he could spend making rounds to catch employees slacking off.

This left Song Shimu quite frustrated, especially when he wanted to complain—lifting his head, he would see Qin Xu hunched over his desk, always busy with work, always the last one to leave.

Occasionally, Song Shimu would lament to 001, "Why would such a workaholic end up becoming a villain?"

001 would reply, "The company's management was a mess, causing suffering for many people. There was internal graft and corruption, along with the villain's extreme antisocial behavior in the later stages."

Song Shimu would retort, "As for company management, I think Qin Xu has already made significant reforms. Didn’t he sue the corrupt ones? And the antisocial behavior in the later stages—wasn’t that after Qinfeng was destroyed? If a centuries-old foundation collapsed overnight, I’m not sure I could accept it either."

At this, 001 would cite the setting: "Don’t you humans always say life’s great divider is birth? It’s the same with character settings. His initial setting was as a villain, so he had to die."

Every time he heard this, Song Shimu would be left speechless.

But he was certain that Qin Xu would not meet the same fate as in the original storyline.

The biggest threat had given up, the company had been restructured, the corrupt had been arrested, and all the problems had been eliminated. No matter what, Qinfeng’s future would not be too turbulent.

At six in the evening, Song Shimu grabbed his car keys to leave work, drawing Qin Xu’s attention. "You drove today?"

Song Shimu replied calmly, "Yeah, I’m meeting someone."

"Who?"

"A friend. You probably don’t know him." Song Shimu smiled, his eyes curving slightly.

Qin Xu’s gaze darkened. "Not a former employee?"

"No."

"Gu Wenrui?"

"Good guess." Song Shimu gave him an appreciative look and casually asked, "Do you know him?"

Song Shimu recalled the original plot—these two seemed to have met through the protagonist.

"We’ve met once. What are you going to do with him?" Qin Xu said.

*They’ve met?* Song Shimu raised an eyebrow slightly but kept his expression neutral. "Just dinner. He invited me."

"What’s your relationship with him?" Qin Xu asked.

"Old classmates. We’ve known each other since we were kids."

"Mm, go ahead." Qin Xu withdrew his gaze.

Let off the hook so easily, Song Shimu felt a bit thrown off. "Aren’t you going to ask where I’m going?"

Qin Xu had no interest in others’ love lives and urged Song Shimu to leave quickly. "I’m busy. If you’re leaving, hurry up. Otherwise, join me for overtime."

Song Shimu ignored his threat. "Weren’t you into stalking me before? Why not now?"

"No need to write observation reports anymore." Qin Xu remained expressionless.

Song Shimu’s gaze lingered on Qin Xu’s face for a long moment before he turned and headed toward the door, muttering as he walked, "Not really feeling it… always having me manage the company…"

Qin Xu’s pen paused mid-signature, leaving an inkblot on the document…

Yunqi French Restaurant.

Warm, yellow light from wall sconces flowed across carved plaster walls, while crystal chandeliers refracted sparkling reflections that danced over gold-rimmed plates.

Waiters in tailcoats moved silently across soft carpets, silver food carts gliding with faint, delicate sounds.

Song Shimu, dressed in an elegant and well-tailored suit, walked calmly toward the reserved seat. The warm light fell on his flawless face, making him appear refined, dignified, yet low-key.

Gu Wenrui had chosen a table by the window, just as the evening sun was setting. The sunset hung on the horizon like an orange silk wrinkled by time, its edges gradually deepening into a rich burgundy-purple—the perfect viewing spot.

"You’re here?"

On the velvet high-backed chair, Gu Wenrui wore a well-tailored suit with subtle patterns, a peacock-blue silk tie wrapped around the collar of his snow-white shirt. He sat casually, long legs stretched under the table, exuding an exceptional aura.

His hair was carefully groomed, with slightly curled ends. His face had defined features, prominent brow bones paired with elegant, slender fox-like eyes that made a striking impression. Below his tall nose bridge, his thin, vibrant red lips held a hint of allure, the curve of his mouth resembling a crimson rose, captivating.

Song Shimu took his seat calmly, subtly sizing up Gu Wenrui, though the other was much more overt in his appraisal.

Suddenly, 073 piped up in his mind. "*Shi Mu! Handsome, right? I told you your childhood friend is a looker! Feeling a spark?*"

Song Shimu replied indifferently, "Asking me to do tasks is one thing, but now you want me to develop feelings too? Aren’t you considering my preferences?"

"*Huh? Has the host ever had a girlfriend?*" 073 asked.

"No."

"*Ever liked a girl?*"

"No."

"*Ever felt that kind of desire for a girl?*"

"…*…I was always too busy before. Never got around to thinking about these things.*"

"*See?*" 073 said confidently. "*If you’ve never felt that way, how can you know your orientation? You have to experiment to know for sure.*"

"……"

Song Shimu sighed. "You might as well brainwash me into seeing a fortune sitting right there."

073 responded, "*Romantic arcs hit different when they’re real!*"

"Forget my feelings—let’s see my childhood friend’s true feelings."

The new system had just been installed today. 001 had wanted to test the punishment function directly, but Song Shimu refused, using other commitments as an excuse, and suggested testing it later that night.

This was the first time using the new system.

"*Oh, right, right!*" Reminded by Song Shimu, 073 recalled that it had a new upgrade and quickly activated the real-time like-o-meter.

"*Favorability detection activated.*"

"*Real-time favorability detection successfully initiated…*"

Two robotic voices sounded in his mind, followed by dead air. After waiting a while without hearing 073, Song Shimu guessed, "Is the system broken again?"

"*No…*" 073 chirped, its voice tinged with disbelief.

Song Shimu frowned. "What’s wrong?"

"*…This can’t be right?! Main System!*" 073 screamed internally.

At that moment, 001 was attempting to shut down the return protocol and popped in when it heard the commotion. "*What now?*"

"*This can’t be right?!*"

"*His favorability’s only a 2?!*"