Chapter 45: You Fought Again

Chapter 45: Another Brawl?

At the exit, travelers, burdened with bulging suitcases, navigated the dense crowd. The rumble of wheels on the ground mingled with a cacophony of overlapping calls.

Still held by Qin Xu, Song Shimu clearly heard the driver's reported location. He hung up, then looked up at Gu Wenrui. "How did you know my flight?"

[Favorability: 76]

"Huh? So that slight drop just now was because the antagonist thought you were secretly in touch with Gu Wenrui?"

Hearing 073's speculation, Song Shimu turned to Qin Xu. The latter's chiseled, handsome face was expressionless, his deep-set eyes cold and distant, betraying no shift in emotion.

In stark contrast, Gu Wenrui's captivatingly attractive face was etched with intense hostility. His brows were furrowed, and his foxy eyes were fixed intently on Qin Xu's hand resting on Song Shimu's shoulder.

Suddenly, Gu Wenrui reached out, pulling Song Shimu toward himself. "Shimu, don't stand so close to him."

Song Shimu stumbled forward a step, now positioned between the two men. He repeated his question, "How did you know my flight?"

Faced with Song Shimu's interrogation, Gu Wenrui's demeanor instantly softened. He said pitifully, "Because I missed you... You never told me when you were coming back, so I took the liberty of having someone check. If you don't like it, I apologize."

Just as Song Shimu opened his mouth to speak, Qin Xu's chilling voice cut in from behind. "If you missed him so much, why didn't you come to Nanbin City to find him?"

Gu Wenrui's pitiful expression froze, his gaze turning instantly hateful as he faced Qin Xu. "You're allowed to be busy, but I'm not?"

Qin Xu sneered, "Funny, I recall someone using 'light workload' as their reason when trying to poach my brother."

"Stop flattering yourself. Are you even worthy of being his brother?" Gu Wenrui retorted, his malice toward Qin Xu undisguised.

"If I'm not worthy, are you?" Qin Xu stepped forward, seized Gu Wenrui's wrist, and with a sudden forceful twist, a searing pain shot through Gu Wenrui's palm, causing him to lose his grip on Song Shimu's hand.

Song Shimu seized the opportunity to pull free. Qin Xu's icy voice resonated in his ear, "At least he and I share a household registration. What about you? Besides your glib tongue, what else can you do? You keep claiming it's all for him, that you want to help him, but when he was struggling before, you were comfortably abroad, weren't you?"

Gu Wenrui's face flushed crimson, glaring fiercely at Qin Xu. "That's between him and me; it's not your place to judge. Besides, Shimu's hardships weren't caused by me. And you—everything you possess should have been his."

Qin Xu's eyes were like frost-edged blades, his gaze sweeping over Gu Wenrui with an assessing, top-down scrutiny. "I'll return those exact words to you: that's between him and me; it's not your place to judge."

Their argument wasn't particularly loud, but standing motionless for so long amidst the throng, both exceptionally striking, they quickly drew a crowd of curious onlookers.

Song Shimu glanced around, eager to avoid further attention, and said, "I appreciate your thoughtfulness in picking me up, but I hope next time you'll consult me first. This business trip was exhausting, and right now I just want to go home and rest. So, let's discuss anything else tomorrow. My driver should be here soon. Bye."

Song Shimu rattled off the words, then grabbed Qin Xu's wrist and headed toward the parking lot.

Before Gu Wenrui could utter a word to stop them, the two had already vanished into the crowd, their voices swallowed by the surrounding din.

"Damn it!" Gu Wenrui's face darkened, as if it could drip ink, his eyes fixed on their clasped hands. "I offered respect, and you threw it back in my face."

Gu Wenrui angrily tossed the unpresented flowers to the ground, then spun around and walked toward another exit.

The onlookers exchanged glances, all startled by the abrupt shift in Gu Wenrui's demeanor.

The once perfectly arranged roses lay shattered, petals scattered across the ground in disarray, as if proclaiming the failure of this endeavor.

In the car on the way back.

Qin Xu closed his eyes and dozed off as soon as he got in. Song Shimu's gaze lingered on Qin Xu's hand: long, slender fingers with distinct knuckles, faint blue veins like frost-covered vines tracing along his tendons.

Resting naturally on his leg, each finger was straight and upright, the prominent knuckles sharply defined, like meticulously polished white jade carvings. His nails were neatly trimmed and clean, edged with a faint, pale crescent.

Song Shimu's fingers twitched, an inexplicable urge to grasp that hand rising within him. But remembering the still-active repatriation system, he reluctantly suppressed the thought.

"Weren't you saying you were exhausted? Not resting now—are you excited from seeing Gu Wenrui?"

Perhaps his gaze was too intense; Qin Xu noticed and, at some point, opened his eyes, looking at him with chilly detachment.

Song Shimu's eyes curved upward, warmth coloring his brows, a gentle smile gracing his lips. "I just suddenly realized your grip seems really strong. I want to arm wrestle you."

Qin Xu glanced at him sideways. "Talk to me when you can do it without cheating."

Song Shimu leaned closer, his peach-blossom eyes curving into a beautiful arc, amber pupils sparkling with scattered light, like warm sunlight diffused in March. "That depends on you."

"......"

[Favorability: 77]

"If you're not resting, go to the company and work overtime," Qin Xu said coldly.

Song Shimu chuckled softly, recognizing his cue. He withdrew his gaze and found a comfortable position to lean back.

In his mind, 073 suddenly began a reasoned and evidence-based commentary: "I've noticed lately that the antagonist has absolutely no defenses against you."

"How so?" Song Shimu asked.

"You can just casually flirt with him a couple of times, and the favorability goes up. Sometimes you don't even need to flirt; just sitting there working seriously makes it increase."

Song Shimu mused for a moment. "That just means I might be his ideal type. It doesn't necessarily mean he has no defenses, right?"

"It does! He knows you're trying to win him over, and yet the favorability keeps rising. Before, he would brainwash himself, but now he hardly reduces it anymore. Even when it does drop, it's just by one or two points, and it doesn't take long to bounce back," 073 said.

"Oh, really?" Song Shimu was quite pleased.

"Yeah! And the most, most, most crucial thing! You still haven't had any physical contact!"

"I've heard from other systems when they talk about main storyline strategies that physical contact is the fastest way to increase favorability. Basically, as soon as two people get intimate, the favorability shoots up. You haven't even had contact yet, and it's already rising rapidly. I can't imagine how high it would soar if you lifted the electric shock punishment."

Song Shimu thought thoughtfully, "So does this count as me carrying the team?"

"I actually gave up a long time ago. At first, I thought you were the kind of host that's hard to deal with, but now I think you're practically my savior!!"

Song Shimu curled his lips, saying meaningfully, "If you want to go home quickly, then hurry up and get your main system to return sooner to fix the program. I can't wait to get closer."

"Ahhhh, don't mention it! Just thinking about it makes me furious. Last time, after I got out of the punishment box, I sent it over a hundred messages, and it only replied with two words—'Wait.' Why didn't it just say 'wait to die'! I'm fed up!"

"I'd like to lock the main system in the punishment box for two weeks too!"

After being locked in the punishment box twice with no success in appealing, 073 became traumatized by the main system, exploding at the mere mention of it.

Cursing the main system, it launched into a fierce, impassioned rant, chattering away until it was breathless, only to find its host had already fallen asleep.

073: "........"

The next day, Song Shimu slept until noon, then got up, washed, changed into casual clothes, and went downstairs.

It happened to be the weekend. Tan Manjin and Qin Song were both off work and resting, settled on the sofa watching the news, with two platters of fruit on the coffee table in front of them.

Song Shimu greeted them, scanned the room but didn't see Qin Xu, and asked, "Where's Qin Xu?"

"He's probably still asleep. Haven't seen him come down yet," Tan Manjin said, checking the time.

Song Shimu raised an eyebrow. "I'm up already, and he's still not up?"

"That's right." Tan Manjin also found it strange.

"Maybe he's too tired? Based on what I saw you doing in Nanbin City, I'd guess you only got two or three hours of sleep a day," Qin Song said.

Song Shimu felt a pang of embarrassment but didn't want Tan Manjin and Qin Song to worry, so he changed the subject: "Actually, it wasn’t that busy. Is there still food? I’m really hungry."

"There's food saved for you in the kitchen; just heat it up," Tan Manjin said.

"Okay."

Song Shimu went to the kitchen to find food while simultaneously dealing with messages from Gu Wenrui and Yu Hua.

Both wanted to meet up. Song Shimu replied to Yu Hua first, saying he wanted to rest. Yu Hua immediately understood and suggested they could hang out online once he was rested. Song Shimu agreed.

As for Gu Wenrui, Song Shimu started with the same line about wanting to rest, but received a guilt-tripping, self-blaming response about whether he was being annoying and how things weren’t like this before.

Song Shimu sighed and agreed to have dinner together that evening.

After quickly finishing lunch, Song Shimu put the dishes into the dishwasher and returned to the living room to watch TV with Tan Manjin and Qin Song.

As soon as he sat down, Song Shimu saw news about Qianyue and Songxin planning a second collaboration. He nodded in satisfaction.

Although he had been busy lately, he never lost touch with his brother, always staying updated on Songxin’s current situation.

After the news ended, Song Shimu sat for a while but soon grew restless. It was hard to imagine someone as disciplined as Qin Xu could be this lazy when he chose to be.

"Why hasn’t Qin Xu gotten up yet?" Tan Manjin asked, noticing her younger son repeatedly checking his watch and looking toward the second floor.

"Yeah, Shimu, why don’t you go check on him?" Qin Song also noticed his younger son’s restlessness and, hoping to strengthen the bond between the two brothers, chimed in.

"Okay." Song Shimu was just looking for an excuse and immediately put down the pillow to head upstairs.

Song Shimu knocked on the door first. After waiting a while with no response or sound, he turned the doorknob and pushed the door open.

The room was almost completely dark. When the door opened, the hallway light created two distinct beams inside.

This was the first time Song Shimu learned about Qin Xu’s sleeping habits. Unlike himself, who preferred some light, Qin Xu slept in total darkness.

As he stepped inside, the scent of ambergris washed over him. Using the hallway light, Song Shimu pulled the curtain open a crack to see the room’s layout.

The room was minimalist, dominated by gray and white. Light gray laminate flooring extended to the far end, with walls and ceiling painted pure white. A few paintings adorned the walls, making it simple yet stylish.

A bookshelf nearby was filled with books, and there was a cabinet dedicated to trophies. At a glance, it seemed almost overflowing with awards.

A desktop computer and monitor stood on the desk, with a few documents beside them. Song Shimu wondered if Qin Xu had been working late again.

Approaching the bed, Qin Xu was still asleep. His dark, sword-like eyebrows were furrowed, eyes tightly shut, long lashes casting butterfly-wing shadows under his eyes. Below his tall nose, his thin lips were pressed tightly together, corners slightly downturned.

He seemed trapped in a nightmare. Song Shimu called his name once, but he didn’t wake up. He called again, still no response.

Song Shimu grew concerned that the intense stress Qin Xu had been under in Nanbin City had caused physical discomfort or illness upon suddenly relaxing.

So he pushed up his sleeve, intending to check Qin Xu’s temperature.

But before he could touch his forehead, Qin Xu, as if with a third eye, accurately grabbed his hand. His eyes snapped open.

In that instant, Song Shimu caught a glimpse of intense emotion in those eyes—fear, terror, and deep sorrow.

The swirl of emotions made Song Shimu curious about what dream he’d been having. But before he could ask, the favorability level notification sounded in his mind.

[Favorability: 99]

"!"

"Holy shit!"

Song Shimu and 073 were both stunned.

"Song Shimu!"

Still in shock, Song Shimu felt a strong pull on his clothes, dragging him toward the bed—

"Hey!"

It happened so suddenly that Song Shimu had no time to resist. He was forced to tumble onto the bed.

More accurately, onto Qin Xu. Separated only by a soft blanket, Song Shimu could clearly feel the firmness of Qin Xu’s body.

Two hands had somehow wrapped around his waist, gripping him tightly.

"Don’t go..." Qin Xu stared unblinkingly at Song Shimu, his eyes full of pain.

"?" Song Shimu looked puzzled. "Are you still half-asleep?"

But Qin Xu seemed unable to hear anything, muttering repeatedly, "Don’t go..."

Song Shimu told him several times to wake up, even considering covering Qin Xu’s face with a piece of paper to snap him out of it. But he found he couldn’t break free from Qin Xu’s embrace. Resigned, he said, "I won’t go, I won’t go. Wake up."

Hearing "won’t go," Qin Xu calmed down significantly. His pained, hopeless expression slowly softened into tenderness. Those always icy, glacier-like eyes suddenly gleamed with a gentle light, like a lake thawing on a cold night, warmed by the sun, reflecting a soft, affectionate gaze.

And on that lake, the only clear reflection was Song Shimu.

In the dim room, their breaths mingled hotly. The pleasant scent of ambergris now seemed to transform into romantic red threads, wrapping around them, tangled and lingering.

Qin Xu’s gaze traced Song Shimu’s face, then settled on his petal-like, pale lips.

"You..."

It was the first time Song Shimu had seen Qin Xu look at him like this. He felt flustered and panicked. His mind, which could draft meeting notes in minutes on a normal day, now felt rusty. Frantically searching for words, he found only blankness.

Song Shimu struggled but was held even tighter. A hand behind him slowly moved upward. When it reached the collar at the nape of his neck, Song Shimu’s expression changed instantly. "Wait—"

As soon as the warning left his lips, he felt a feather-light touch on the back of his neck. Then, the tight grip around him loosened.

With a soft thud, Qin Xu fell back onto the pillow, eyes closed peacefully.

"…………"

"Aaaaaaaaaah!!!" Before Song Shimu could say anything, 073 screamed. "Aren’t I the Romance Specialization System?! How did I become a stumbling block in your love story?!"

"………"

"I was totally into it, and then I personally cut short the main couple’s sweet moment! Aaaaaah, I’m a sinner, just let me die!" 073 made a sound of collapsing dramatically in his mind.

Song Shimu ignored him, climbing off the bed and staring with a complex expression at Qin Xu.

After being knocked out, Qin Xu slept much more peacefully. His usually cold, sword-like eyebrows were now relaxed into a gentle curve, lashes casting shadows under his eyes, hiding those always chilly phoenix eyes.

"Do you think he’s possessed or something?" Song Shimu asked 073, recalling Qin Xu’s unusual behavior.

"Does being possessed increase affection?" 073 shot back.

"………” Both the human and the system fell silent simultaneously.

"Is the affection still at 99?" Song Shimu asked.

"Yeah."

"Then I bet it'll drop once he wakes up," Song Shimu said with certainty.

"In that case... I’ll pray the antagonist remains possessed forever."

To keep his parents from worrying, Song Shimu went downstairs to fix a plate for Qin Xu and brought it upstairs, telling Tan Manjin and Qin Song that Qin Xu had woken up and was reading in his room, and would later watch a movie with him.

Although saying he was working would’ve sounded more convincing, given how busy things had been the previous month, returning and jumping right back into work would have raised Tan Manjin and Qin Song’s concerns. So, Song Shimu went with a different excuse.

The result was quite effective—it didn’t make his parents suspicious.

And so, Song Shimu spent the afternoon gaming with Yu Hua in Qin Xu’s room.

By exactly six in the evening, Song Shimu’s game had reached a critical moment, with only him and one opponent left on the opposing team.

As they were in a heated shootout, Song Shimu remained calm, pinpointed the opponent’s weakness, and was about to deliver the final blow when a shadow suddenly fell over him. From above came Qin Xu’s voice, laced with chilliness, "Why are you in my room?"

[Favorability: 77]

"Bang—"

Song Shimu’s hand fumbled, missing the fire button, and the opponent seized the opportunity, taking him out with one shot.

"………"

"The affection dropped again. Looks like he really was possessed."

073 never clung too tightly to things that came easily—losing them didn't bring sadness, but occasionally it led to far-fetched ideas, like Qin Xu being possessed and the affection shooting straight to 100.

"I asked why you’re in my room?" Qin Xu looked down at the silent figure and asked again, patience in his tone.

"Good question." Song Shimu stood up, looked Qin Xu in the eye, and turned his phone around to show the time. "Do you know how long you’ve been asleep?"

"6 o’clock?" Qin Xu glanced at the time on the screen, his eyes showed a hint of surprise.

"Ahem, actually, not that long. I came to wake you up around one," Song Shimu cleared his throat and said slowly.

"Didn’t wake up?" Qin Xu frowned, touched his forehead—he wasn’t sick. But according to his usual habits, he shouldn’t have slept this long.

"You did wake up, but you seemed possessed."

"?"

"After I woke you, you pulled me onto your bed, pinned me down so I couldn’t leave, and even tried to force a kiss on me. But when you pressed my head, you touched my skin and fainted."

"………” Qin Xu adjusted his sleeve, then reached out to feel Song Shimu’s forehead. After a moment, he said hesitantly, "You’re not sick."

"……" Song Shimu slapped Qin Xu’s hand away. "I’m telling the truth!"

"Losing your marbles is a problem. Don’t let the missions make you crazy," Qin Xu said with concern.

"You’re the one who’s lost your mind! Everything I said really happened!"

"In your dreams?" Qin Xu asked.

"……" Song Shimu took a deep breath. "Next time, please install a camera in your bedroom. Otherwise, I’ll seem like a mute who’s tasted bitterness."

Qin Xu narrowed his eyes slightly, studying him suspiciously. "You wouldn’t actually be trying to zap me, would you?"

"?" Song Shimu shot Qin Xu an exasperated look. "Since you said that, why don’t I just give you one?"

Song Shimu reached out and went for Qin Xu.

Having slept for so long, Qin Xu had regained much of his energy, and his mood had improved considerably. Facing Song Shimu’s sudden attack, Qin Xu wasn’t taking it seriously, dodging back a couple of times before signaling to stop.

But Song Shimu was still fuming, pushing him toward the bed while waving his arms around.

Backed against the bed, Qin Xu spoke again, his tone carrying helplessness and an unintentional fondness. "Enough, alright?"

"No! You don’t believe me at all!" Song Shimu snapped sulkily.

"I believe you now," Qin Xu said, humoring him.

"You’re not sincere!" Song Shim insisted.

"Then what do you want?"

"Let me use electroshock therapy to restore your memory," Song Shimu proposed.

Qin Xu sighed helplessly. "And you still claim you weren’t trying to zap me."

"I didn’t want to at first, but I was the one who got played! You woke up and forgot everything, then questioned me, said I’d lost my mind, said I was dreaming!"

Song Shimu complained indignantly.

"Then, how about this," Qin Xu suggested a solution that would never work.

Curious, Song Shimu asked, "How about... Hey—"

Before he could finish, Song Shimu’s hands were seized by Qin Xu. Qin Xu maneuvered their positions, turning Song Shimu to face away from the bed, then pushed down on Song Shimu’s shoulder while following him down.

"Thump—"

Song Shimu’s back slammed heavily into the soft feather mattress, the soft feel instantly swallowing him whole. The springs emitted a faint hum, like a disturbed instrument. The bedding molded to the curve of Song Shimu’s body, and his hair spread out under gravity, spreading out like gentle waves across the snow-white pillow.

Qin Xu held Song Shimu tightly with one hand, propped himself up with the other, and bent one long leg, nestled it between Song Shimu’s thighs.

Song Shimu stared at Qin Xu, who was now just inches away, his eyes widening slightly. "What are you doing?!"

[Favorability: 80]

"!"

Qin Xu pressed his lips together, his gaze locked on Song Shimu, not speaking for a long while.

Song Shimu bit his lip, turning his head to avoid Qin Xu’s eyes. When Qin Xu had first woken up, he was clearly not himself, and Song Shimu hadn’t thought much of it then. But now it was different—both of them were fully conscious.

Normally, when both are lucid, any flirty tension should fade. Yet now, Song Shimu felt the tension was even more intense than a few hours earlier...

Lucid and with their breaths mingling, the mix of ambergris and orchid scent proved more intoxicating than any aphrodisiac.

[Favorability: 85]

"You..."

Qin Xu was the first to break the silence, his voice deeper than ever.

Just as he uttered that one word, a surprised voice came from outside the door. "Are you two fighting again?"

"What are you doing?!"