Chapter 46: Otherwise?

Chapter 46: Otherwise?

Song Shimu and Qin Xu froze simultaneously.

Suddenly, a figure materialized behind Qin Xu, grabbing his shoulder and raising a fist as if to strike.

Qin Xu reacted with lightning speed, blocking the blow.

Song Shimu also reached out to intervene, frowning at Gu Wenrui. "It's a misunderstanding."

"You two..." Gu Wenrui's brows furrowed deeply, his gaze sweeping over them like a searchlight.

Tan Manjin walked in slowly, patting Gu Wenrui's shoulder to signal him to relax. "They occasionally spar like this; I'm almost used to it."

"Spar?" Gu Wenrui's eyes widened in disbelief, the fine muscles around them twitching. How could this be a mere spar when their gazes were so charged?

Song Shimu rubbed his ear, cleared his throat, and explained, "We just watched a movie and were debating why one villain killing a group of protagonists is less hated than another villain killing just one member of the main cast."

The ambiguous atmosphere dissipated as Song Shimu's quick wit kicked in, crafting a plausible explanation for their actions in mere seconds.

Qin Xu nodded in agreement beside him.

"You're both usually so composed—why do you always escalate things when you're around each other?" Tan Manjin asked, a hint of a headache in her voice.

Song Shimu smiled. "We're just playfully bickering, nothing serious. Right, bro?"

"Mhm," Qin Xu softly affirmed.

Gu Wenrui remained silent, his hand clenched tightly at his side, unseen by the others.

"Alright then," Tan Manjin said, observing the two. Their dynamic had clearly improved since she first met them, putting her mind at ease.

"How come you're here?" Having concluded their own discussion, Song Shimu shifted the focus to Gu Wenrui.

Gu Wenrui forced a strained smile. "Weren't we supposed to have dinner together tonight? I thought I'd come pick you up."

【Favorability 84】

Song Shimu glanced at Qin Xu, then stood up and said, "I thought we were meeting directly at the restaurant."

"I wanted to see you earlier," Gu Wenrui stated plainly.

Song Shimu was startled and subtly glanced at Tan Manjin, but his concern was unfounded.

Tan Manjin didn't overthink it, even teasing them, "As expected of old classmates who've known each other for so long—you're truly close."

【Favorability 83】

"But are you really going out? Since you're already here, why not just eat at home? Aunt Sun is almost done with dinner, and this is the first time I've met Shimu's friends," Tan Manjin suggested.

Gu Wenrui's brown eyes flickered, and he turned to Tan Manjin with a bright smile. "Is that alright, Auntie?"

"Of course! I've been wanting Shimu to bring friends home for a long time."

Seizing the opportunity, Gu Wenrui played it sweet. "Won't we be disturbing you?"

"Not at all," Tan Manjin said, pulling Song Shimu along as she guided Gu Wenrui out. "I'd love to hear what Shimu was like during his school days."

She then turned to Qin Xu and added, "Qin Xu, change your clothes before coming out. You've been in your room all day—don't tell me it's because you didn't want to change?"

"...No."

"Then change before coming out. It's too improper to be in pajamas in front of guests."

Qin Xu glanced around, confirming it was his own room, and parted his lips slightly as if to speak but ultimately remained silent.

At the doorway, Song Shimu turned back and met Qin Xu's gaze. He raised his hand, using his index and middle fingers to mimic walking, signaling his departure.

【Favorability 85】

"Ah! I told you physical contact boosts favorability quickly! Look, just look! A bed pin raised the favorability from 77 to 85! And it was the villain who initiated it! How is that any different from self-convincing?" 073 shrieked with excitement. He had originally thought meeting Song Shimu was the worst luck in eight lifetimes, but now it seemed like a blessing from above!

Adhering to the principle of caution until the very end, Song Shimu decided to temper 073's enthusiasm. "Don't celebrate too soon. Qin Xu gets jealous easily. I'll still have to spend some time with Gu Wenrui later, and I'm worried the points won't be enough to cover the deductions."

073 sounded surprised. "Are you and Gu Wenrui going to end up in bed? How could the points not be enough?"

"Not to that extent, but I'm afraid if I go out with Gu Wenrui too often, Qin Xu might get unhappy and start brainwashing himself again."

"That won't happen. He hasn't done that in a long time," 073 said.

Thinking about what Gu Wenrui might do in the future, Song Shimu said, "Qin Xu is career-driven. What if someone uses the company to drive a wedge between us?"

"Who would do that?"

"...You can guess."

After finishing his conversation with 073, Song Shimu said to Tan Manjin, "Haven't I told you about this before?"

"First-hand accounts and third-party perspectives are definitely different. Besides, you always sugarcoat things and only share the good news. I need to hear from someone who was around you back then to know what really happened," Tan Manjin said.

"...But I feel like Gu Wenrui also sees me through tinted glasses."

Gu Wenrui raised an eyebrow. "Why would I?"

"Wouldn't you? Are you about to say next that I had a really hard time back then?" Song Shimu reasoned.

"..." Gu Wenrui pressed his lips together—he had indeed been about to say that.

"Shimu, don't speak for now," Tan Manjin said, listening to their exchange. She took Song Shimu's hand and patted it gently, signaling him to be quiet, then turned to Gu Wenrui. "Xiao Gu, you tell me."

"Alright." Gu Wenrui nodded, his face filled with indignation. "During his school days, Shimu was often ambushed on his way to and from school, ostracized by classmates, given bloody gifts, and even had rumors spread about him sleeping around for money."

Tan Manjin's grip tightened abruptly. She stopped walking and scrutinized Song Shimu from head to toe. "You never told me any of this."

Song Shimu squeezed her hand back reassuringly. "That's because I got back at every single one of them. My methods weren't exactly honorable, so I didn't mention it."

Tan Manjin shot him a look. "There's no such thing as honorable or dishonorable when it comes to fighting back against bullies. I just worry you suffered in silence."

"Mom, don't worry. I'm not the type to take abuse lying down," Song Shimu said, playing it sweet.

"Mm."

Gu Wenrui continued, "He was also often mistreated by his adoptive father, especially by that younger brother of his, who always schemed behind his back and framed Shimu."

"Younger brother? That boy named Song Yinmu?" Tan Manjin's eyebrows lifted slightly.

A strange look flickered across Song Shimu's face. He shot Gu Wenrui a warning glance to shut up but maintained a relaxed expression as he looked at Tan Manjin. "He's all talk—he can't actually do anyth—"

Before Song Shimu could finish, Gu Wenrui cut him off angrily, his face showing long-suppressed emotions.

"Shimu, I know you don't like complaining about your hardships, but I really think it's unfair to you. Back in your student days, that asshole brother of yours was constantly stirring up drama, and you never confronted him. Then years later, for his own benefit, he set you up and caused your company to go bankrupt. Did you know he's now using the resources he gained from setting you up to make his company thrive?"

Song Shimu wanted to say that the resources from setting him up weren't enough to achieve that—it was actually him propping him up.

But he wasn't ready to reveal this plan yet, so he stayed silent.

Tan Manjin's eyes shifted slightly upon hearing this and asked, "Your company went bankrupt because of him?"

Song Shimu nodded, "He was a factor, but the company was already on the verge of collapse." It could only be said that Song Yinmu was the last straw that broke the camel's back.

A shadow passed through Tan Manjin's eyes, "Your father and I always thought it was Shenjing behind it. We spent months investigating Shenjing to clear your name. We almost gathered enough evidence to take their company down, but we were still missing proof of their framing. Now it seems the evidence is with Song Yinmu?"

"Mom, I'll handle him myself." Song Shimu looked at Tan Manjin, his eyes filled with a pleading look that asked for trust.

Tan Manjin frowned, but before she could speak, Gu Wenrui cut in, "What can you do? You're just an ordinary secretary. Song Yinmu is about to become the vice president of Songxin!"

"Gu Wenrui, I know you're standing up for me, but I have my own plans."

Gu Wenrui didn't believe him at all, "Given your current situation, what kind of plans could you possibly have?"

Hearing Gu Wenrui's words, Tan Manjin guessed that Song Shimu working as Qin Xu's secretary might be part of his plan, so she asked, "Does Qin Xu know about your plans?"

Instead of getting an answer from Song Shimu, Gu Wenrui dismissed it immediately, "How could he know? If he knew, he wouldn't have kept Shimu stuck in a secretary position."

Tan Manjin shot a subtle glance at Gu Wenrui and asked Song Shimu again, "Shimu, be honest with me. Did you willingly become Qin Xu's secretary?"

"No, I originally planned to join the company and find a cushy job to coast." Song Shimu scratched his nose.

"..."

Gu Wenrui was about to say more when Song Shimu covered his mouth, "Alright, Mom, he's seeing things through a biased lens. Let's not listen to him. Let's go eat."

"Tsk, cut the crap. There's so much you never told us." Tan Manjin lightly slapped Song Shimu's hand covering Gu Wenrui's mouth.

Song Shimu said helplessly, "I'm doing fine now. Compared to the past, I just want to live well in the present."

"That makes sense, but we're your family. It's not like we lack the capability. The Qin family has such deep pockets—isn't it enough to have your back? Shimu, I hope you can see the Qin family as your support." Tan Manjin looked deeply at Song Shimu.

Song Shimu nodded, "Actually, I do see you as my support."

"But all those grievances you suffered in the past, all those bad experiences—you never told us?"

Song Shimu looked at Tan Manjin's worried expression and felt a twinge of guilt. Before, he didn't see himself as the original person, so he kept his distance from those who were good to the original owner and never thought of relying on them.

But now, the thoughts he had for the original owner had turned into sharp knives stabbing his parents in the heart. After a moment's thought, Song Shimu said, "I told Qin Xu."

"How could you have told Qin Xu?" Gu Wenrui's voice rose in disbelief.

Song Shimu said calmly, "Because he's my brother."

"Click—"

The room door opened from inside. Qin Xu stepped out, wearing a light gray knit sweater and matching washed jeans, his long legs striding forward.

His fluffy hair was casually tousled, partially hiding his sharp features.

Lifting his eyes, Qin Xu's deep eyes registered surprise, "Are you holding a meeting here?"

Song Shimu immediately felt uneasy—how did he come out right after he just lied?

Tan Manjin waved Qin Xu over, "Come here, I want to ask you something."

Qin Xu stepped forward, and Song Shimu quickly shot him a warning look.

"Did you know about Shimu's past?" Tan Manjin asked Qin Xu.

"His past?" Qin Xu glanced at Song Shimu, who was frantically blinking at him.

"Everything before he came home."

Qin Xu shook his head, "No, I didn't."

Tan Manjin immediately turned to look at Song Shimu.

"You didn't know?" Song Shimu clenched his jaw, walked over to Qin Xu under everyone's gaze, and, from an angle Tan Manjin couldn't see, slid his hand under Qin Xu's sweater, along the waistband of his jeans, his fingertips slowly trailing along the waistline.

Qin Xu emitted a nearly inaudible "tsk" and said, "Over 20 years—even he couldn't tell you every detail himself."

"Then did you know about him being bullied at school?" Tan Manjin pushed further.

The fingers pressed more insistently. Qin Xu nodded, "Yes, I knew."

"What about his company?"

"I knew about that too."

The tension eased from Tan Manjin's expression.

Gu Wenrui asked, his face darkening, "Did Shimu tell you all of this himself?"

Qin Xu said coolly, "How else?"