Chapter 48: Don’t Mess with Me

Chapter 48: Don't Come Bothering Me

After strolling outside for half an hour, Gu Wenrui bid farewell to Tan Manjin and Qin Song. As a friend, it was only natural for Song Shimu to see Gu Wenrui off.

However, the moment Song Shimu returned home after accompanying Gu Wenrui, he was met with Qin Xu’s dark, brooding gaze.

“So you didn’t leave together,” Qin Xu’s voice was chilling.

Song Shimu smiled faintly, pursing his lips, then walked over and sat beside Qin Xu. Glancing around, he asked, “Where are Mom and Dad?”

“What? Back to coordinate our stories so you can spend the night at someone else’s place?”

“Why would I stay at someone else’s house when I have my own?” Song Shimu couldn’t help but chuckle.

Qin Xu’s dark eyes fixed coldly on Song Shimu, his jawline subtly tightening. “Stop playing dumb. How far have things progressed between you and Gu Wenrui?”

Song Shimu spread his hands. “I’ve been right under your nose this whole time. How could anything have developed?”

“Being under my watch doesn’t mean nothing could develop. I can’t control who you contact.”

“Then do you want to look at my phone?” As he spoke, Song Shimu offered his phone to Qin Xu.

“...”

Qin Xu hadn’t expected Song Shimu to be so transparent. He hesitated for a long moment but didn’t take the phone, his chest full of vexation transforming into sharp, barbed words. “Two grown men hugging and embracing in the garden—what kind of behavior is that?”

Song Shimu leaned closer, his naturally alluring peach-blossom eyes curving slightly upward. “Then what about you pinning me to the bed in the middle of the afternoon?”

[Affection Level: 75]

Qin Xu leaned back, explaining, “That was self-preservation. Besides, didn’t you say I dragged you onto the bed? So I let you experience what it’s like to drag me onto the bed.”

Song Shimu tilted his head slightly. “But you were the one who pushed me onto it. You didn’t let me pull you.”

“The key point is self-preservation.” Qin Xu’s Adam’s apple bobbed, a flicker of unease crossing his face.

“Then I’m at a real disadvantage. I kindly tried to wake you up, but you dragged me onto the bed and I lost my first bed-pinning experience,” Song Shimu said with a laugh.

“How did that harm you?” Qin Xu asked, his face expressionless.

“It did! You touched my waist, my back, and even tried to force a kiss on me. If you hadn’t been electrocuted, I probably would’ve been completely devoured by you today.” Song Shimu exaggerated without a care for Qin Xu’s reaction.

Qin Xu’s brows furrowed deeply, his eyes flashing with disbelief. “Can you ever be serious with that mouth?”

Song Shimu retorted, “If your words are so proper, why are your actions so contradictory?”

“...”

“I wasn’t in my right mind at the time,” Qin Xu said, his voice low, long eyelashes veiling the confusion in his eyes.

“You should take responsibility for your actions,” Song Shimu stated.

Qin Xu looked up at Song Shimu. “So what do you want?”

A smile played on Song Shimu’s lips as he stood up and positioned himself in front of Qin Xu. He braced one hand on the back of the sofa behind Qin Xu, bending slightly at the waist, one leg sliding between Qin Xu’s.

The scent of ambergris grew clearer in the air. Song Shimu stopped just fifteen centimeters away from Qin Xu, his slightly upturned peach-blossom eyes seemingly capable of ensnaring souls. “Of course, I’m returning the favor.”

[Affection Level: 78]

“...Sofa-pinning?” Qin Xu tilted his head back slightly. “Your way of retaliating is a bit too...”

Before Qin Xu could finish, the exquisite face in front of him suddenly moved closer, rosy lips heading straight for his own.

Qin Xu’s pupils contracted, and he immediately raised a hand to push Song Shimu away.

But before his hand could make contact, the other’s lips were already at his, stopping almost exactly two centimeters short as Song Shimu’s face tilted slightly to the side.

...

Warm breath brushed against his neck, making the skin there slightly damp. Qin Xu’s hand touched Song Shimu’s firm, lean abdomen, and the force he had been about to exert seemed to hit a pause button.

The scent of orchid wrapped around Qin Xu’s heart like a red string. The constricted feeling seemed to come both from his airways and his entangled heart. He felt as though something in his chest was about to leap out, pounding faster and more fiercely...

[Affection Level: 83]

“Gu Wenrui and I will never be together. Don’t worry,” Song Shimu’s voice was slightly lowered, the tail end of his words lingering, enough to make one’s ears burn.

[84]

[85]

[86]

...

[Affection Level: 90]

“Whoa! Shimu, where did you learn such smooth moves? That was intense, ahhhhh!!” 073 shrieked in his mind.

Compared to 073’s teasing, Song Shimu was more interested in admiring the unusual expressions on Qin Xu’s usually icy demeanor.

Qin Xu’s ears uncontrollably flushed a faint red, the color spreading from the lobes to his entire ear. Even his breathing hitched for half a beat, his slightly hoarse voice carrying a barely noticeable stumble: “You... you’re crazy, aren’t you?”

Song Shimu purposely twisted his words. “So not being with Gu Wenrui means I’m crazy? Are you saying you want me to be with him?”

Qin Xu’s gaze froze. Once he processed the words, his expression instantly turned cold, and he pushed Song Shimu away. “Then go be with Gu Wenrui. Don’t come bothering me.”

“That won’t do. I’ll only bother you,” Song Shimu said bluntly, falling back onto the sofa.

“...” Qin Xu pressed his lips together tightly. After a long pause, his thin lips parted slightly, but he seemed to hold back his words. He stood up abruptly and headed upstairs.

Seeing this, Song Shimu went after him and pressed, “What did you want to ask?”

“...”

“Who taught you... what you just did?” Qin Xu’s tone was very light, as if coated in a thin layer of ice.

“This, well,” Song Shimu smiled faintly, looking at Qin Xu with a knowing gaze.

“You’d better not tell me Gu Wenrui taught you.”

“I read it in a book,” Song Shimu said with a cunning smile, his curved eyes and bright lips making him look like a fox who had just succeeded in his scheme.

“...”

Qin Xu quickened his pace, leaving Song Shimu with a resolute view of his retreating back.

Song Shimu smirked and returned to his room.

“If you go into Qin Xu’s room right now and pin him to the bed, will the affection level hit a hundred?!” 073 exclaimed excitedly.

“Too much of a good thing. Going over now would be harassment.” Song Shimu opened his wardrobe, taking out sets of clothes one by one to hold them against himself.

“Yeah, you’re right,” 073 calmed down, but still couldn’t contain his excitement thinking about Song Shimu flirting with Qin Xu. “Which book did you learn those flirting techniques from? I’ll find you more, so we can hit 100% affection soon!”

“Uh,” Song Shimu paused while holding a piece of clothing and chuckled, “That was actually just me improvising.”

“What! That’s so bold! You’ve been secretly unlocking skills without me!” 073 exclaimed in shock.

“Is that what it is? I just wanted to tease him a bit.” Song Shimu held up another outfit, wasn't satisfied with it, so he switched to another set.

“You call that teasing? Who teases someone by aiming for their mouth?”

“I do.” Song Shimu smirked, pulling out another set to try on. “Hey, help me pick out what to wear tomorrow when I go see my mom.”

073 paused for a moment, then quickly realized this mother referred to Yue Lan, Song Shimu’s adoptive mother. Though it hadn’t been long since his last visit, confirming his true identity made it worth seeing her again.

073 recalled the outfits Song Shimu had tried and said, “Actually, the first one you tried looked pretty good.”

“But I think it’s too plain.”

“The third set was nice too.”

“Feels a bit too flashy...”

“This one works as well.”

“The collar doesn’t feel right.”

“...?”

“Maybe just take them all and give your mom a ‘Dazzling Shimu’ fashion show.” 073 was a bit annoyed by Song Shimu’s indecisiveness.

“Ugh, forget it, I won’t put you through that... Actually, I think the first one is the most suitable. It is a bit plain, but I’ll add some accessories later.”

“…………”

The next day, Song Shimu was woken up by Qin Xu for morning exercise.

As usual, during the morning run, Qin Xu would always urge him on beside Song Shimu, but today Qin Xu stayed silent, only speeding up relentlessly.

Song Shimu had expected Qin Xu to retreat and had already devised a strategy: play it cool and see who cracks first.

So Song Shimu didn’t follow, just completed his own usual workout, then went back to wash up and make breakfast.

Halfway through, Song Shimu clearly felt an intense stare from behind. Turning his head, he saw Qin Xu leaning against the kitchen doorframe, his expression colder than usual, silent, staring straight at Song Shimu like a ghost.

Song Shimu glanced at him, then turned back, even more unmovable than Qin Xu.

Soon, Song Shimu felt the gaze behind him grow even more intense, as if trying to burn holes through him.

This stare persisted until breakfast was ready and served, when Tan Manjin and Qin Song came down to eat. The breakfast atmosphere was quite cheerful, except for Qin Xu, who ate in silence and gave perfunctory responses.

Tan Manjin and Qin Song could tell their eldest son had something on his mind, but they assumed it was work-related and tacitly didn't mention it.

After breakfast, Tan Manjin and Qin Song left for work. Song Shimu watched some TV, then picked up his car keys and headed out.

While changing shoes at the entrance, Song Shimu caught Qin Xu’s hesitant, wanting-to-say-something look out of the corner of his eye and smirked.

As before, Song Shimu went to the flower shop first to buy flowers, then to the cemetery. Unlike last time, he bought one bouquet instead of two.

“Mom, the last two times I visited, I hadn’t figured out my identity. It wasn’t that I intentionally didn’t acknowledge you.”

Song Shimu gazed at the photo on the tombstone. The woman in it was bright and radiant, her lips curved in a smile, revealing pearly white teeth, giving off a sunny and vibrant feeling at first glance.

This wasn’t Song Shimu’s first time seeing this photo, but with changes in time and identity, his state of mind was different.

In the past, Song Shimu’s mindset when coming here was apologetic for occupying someone else’s body, coupled with the responsibility to take good care of his responsibilities during that period. Now, knowing it was himself all along, he felt much more at ease, yet couldn’t help but feel sad. He never truly experienced what it was like to interact with Yue Lan, not even... any memories.

“I don’t have memories of you now, but from reading the book, I roughly know about our lives.”

“...Speaking of which, you might wonder why I said ‘from the book.’ Because in the world I grew up in, this world was just a story in a book.”

“But the longer I stay here, the more I realize it’s no different from a normal world. Everyone has their own life, their own path. So when I suspected whether I was ‘Song Shimu,’ I felt no resistance at all.”

“Even before that, I wondered if the world I grew up in might also be a novel in another world...”

“Whoosh—”

The wind blew through the dense branches, making faint sounds. A few petals fell from the bouquet in front of the tombstone, one white petal landing at Song Shimu’s feet.

Song Shimu glanced at it, continuing to voice his random thoughts.

Suddenly, a white butterfly flew over and landed on that petal. Song Shimu’s attention was briefly captured, but he soon refocused.

However, after perching on the petal for a moment, the butterfly fluttered its snow-white wings and slowly flew upward.

Past his knees, thighs, abdomen, shoulders, until it reached right at Song Shimu’s eye level.

The words about to be spoken froze. Song Shimu watched as the butterfly hovered in front of him for a moment.

Then, a strong gust of wind blew, and the butterfly seemed unable to withstand it, slamming into Song Shimu’s forehead.

Its size was too small; the impact on his forehead was practically nothing, like a moth to a flame.

Song Shimu felt a faint impulse. He turned his head, wanting to see where the butterfly had gone, but found it had already flown far away.

Song Shimu watched the butterfly with hope, his hands at his sides clenched tightly. Warmth spread through his chest like sunlight, and when he spoke, his voice was already a bit husky,

“Was that you responding to me?”