Chapter 51: You Know

Chapter 51 You Know What I Mean

With Tan Manjin and Qin Song there, the dinner atmosphere wasn't entirely awkward. Everyone wore smiles, though whether they were strained, forced, or insincere was anyone's guess.

“Clack—”

“Napkin, I…” Seeing Song Shimu put down his chopsticks, Qin Xu grabbed a napkin, intending to wipe Song Shimu’s mouth, but Song Shimu swiftly snatched it away.

“I’ll do it myself, thanks.”

Qin Xu had been acting so strangely throughout dinner that Song Shimu couldn’t help but wonder if his bed possessed some madness-inducing magic. Just hours ago, this man had insisted he was straight, yet now he was so attentive it was as if he’d been possessed.

His gaze swept over Tan Manjin and Qin Song, and Song Shimu sensed they were equally unnerved by Qin Xu’s behavior.

“Let’s go out and talk.” Song Shimu patted Qin Xu.

“I’m coming too.” Gu Wenrui stood up.

Song Shimu hesitated for a moment. Before he could decide, Qin Xu stood up and urged them, “Let’s go.”

Song Shimu looked at Qin Xu with a peculiar expression.

Qin Xu remained composed. “You don’t want to go? Then it’ll just be him and me.”

“…Let’s go.” Song Shimu pulled both of them along.

Tan Manjin and Qin Song watched them leave, then huddled together to discuss. “Those two kids aren’t going to argue over Xiao Gu, are they?”

“It’s possible.” Qin Song nodded doubtfully.

“With Shimu’s personality, how bad would the argument have to get before he steps in?”

“Probably… a huge blowout, with really harsh words.” Qin Song analyzed reasonably.

Tan Manjin narrowed her eyes slightly. “A huge argument over Xiao Gu and Qin Xu… Could it be because of today’s news? You found out it was Xiao Gu who did it, and Qin Xu must know too.”

Qin Song immediately caught on, nodding. “Very likely. Xiao Gu and Shimu have been close friends for years. If Qin Xu suddenly said your friend was harming us, it would indeed be hard to accept.”

Tan Manjin sighed. “Let’s wait and see. Maybe he feels we’re being biased and wants to stand up for Shimu.”

“Mhm, speaking of which, in three months…”

The evenings had grown quite chilly. Before heading out, Song Shimu and Qin Xu went back to their rooms to grab jackets.

Though the villa was spacious and even had a greenhouse, making it unnecessary to go outside, all three were unconsciously reminded of yesterday’s events and walked into the garden, each lost in their own thoughts.

“President Qin certainly cares about his brother. Though it seems President Qin lacks consideration before showing concern.” The moment they stepped out, Gu Wenrui dropped the act, addressing him distantly as “President Qin” and challenging him regardless of whose territory they were on.

“How do you think I should show concern?” Qin Xu retorted.

“By respecting Shimu’s wishes, of course.” Gu Wenrui said.

“Do you think you know Shimu well?” Qin Xu reached out with a possessive gesture, hooking his arm around Song Shimu’s shoulders and pulling him away from Gu Wenrui.

Gu Wenrui discontentedly grabbed Song Shimu’s hand, tugging him back half a step. “You’ve only known him for a few months, and you’re talking to me about understanding?”

“People can transform in a short time. You, who ran off abroad for seven years, talking to me about understanding is utterly ridiculous.” Qin Xu’s eyes flashed with unmistakable hostility.

Song Shimu’s gaze shifted between the two, and whether intentionally or not, he shook off the hand holding his.

Qin Xu saw it, swiftly knocked it away, and sneered, “You’re a grown man. Don’t act like a baby needing someone to hold your hand.”

Gu Wenrui clutched his stinging hand and tried to knock Qin Xu’s arm away too, but Qin Xu dodged. Gnashing his teeth, Gu Wenrui said, “Why can’t I touch him? What right do you have to interfere with his social interactions?”

“Normal socializing is fine, but with you, no.” Qin Xu spoke slowly, each word carrying an undeniable sense of pressure.

“You’re just his stepbrother! Meddling in his social life is really overstepping!” Gu Wenrui’s voice was low, his eyes brimming with fury.

“I have more than just that identity.” Qin Xu said meaningfully.

Gu Wenrui’s face stiffened, his anger instantly turning to panic. “What other identity do you have?!”

Qin Xu smirked, glancing down at Song Shimu’s expression, only to see him holding a piece of paper—no one knew when he’d picked it up.

Then that hand lifted—

Through the napkin, Qin Xu felt his chin being gripped. The faint scent of orchid wafted over, and a warm breath brushed against his face.

Just a finger’s width away, Song Shimu’s lips paused right there.

Qin Xu froze, his eyes widening slightly as he stared at Song Shimu.

After dinner, the sky was completely dark. Normally, it should’ve been hard to see anyone’s face clearly.

But at this moment, Qin Xu felt those amber eyes were exceptionally bright, filled with a laughter that seemed to shimmer like starlight, more beautiful than the auroras he’d seen across countless mountains and rivers.

Qin Xu gazed into those stunning eyes, his breath already unsteady. Something in his heart felt like it was about to burst forth.

Their noses almost touched, their breaths mingling with an indescribable tension, mixed with the scents of ambergris and orchid, swirling in the air.

[Favorability 95]

“What are you doing?!”

Gu Wenrui could hardly believe his eyes. Just yesterday, Song Shimu had been on his side, but today he was actively leaning in to kiss Qin Xu!

But that wasn’t what truly alarmed him. What really shook him was Song Shimu’s feelings. When had the two of them gotten together?!

They shouldn’t be together at this point! Why was it different?!

Gu Wenrui grabbed Song Shimu’s arm, yanking him out of Qin Xu’s embrace.

His grip was like a vise, firmly restraining Song Shimu. Gu Wenrui’s eyes were like those of a wolf starved for half a month—disbelieving and frantic as he demanded, “Shimu, he forced you, didn’t he?!”

“Didn’t he?!”

Song Shimu was shaken too hard to even cry out in pain. Luckily, Qin Xu freed him and spoke on his behalf, “We’re already together. Give up.”

“Impossible!” Gu Wenrui’s voice suddenly rose sharply, but when he turned to speak to Song Shimu, his tone unconsciously softened. “Shimu, I’ll only believe you. Tell me, were you forced?”

Song Shimu said apologetically, “I’m sorry for lying to you before. Qin Xu and I have actually been together for a while.”

“………Impossible… I don’t believe it. How could this be?!” Gu Wenrui’s face was full of disbelief. He stubbornly searched for evidence that they were lying and asked, “Say it together! When did you get together?!”

“During the business trip to Nanbin City.”

“During the business trip to Nanbin City.”

Their perfectly synchronized answers stabbed deep into Gu Wenrui’s heart. He clenched his fists and pressed, “What will your parents do about this?!”

Qin Xu replied calmly, "That’s none of your concern."

"This is incest, don't you know that?!" Gu Wenrui's hands trembled with anger, his heart even more panicked. All he wanted now was to get Song Shimu back, but Song Shimu had already run off with him!

To reclaim Song Shimu, he would have to wait for them to break up.

But what if they never broke up and instead grew even closer…

He couldn’t let that happen!

A ruthless glint flashed in Gu Wenrui’s eyes—his plan to eliminate Qin Xu had to be accelerated! Before Song Shimu fell too deep, he had to get rid of Qin Xu!

"There’s no blood relation. Although we’re on the same household register, if needed later, I can always move my registration out," Qin Xu observed Gu Wenrui’s expression and replied calmly.

Song Shimu was also watching, debating whether to deliver a decisive blow.

His waist was held by a warm hand. Song Shimu turned to look at Qin Xu, who said, "I suppose you want to ask who liked whom first, who confessed first, and… how far we’ve gone."

As soon as Song Shimu heard this, he knew Qin Xu was about to lay it on thick, truly unafraid of provoking a strong reaction from the other party.

Gu Wenrui’s face turned pale. He wanted to cover his ears and not listen, but the words reached him before he could.

"Shimu liked me first, and he was the one who confessed. As for how far we’ve gone… we’ve slept in the same bed. You get the picture," Qin Xu turned Song Shimu’s body, making him lean back slightly.

"Impossible! You’re not sincere at all!" After addressing Qin Xu, Gu Wenrui turned to Song Shimu pleadingly and said, "Shimu, believe me, he can’t be serious about you. He’s only with you to secure his standing! He can’t be genuine—don’t be fooled by him!"

Song Shimu calmly removed Gu Wenrui’s hand from his arm and said, "Whatever the outcome, it’s my choice, and I’ll live with it. But asking me to give up? That’s impossible."

Gu Wenrui gritted his teeth, took two steps back, and stared fiercely at the two before him, his gaze felt like a physical weight.

"I refuse to accept this! I liked you first! How could he have swooped in first?!" Gu Wenrui’s narrow, fox-like eyes were bloodshot with intense emotion.

Qin Xu looked at him, wondering if he had pushed him too far—how could he say something so unrealistic?

But on the surface, he still sneered, "Just because you liked him first means he’s yours? Then I’ve liked money since I was born—how come all the money in the world isn’t mine?"

Hearing this, Gu Wenrui’s gaze instantly locked onto Qin Xu. He rushed up to Qin Xu, raising his hand to grab his collar, but Qin Xu firmly caught his wrist instead.

"Can’t argue so you throw punches?—no wonder Shimu doesn’t fancy you," Qin Xu coldly mocked.

Enraged, Gu Wenrui threw a punch at Qin Xu’s face, but it was caught again. He then tried to kick, but Qin Xu anticipated it, blocked the kick, and countered with one of his own.

That kick was powerful, sending a sharp pain through Gu Wenrui’s thigh. Even standing normally now, he could still feel an aching pain.

If not for gritting his teeth and forcing himself to stand, Gu Wenrui could hardly imagine what kind of humiliating state he might have displayed in front of Qin Xu.

"Let go of me! If you have any guts, let’s compete fairly!" Gu Wenrui snarled.

Qin Xu didn’t release his grip and said gravely, "I’m already with Shimu. Competing with you now would be unfair to me."

"But you seduced him while I was away!"

Qin Xu chuckled lightly, "I see you’ve been trying to seduce him every day without success."

"…Let me go!" Gu Wenrui shouted, completely breaking down.

Qin Xu felt his ears go deaf for a moment. He released Gu Wenrui and returned to Song Shimu’s side. "Good thing you didn’t fancy him—all talk and no action. No telling what drama he’d start if you were together."

Gu Wenrui gritted his teeth, a fierce glare in his eyes. "You got the guts to fight me one-on-one!"

Qin Xu remained silent, as if considering it.

Song Shimu egged him on, "Go ahead, I’ll see who wins."

Hearing this, Qin Xu stepped forward and emphasized, "I don’t know if you’ll think this way, but I must make it clear: this one-on-one only represents the outcome between the two of us. It has nothing to do with who ‘ends up with’ Shimu."

Gu Wenrui, red-eyed, provoked him, "I think you’re just scared! Just trying to lock this down in advance!"

Qin Xu looked at him coldly, "Shimu isn’t an object, not some prize to be won in a competition. If you insist on thinking that way, then I won’t accept the challenge."

Gu Wenrui argued, "That’s not what I meant! You can’t back out once you’ve accepted a challenge!"

Qin Xu said steadily, "As long as you accept that the outcome has nothing to do with who ends up with Shimu, then I’ll agree."

"Fine, I understand!" Gu Wenrui said impatiently, though his eyes were full of calculation.

Qin Xu nodded, as if genuinely discussing what to compete in. "You’re not exactly built, but you’ve got quite the temper. To avoid you saying I bullied you, you decide what we’ll compete in."

Gu Wenrui clenched his fists at his sides, took several deep breaths, and said, "No need! I’m not in good condition right now, so let’s discuss it later. We can set a place in a few days."

"Alright," Qin Xu said.

"Then it’s settled. I’ll provide you with the challenge format and location in the next few days. You can also suggest yours, and we’ll work it out together," Gu Wenrui squeezed out the last few words through gritted teeth.

Qin Xu agreed without changing his expression, "I’m ready anytime."

With the challenge settled, Gu Wenrui turned and left without a backward glance, not even saying goodbye.

Song Shimu watched him leave before patting Qin Xu and saying, "What were you thinking all afternoon? What kind of realization made you, a straight guy, act gay?"

Qin Xu pursed his lips and looked at Song Shimu with some complexity. "The one really pretending here isn’t me. I originally wanted to take it slow, but my intuition tells me that whatever you’re hiding from me is probably important to me. Since you won’t tell me, I’ll ask Gu Wenrui."

"Aren’t you afraid something might go wrong?" Song Shimu frowned. Qin Xu’s approach was too extreme. Although he had egged him on, fundamentally, it wasn’t a good method.

Riling him up like that would greatly increase the unpredictability of the plan, and it would be hard to guarantee their own safety.

Qin Xu joked, "Shouldn’t you be happy? Without me, you’d be the Qin family’s sole heir."

Song Shimu glanced at him. "I’m not as materialistic as you. I just need enough money to support my slacker life."

Qin Xu gave him a look and said as he walked back, "Then that wish of yours might not come true."

Song Shimu caught up and asked, puzzled, "What do you mean?"

"It means you’re going back to work. Your vacation has one last day—cherish it."

"How can a mouth at body temperature say something so ice-cold!" Song Shimu said through gritted teeth.

Qin Xu said nonchalantly, "Probably because I’m an overbearing CEO. In novels, someone like me can make the temperature drop with just a glance."

"Then in summer, a lot of people must love crowding around you."

Qin Xu shook his head. "Not really. They’re sweating year-round."

"Cold sweat?" Song Shimu asked.

"Bingo, but no trophy."

"………"

In the days leading up to the duel, Gu Wenrui still hadn't given up on smearing Qinfeng's reputation, but whether out of laziness or impatience, the news he leaked was just recycled from previous exposes—issues Qin Xu had already addressed and rectified.

Netizens were initially outraged, but as clarifications kept coming and users verified through their own tests, they realized Qinfeng was actually a truly conscientious company.

Their products blew past market standards on various metrics, and the prices were highly affordable.

However, some netizens tested previously purchased products from Qinfeng and found they only met minimum market standards, not the high benchmarks mentioned online.

In response, Qinfeng issued a statement explaining that before the overhaul, the company had strictly followed market standards, but after restructuring, their standards were raised above the norm. They also listed product serial numbers, indicating that items with certain prefix codes were post-overhaul products and future products would adhere to these new standards. They welcomed public supervision.

Netizens began defending Qinfeng, saying it wasn’t fair to dismiss past 60-point efforts just because they now score 100. The company’s self-driven improvements demonstrated the decision-makers’ commitment.

Besides, many big-name brands had been exposed for quality issues despite their reputation.

Higher visibility brought more scrutiny, and soon, problems with those acquisition companies were also exposed.

Qinfeng was prepared and quickly announced a trade-in offer, providing replacements for old products.

Throughout the incident, Qin Xu and Song Shimu used the attention Gu Wenrui had bought to sound a triumphant note for Qinfeng, elevating the low-profile old brand’s national recognition and reputation significantly.

When the weekend arrived, Qin Xu headed to a boxing gym—the agreed venue for their ring fight challenge.

Gu Wenrui had refused to let Song Shimu spectate, citing excessive violence, and though Song Shimu agreed on the surface, he secretly made his way to the gym anyway.

On the way, Song Shimu received a call from Song Yinmu, who happily reported that the second project in their plan had been secured successfully, and Shenjing was so angry they were ready to pull out.

Song Shimu offered absent-minded encouragement before hanging up.

Right after, a loan repayment notification popped up on his phone—the amount was 300,000 yuan more than last time.

Song Shimu guessed the first collaboration must have gone quite well; otherwise, they wouldn’t suddenly wire so much money before the project even launched.

The boxing gym was located by the seaside, far from the city center, on a bumpy, poorly-maintained road.

When he arrived, Song Shimu immediately noticed the faded lighted signs at the entrance. Three character components had fallen off the "xx Boxing Gym" sign above the door, leaving only a metal frame swaying in the wind.

The walls were peeling and discolored, with moss growing in some corners—clearly, the place had been abandoned. Recalling the narrow, single-lane road he’d taken to get there, Song Shimu thought to himself: choosing such a remote spot by the sea—were they planning to kill and dump a body?

He parked at a corner, using the surrounding vegetation to hide the car.

Then he got out and approached the gym. Instead of going straight in, he circled the area first. Based on the footprints and occasional dark brown, oxidized blood stains, it seemed like a popular spot for fights.

The windows were broken and drafty, likely smashed by rocks or other objects. Peering inside through a window, he could still make out bloodstains on the walls.

Song Shimu looked up at the sky—thankfully, they’d scheduled for daytime. At night, this place would be no different from a haunted house.

After confirming his route, he went to a warehouse window he’d spotted earlier, leveraged himself up, and climbed inside.

The warehouse was full of gear lockers, providing plenty of cover for him to sneak through.

"Young master, we’ve tied him up. Should we wake him now?"

Before even seeing anyone, Song Shimu heard a gruff voice ask.

"Beat him up first," Gu Wenrui’s voice replied, clearly filled with personal resentment.

"Okay."

"Wait—"

"What is it, young master?"

"I’ll do it myself."