Chapter 56: What Do You See in Him? (Bonus)

Chapter 56: What Do You See in Him? (Extra Chapter)

"Song Yinmu—everyone says he’s your brother," Chen Mingsheng remarked.

"Only a half-brother, same father. After their divorce, I stayed with my mother. Our household register used to be just two pages; now that I’m part of the Qin family, it’s four. But Song Yinmu’s name was never on it," Song Shimu explained. After a brief pause, he added, "Of course, if someone insists on pushing a narrative, I can’t exactly silence everyone."

Both were astute men. Chen Mingsheng grasped the implication behind Song Shimu’s words, offering a faint smile as he rephrased, "Then, Mr. Song, what are your thoughts on the collaboration between Songxin and Qianyue?"

"No thoughts," Song Shimu replied.

Chen Mingsheng’s smile faltered for a moment before he playfully remarked, "Mr. Song, you certainly have a way with words."

"Just stating facts."

"Mr. Song, you are aware of the Songxin and Qianyue collaboration, aren’t you?" Chen Mingsheng pressed.

Song Shimu nodded, his expression unperturbed. "Yes, I am."

"And you must also know which projects they’ve secured?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Don’t you find it strange, Mr. Song?" Chen Mingsheng’s tone was slow, his gaze sharp and scrutinizing behind the cold gleam of his glasses.

Song Shimu picked up on his words, "Strange that such small companies could land such major projects?"

"Mr. Song, you know I was also vying for those two projects." The corners of Chen Mingsheng’s mouth still held a smile, but it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

Song Shimu raised an eyebrow. "To be honest, I’ve been busy recently assisting my brother with corporate restructuring, handling all sorts of tasks. I only catch up on which executives are collaborating with whom or which company secured which project when I glance at the news in the morning. I truly haven’t paid attention to those we didn’t manage to secure."

A vein throbbed at Chen Mingsheng’s temple, though the smile on his face remained fixed. "Let me be direct, Mr. Song. Are you certain you didn’t play a part in helping them secure those collaborations?"

Song Shimu remained composed. "Without evidence, Mr. Chen, you can’t just make wild accusations. Both of them took every opportunity to kick us when we were down before my company collapsed. Why would I have any reason to help them?"

Chen Mingsheng didn’t believe Song Shimu’s explanation and stated bluntly, "Isn’t the reason right in front of you?"

"What reason?" Song Shimu countered.

In the original story, Shenjing would feign ignorance after suppressing Shike, always adept at finding scapegoats and manipulating public opinion.

And in the original story, he could only ever retaliate against the fall guys, always powerless against Shenjing, never finding a breakthrough.

Now, Song Shimu was turning their own tactics against them.

Chen Mingsheng could no longer maintain his smile and said heavily, "You mean to say you don’t know?"

Song Shimu echoed a line Chen Mingsheng had once used in the original story, throwing it back at him: "You and I are merely competing companies—no collaboration, no contact, not even a formal meeting. How could you possibly be the reason I’d help those who framed me and caused my company’s downfall?"

Chen Mingsheng took a deep breath and forced another smile. "In that case, I suspect the key to their securing those projects was leveraging your status as the Qin family’s young master. Everyone knows now that you, Song Shimu, are Song Yinmu’s brother."

Song Shimu smiled faintly, pursing his lips slightly, and didn’t respond immediately.

Seeing his silence, Chen Mingsheng added, "Is Mr. Song so generous as to allow his enemies to exploit his connections?"

Song Shimu smiled and shook his head. "Not that generous."

"Then how does Mr. Song plan to deal with them?" Chen Mingsheng asked.

"Although these two companies aren’t large, dealing with them will still take some time…" Song Shimu lowered his gaze in thought.

"If Mr. Song doesn’t mind, we could collaborate," Chen Mingsheng suggested.

Song Shimu looked up, his eyes shifting subtly, a mocking smile playing on his lips. "What would be the point of you and me collaborating?"

Chen Mingsheng took a slow sip of tea. "They used your background to steal the projects I wanted. The enemy of my enemy is my friend. After we deal with them, you can come after me any way you want—I’ll accept it all. In the end, victory or defeat will depend entirely on our abilities."

Hearing this, Song Shimu picked up his teacup and took his time sipping, remaining silent for a long time.

It wasn’t until the waiter brought the food that Song Shimu picked up his chopsticks and began eating leisurely. Then he said, "Can’t Shenjing handle these two small companies by itself?"

Chen Mingsheng paused, caught off guard, and said objectively, "Given their current rate of growth, I can’t crush them in a short time. The longer it drags on, the more uncertainties arise. That’s why I hope our two companies can collaborate."

After tasting all the dishes and finding them delicious, Song Shimu changed his initial decision to refuse outright and strung him along: "But I’m just a secretary. Perhaps you could help me seize some power first?"

Anger flashed in Chen Mingsheng’s eyes but vanished almost instantly. "You are, after all, a rightful heir of the Qin family. If you make even a slight effort, the older shareholders will definitely support you."

Song Shimu feigned helplessness. "I’d like to try, but my brother has me tightly controlled. There’s no room to even attempt it."

Chen Mingsheng pondered for a moment. "This isn’t the you I know, Mr. Song. The you I remember would go to great lengths to fight for yourself. Right now, you seem to lack any drive."

Song Shimu smiled. "Mr. Chen, you’ve also changed from before. You used to act without hesitation against any company you perceived as a threat—swift and without hesitation. Why seek an ally this time?"

...

The elegantly appointed private dining room fell into silence. Chen Mingsheng’s gaze behind his glasses turned sharp, his slightly drooping eyelids filled with irritation.

Across from him, Song Shimu remained calm and relaxed, clearly enjoying the dishes on the table.

After a long moment, Chen Mingsheng said, "Mr. Song’s meaning is that you won’t collaborate."

His tone was certain. Song Shimu swallowed a bite of food and stated his true, calculated reason: "There are big and small enemies. Those I’m confident I can eliminate, I can allow to live a little longer. But those I’m not sure about—I naturally can’t let them linger. As you just said, the longer the battle drags on, the more uncertainties arise."

"Moreover, the more rivals the other side has, the greater my chances of victory."

"..." Chen Mingsheng fell silent.

After a long pause, Chen Mingsheng stood up, looking down at Song Shimu. "In that case, I’ll be going. There are still a few more dishes coming. If Mr. Song is interested, feel free to enjoy them slowly."

With that, he pushed the door open and left.

Song Shimu glanced at the hardly touched dishes on the table, then bent down and finished all the best parts. He called the waiter and had all the remaining dishes packed to go.

Carrying the packed Japanese food back to the apartment, he pushed the door open and immediately spotted Qin Xu sitting on the sofa reviewing documents.

Qin Xu turned at the sound, glanced over, then turned back.

Unbothered by Qin Xu’s cold attitude, Song Shimu changed his shoes and asked, "Have you eaten yet?"

Qin Xu replied, "Yes."

"What time did you eat? Are you hungry now?" Song Shimu walked over and sat down beside Qin Xu, casually placing the takeout boxes on the table.

Qin Xu glanced at the restaurant name on the containers, picked up his phone, and typed while saying, "Just finished."

Song Shimu sighed with regret. "Looks like I’ll have to enjoy this delicious food all by myself then."

"Hmm." Qin Xu remained indifferent. After sending the edited message, he continued reviewing the file.

As his gaze shifted, he caught sight of Song Shimu taking out two identical takeout boxes. Looking more closely, there were indeed two, and everything inside was exactly the same.

A wave of warmth spread through Qin Xu. He hadn’t expected Song Shimu to think of him while dining out...

After a moment’s thought, Qin Xu cleared his throat and asked, "Why did you pack two portions?"

Thinking Qin Xu might want to eat, Song Shimu pushed one of the boxes toward him. "Want some? Here you go."

Qin Xu looked at Song Shimu with a barely noticeable tenderness in his eyes but said with restraint, "I’m not hungry right now."

"Then have it when you’re hungry." With that, Song Shimu focused on his meal.

Qin Xu opened his mouth as if to say something more to Song Shimu, but seeing how engrossed he was in eating, he ultimately stayed silent.

Meanwhile, Song Shimu was pleasantly surprised with each bite—every dish he had packed was delicious, with no disappointments.

Gradually, it occurred to him that whenever he dined out with others, he never had a bad meal; every restaurant was excellent.

In contrast, the places he picked himself were mostly mediocre, and some were even downright unpalatable.

Pondering this, Song Shimu turned to Qin Xu and said, "Let’s go out to eat together next time."

Qin Xu was taken aback, his heart skipping a beat. Recovering, he flipped a page of the file as a diversion and asked, "Why the sudden invitation to dine together?"

"Because you grew up here—you must know which restaurants are good and which aren’t. Following your lead is a sure bet."

"......"

Qin Xu gazed into Song Shimu’s eyes, clear and devoid of any ulterior motives, filled only with a longing for good food. His racing heart seemed to hit pause, growing colder the longer he looked.

"......Oh," Qin Xu replied.

Song Shimu sensed something off in Qin Xu’s tone but didn’t point it out, simply burying himself in his meal again.

Some time later, Song Shimu finished one portion, his stomach slightly bulging. Satisfied, he half-closed his eyes and sprawled on the sofa, waiting for his food to settle.

Beside him, Qin Xu’s phone lit up on the table. He picked it up and began reading.

A moment later, Qin Xu suddenly spoke, "Why are you so hung up on a middle-aged man?"

"?"

It took Song Shimu’s brain three seconds to process. He opened his eyes and saw Qin Xu’s phone screen displaying a photo of him dining with Chen Mingsheng.

The camera seemed to be positioned behind Chen Mingsheng, capturing him from the back so his face wasn’t visible, though the silver hair at his temples hinted at his age.

Song Shimu shifted his gaze to Qin Xu’s face and found his face darkened, his eyes icy as they bore into him.

Song Shimu retorted, "Where did you get this?"

"That restaurant is mine."

Song Shimu raised an eyebrow in surprise and smiled. "I’m not wrong, though. I’ve had my eye on him for a while."

Qin Xu frowned in confusion. "You like an older man?"

Song Shimu looked at Qin Xu and nodded. "Yes."

According to Tan Manjin, Qin Xu was born five minutes earlier than him. Though the gap was small, it wasn’t nonexistent... Calling him an older man wasn’t too far off, right?

Qin Xu’s jaw tightened. "What do you see in him?"

"He’s rich, handsome, has a great figure, and a good personality," Song Shimu said.

Qin Xu scrutinized the man in the photo—his clothes were stiff and uninspired, worth no more than a few thousand; his hair looked dry, and even without seeing his face, he gave off a strong elderly vibe; his frame was as thin as a bamboo pole; and as for his personality... it was hard to tell.

Qin Xu frowned and questioned, "Does he have more money than me? Is he more handsome than me? Does he have a better figure? As for personality... even if you like mature types, you shouldn’t go for someone who gives off such an old vibe, right?"