Chapter 63: How to Explain This!

Chapter 63 How to Explain This!

"That's how it is. Some of these systems are sharp as a tack, while others are so dumb it makes you wonder if the quality inspector fell asleep," Song Shimu openly griped.

Though 073 wasn't particularly sharp, it understood Song Shimu was talking about it and reminded him, "Hey, I'm still here."

Song Shimu kindly retorted, "It's nighttime now. What do two red-blooded adult men do after finishing their discussion? Think about it, 073."

"…" 073 silently opened its 'black room.' Before entering, it couldn't help but ask, "When did you two get together? How did it progress so quickly?"

"Today."

"! Your relationship moved at rocket speed!" 073 exclaimed in shock.

"So hurry up and go in. Don’t disturb our private time."

073 slipped inside, thought for a moment, then popped back out and said, "Although it’s not exactly thrilling to be sent back to the black room right after getting out, you did let me win without lifting a finger, so I still have to thank you. Of course, I don’t have anything to repay you with, so I can only wish you a thoroughly enjoyable, exciting, and amazing time."

"……………"

Song Shimu didn’t reply, not knowing how to respond. He simply pretended not to hear and quietly waited for Qin Xu to process the information.

"Was that entire memory fake?" Qin Xu asked.

Song Shimu pondered for a moment and said, "I suspect only the parts involving the two of us were fake. Altering memories consumes a lot of energy. 011 wanted Gu Wenrui to take over your position. Why did it only plant misleading memories in your mind instead of directly implanting the idea that Gu Wenrui was my boyfriend? I think it just didn’t have enough energy left."

"Then if those were fake, what was our original fate?"

Song Shimu observed his expression, confirming that Qin Xu was merely curious and had accepted the fabricated memories, then said, "Probably even more dramatic than now—like the boyfriend your son brings home turns out to be his own biological son."

"…" Qin Xu fell silent.

Song Shimu added optimistically, "Now it’s a bit better—two sons ending up together."

Qin Xu pursed his lips, leaned over, and kissed Song Shimu, as if to tell him to stop talking.

Song Shimu smiled, reached out to wrap his arms around Qin Xu’s neck, and kissed him back.

This kiss wasn’t as intense as before; it was gentle and comfortable, carrying a sense of relief now that major events had settled.

Using the kiss to sense emotions made Song Shimu feel particularly happy.

After what felt like ages, the two separated, both breathing raggedly, their lips red and slightly swollen, glistening faintly as if inviting another taste.

Song Shimu stared into Qin Xu’s eyes, then shook off the mischievous thoughts in his head and asked, "In the memory 011 gave you, when you kidnapped me and got into that car accident, why did you turn the wheel? If you hadn’t, I would’ve been the one hit, and you definitely wouldn’t have died."

Qin Xu paused for a couple of seconds and said, "This seems to be the second time you’ve asked."

Song Shimu nodded, speculating, "In that memory, you couldn’t have liked me. Did you suddenly remember what happened in college at the last moment?"

Qin Xu shook his head. "No. At that time, I only had one thought: the Qin family had collapsed, and I was no longer useful, but your career was at its peak and shouldn’t end like that."

Song Shimu raised an eyebrow. "You tied me up—wasn’t it to kill me?"

"I wanted to when I went, but when it came to life and death, it seemed like everything else was forgotten. In the memory, right before I lost consciousness, one thought crossed my mind: I hoped you would go easy on my parents because I saved you."

Song Shimu nodded understandingly, lowered his head in thought for a moment, then suddenly reached out and hugged Qin Xu, burying his face in his shoulder and mumbling, "You’re still too soft-hearted."

Qin Xu reached over to turn off the light, then returned the embrace and said relaxedly, "Only you think I’m soft-hearted."

"You are."

"Mmm... let’s sleep. It’s late."

"Goodnight, then."

"Goodnight."

The next day, Song Shimu received a call from the police early in the morning, informing him that the driver had been found, but no evidence of hiring a hitman was uncovered.

Song Shimu knew Chen Mingsheng covered his tracks well, but he hadn’t expected the driver to have a backup plan—the brake pads had failed, and he had already reported it to the traffic police for help, so hitting them was an unavoidable accident.

Since they only suffered minor injuries, Song Shimu only received compensation and an apology.

In the car, Song Shimu held the compensation money and pulled out the contact information for major media outlets he had previously obtained from PR. "Since he’s so careful, I’ll just make up some rumors."

Qin Xu, in the driver’s seat, raised an eyebrow. "Not going to report it with evidence?"

"I didn’t collect any," Song Shimu shrugged, smiling. "What I’m exposing is Shenjing leaking information to other countries. Whether there’s evidence or not, as long as I buy enough articles and stir up enough public opinion to attract netizens’ attention, the authorities will have to take it seriously."

Qin Xu clicked his tongue, impressed by Song Shimu’s creative thinking.

Over the next few days, major news and video platforms were covered with stories about Shenjing, and the news about the information leak gained widespread immediate attention from netizens.

"Low-key domestically, but splurging a hundred million overseas to buy an entire office building in a prime location—funded by user information?"

"Shenjing leaks user information abroad, spends over a hundred million to buy an entire office building"

"[Netizens nationwide "lift" Shenjing to massive spending spree]"

…

Shenjing started decades ago by selling gaming consoles. As the internet developed, it moved into game development. After years of experience, it finally released an extremely popular game ten years ago. To this day, its user base has surpassed a hundred million, with daily active users consistently topping the charts.

With such a large user base, the attention it received was enormous. The news didn’t need boosting—players commented, reposted, and flocked to official channels on their own to demand answers.

However, after several days, there was no response.

This silence was taken as an admission. Numerous users began filing complaints, demanding their money back and compensation, then uninstalling the game.

Among the many news stories about the information leak, one about Shenjing quietly climbed to the top of the hot search list within two days.

"Shenjing colludes with Songxin to steal Shike’s commercial secrets, driving Shike to bankruptcy"

The turning point wasn’t because of Songxin, but because of Shike’s founder. Netizens discovered that Shike's founder was that young master who was seen crying in the driver's arms on the street after the car accident a few days prior.

Soon, under the netizens’ intense curiosity, the identities of both the driver and the passenger were uncovered: Qinfeng's CEO and his secretary, the Qin family’s adopted son and biological son.

The complete mismatch between their identities and reality angered netizens while also drawing them into the drama. Whenever they grew tired of criticizing Shenjing, they would take a bite of this new tea, and the more they dug, the more addicted they became.

The news kept getting hotter.

Song Shimu found out about this because of Song Yinmu, who called him furiously—

"Song Shimu! Did you buy that news? Was your purpose in making me compete for that project to raise me up high just so I’d fall harder?"

Song Yinmu yelled through the phone.

Song Shimu was completely confused. "What news? What are you talking about?"

"Quit playing dumb! You knew all along that I stole your documents, so what’s with the act? Now, all the previous collaborations are going to be canceled. Are you happy?!"

"..." Song Shimu frowned, searched for Song Yinmu online, and the first thing that popped up was the news about Shenjing and Songxin collaborating to steal trade secrets. Song Shimu understood—it seemed Tan Manjin and Qin Song had made their move.

Seeing this, Song Shimu dropped the act and laid his cards on the table. "Hurting people never ends well. Just look at your father. Now, there's only one path left for you."

"What?"

"A one-way ticket to a dead end."

With that, Song Shimu hung up and blocked Song Yinmu.

Just after blocking, a call from Tan Manjin popped up at the top of his screen. Song Shimu answered and said with a smile, "Hey, Mom?"

"Shi Mu, were you behind the recent news about Shenjing?" Tan Manjin asked.

As she spoke, the background noise included the sound of an elevator arriving, followed by the click of high heels on the floor. Without overthinking it, Song Shimu admitted, "Yes. The approach was a bit rough, but it's enough to ruin Shenjing."

"Why go after him so suddenly? I thought you weren’t planning to target him before."

As her words faded, the sound of high heels also stopped.

Song Shimu explained, "Because I saw him during Song Hongkai’s sentencing a few days ago. I had a feeling he was up to something, so I decided to strike first."

"You thought he was up to something?"

The sound of a password being entered came through the phone, sounding familiar to Song Shimu. Before he could process it, the apartment door opened.

Song Shimu turned to see Tan Manjin and Qin Song standing outside looking grim.

Startled—whether from guilt or their grim faces—Song Shimu shot up from the couch, avoiding their eyes as he stammered, "Mom... Dad..."

Tan Manjin’s face was stern as she walked step by step to the sofa, gracefully smoothing her skirt before sitting down.

Qin Song stood behind her, equally grim.

Song Shimu’s mind raced, trying to figure out where he’d slipped up. He quickly put away his work laptop and then went to the cabinet for chrysanthemum tea to help Tan Manjin and Qin Song cool off. "Wh-What brings you guys here?"

"Where’s Qin Xu?" Qin Song asked sternly.

"He’s out," Song Shimu gave a vague answer, unsure if they knew Qin Xu hadn’t left, so he opted for a safe reply.

But his twenty years were no match for their fifty. Tan Manjin looked up and fixed her gaze on Song Shimu. "Out where?"

"..." Under her deceptively light stare, Song Shimu felt completely seen through. After a moment of hesitation, he gave up struggling. "At the supermarket downstairs shopping."

Tan Manjin took a deep breath and demanded, "You two have been here all this time, never actually away on business, right?"

Song Shimu rubbed his nose, unable to hide his guilt. "Actually... we did go on one."

"When? From what date to what date?" Qin Song asked.

"...From the day before yesterday until yesterday. Mom, Dad, we’re sorry we hid it from you." Seeing no way out, Song Shimu lowered his head and apologized.

Tan Manjin looked at him with a hurt expression. "Are we outsiders?"

Song Shimu shook his head repeatedly. "No."

"Then why hide it from us? Shi Mu, after all this time, do you still not see us as family?"

"No! It’s just that..." Before Song Shimu could finish, the doorbell suddenly rang.

Tan Manjin and Qin Song both turned their heads. "Who’s here?"

"I’ll check."

Song Shimu was also puzzled—he hadn’t ordered any takeout.

The door clicked open—

Song Shimu opened the door and saw a bouquet of bright red roses.

He looked up to see Qin Xu looking at him tenderly.

If this had been a few days ago, Song Shimu would’ve kissed him silly. But now... Song Shimu’s brain went into overdrive.

How was he going to explain this?!

"Thought I’d never bought you flowers before, so I went and got some. Do you like them?" Qin Xu asked softly, then leaned in and gave Song Shimu’s lips a quick kiss.

………………

Song Shimu froze.

After a long silence without a response, Qin Xu asked, puzzled, "What is it?"

Soon, he got his answer.

From the living room, Qin Song’s voice boomed, "Qin Xu! You! What do you think you’re doing?!"