Chapter 23

Chapter 23

When Song Nian opened his eyes, an hour had already passed.

Huh, when did I fall asleep?

He rubbed his drowsy eyes and sat up with a yawn.

The blanket that had been snugly covering him slipped off as he sat up, and Song Nian blinked slowly, looking a bit dazed.

Hadn’t he just closed his eyes and fallen asleep immediately?

How did he remember just closing his eyes and passing out?

But if he hadn’t, how did the blanket end up on him?

Puzzled and unable to make sense of it, he finally gave up and decided that he must have grabbed it and covered himself while half-asleep.

He wondered if Li Yanchuan was up yet.

With that thought, Song Nian stretched, jumped off the sofa, and headed to the first floor.

Unexpectedly, the moment he got off the elevator, he ran right into Li Yanchuan.

"You're awake? Did you sleep well last night, waking up so late?"

He grinned and joked, flitting over to him like a butterfly.

"Looks like you slept well too."

Hearing this, Li Yanchuan raised an eyebrow, his words carrying a double meaning.

Song Nian was about to ask how he knew, but noticing the man's gaze lingering on his face, he instinctively touched the corner of his mouth and cheek.

Then he got his answer.

—There was a trace of drool at the corner of his mouth, and on his face, dried tear stains and red crease marks from lying on something.

It was obvious he had just woken up.

Being caught in such a state, he felt pretty embarrassing.

His face flushed, he awkwardly wiped his cheek with his sleeve and pretended nothing had happened.

Though he looked calm on the surface, inside he was frantically thinking about how to respond if asked about it.

After all, crying over a movie was way too embarrassing for a grown man.

"Go wash your face."

To his surprise, Li Yanchuan didn't seem inclined to press at all. He simply averted his gaze, his voice flat as he suggested.

As if he hadn't noticed or had already known.

"Oh, okay."

Song Nian let out a sigh of relief and hurried off to the bathroom.

————

After handing the USB drive to Li Wenguang, Song Nian stopped paying attention to what happened next.

It wasn't until one day Li Wenguang started bombarding him with messages, full of accusations between the lines, that he realized Li Yanchuan's plan had succeeded.

It turned out that after getting the USB drive, Li Wenguang thought he had the upper hand and confidently prepared to launch his grand scheme, vainly hoping to pull Li Yanchuan down from his position in Li Group.

But lost in his fantasy, he was completely unaware that the most critical piece of data in the document was fake.

This caused him to fall flat on his face.

His supposedly perfect plan ended up backfiring badly—not only did he fail, but he also stirred up major trouble, forcing him to sell off shares to patch a gap in his cash flow.

Only then did Li Wenguang realize something was wrong with the data, and he urgently asked Song Nian.

Unfortunately, Song Nian ignored all his messages.

He assumed it was all due to Li Yanchuan's interference and never suspected Song Nian at all.

Little did he know that Song Nian, whom he had been so sure would side with him, was no longer the fish he had once manipulated in that pond.

And the trap he had stepped into was actually one jointly set by Li Yanchuan and Song Nian.

Later, seeing that Li Wenguang's messages were piling up—so many that even after muting him, it was still annoying—Song Nian simply deleted him.

Of course, before deleting him, he checked with Li Yanchuan if it was okay, just in case they might need the guy later.

Once Li Yanchuan nodded, he blocked him on all platforms at once.

Over there, Li Wenguang saw the exclamation mark in the chat box, still in the dark, thinking his older brother was pulling all the strings again.

Out of sight, out of mind. Finally cutting ties with the most annoying person felt so good that Song Nian flopped back onto the sofa with a thud.

Just as he was spacing out, his phone suddenly dinged.

Who sent that?

Curious, he checked the name, and after a moment of confusion, finally remembered who it was.

"Lin Yunzhou: I'm back in the country. Do you have time lately? If it's convenient, want to meet up?"

—Lin Yunzhou used to be the original Song Nian's friend.

The reason it's "used to" is because they had a big fight over arranged marriage, and then drifted apart.

The two had always seen things differently. Lin Yunzhou thought that since things were already settled, Song Nian might as well take the opportunity to cut ties with Li Wenguang, since he wasn't a good guy anyway.

Although Li Yanchuan had a bad temper, he was still better than Li Wenguang.

But the original Song Nian didn't see it that way. He was noncommittal about his friend's suggestion, leaning toward Li Wenguang in his heart but unwilling to rebel against the arranged marriage.

Lin Yunzhou was disappointed, especially when he found out that the original Song Nian was helping Li Wenguang with shady stuff after marriage. He was even more angry that he wouldn't stand up for himself, and after a big argument, they gradually lost contact, effectively ending their friendship without saying it aloud.

Seen in this light, Lin Yunzhou had been a good friend who genuinely wanted the original Song Nian to leave Li Wenguang.

It was just a pity the original Song Nian didn't appreciate it and gave up their friendship for someone like Li Wenguang.

Thinking about it, Song Nian felt a pang of regret and also wondered, why not use this chance to mend the friendship?

After all, having more friends is never a bad thing.

So he replied to the message, indicating he was free, and the other person quickly sent the meeting spot.

"Lin Yunzhou: Okay, see you at ten tomorrow morning."

The next morning, Song Nian finished getting ready and left on time.

"Where are you going?"

Seeing that he was dressed up for going out, Li Yanchuan frowned.

"I'm going out to see a friend. He just got back from overseas."

Song Nian chuckled, but also thought it was a bit weird.

How come Li Yanchuan seemed to be on the first floor a lot more often lately?

Was he imagining things? Before, he always liked to stay alone on the second floor.

"We're meeting at a café. I'll be back shortly."

Hearing this, the irritation on Li Yanchuan's face softened a bit.

"Oh, by the way, honey, look at this outfit I'm wearing. Isn't it nice? You bought it for me."

Just as he was about to leave, Song Nian turned back, hopping like a bunny, taking two steps at once to stand in front of him, and spun around three hundred and sixty degrees, excitedly showing off.

A shadow suddenly loomed over him; Li Yanchuan looked up to see Song Nian standing there.

His big, liquid eyes looked up expectantly, and his naturally downturned eyes made him look like he was always squinting in a smile.

His eyes sparkled like bright stars, reflecting Li Yanchuan's clear image.

"Come on, say something. Does it look good?"

Caught in those sparkling eyes, he felt like a planet captured by a black hole—he could barely look away, sinking deeper and deeper.

Only when a hand waved in front of him and urged him softly did Li Yanchuan snap out of it.

"Doesn't it look good?"

After not getting an answer for a while, the droopy-eyed man's eyes showed disappointment, and he pouted his lips in a wounded way.

"It looks good."

Suddenly, Li Yanchuan felt his throat dry, his heart stirred, and a strange emotion welled up inside him.

Finally, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he gave a rare compliment in a hoarse voice.

It had to be said, this outfit looked great on Song Nian.

The off-white flared trousers, tied at the waist with a ribbon, outlined his perfect waistline, looking like it could be encircled with one hand.

The brown coat was rolled up to the elbows, revealing a pale, slender forearm.

Paired with his signature smile, the whole person exuded a sunny vibe, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he looked like a vibrant college student.

Even though it wasn't his usual style, he still pulled it off perfectly.

"Right? I really like this set too. You have great taste."

Hearing the compliment, Song Nian's smile grew even wider, and he smugly spun around in a big circle in front of him.

If he was going out wearing the clothes he had given him, then it was okay after all.

Hearing this, the displeasure on Li Yanchuan's face completely vanished, replaced by tenderness.

Initially, when he heard that Song Nian was going out to meet someone else and was dressed so finely, he instinctively felt annoyed, because he didn't know who he was meeting or what they would talk about.

This feeling of not being in control made him anxious.

But Song Nian always miraculously eased all his paranoid agitation, volunteering information without being pressed.

It was like just as harsh winter was about to set in, a spring breeze came instead, gently caressing the earth and dispelling all doubt.

——

When Song Nian arrived at the café, Lin Yunzhou was already there waiting.

Seeing him enter, he waved his hand to indicate his location.

After Song Nian greeted him politely and sat down, Lin Yunzhou looked surprised and looked him up and down, as if a bit incredulous.

"What's wrong?"

The gaze made Song Nian embarrassed, wondering if he had made a fool of himself.

"No, no, it's just that..."

Lin Yunzhou hesitated for a moment and gave a tactful hint.

"I feel like you've changed compared to the past."

The old Song Nian only liked to wear plain-colored clothes, always looking gloomy and dejected, with a perpetual frown of sorrow between his brows—a typical pessimist.

Like the misty rain of Jiangnan shrouded in fog, hazy and melancholic, cold and gray, without a hint of bright color.

But the Song Nian now before him had a completely different vibe.

Not only had his dressing style changed, but he smiled much more often.

Bright, radiant, emitting warmth, like the morning light leaping over the horizon at sunrise, piercing the enveloping mist, making the whole world suddenly bright and coloring it with brilliant, bold colors.

"Really?"

Hearing this, Song Nian's smile deepened, a faint smile rippling at the corners of his mouth.

"Yeah, I think your outfit today looks really nice."

Lin Yunzhou didn't continue this topic and a twinkle of a smile appeared in his eyes.

"I think so too. Li Yanchuan bought it for me."

He has good taste, Song Nian lifted his head, looking quite smug.

"Li Yanchuan... when you had your wedding, I was abroad and couldn't make it back."

Lin Yunzhou bit his lower lip, hesitated, then finally asked.

"Is he good to you?" "He's pretty good."

Seeing the concern on the other's face, Song Nian couldn't help but his eyes crinkled in a smile, feeling warmth in his heart.

He knew that Lin Yunzhou was worried about him.

So even though this topic was one neither was willing to bring up, he had to get it off his chest, or he wouldn't be able to rest easy.

But his former self had not understood this concern from a friend and instead pushed him away.

"Although Li Yanchuan looks cold and difficult to approach, after getting closer, I found that he is also to be pitied, not as the rumors portray him."

"Much better than Li Wenguang."

As soon as these words were spoken, Lin Yunzhou's eyes suddenly lit up, and after reading the subtext, he was even more incredulous, staring in disbelief.

And Song Nian, his eyes crinkling, nodded slightly.

Without a word, they understood each other.

Lin Yunzhou knew that his good friend had made a choice.

And this choice was directed at him, turning his back on the villain.

A cool breeze swept through the street, carrying away the withered yellow leaves from the branches and carrying them toward the distant horizon.

And in the original spot, a tiny green sprout emerged, ushering in new vitality.

It was wonderful.

The two smiled at each other.

————

This time when Lin Yunzhou returned home, the first thing he did after landing was to contact Song Nian to meet.

He knew about his friend's ambiguous relationship with Li Wenguang, and also knew that Li Wenguang was not a good person.

He had advised Song Nian countless times to try not to have any more dealings with Li Wenguang, or else he'd only end up getting hurt.

Unfortunately, the original owner ignored this advice, turning a deaf ear.

Over time, disappointment gradually grew in Lin Yunzhou's heart.

Especially when he saw that the person still refused to change his mind about the marriage alliance with Li Yanchuan, he was extremely disappointed.

Therefore, during his time abroad, they contacted each other much less often.

His failure to attend the wedding was partly due to scheduling conflicts and partly because he chose not to go.

Because in his view, although Li Yanchuan was dark and ruthless, he at least would not harm innocent people, and was much better than a villain like Li Wenguang who was full of malicious schemes.

If the marriage alliance could not be avoided, even if he didn't choose Li Yanchuan, taking this opportunity to find safety and break ties with Li Wenguang would be a good choice.

As the saying goes, a lean camel is still bigger than a horse.

Unfortunately, the old him didn't take any of this to heart.

After a period of lost contact, Lin Yunzhou was still worried about his friend and decided to return home.

Originally, he had no expectations for this meeting; he just wanted to do his duty as a friend and warn him one final time, while also seeing how his friend was doing.

But he didn't expect the person to have changed so much.

And he appeared to be living quite happily.

This put him at great ease.

"By the way, have you been... still in contact with Li Wenguang recently?"

After carefully choosing his words, Lin Yunzhou asked cautiously.

If he had changed his mind about the guy and also cut off contact, it would mean he had really cut ties.

Upon hearing that name, his face instantly twisted in disgust.

He complained, "Let me tell you, the day before the wedding, he came to find me..."

Once he started gossiping about someone, Song Nian's urge to vent exploded, and he couldn't help but bring up all the despicable things Li Wenguang had done and tell them all.

Hearing what he said, Lin Yunzhou started off surprised, then nodded continuously, and finally sat up straight to join in.

"He's not a good person at all."

"Right, I've been saying that all along!"

"He's utterly selfish and not even smart."

"Exactly, he's both stupid and malicious!"

After a hearty round of complaints, the two quickly formed a united front.

They exchanged a glance, seeing agreement in each other's eyes.

—Bro, so you think the same!

—Buddy, you've finally come around!

"Sigh, back then I was completely taken in by him and was utterly fooled."

Song Nian sighed with feigned regret, and a trace of guilt appeared on his face as he looked at Lin Yunzhou.

"I'm sorry, before I didn't listen to you and went my own way; it must have upset you."

"Don't say that. We're best friends. Let's not talk about the past. As long as you're doing well, I'm relieved."

Suddenly being thanked so sincerely, Lin Yunzhou felt a bit embarrassed, and a slight blush crept onto his face.

"Then, can we still be good friends?"

As he said this, Song Nian blinked quickly and asked tentatively.

"Of course."

Lin Yunzhou's eyes crinkled slightly.

Hearing that, Song Nian's eyes suddenly lit up.

He couldn't help lunging forward and giving him a big hug.

————

"In a good mood?"

Seeing that Song Nian had been smiling nonstop since returning, even humming a little tune under his breath, Li Yanchuan raised an eyebrow.

Spotting that he had been seen, Song Nian gave a shy smile, padding over to him like a little puppy with pattering steps, wagging its tail.

"Honey, I made up with a friend."

Even though it was a small thing, for some reason, he really wanted to share it with Li Yanchuan.

Because this was the first friend he had made in this world, aside from Li Yanchuan himself.

And it also meant that the original plot could be changed—if he worked hard, he might be able to turn his miserable fate around.

How could that not make him happy?

He rattled off everything in a torrent of words, and only then realized he might have been too excited.

Would this trivial rambling seem childish to him?

He secretly glanced up to see his reaction.

Fortunately, Li Yanchuan didn't mock him. He simply gave a slight nod to show he was listening, and responded at the right moment:

"Is that so? Congratulations."

"Hehe, I'll go cook then—"

Watching him head into the kitchen, Li Yanchuan calmly withdrew his gaze and silently wheeled his chair to the balcony.

"Look into Song Nian's circle of friends. Send me the list and details."

"Yes."

The assistant on the other end of the line acknowledged.

Li Yanchuan knew that Song Nian was too naive when it came to friendships, often surrounded by ill-intentioned people.

Especially after marrying him, there might be even more schemers like Li Wenguang trying to exploit him.

This kind-hearted and naive guy might not even realize he was being used as a pawn.

So he had to get a head start on gathering information about these people.

And on another level, it also came from an unspoken desire for control deep within him.

The assistant was efficient and soon sent over the relevant personnel information.

Song Nian was no longer in contact with most of those people, but Lin Yunzhou's file caught Li Yanchuan's attention.

—The youngest son of the Lin family, who was currently starting his own business. He and Song Nian were childhood playmates, but they seemed to have had a falling out over something, and after he went abroad, their contact faded.

Based on various pieces of information, the friend Song Nian went to see today was probably him.

The Lin family, which nearly went bankrupt a decade ago and barely stayed afloat, was no match for the Li family.

And Lin Yunzhou, having known Song Nian since childhood, seemed harmless on the surface.

But it was too early to jump to conclusions. Li Yanchuan stayed on guard.

————

After reconciling, Song Nian and Lin Yunzhou chatted happily, agreeing to go shopping together the next day.

Before heading out, Song Nian wanted to inform Li Yanchuan, but when he reached the study, he heard a meeting in progress inside.

He quietly cracked the door open and saw that Li Yanchuan was sitting in front of his computer, probably on a video conference.

Better not disturb him, he thought. He tiptoed back and closed the door, planning to text him instead of going in.

Just as he pulled out his phone, Lin Yunzhou called.

The sudden ringing startled him. He quickly covered the phone with his hand to muffle the sound and rushed to the living room on the first floor, afraid of disturbing the man working.

"Hello? Song Nian, are you on your way?"

As soon as the call connected, Lin Yunzhou's voice mixed with background noise came through, sounding like he was on the street.

"I was just about to leave."

"Well, you see, I'm already here."

"Ah? Sorry, I'll be right there!"

Startled, Song Nian thought he was late. He grabbed his bag and rushed out the door.

"No, no, you're not late. I just happened to arrive early. I was wondering where you were—definitely not rushing you!"

Lin Yunzhou cleared his throat, sounding flustered, and quickly explained.

He was too embarrassed to admit that he was too excited about their reconciliation to fall asleep, so he'd gotten up early and arrived at the meeting spot nearly an hour early.

Reminded, Song Nian stopped and checked the time. It was still early for their agreed time.

But since he was already out, and the other person was already there, he headed straight there.

In his rush, he forgot to tell Li Yanchuan that he was going out.

————

"I'm here!"

Song Nian got out of the car, spotted Lin Yunzhou at the mall entrance, and waved while calling out.

"Sorry for keeping you waiting."

"No worries, I was just early."

Lin Yunzhou scratched his cheek with a finger, pretending to be casual.

The shopping trip was mainly for Lin Yunzhou to buy clothes. Since the weather was about to get cold, they had agreed to buy some seasonal clothes together.

And to patch up their friendship along the way.

Speaking of which, does this count as having a gay bestie?

Amused by his own idea, Song Nian couldn't help covering his mouth and letting out a quiet chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

Lin Yunzhou, who was picking out clothes, asked curiously.

Song Nian quickly waved his hand, saying it was nothing, and changed the subject:

"I think that outfit in your hand really suits you."

"I think so too."

Just as Lin Yunzhou was holding the clothes up to the mirror to check himself, a sales assistant came over to attend to them.

"Sir, would you like to try it on? You have great taste—this is a new arrival in our store."

The assistant enthusiastically introduced.

"Sure—"

As Lin Yunzhou nodded and was about to head to the fitting room, his peripheral vision caught the price tag hanging from the hem, and he stopped mid-sentence.

He sharply inhaled, his footsteps freezing mid-step.

Where the price was listed, there were so many zeros crammed together that it looked like the printer had gone haywire.

Buying it was out of the question, but he couldn't just say it was too expensive and turn it down right there. Lin Yunzhou shot a desperate look at Song Nian.

Song Nian, who was about to urge him to go try on the clothes, suddenly caught his friend's SOS.

Following Lin Yunzhou's pointed gaze, he too saw the endless row of zeros on the price tag.

With a decimal point at the end, no less.

He also gasped.

The two stared at each other, both reading the *save me* in each other's eyes.

"Uh, I just remembered—don't you already have a similar piece of clothing?"

Song Nian *tactfully* suggested.

"Now that you mention it, I think I do."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yunzhou *regretfully* put the new item back.

"Let's look at the others."

They pretended to browse calmly, shaking their heads and casually but conspicuously repeating that they "couldn't find anything they liked."

Then, under the smiling gaze of the sales assistant, they walked out stiffly, arms and legs moving in awkward unison.

Once they were about ten meters away, they shared a silent glance before bursting into laughter, doubled over, barely able to stand.

"What are you laughing at?"

Lin Yunzhou asked between laughs, pretending not to know.

"I'm laughing at how in sync we are—our wallets made it out alive."

Song Nian laughed too, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

Since Lin Yunzhou had gone through a family decline, unlike some rich kids who threw money around, he wouldn't even consider such poor value for money. Song Nian, especially, would never even look at such overpriced brands.

"Come on, let's hit up some stores for regular people."

With that, Song Nian grinned with a little "hehe" laugh, slung his arm over Lin Yunzhou's shoulder, and headed cheerfully toward another floor of the mall.

But as they joked and goofed off, they were completely unaware that a camera behind them had snapped their picture.

A flash went off, capturing a photo of their close moment with their arms around each other's shoulders.

Then it was sent to some email address.