This page looks best with JavaScript enabled
Chapter 148 One Hundred Forty Eight Big Brothers
translator: xiin
Because he’d only hurt his legs, Xiao Baicong’s operation ended very quickly. It took less than two hours, and during this period, the doctor came out to ask Madame Xiao’s opinion on whether or not Xiao Baicong should have an amputated. However, she didn’t get any answer––because her mouth fell open, and she fainted.
Song Xuanhe and Xiao Yuanmu stayed in the hospital ward until Yang Jie told them that Xiao Baicong’s operation was over. At that time, Madame Xiao had also woken up.
She was in a stunned daze as she sat in a chair in the ward, with her housekeeper keeping guard quietly by her side. The atmosphere around them was very solemn.
“Madame.”
Seeing that Song Xuanhe and Xiao Yuanmu were heading over, the housekeeper called out gently, reminding the stunned Madame Xiao to raise her head.
When she saw Xiao Yuanmu, who was standing nearby with Song Xuanhe, Madame Xiao suddenly covered her mouth, got up, and walked over to them quickly. She hugged Xiao Yuanmu and wept bitterly.
After crying for a long time, she finally managed to choke out, “Your little brother… what will he do?”
“He’s still so young, he’s only reached adulthood and it’s the best time for him to move around. He’s lost his legs just like this, what can he do?” Madame Xiao held tightly to Xiao Yuanmu’s arms, her eyes red. She no longer had her usual elegance and indifference, and she showed a mother’s vulnerability without any concealment, “Congcong is still so young, why were the kidnappers so cruel?”
Xiao Yuanmu looked down at this woman whose make-up was still exquisite, but who no longer had any composure. His eyes were calm and indifferent, showing no ripples.
“Why aren’t you sad?” Madame Xiao shook her head, then frowned at Xiao Yuanmu and asked, “Your younger brother has become like this? Why aren’t you sad?”
Song Xuanhe frowned and raised his hand to move Madame Xiao away, but while she looked thin and weak, in fact, she was able to hold onto Xiao Yuanmu’s hand with great strength. She held onto him tightly as she questioned him again.
“Why aren’t you sad?”
Xiao Yuanmu didn’t seem to feel the pain from her hold. His tone was very light, “Keeping him alive was already a very difficult task.”
“Are you hoping that your brother won’t even be able to stay alive?” Madame Xiao’s eyes grew wide as she asked, “That way, the Xiao Family will be yours completely. Is that what you’re thinking in your heart?”
“Zjvjwf!”
Ktf tberfxffqfg tjv jigfjvs lcafggeqafv tfg yfobgf Vbcu Wejctf mbeiv rqfjx.
“P jqbibulhf obg atf wjvjwf, sbecu wjrafg.” Ktf tberfxffqfg ybkfv, “Ktf ilaaif sbecu wjrafg lr cbk lc yjv mbcvlalbc, jcv atf wjvjwf’r wbbv lrc’a nfgs rajyif. Ktf wlrafg vbfrc’a xcbk jybea atf rlaejalbc tfgf obg atf alwf yflcu, rb atf wjvjwf lr ecvfg fnfc wbgf qgfrregf. P tbqf sbe mjc ecvfgrajcv.”
Xiao Yuanmu’s expression remained unchanged. He nodded indifferently and said, “Take care of the madame.”
The housekeeper nodded respectfully, his face devoid of emotion as he helped Madame Xiao retreat a step.
Madame Xiao also came back to her senses when she heard the housekeeper’s clear but cold words. She looked up at Xiao Yuanmu anxiously, opening her mouth and wanting to explain, but she didn’t know where to start. After starting and stopping a few times, her shoulders collapsed heavily, and her voice sounded like she was holding back tears, “Yuanmu, please forgive mom, your mom… is just feeling too sad.”
Song Xuanhe pulled Xiao Yuanmu behind him. He smiled superficially and said, “Madame Xiao, I’m sorry that your younger son has encountered such misfortune, but what you said to my lover makes me very unhappy. I can understand that you’re too agitated, but I can’t understand you questioning your eldest son because your younger son was injured. You even said such chilling words.”
“I…” Madame Xiao’s mouth moved. She looked at Xiao Yuanmu with eyes that held guilt and pleading, “Yuanmu…”
“Madame Xiao.” Song Xuanhe interrupted her again, “I know that doing this is very impolite to you, but I don’t want you to continue talking to Xiao Yuanmu anymore. Regardless of whether you mind or not, I’m going to take him to the ward now because his leg has just been stitched up, and he needs to recover. Of course, if you still remember about this matter, then I’m sure you wouldn’t mind.”
Song Xuanhe held Xiao Yuanmu’s arm and turned to leave. He’d only taken two steps when he paused, turned his head back, and said, “Do you still remember what I said to you before?”
Madame Xiao was staring at Xiao Yuanmu’s back in a daze. At this time, her attention was pulled back by Song Xuanhe’s voice. She blinked, her expression in a trance.
Song Xuanhe’s eyes were cold. He no longer looked at Madame Xiao and supported Xiao Yuanmu to leave.
When they returned to their ward, Xiao Yuanmu reached out to hold Song Xuanhe’s hand.
“I don’t want to live in the hospital. Can’t I go back and recover?”
“No.” Song Xuanhe pulled his hand away and said, “It’s already very late now. We’ll go back tomorrow morning and sleep here for today first.”
“I don’t like hospitals.” Xiao Yuanmu looked at the bed he was sitting on, his voice clear, “And this bed is too small.”
Song Xuanhe sat down on another bed. He’d already changed his clothes and lay down,”You just have to fit in it for one night. We can go back tomorrow.”
Xiao Yuanmu stared closely at Song Xuanhe’s profile, then stated his request, “I want to sleep with you.”
“No way.” Song Xuanhe glanced at him and saw that his face was a little pale, and there was a trace of unhappiness in his dark eyes. His heart softened, and he frowned as he explained, “Your bed is too small. You’ll bump your wound if we sleep together.”
“Then, let’s go back and sleep.” Xiao Yuanmu said, “I don’t think it’s too troublesome.”
“No way.” Song Xuanhe frowned and refused him again.
Xiao Yuanmu clenched his mouth, his jaw tense. He was just about to speak again when someone knocked on their door.
Yang Jie’s voice sounded out, “Brother Xiao, Young Master Song, you may have to get up.”
Song Xuanhe moved the quilt aside, got up, and opened the door. he asked, “What’s the matter?”
“Xiao Baicong woke up.” Yang Jie’s expression was a bit complicated. He continued, “He learned that his legs had been amputated, and he can’t accept it. The doctor can’t even give him a tranquilizer, and also… he said that Brother Xiao was the one to crush his legs.”
Song Xuanhe’s eyebrows leapt up. Yang Jie continued, “Madame Xiao wants Brother Xiao to go over there.”
“You tell her,” Song Xuanhe’s expression was cold, “Xiao Yuanmu is injured and needs ot rest. If there’s anything to talk about, we can do it tomorrow.”
“I’m afraid that won’t work.” Yang Jie frowned, then whispered, “Madame Xiao isn’t in a much better state than Xiao Baicong right now, and if this matter really reaches Mr. Xiao’s ears, then things will be really bad for Brother Xiao. Right now…”
“Right now, Xiao Yuanmu needs to rest.” Song Xuanhe held the door. His expression was colder than the hospital lights, “Tell her directly that Xiao Yuanmu is asleep.”
“How could he have fallen asleep!”
Madame Xiao’s voice sounded out sharply from the other side of the corridor. Her high-heeled shoes rang out with her steps, the crisp sound growing louder as she neared. They also emphasized her haggard and angry appearance.
“Mister Song, I think that this is our own family business. As Xiao Yuanmu’s mother, I want to ask him a few things. I hope that you can step aside.”
This was the first time that Madame Xiao had shown a cold, almost oppressive expression towards outsiders. She’d lost the elegance and softness of a well-bred lady, and gained the courage of a mother.
It was just that this trace of courage seemed ridiculous to Song Xuanhe.
“Mother.”
Xiao Yuanmu had appeared behind Song Xuanhe at some unknown point in time. He pulled open the door that Song Xuanhe held with one hand, then put his other hand on Song Xuanhe’s arm. He spoke calmly, “You can come in. He can know anything there is to know about me and doesn’t need to leave.”
Madame Xiao looked at her eldest son, who obviously didn’t look to be in good condition, and the anger at the bottom of her eyes dispersed slightly. She nodded, then walked into the ward after Xiao Yuanmu stepped aside.
“Your younger brother said that you were the one who caused his injury.” Madame Xiao got straight to the pint, “I want to know if it’s true.”
Xiao Yuanmu dropped his gaze, his tone very calm, “What did he say?”
“He said that at the time, you two had already run outside, and there was no one following you. However, when it was time to get into the car, you suddenly pushed him out, causing his legs to be crushed by the motorcycle that suddenly rushed out from behind. Then, he had to latch on to the door and refuse to let go in order to not end up left behind.”
Xiao Yuanmu raised his gaze. His emotions couldn’t be read as he asked Madame Xiao very calmly, “Do you believe it?”
Madame Xiao was stunned for a moment. Back when her younger son wailed and told her what had happened, sobbing as he looked at his legs with beautiful, but empty eyes, she’d naturally believed what he’d said. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have gotten so angry that she ordered Yang Jie to call Xiao Yuanmu over immediately, nor would she have charged over without waiting for him to come.
But now, when she saw her older son’s expression, she wasn’t too sure.
Madame Xiao didn’t answer. Xiao Yuanmu’s expression didn’t change, and he remained calm, without showing even a trace of sadness over being questioned by his own mother.
“Then, what happened with Congcong’s legs?”translator: xiin
“Then, what happened with Congcong’s legs?”
Madame Xiao only opened her mouth to speak again about ten seconds later. She looked at Xiao Yuanmu’s calm expression and seemed to want to find an answer from his emotionless eyes.
Xiao Yuanmu’s gaze was heavy. He thought back to the scene from his previous life and said faintly, “When I arrived at the factory, the people who kidnapped Xiao Baicong weren’t the only ones there. There was another group of people. They started fighting, and Xiao Baicong was tied to one side, with very few people paying attention to him.”
”I snuck in to save Xiao Baicong, wanting to take him away, but was discovered on the way out. However, because there were two groups of people inside, the people who’d kidnapped him couldn’t spare anyone to chase us and we were able to run out.”
Xiao Baicong said that he knew of a path where it would be more difficult for the people chasing us to catch us, so I followed him. Unexpectedly, there was an ambush set up there, and that was when I was caught and my leg injured.”
Song Xuanhe raised his eyes to look at Xiao Yuanmu. For a moment, he couldn’t tell if what he was saying was true or false. Even so, there was an extremely uncomfortable emotion at the bottom of his heart, and this discomfort wasn’t for himself, but for Xiao Yuanmu, who was beside him. He couldn’t help but stretch out his hand to hold Xiao Yuanmu’s, twining their fingers together.
Xiao Yuanmu looked down at Song Xuanhe and their clasped hands. The shadows at the bottom of his eyes dispersed, showing a bit of warmth. It was just that when he lifted his eyes again, the warmth turned back into nothingness once more, leaving only a cold calm.
“Those people were Xiao Baicong’s people.” Xiao Yuanmu looked at Madame Xiao, his voice clear and carrying no trace of personal emotion, “The kidnapping had been planned out by Xiao Baicong himself.”
Madame Xiao was stunned for two seconds, and then she denied, “Impossible!”
Xiao Yuanmu didn’t say anything else. He just looked at her quietly, making the words that surged up from her throat to argue for Xiao Baicong come to a stop at the edge of her mouth. She could only swallow them back down bit by bit, then say in a low whisper, “Congcong has been a kind and considerate child since childhood. He would never do this. There must be some misunderstanding here. Yuanmu, you should know that you’re already in charge of the Xiao Family. He doesn’t need to do this.”
“He does.”
There was a chill in Xiao Family’s clear voice, “You should also know clearly that it’s because I took over the Xiao Family that he has even more reason to do this.”
Madame Xiao’s mouth opened, then closed. She’d been rendered speechless.
Xiao Yuanmu glanced at her, then looked away and continued, “However, he didn’t expect that his people weren’t as loyal to him as he thought. Other people had mixed in with his own, and the leader of those people was one of Xiao Baicong’s subordinates’ enemy. That person was the one who sent the two of us there.”
“Xiao Baicong said that I’m now the current head of the Xiao Family. They could obtain more benefits in exchange for me. As long as they let him go, he wouldn’t say anything.”
Madame Xiao’s expression trembled as Xiao Yuanmu continued, “It was just that the man seemed to have some history with him, so they broke his legs, and then let us go.”
“Why did he let you gou?” Madame Xiao asked.
“Dfmjerf atja qfgrbc xcbkr Lboowjc.” Wljb Tejcwe rqbxf ojlcais, “P tjnf j oglfcvis gfijalbcrtlq klat Lboowjc.”
Zjvjwf Wljb ralii mbeivc’a yfilfnf atja atlr kjr tbk fnfgsatlcu tjqqfcfv. Vtf rjlv, “Lf xcfk atja sbe akb kfgf ogbw atf Wljb Mjwlis, jcv tf fnfc xcfk atja sbe jgf atf tfjv bo atf Wljb Mjwlis. Po tf ifar sbe ub, atfc lrc’a tf…”
“He’s not worried about this point.” Xiao Yuanmu looked at Madame Xiao and said, “Mother, he is very clear about who hurt my leg.”
Madame Xiao was stunned and couldn’t say a word.
She understood what Xiao Yuanmu was leaving unspoken.
Xiao Yuanmu’s leg had been hurt by Xiao Baicong’s people, but those people hadn’t offended Xiao Yuanmu, and they’d even saved Xiao Yuanmu’s life. If they had really killed the two successors to the Xiao Family, they would definitely have to flee to the end of the world. However, at this time, they’d let Xiao Yuanmu go because he’d already started taking over the Xiao Family, and instead formed a good relationship with Xiao Yuanmu.
After all, those people knew that Xiao Baicong wouldn’t be able to inherit the Xiao Family no matter what.
“If that’s all you wanted to ask, then I’ve finished saying what I have to say.”
Madame Xiao looked at Xiao Yuanmu’s expression, which had remained indifferent from beginning to end, and heard his command to leave. The shock, panic, and fear she’d experienced over the past day suddenly surged back up again, making her feel both tired and very sad at the same time.
Why was Xiao Yuanmu so indifferent to her?
From the moment she’d found him again until just now, she’d done everything she could to make things up to him and shorten the distance between them. They’d even given the Xiao Family back to him already, but he was still as indifferent towards her as he was to a stranger. She’d tried to take countless steps towards him, but he was never willing to take a single step forward.
In this kind of situation, what was wrong with her favoring her younger son, whom she’d watched grow up from nothing but a tiny little bundle? In terms of time and emotion, her and her younger son were already closer to each other.
This was just human nature.
Now, her younger son, who she’d always held in the palm of her hand, was ruined for life. He could no longer walk on his legs like normal people, and he had no way to show off the athletic ability he’d always been so proud of anymore. He may never recover from this low point in his life, and when she thought about this possibility, thought of her bright and cheerful younger son becoming gloomy and depressed in the future, she was so distressed that she couldn’t breathe.
Had she done something wrong?
Even though her attitude had been wrong when she came to ask Xiao Yuanmu about Xiao Baicong, Xiao Baicong was her son. Which mother could calmly think everything over before asking questions when they saw their child in such a state?
All she’d done were things that any ordinary mother would do.
Moreover, if Xiao Yuanmu didn’t come back, then none of this would have happened.
Madame Xiao’s eyes were red. As she looked at Xiao Yuanmu’s indifferent expression, she asked, “Ever since you came back, hve you ever regarded me as your mother, or regarded your father as your father, or your younger brother as your younger brother?”
Xiao Yuanmu’s long and slender eyelashes swept down, covering half of his eyes. After a few seconds, he lifted them up again and looked straight at Madame Xiao. His gaze was like a sharp sword, holding a cold light.
He replied, “Yes.”
Madame Xiao shook her head, “I don’t believe it. If you really treat us as a family, then it would be impossible for all of this to have happened. None of this would have happened.”
Song Xuanhe squeezed his fingers around Xiao Yuanmu. The corners of his mouth were pressed down tightly, but he didn’t speak.
Xiao Yuanmu saw a glimpse of his expression out of the corner of his eyes and calmly returned his hold. He said faintly, “I would like to rest now.”
Madame Xiao got up, looked coldly at the Xiao Yuanmu and Song Xuanhe’s twined fingers, and said, “I’ve wondered many times about whether you simply have no feelings, or just have no feelings for us. I even tried my best to recall what it was like before you left us. I wondered if you would smile, stick to me, and call me mother, and whether you would look forward to your father coming home every day.”
“I couldn’t remember, but I know that it’s not that you have no feelings. It’s only that you have no feelings for me and your father.” Madame Xiao asked Xiao Yuanmu, “Do you hate me and your father for not finding you earlier?”
“No.”
“Sometimes, I really wish…” Madame Xiao stepped back, looked at Xiao Yuanmu’s calm expression, and said hoarsely, “Sometimes I really wish, I think about how good it would be if we hadn’t found you and brought you back.”
Having said that, Madame Xiao turned and left without looking back.
The door to the ward opened and closed, leaving behind a stretch of silence.
Song Xuanhe held Xiao Yuanmu’s hand and raised his gaze to look at his expression.
Xiao Yuanmu’s other hand covered his eyes. He rested his lower jaw against his shoulder, his clear voice a little hoarse, “Don’t look.”
Song Xuanhe tightened his fingers again and nodded gently. His other hand wrapped around Xiao Yuanmu’s waist, and he let the other hold him as he liked.
“What I said earlier is all true.” Xiao Yuanmu said.
The hot air from his breath brushed against Song Xuanhe’s neck. He shifted, and whispered, “I know.”
“You don’t know.”
Xiao Yuanmu chuckled lightly. The sound seemed to hold a mixture of many things, and it also seemed to be simple self-mockery.
“Well, can you tell me?” Song Xuanhe asked.
“When the time is right.” Xiao Yuanmu whispered, “I’ll tell you my biggest secret.”
The arm Song Xuanhe had wrapped around him tightened slightly, and he made a quiet sound of acknowledgement.
“Would you be angry if I never told you about it?” Xiao Yuanmu’s slightly hoarse voice rang out again.
“No.” Song Xuanhe closed his eyes, his eyelashes quivering as he said, “Everyone has secrets that can’t be told to others.”
Xiao Yuanmu looked up and released Song Xuanhe. He focused on him and asked, “You, too?”
“Yes.” Song Xuanhe opened his eyes again and met his dark eyes squarely. The emotion that was hidden deeply in the bottom of his eyes was indecipherable, or maybe there was nothing there at all, “I have secrets, too.”
“Will you tell me when the time is right?”
Song Xuanhe’s pupils quivered, and a hint of a smile appeared at the corners of his lips, “When it’s time, you’ll know.”
Xiao Yuanmu’s index finger landed on the edge of his eyebrow, sliding along the bone to brush across his eyelashes before making its way along his cheekbone to the corner of his mouth. He rubbed gently and whispered, “I’m very curious.”
“More curious than sad?” Song Xuanhe blinked, a smile forming at the corners of his mouth.
Xiao Yuanmu: “Only curious.”
“Don’t be sad.” Song Xuanhe hugged him, kissing the corner of his lips. He whispered, “But you can show your sadness in front of me.”
Xiao Yuanmu shook his head and looked at him seriously, “I’m not sad.”
He continued, “I won’t be sad as long as you’re here.”