Chapter 145: Looking for a Friend

translator: Eve

A day ago, when Xiao Yuanmu heard that Song Xuanhe had gone to Nan City, the dream he had while working in China a while back flashed through his mind. The dream had been fuzzy but had startled him awake in the middle of the night. At that time, he had immediately changed his plans and headed straight back to America.

Before he saw Song Xuanhe, he overheard the other's conversation with his mother.

At that moment, all the fear and emptiness from the nightmare that had plagued him during the ten plus hour flight despite his attempts to calm down and work, disappeared.

Xiao Yuanmu had thought that, even if Song Xuanhe had really died in Nan City in his previous life, that had nothing to do with the Song Xuanhe of this life.

Out of the two people who had caused his death in his last life, one was dead while the other was in jail. As for Song Xuanhe's 'patron' who was under Lu Chao's command in the last life, he had never seen Song Xuanhe, let alone been in contact with him.

Furthermore, the Song Xuanhe from this life and his previous life were completely different entities.

Thinking like that, Xiao Yuanmu had been able to calm down.

However, the dread he had forced down re-emerged once more as soon as Song Xuanhe had mentioned that he wanted to go back to China.

Rationally speaking, even if Song Xuanhe wanted to go to a jungle alone, he should be able to come out unharmed with the help of the people Xiao Yuanmu had assigned to his detail. Moreover, the reason why Song Xuanhe wanted to come back was to see his family and the movie he invested in. Neither of these things had anything to do with Nan City, so there was no reason for him to feel so uneasy over one dream.

But no matter how rational he was usually, it was always difficult for him to think logically when it came to Song Xuanhe.

He had even thought that his two rebirths were evidence that there was some kind of supernatural power that could not be explained with science. If that was the case, fate might not be utter nonsense. If fate wasn't completely unfounded, then would that mean that Song Xuanhe would still end up walking down the same path he had in his last life?

This thought caused Xiao Yuanmu to panic.

That day, he had told Yang Jie to contact Song Xuanhe's security detail. They had to be sure of Song Xuanhe's position and safety every second of the day. He needed to know Song Xuanhe's situation at all times.

Yang Jie and the security team both found this order strange. Even Louis had asked him, "Aren't you being a little too controlling?" He had even jokingly reminded him that a relationship wouldn't last long if they didn't have their own alone time and privacy.

But Xiao Yuanmu couldn't worry about that. The premonitions he had were always very accurate. The longer Song Xuanhe was away from him, the stronger the bad feeling in his chance was. Even if he knew that Song Xuanhe was safe and sound, and that it wasn't a good time for him to leave the company or Xiao Family, he still couldn't sit still. He had to personally see Song Xuanhe safe to feel at ease.

Immediately after, he had made the preparations for his trek to China. Because his departure had been so hasty, he had originally planned on doing his work on the plane. Contrary to expectations, he didn't know why but he had gotten very sleepy after getting on the plane, even though he hadn't felt tired. He had ended up sleeping ten hours and had not woken up until the plane had been about to land.

As soon as he had landed, he had found out that Song Xuanhe had gone to Nan City. Xiao Yuanmu's fear only worsened after Yang Jie told him that Song Xuanhe hadn't just gone to Nan City—he had gone to the forest in which he had died in his last life.

Xiao Yuanmu hadn't been able to describe how he had felt in that moment. Yang Jie's voice in his last life echoed in his ear, telling him about Song Xuanhe's death as the image of the other man's death played through his mind. Everything in front of him seemed unreal. It felt like he would see Song Xuanhe's dismembered corpse lying in front of him in the next second.

Under Yang Jie and others' astonished gazes, Xiao Yuanmu had run countless red lights as he drove towards the forest. When he had seen Song Xuanhe's security detail waiting at the entrance to the forest and was told that everything was fine, his tight chest relaxed slightly. That is, until he heard the gunshot.

Xiao Yuanmu had darted into the forest the second he had heard the gunshot. The security detail hadn't expected for this to happen as they reported to Xiao Yuanmu either. They also rushed after Xiao Yuanmu, running straight into the depths of the forest.

As soon as they entered the forest, they saw Song Xuanhe safe and sound. In contrast, Xiao da shaoye's face was white as a sheet. If they didn't know better, they would have thought that Xiao Yuanmu had been the one in the forest all this time.

After they heard Xiao Yuanmu's furious rebuke, the security team all tactfully retreated. While they were at it, they led the young man who was holding Song Xuanhe's gun away as well. They wanted to avoid any innocent bystanders, including themselves, from being implicated when these two big shots started to fight.

Song Xuanhe watched as the rest of the people disappeared, including Hao Ke. Despite being faced with Xiao Yuanmu, who was clearly in a bad mood, he felt relieved.

He grabbed Xiao Yuanmu's wrist and tried to drag him over to the wooden house. Xiao Yuanmu didn't move, however. He only watched Song Xuanhe coldly. Nevertheless, seeing that Song Xuanhe was standing in front of him safe and sound, not a hair out of place, and was even able to grab onto his wrist and walk forward, the accumulated rage and concern halved.

"Don't be mad."

Song Xuanhe didn't know why Xiao Yuanmu had suddenly appeared here, or whether the other was angry because he had seen how he had nearly been bitten by a snake or something else. However, he could sense that Xiao Yuanmu's emotions were unstable.

"I came here because Feng Tong said that the scenery here's nice. It was just a moment of impulsiveness. The area around here has been developed so it's not that dangerous." Song Xuanhe explained, "Besides, I knew that you had people following me. Even if there was something in the forest, I also have a gun. I wouldn't have been in much danger."

Xiao Yuanmu remained silent, but he grabbed Song Xuanhe's hand back, tight enough to hurt.

Song Xuanhe let him hold him. He took half a step forward and wrapped his arms around the other man. "Don't be angry anymore, okay?"

Xiao Yuanmu's jaw was tense but the chill had mostly dissipated from his eyes. He let go of Song Xuanhe's hand to hug him back. His voice was hoarse. "Don't make me worry so much again."

"A little forest like this doesn't pose any danger. What are you worried about?" Song Xuanhe comforted him, taking advantage of the fact that Xiao Yuanmu didn't know what had happened in this forest. "You know, there was a guy who came in at the same time I did. He wasn't just taking a stroll near the outskirts—he even planned to go deeper into the forest. Apparently, he raised a few cubs when he was younger and they're still there. He was going to visit his lions. Look, even he's okay. Nothing would have happened to me while taking a few photos outside."

Xiao Yuanmu's voice was cold and heavy. "Whether he's going into the forest to see the lions or feed them has nothing to do with me. You're not allowed to come here again. If I find out you came here again, I'll lock you up at home and ensure that you never take a step outside again."

Song Xuanhe raised a brow and planted a kiss on the other's lips. He smiled. "Boss Xiao, I didn't know that you actually had a thing for captivity play."

Xiao Yuanmu ignored his joke, his eyes dark. "If this happens again, we can do 'captivity play' for the rest of your life."

When Song Xuanhe locked eyes with Xiao Yuanmu, he saw the darkness and stubbornness described in the book. He could also see the other's uneasiness and concern. He chuckled, pressing his lips against Xiao Yuanmu's again as he spoke. "Okay. If I'm caught by you again, you can lock me up for the rest of my life."

Xiao Yuanmu pushed him away but grabbed his hand. He pulled him to the forest exit, walking with large strides. In a heavy tone, he said, "You better keep your word."

Song Xuanhe let him hold his hand, walking alongside the other with a grin on his face.

The sun was already setting and it would soon be dark out. The light filtering through the cracks of the leaves and branches was weak now. Aside from the remaining splotches of sunlight, the forest was completely dark.

Although the wooden house was located in the outskirts of the forest, it was the innermost point of the outer area. It would take more than ten minutes to get out of the forest. Five minutes into Song Xuanhe and Xiao Yuanmu's trek, the forest went completely dark around them. The darker the area, the more heightened one's hearing became.

The insects chirped around them as the plants and branches swayed in the wind. Something darted through the bushes while something else climbed up the bark of some tree. There was the sound of quiet rustling in the leaves....

Xiao Yuanmu's grip on Song Xuanhe's hand was tight. At the same time, they said:

"Don't be scared."

"Don't worry, I'm here."

Song Xuanhe was afraid of the dark while Xiao Yuanmu was afraid of snakes. Both of them tried their best to remain calm as they walked through the forest. Nonetheless, they subconsciously got closer and closer.

Song Xuanhe thought that his fear of the dark, which was a common fear, was nothing in comparison to Xiao Yuanmu's psychological shadow. Furthermore, he wasn't that scared since he had someone with him.

That's why he wanted to say something to distract Xiao Yuanmu from his fear. As such, he asked, "Why did you suddenly come to China? Aren't you busy with the Xiao Family?"

"It's fine." Xiao Yuanmu's voice was chilly. Listening carefully, Song Xuanhe could hear a sliver of hoarseness. "Xiao Nan's got the Xiao Family. Nothing should happen even if I leave for a few days."

"How's Xiao Lin?"

"He's fine." Xiao Yuanmu said mildly, "He just needs to recover in peace. He should be able to live another ten years."

Song Xuanhe paused. He suddenly realized that Xiao Yuanmu was going to take over the Xiao Family a lot earlier than he had in the book. Therefore, he asked, "Just what happened to him? Also, why did he agree to give the position of Family Head to you? Since he's healthy, shouldn't he take a few years to think about this before retiring?"

"Something unexpected happened."

Even if he knew that Song Xuanhe wasn't some greenhouse flower and could understand the cruel power struggles within a family and in business, Xiao Yuanmu still didn't want to let him know what he's done. Firstly, there were some things he couldn't explain. Secondly, he didn't want Song Xuanhe to develop any misgivings towards him.

Xiao Yuanmu still remembered how afraid Song Xuanhe had been of him in the beginning. It wasn't until they had interacted more that the other's misgivings had gradually disappeared. He hadn't minded Song Xuanhe's guarded behaviour towards him, but there was no way he wouldn't mind it now.

When he thought of this, Xiao Yuanmu's gaze changed slightly. "When did you develop an interest in fashion design? I've never heard you talk about it before."

"Since I was really young." Song Xuanhe responded quickly, as if they were talking about something very ordinary. There were no peculiarities in his tone. "Not even my mom knew about this, so it's expected that you didn't either. I learned on my own, from books and the internet. I never expected that I would have some talent in this area."

Song Xuanhe wasn't lying about this. In his original world, there had been a time when he had been very young where he had been interested in art. However, that hadn't lasted long. Children's enthusiasm tended to come and leave very quickly. Later on, he became interested in other things. His mother had then passed away. Thus, it wasn't a lit to say that he didn't know that her son, who had given up on drawing, would one day fall in love with fashion design.

The reason he had started to study fashion design was purely because he had been too much of a hooligan in his first two years of high school. His grades had been very poor and it would have been very hard to catch up quickly. Coincidentally, the art teacher had seen him drawing. The art teacher had badgered him into studying art, so he had agreed. He didn't expect that he would come first in the art exam, beating the other art students who had studied for three to ten years while he had only studied for one year. He had even been accepted by the best art school in the country.

Later on, he encountered a teacher who appreciated his talents and the rest of his career had gone smoothly. He had already planned his career up to his thirty-fifth birthday. Who would have expected that his plans would change like this?

Xiao Yuanmu's pursed lips rose to a smile when he heard the unconcealed pride in Song Xuanhe's words. He then pressed his lips back to a straight line. "Did you see Xiao Shenglin after coming back?"

Song Xuanhe had been taken aback. He hadn't expected such a sudden change in subjects. However, his response came very quickly. "No. It seems like he's been really busy as of late. I don't know what he's been doing."

"He's returned to the Xiao Family," Xiao Yuanmu said insipidly, "part of the Xiao Family belongs to him. Even if his mother didn't want it, it was still kept for him. As long as he wants it, it's his."

Song Xuanhe remained silent. He didn't really know what Xiao Shenglin had been doing these days. But he had heard from Zhou Nan that Xiao Shenglin had changed. He was no longer as gentle and smiled less now. He was a lot more aloof. Maybe that was his true personality, or maybe it was a change in personality from having his life played with.

However, Xiao Shenglin still treated his friends the same.

"speaking of which, Xiao Shenglin should thank you." Xiao Yuanmu said, "If it weren't because you knew something would happen, it would have been really hard for him to have survived."

In Xiao Yuanmu's memory, Xiao Baicong had killed Xiao Shenglin in an attempt to ensnare him. Back then, he hadn't had any interactions with Xiao Shenglin. Therefore, although he had attended the other's memorial service, he hadn't really cared. But since the other's death had something to do with him, he had wanted to prevent it from happening after his rebirth. He just never expected that he wasn't the only one who knew that this would happen.

"That..." Song Xuanhe lowered his gaze. "You might not believe me, but I've had a few dreams. They all felt so realistic. In the beginning, I had thought that they were nothing more than dreams. But later on, the things in my dream came true. In one of my dreams, Xiao Shenglin died in a car accident. That's why I wanted to stop it from happening. I didn't expect that it was going to come true too."

Xiao Yuanmu's pupils trembled but it was hard to read his emotions in the darkness. "Did you dream about anything else?"

Song Xuanhe's expression changed slightly as he said, "Yeah. I don't remember them very much though."

"Anything about me?" Xiao Yuanmu was asking a question, but his tone sounded certain.

Back then, he had been confused as to why Song Xuanhe had been guarded against him. If it were as Song Xuanhe had said, it would all make sense. If it were the him prior to rebirth, he wouldn't have believed Song Xuanhe. But after being reborn twice, he didn't see why Song Xuanhe couldn't have prophetic dreams.

This world could indeed be quite fantastical.

It was just that, although Song Xuanhe's words would explain everything, there was still a shred of doubt in Xiao Yuanmu's heart.

He had a feeling that things weren't as they seemed.

"Yes," Song Xuanhe said, "I dreamt that we broke up. Because I forced you to be with me, you took revenge on me. So there was a period in which I didn't know how to face you."

Xiao Yuanmu sifted through his memories. There had indeed been a time in which Song Xuanhe had acted really awkwardly. But that had been before he had been reborn again.

Afraid that Xiao Yuanmu would ask more questions, Song Xuanhe redirected the conversation: "Do you have a good hold on the Xiao Family now?"

"Yes." Xiao Yuanmu sounded relaxed, but his voice lowered as he continued, "Give me another year. After I'm done dealing with the Xiao Family, I'll accompany you wherever you want to go. In exchange, please don't make me worry during this year, okay?"

Song Xuanhe stopped walking for a second. He felt the other's hold on his hand tighten just as he lifted his leg. His lips parted but nothing came out. A few seconds later, he softly said, "Okay."

The two of them walked out of the forest, their path illuminated by the moonlight. Yang Jie and the rest of them had been waiting outside for them for an hour now. When they saw the two of them come out, they were relieved.

Yang Jie walked over to them. "Mrs. Xiao called a few times earlier. I told her you weren't here and she told me to tell you to call back as soon as you could."

Xiao Yuanmu's mood had risen greatly after hearing Song Xuanhe's promise. He accepted the phone Yang Jie handed over to him and nodded. "Prepare to head back to the hotel. We'll return to America tomorrow."

Yang Jie paused. He looked at Song Xuanhe, whose eyes were lowered and lost in thought. He asked hesitantly, "will Song shao be travelling with us?"

Xiao Yuanmu turned to look at Song Xuanhe, meeting the other's eyes. As soon as their gazes met, Song Xuanhe smiled. "Okay, okay. I'll go back with you."

"Mn."

Xiao Yuanmu replied softly, although it was unknown whether he was replying to Song Xuanhe or Yang Jie. The bodyguards who were assigned to Song Xuanhe's detail were stunned by the contrast between the man in front of him with the loving smile in his eyes and the chilly man from before.

The bodyguards didn't know who Xiao Yuanmu had been responding to, but Yang Jie did. He took a step back and told the chauffeur to prepare to set off. He then turned to call Xiao Yuanmu and Song Xuanhe to board the car. Before the words left his mouth, however, he saw the young man the bodyguards had brought out from the forest out of the corner of his eyes. Yang Jie thus changed what he was going to say: "Xiao ge, that person was the one who fired the shot just now. According to him, he only fired the gun because there was a snake in the forest. He killed the snake to save Song shao, as thanks for giving him the gun."

Xiao Yuanmu's brows were furrowed. His gaze turned to the young man Yang Jie was pointing at. When he saw the man's appearance, there was a sliver of astonishment in his eyes. "Hao Ke?"

Hao Ke had no choice but to walk over when he saw Xiao Yuanmu look at him. "I didn't expect that the person I saved was your boyfriend. If I had known, I wouldn't have saved him."

Song Xuanhe raised a brow. Hao Ke continued, "But since I've saved him, this gun is mine. I'll take it as my reward. If you guys don't have any other business here, please leave. You're disturbing the animals in the forest."

Xiao Yuanmu said, "I gave you a code to crack. You still haven't given it to me. Now you're in a forest where you can't get a signal."

Hao Ke's expression turned even colder. "I can get a signal anywhere I go. Don't worry. I'll finish the task you gave me as soon as possible. After that, we're even. Hacking into your computer is the thing I regret the most. I will never do it again."

Xiao Yuanmu smiled. "Just remember to give me what I want."

Song Xuanhe watched Hao Ke enter the forest without looking back. He then asked Xiao Yuanmu, "You know him?"

"When I had been researching new energy sources, he had been paid to hack into my computer and steal my information." Xiao Yuanmu said coolly, "He's a brave one."

Song Xuanhe didn't know how to feel after hearing the ridicule of Xiao Yuanmu's tone.

The last pursuer, who had been obscure all this time, evidently didn't follow the plot either. Even if this was the original plot line, it was quite clear that he didn't really like Xiao Yuanmu.

All in all, it seems like the only one of the pursuers who really liked Xiao Yuanmu was Xue Mian.

Song Xuanhe asked, "What do you think of Xue Mian?"

Xiao Yuanmu paused. He recalled what his subordinates had reported and happiness flashed through his eyes. He suppressed the rising corner of his lips and maintained his solemn, upright demeanor. "I don't think much of him. Even if I didn't have you, I would never fall for him."

"What a pity," Song Xuanhe clicked his tongue.

Song Xuanhe's tone was nothing like the jealous tone Xiao Yuanmu had been imagining. He wanted to deceive himself and believe that Song Xuanhe was finally jealous over him. His smile disappeared for real and he quietly asked Song Xuanhe, "Why is it a pity?"

"It's a pity that he likes you so much." Song Xuanhe didn't seem to notice anything. He even laughed. However, he could sense Xiao Yuanmu's unhappiness as soon as the laugh left his lips. Although he didn't know why the other was unhappy, his survival instinct made him add: "But he doesn't like you as much as I do. So you can only like me."

The cold disappeared from Xiao Yuanmu's eyes. He grabbed Song Xuanhe's hand and said, "Even if you don't like me all that much, I will only ever like you."

Eve: The last two paragraphs aww. SUGAR.

xiin: this is Eve's last translated chapter... as promised, i'll be finishing this off, but updates will be 1/week and sporadic until i settle on a regular day. (there'll be more releases than chapters since the upcoming chapters are all hugggge and filled with plot.) RL's been kicking my butt recently but i'll try my best~