Chapter 20: You're My Good Friend

Translated by Eve

Edited by Kara

Thank you Ciel and Creeperco for the kofis 💕

Since Song Xuanhe had been dragged over to the long table, he had the System help him monitor Xiao Yuanmu's situation. Right now, Song Xuanhe was smiling and chatting with the people around him, but he also had Er Gou giving him a live broadcast of what was going on with Xiao Yuanmu in his head.

Song Jiani's words entered his mind. Song shaoye, who rarely thought badly of any girl, thought that Song Jiani had really been too harsh and had gone too far. Moreover, her heart was rather vicious. Meanwhile, she wasn't smart enough either.

She had already messed with Xiao Yuanmu enough at the company. However, Xiao Yuanmu had unobtrusively solved any obstacles she sent his way every time. Sometimes, he would even reflect it back on her. This had happened so many times, and yet, she hadn't curbed her actions in the least. He could only say that she had already become muddle-headed from her love for the original host.

If she was a bit smarter, she would have realized that it would be for the best that she didn't offend someone like Xiao Yuanmu. Even if he hadn't been reborn yet, he was not someone you could look down on.

While the orphanage wasn't a bloodbath, there were still turbulent waves beneath the pleasant surface. For Xiao Yuanmu to get to this age in one piece without having suffered any grievances already proved his capabilities. Song Xuanhe believed that even without the cheat that was his rebirth, given some time, Xiao Yuanmu would absolutely be able to achieve success.

It was only the original host and Song Jiani who would rush over and go pull aggro on themselves as if afraid that the other's revenge wouldn't be savage enough in the future.

Er Gou sighed upon hearing Song Xuanhe's roast:[I heard that when a woman is in love, her IQ falls into the negatives. In any case, she graduated from a famous school. It was because she met you that she has become so radical.]

When the System spoke, Song Xuanhe heard Song Jiani ask, "At what price he's willing to sell," with reference to Xiao Yuanmu.

Song Xuanhe couldn't help but click his tongue, "She's asking for death."

The person talking to him was startled upon hearing this. He turned and asked, "Er shao, what did you just say?"

"What's Song Jiani doing holding up my person for?" Song Xuanhe didn't reply. He cast his gaze leisurely towards Xiao Yuanmu and heedlessly said, "I find it quite strange. As soon as you pulled me away, Song Jiani went looking to make trouble for my person. It can't be that you guys had planned this?"

Zhou Rong's expression shook when he heard this. He then laughed and said, "Are you joking? Everyone here is a familiar face. We see each other frequently. You can't say that I'm the one who called her over to hold you from your little lover."

Song Xuanhe side-eyed him, sipped his wine, and slightly pursed his lips into a smile, "That's right. Although Lu Chao, that thing, was blind, that doesn't mean everyone else is too."

When he heard this, the hand that Zhou Rong was using to hold his glass tightened, but the careless and casual smile on his face remained the same. "You're going to make people hate you with those words. Song Jiani, if nothing else, has a great body and face. She also has her grandfather behind her. There's a countless number of people who want to court her in our circles. If I didn't like men, I might also have taken a fancy to her. You're just too picky."

The corner of Song Xuanhe's lips quirked up into a smile, but he didn't speak. Zhou Nan came between the two of them, glass in hand. He used his chin to gesture towards Xiao Yuanmu, "What, you were so worried that you jumped into the water without concern for your own safety for him a month ago. Now you're willing to let him out over there?"

"Only, in my opinion, you were really ruthless last time, you youngster. Was it you who struck against Lu Chao's family? After being tormented by you, they lost a lot of power. Right now, they don't dare to come out and are hiding with their tail between their legs. Nice to be you, huh. Even though you got so angry for your beauty, you are able to throw him away quite easily, ah."

When he heard Zhou Nan's pointed speech, Song Xuanhe swirled the cup of wine in his hand and smiled. Zhou Rong, however, couldn't hold himself back and said, "Nan zi is right. I also think that you were too much. Chao zi is still someone we grew up with. No one can say anything about you getting angry with him, but it was a bit too much getting his family involved."

"You think I took it too far?" Song Xuanhe cocked his head and looked at the other man, his smile unchanging.

Zhou Rong took a sip of wine and laughed, "Considering our friendship, for you to do that over a little lover is indeed going too far."

Song Xuanhe laughed. The bones of the hand he was using to hold his glass were prominent. Right then, he downed his drink and smiled. "What friendship between Lu Chao and I? What of his family's things did they actually earn on their own? They got everything they had from mingling with my family. What I give him, I can naturally take back. So what if I took it back because my lover wasn't happy? If he were to offend a dog that I had decided to raise on impulse, I would also have cleaned out his family."

Song Xuanhe's voice wasn't quiet or loud. However, the music was soft right now. Also, the cake was being cut, so few people were talking. Therefore, the people around him all heard his words loud and clear.

Some of the people's expressions changed. Zhou Rong's became extremely ugly. He was very close to Lu Chao. Moreover, his family situation was similar to that of the Lu Family's. His family had also relied on the Song Family to get rich. Right now, Song Xuanhe was saying that he and his family were worth less to him than a dog that he had decided to raise on impulse!

After these words were spoken, the only one who continued to look calm was Zhou Nan, who was sitting to one side. Since the last time when he had discussed cooperating with Song Xuanhe, he had thought that the other had changed somewhere. However, he didn't look into it any further, because Song Xuanhe's change wasn't big. Moreover, this slight change was in a direction he liked. Song Xuanhe was a lot more clear-headed compared to before. At the very least, he wasn't being used by others like he had been in the past.

Song Xuanhe in the past, as someone involved in the situation, couldn't see things clearly. He hadn't known what Lu Chao and co. had been planning or how they were using him. Meanwhile, Zhou Nan, who was standing on the sidelines, did. It was because Song Er was too stupid back then that he had been played with by these people.

Actually, as a group of aristocrats, their friend group was really small. In total, one could count all of the members on just two hands. Song Xuanhe was one of the members, and he was also the strangest one.

There were only so many people in their group. Although some of them had good relationships outside of the group, those people were still all people who the whole group were familiar with or had connections with. Moreover, usually, most members were closest to other people within the group. No matter how much they played around, they didn't really go outside of their group. It was only Song Xuanhe who had ignored their covert and explicit prodding and wanted to bring in Lu Chao and them—people who were unworthy of mingling with them—into their group. Furthermore, because Lu Chao and them weren't qualified to hang out with their group, Song Xuanhe had even faded out from their friend group and had chosen to, instead, mix with Lu Chao and co.

Although the people in the group were all rich second- and third-generations, they didn't dare lag behind in their studies or social connections. It was exactly because of their identities that they had to be even more low-key and prudent. Meanwhile, Song Xuanhe, who mingled with Lu Chao and friends, had deeply ingrained his image as a domineering, good-for-nothing, rich boy onto himself. Moreover, he was really conspicuous. He might as well have had the words, "I stick out," stuck to his forehead.

Because of how incorrigible Song Xuanhe had seemed, several of the group members had stopped thinking about him and hadn't bothered to interact with him any more. They had wanted to avoid being pulled down by him in a moment of inattention. Only Zhou Nan, who still held onto the memories of how he and Song Xuanhe would secretly eat spicy sticks while hiding in kindergarten, would occasionally try to help him come back to himself— to see Lu Chao and co.'s real faces. He didn't want the other to continue acting in a way that was just asking for death.

However, even if they were old friends, this camaraderie was still easily exhausted. Moreover, the friendship from when one was a bare-bottomed kindergartener wasn't particularly deep.

Therefore, the matter from the pool party last time was supposed to be the last time Zhou Nan had planned on helping Song Xuanhe. Originally, he had planned on severing their relationship after it. He hadn't expected that Song Xuanhe would agree. Later on, the way he had swiftly and decisively dealt with Lu Chao made him develop a whole new level of respect for Song Xuanhe. This helped restore his relationship with Song Xuanhe.

Right now, seeing him call out this other person, who Zhou Nan had disapproved of since a long time ago, without giving the other any face, it took a lot of concentration for Zhou Nan to maintain a tranquil expression. If he was not careful, he would break out into laughter.

Over there, the cake had been cut. Zhou Nan smiled and took a sip of his wine. His gaze fell onto Zhou Rong, whose emotions were unstable. Others didn't know, but he already knew that Lu Chao had helped Song Jiani because he liked her. However, this person here was helping Song Jiani for a different reason. Zhou Rong was doing this because he hated Song Xuanhe and Xiao Yuanmu on account of Lu Chao. He wanted to take revenge for him.

Because, the person Zhou Rong liked was Lu Chao.

If Song Xuanhe was as muddle-headed as he had been back then, he would have been really screwed over by the extremely messy relationship between these two "friends." It was not too late for him now to wake up to reality.

It was just that he didn't know what kind of great master must have touched Song Xuanhe's head to cause him to become enlightened. In a flash, he had become so clear-headed and sharp. If someone told him Song Xuanhe had been blessed by a great spiritual master to see the light, he'd believe it.

Zhou Nan smiled inwardly. The others who heard this couldn't help but take fun in the other man's misfortune. Someone even laughed out loud. Seeing Zhou Rong's malicious gaze sweep over, that person couldn't help but clap and then happily say, "Happy birthday!"

The others who hadn't heard what had happened prior did happen to hear the clapping and congratulations. Those people subconsciously joined in on the clapping. The congratulations flowed over incessantly, burying that derisive laugh that had been conspicuous on its own before. Zhou Rong had no choice but to suppress the vicious air that had just popped out of him.

Song Xuanhe and Zhou Nan also said their birthday wishes. They then pretended like they didn't see Zhou Rong's expression and changed the topic.

The two of them had just started talking about another matter when the music changed. Everyone became restless.

Zhou Rong pinched his palm and sent a dark look in Xiao Yuanmu's direction. Seeing people heading over there, he quickly put up a smile. "Er shao, I remember that when I said I wanted Xiao Yuanmu, you said that he was different. It seems like you really care about him. Right now, there are people heading over towards him. How about I go bring him over here and let him meet our other friends, so as to avoid other people trying to chat him up, which would embarrass you."

Song Xuanhe glanced at Zhou Rong and sneered inwardly. Who knew if the original host had been blind, or if there had been something wrong with his brain, to actually get screwed over to such a state by this fellow.

When Zhou Nan heard this, he looked at Zhou Rong and said in a casual tone, "Mr. Xiao seems clear-headed to me. After all, there aren't many ingrates in this world who would turn around and bite their owner. Song Er couldn't have chanced upon one, ba."

Zhou Rong gnashed his teeth. He had to control his strength to avoid squeezing the glass in his hand into smithereens. However, no matter how much he endured, he couldn't prevent all of the suppressed, ominous light from escaping his eyes.

Zhou Nan wasn't afraid in the least with how high his status was. He didn't believe that Zhou Rong, this fellow who feared the strong and bullied the weak, would dare to take revenge on him. Moreover, Song Xuanhe seemed to have woken up to reality now. He didn't have to worry that he would be coaxed over in a few words.

Only, although Xiao Yuanmu looked shrewd, he was really the only person Song Xuanhe had found during these last few years who looked reliable. It would be such a pity for him to be stolen away by someone else right now.

"That boyfriend of yours is looking at you, ne, why don't you go over?" Zhou Nan gave Song Xuanhe a shove and said, "Otherwise, those people will touch your person right under your nose."

When he heard these familiar lines, Song Xuanhe lamented, no matter what he did with the plot, even if he had called Zhou Rong out without warning despite it being unrelated to the plot, in the end, the lines that should appear still appeared. The scenes that had to happen would still happen. It was just that these lines, which should have been Zhou Rong's, were now being spoken by Zhou Nan. It was obvious how strong the plot's perseverance was.

Song Xuanhe followed the plot and stood up, saying, "I'll go see who dares touch someone who belongs to me."

After saying this, he directly headed over to Xiao Yuanmu.