Unexpectedly, among so many plot deviations, Xue Mian's story line never deviated from the right path, either in love or career.
On the way to the mission location, Song Xuanhe suddenly felt that many things in this world were very interesting, such as his inexplicable arrival, the difference between Xiao Yuanmu as a real existence and the one in the book, and no matter how many changes occurred, some things always developed in the direction they should have.
Song Xuanhe couldn't help but feel a little confused. In fact, he had been confused since the first day he came into this world.
Why did the system choose him to come to this world? Was it really as the system said, that it was just because he had a problem with his body, and then it chose to find him?
In this world, people are born and die every minute and every second. If this is really the reason, Song Xuanhe believes that the system can have more choices. He is not the one who needs to prolong his life the most, nor is he the one who is most suitable to complete the task step by step. So he always believed that there must be a deeper reason why the system chose him.
However, he had hinted at it before. The system sometimes seemed not very smart, but it would not reveal a single word when asked the key questions. This was already the last non-main quest that was not very important. Song Xuanhe felt that if he could not get anything out of it now, he might not know the real reason why he came to this world until he had to choose whether to leave or stay.
And the real reason, Song Xuan and intuition are very important to him.
[In the book, do those seven people really like Xiao Yuanmu? 】Song Xuanhe suddenly asked in his mind.
The system said: [In the book, they are all pursuers of Xiao Yuanmu. 】
Song Xuanhe did not stop, staring at the woods in front of him, with no expression on his face. When he heard the system's answer, his eyes flashed and he said: [Just a pursuer? 】
The system was silent for a while, then asked: [Is there a conflict between being a pursuer and liking him? 】
Song Xuanhe replied: [There is no conflict, but there is a difference. Liking someone means wanting to be with Xiao Yuanmu no matter what. There are many kinds of pursuers, and it may be because of love or it may be for the sake of benefits. 】
[Everything in the book is based on the author's description and settings. 】The system said:【I can’t analyze the difference between liking and pursuing what you said. If you want to know, you can only analyze it yourself. 】
Song Xuanhe didn't need to analyze it at all. In fact, the moment he asked the system, he suddenly figured it out.
He had always felt it was strange. Even if it was the butterfly effect, even if Xiao Yuanmu was a little different from the one in the book, it was difficult for a person's love for another person to change because of these objective factors. Even if it did change, it would not be so serious that the other six suitors of Xiao Yuanmu would give up their pursuit just because of him, and it would be difficult to even see a trace of their love for Xiao Yuanmu.
Since it is impossible for his appearance to cause such a big change, the answer is very obvious - even in the book, they didn't like Xiao Yuanmu very much.
When Song Xuanhe was reading the book, he was not in a very good mood because he had just entered this world and learned about his physical condition. So even though he read the whole book, he only picked out the key points.
For him at that time, the focus was only on the early plot when the original owner appeared and the later plot with the original owner's existence, as well as the main plot of the whole book revolving around Xiao Yuanmu's career struggle.
Although the name of "The President and His Seven Boyfriends" sounds like a pornographic romance novel, in fact the main focus has always been the protagonist's career line. In addition to the career line, the interest conflicts between the Xiao family and several other families also occupy a large amount of space. Many other plots that are not related to career are only briefly mentioned, and the love story is written very roughly. After all, there are seven suitors. If each one is written in detail, the author can write millions of words just for interaction.
Moreover, Song Xuanhe had no interest in the protagonist's love process. He basically skimmed over the emotional lines that were not part of the main storyline. But even so, he remembered that when the book described Xiao Yuanmu's interactions with other suitors, they were mostly centered around careers, such as Horsman and Zhang Siwei, who were both Xiao Yuanmu's partners.
So as "pursuers", the author describes their way of pursuing Xiao Yuanmu in the most straightforward way as mutually beneficial cooperation. Dating means having dinner together and talking about work, and romance means joining forces to gain the greatest benefit. There is nothing more. If the author had not clearly stated that they were pursuing Xiao Yuanmu, Song Xuanhe would definitely think that they and Xiao Yuanmu were just partners.
The reality is that they are really just partners.
Zhang Siwei and Horsman pursued Xiao Yuanmu, most likely intending to join forces to gain greater bargaining chips for the company or family; Yu Yan was at the saddest time after the breakup, and might have regarded Xiao Yuanmu as the best candidate for "the best way to forget the old one is to start a new relationship"; and Guan Zhi pursued Xiao Yuanmu, and Song Xuanhe seriously suspected that he did so because he couldn't find a chef who cooked better than Xiao Yuanmu, so he wanted to join in the fun and thought that after getting married he would be able to eat Xiao Yuanmu's cooking every day.
Excluding these four people, among the remaining three, Wei Chen might have originally wanted to cooperate. After all, in reality, Wei Chen and Xiao Yuanmu's relationship has never been very good, and the possibility of being attracted by personality and appearance is extremely small. Xue Mian, on the other hand, has always been obsessed with looks, so on the premise that Xiao Yuanmu's face does not change, Xue Mian will also be consistent towards Xiao Yuanmu.
After all the calculations, there is still one person missing.
Song Xuanhe recalled the name of the last person in the book and frowned: [You said that I had communicated with Hao Ke, but I have no recollection of it at all. When was it and why didn't you remind me at that time. 】
[I didn’t know at the time.] 】The system said: 【Hao Ke used someone else’s account to contact you. I only found out about this after the system was upgraded later. 】
So when did that exchange take place? Song Xuan had communicated with many strangers who had no relationship with the original owner. There were only a few times that left a deep impression on him, but no matter how he counted, it didn't seem like Hao Ke.
In the book, Hao Ke is a hacker. The book describes him as being over 1.9 meters tall, slightly taller than Xiao Yuanmu. His skin is very fair because he has not seen the sun for many years. He is tall, thin, cold, and handsome.
Song Xuanhe thought about it over and over, but he couldn't find such a person in his memory. Apart from anything else, the fact that he was over 1.9 meters tall made him very easy to recognize. After all, when you see someone who stands out from the crowd on the street, you will subconsciously stay looking at him for a second longer. However, he had never seen anyone taller than 1.9 meters.
Have I really met him? 】Song Xuanhe asked doubtfully.
The system said: [You have communicated. 】
We just had a conversation...
Song Xuanhe was deep in thought for a few seconds, and an idea suddenly came to his mind. Just as he was about to speak, he heard a cold voice without any emotion: "There are wild beasts ahead. Don't go there if you don't want to die."
He paused and looked up to see a tall and thin young man with a mountaineering bag standing only two steps away from him. He lowered his eyes and looked down at him condescendingly, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised.
"Then what were you doing there?" Song Xuanhe took a look at the equipment on him and said, "You don't look like you're coming out of here. Instead, you look like you're preparing to go in."
"I am going in." The tall and thin young man said calmly, "Because I can come out alive."
Song Xuanhe raised his eyebrows and asked, "How do you know I can't come out alive?"
The young man's eyes swept over him and finally landed on his fair and slender hands, which looked like they had never done any heavy work and had no fighting ability. The tip of his eyebrows raised slightly like he did just now, and the meaning was self-evident.
Song Xuan and Zi Ran understood the mockery in his eyes, but they didn't care and said with a smile: "There are indeed wild animals in here, but I came here just to see the wild animals."
The young man frowned. He didn't expect that after he reminded him, not only would the young master not leave, but he would also speak so casually about the danger to his life. However, as a stranger, he had already done the most kind reminder a stranger could give. If the young master in front of him, who looked so powerless, really wanted to go in, it would not be his business if he died.
Thinking of this, the young man glanced at him indifferently and turned into the woods.
Song Xuanhe glanced at his back, frowned slightly and whispered, "Just now I was talking about 1.9 meters tall, and I met a 1.9 meter tall person right in front of me."
The system wanted to say something when it heard this, but then it saw Song Xuanhe had already stepped into the woods and was walking straight into the depths of the forest.
The trees in the woods were lush and leafy. It was almost noon, but the branches and leaves overhead blocked most of the sunlight, leaving only sporadic beams of light shining through the gaps between the branches, bringing a touch of color to the ground covered with fallen leaves.
The book only said that the original owner appeared in a small wooden house deep in the woods and was seen by hunters near the woods, so Song Xuanhe also walked in that direction.
Maybe because it was still daytime and most wild animals were active at night, so on the way to the cabin in the woods, Song Xuanhe only saw a few small animals that ran past so quickly that he couldn't see clearly what they were, and there was no danger.
The book says that the last time the hunter saw the original owner was in the evening. In fact, that was the first day that the original owner was thrown here by his sponsor. At that time, the original owner's legs were broken and thrown here. Probably for fun, Lu Chao asked the man to put some food in and around the wooden house, just to see how the original owner, who had no ability to move, would crawl out to find food when he was starving.
The original owner lived alone in this wooden house for nearly a month, relying on very little water and food to sustain life every day. At night, he was frightened by the movements and calls of wild animals outside and could not fall asleep. Occasionally, when his drug addiction attacked, he was tormented. Under such physical and psychological torture, he did not dare to step out of the wooden house. Perhaps at the beginning, the original owner did not realize that those people did not just want to ridicule and insult him, but thought they just wanted to see how miserable he was.
It was not until all the food was eaten and those people had not appeared that the original owner truly realized how dangerous his situation was, so he chose to leave the cabin. However, the windows of the cabin were boarded up at that time, making it impossible for him to distinguish between day and night. So he could only judge whether there was any danger outside by the sound. But he did not expect that when he finally opened the door, it was already dark.
The food those people placed outside was not the simple food in the wooden house, but some raw or cooked meat. The wild beasts had developed the habit of coming here to find food after finding meat nearby. Moreover, because the original owner had difficulty in moving, the noise he made when eating or having a drug addiction attack was not small. The wild beasts had already known that there was prey in the house.
However, because the previous resident here was a hunter with a wooden warehouse, the beasts with basic intelligence did not choose to break in, but waited in ambush. They did not expect that they would so easily catch the prey that was unable to struggle.
Song Xuanhe stood in front of the door of the wooden house, looking at the wooden ladder in front of the door. In the book, the original owner was dragged away by the beast on this ladder.
[It will take about three or four hours before the hunters arrive. 】The system said: 【Why don’t you go into the house and wait, this forest seems a little dangerous. 】
Song Xuanhe glanced at the open space around the wooden house and said calmly: [What are you afraid of? I'm not alone. 】
The system was stunned for a moment, and then it remembered that Xiao Yuanmu's people had been following Song Xuanhe. However, thinking of the original owner's ending, it still advised: "Even so, it will be safer for you to go into the house. 】
Song Xuanhe had no intention of seeking death here. After hearing what the system said, he also planned to go into the wooden house to take a look. However, just as he raised his leg, he saw the tall and thin young man he had seen outside the woods before, walking into the depths of the woods.
Thinking of his reminder just now, Song Xuanhe thought about it and decided to take a few quick steps to catch up.
The young man heard the footsteps and turned around in surprise. When he saw Song Xuanhe approaching, he frowned and asked, "What's the matter?"
"You said it yourself, there are wild animals in here." Song Xuanhe said: "I advise you not to wander around in there."
The young man glanced at him and said, "I came here to look for wild animals. This is not deep in the forest, and wild animals usually don't come here. If you just stay here, there should be no danger. Don't go in again."
After saying that, the young man turned and left.
Song Xuanhe paused after hearing this and said, "Under what circumstances would the beast come here?"
The young man paused, turned around and said, "Unless there is no food in the forest, or there is something nearby that attracts them, but I said that this possibility is not high."
He pointed at Song Xuan and the wooden house behind him and said, "Hunters always put some drugs or traps to repel animals next to their houses. Wild animals usually won't come here if they smell something they don't like. Besides, this place is close to the outer perimeter, so there are not as many prey as in the inner perimeter. Therefore, they rarely come here. You should stay here and don't go any deeper."
If it was just to answer the question, the young man didn't need to give such a long explanation. Song Xuanhe saw the kindness behind his coldness and asked, "Then what are you going to do in there? Aren't you afraid of danger?"
"I raised a few little lions before for some reasons." The young man said calmly, "They all live here. I come to see them every year and stay here for a while."
Song Xuanhe was stunned, and suddenly thought of the passerby who discovered the original owner's body in the book. The book only mentioned that person in passing, but he felt that it was very likely the person in front of him.
Thinking of the injured passerby mentioned in the book, Song Xuanhe reminded him, "Although he is a pet I once raised, wild animals are still wild after all. You'd better go and take a look and come back."
The young man's eyes turned cold when he heard this, and he said, "Animals remember human kindness more than humans do. If you know it's dangerous inside, don't go in again."
Seeing his back walking away again, Song Xuanhe frowned, but still called out, "Hey."
The young man stopped again and looked at Song Xuanhe with obvious impatience in his eyes.
"Here." Song Xuanhe pulled out a wooden pistol from his waist and threw it to him, "You know how to use it, keep it for self-defense."
Seeing the small wooden hand cannon in his hand, the young man was surprised and asked, "You have a wooden hand cannon?"
"This is what I said I could use to protect myself." Song Xuanhe said calmly, "I'm giving it to you now. Remember to protect yourself."
"What will you do then?" the young man asked.
"You also said there's no danger outside." Song Xuanhe said, "I'll just take some photos nearby and leave."
The young man held onto the wooden basket tightly, and after a moment of silence, he returned it to Song Xuanhe and said, "My little lion won't hurt me, and I don't know how to use this thing, so you can take it."
Song Xuanhe curled his lips and said, "I don't believe that anyone who has raised wild lion cubs doesn't know how to use a wooden warehouse."
The young man paused and said, "I can't take your wooden warehouse. Although the danger outside is relatively small, it doesn't mean there is no danger at all. Carrying the wooden warehouse with you will give you a little more protection."
"It's more dangerous inside than outside." Seeing his determined expression, Song Xuanhe said, "Can you be sure that the little lion you raise is not an ungrateful wolf? There are real wolves in the forest, and there are other animals besides wolves. Are you sure that you are absolutely safe even if there are those animals?"
After hearing what Song Xuanhe said, the young man hesitated for a moment. He did come here for a while every year before, but he did not come last year because of something, so he could not say that he had a complete understanding of the situation in the forest at this time. If he had a wooden gun for self-defense, it would indeed give him more security.
"You're only taking photos outside?" The young man hesitated for a moment and said, "And you'll leave before dusk?"
Song Xuanhe nodded: "Yes."
"I'll accompany you." The young man said, "I'll go in after you leave."
"The forest will be dangerous after dark."
Song Xuanhe felt that he was not a very kind person, and he even gave the wooden warehouse to a stranger because he had a spare one on him, and he knew that Xiao Yuanmu's people were following him. But looking at the cold-hearted young man in front of him, and thinking that he might be the one who found the original owner's body in the book, Song Xuanhe could not let him go in without any precautions when he knew that he would get hurt.
But the young man's expression was persistent, and it seemed that there was no other way.
"You can stay here for one night before going in." Song Xuanhe said, "I will leave in the evening, you can sleep in that wooden house for one night."
The young man looked at the wooden house, thought about it and agreed.
Song Xuanhe's coming in to take pictures was actually just an excuse. Although he liked photography, there was really nothing to photograph in this kind of woods. If he really wanted to take pictures of jungle scenery, he could do so in the nearby Greater Khingan Range, not to mention the distant Amazon. There was really no need for him to come here.
But the words had already been spoken, and they were probably already heard by Xiao Yuanmu. Now there was someone following him, so he could just make an excuse and pretend to be choked.
Song Xuanhe was walking in the woods with a camera in hand.
The young man followed him closely, like a dutiful bodyguard.
Song Xuanhe stepped on the dry leaves, and there was a crackling sound on the ground. The young man followed behind him, and the sound of footsteps followed.
"Don't follow me."
Except for Xiao Yuanmu, Song Xuanhe was annoyed by anyone who got close to him, regardless of gender.
"There are snakes nearby." The young man said calmly, "There was a poisonous snake hanging on the tree where you just walked by."
Song Xuan and Ziran saw it, and there was a systematic reminder in his mind.
"I saw it." Song Xuanhe said, "I will pay attention to it myself. You should stay away from me. If a man gets close to me, I will want to beat him up."
The young man's mouth twitched, he took a step back and explained: "I followed you only because of this wooden cannon, I don't have any intention towards you."
Song Xuanhe glanced at him and said calmly, "Then stay away from me."
The young man stood there, looking at him quietly, with a hint of disdain in his eyes, as if to say that he didn't want to get too close to him.
Song Xuanhe was very satisfied that the two had reached a consensus, so he picked up the camera and turned around to look for an angle.
Although coming in to take pictures is just an excuse, for people who love photography and are designers who once majored in courses about discovering beauty, it is too easy to find beautiful photos in such a pristine jungle.
Song Xuanhe soon immersed himself in photography, ignoring the external environment and time.
It was not until the sound of a wooden gun exploding beside his ears that he suddenly came to his senses and turned to look at the young man behind him.
The young man raised his hand and pointed his finger half a meter away from Song Xuanhe's feet. A thick cobra was dead there with a pierced head. Its long body was winding, and it looked very powerful.
"The Mucang method is good." Song Xuanhe was very calm and gave a compliment.
[I have reminded you three times in your mind! 】The system also breathed a sigh of relief and said: 【Fortunately, Hao Ke saw it, otherwise if you were bitten by a snake at this time, even if Xiao Yuanmu’s people were outside, it would be unlikely for you to be rescued. 】
Song Xuanhe suddenly raised his eyes: "Hao Ke?"
The young man who came to check the situation paused, frowned a little, and doubt appeared in his eyes: "How do you know my name?"
"What's your name?" Song Xuanhe asked with a hint of fear in his eyes, "It was so scary just now. Thank you so much."
Hao Ke said expressionlessly: "You didn't look scared just now, and you even praised my shooting skills."
"It took me a while to recover." Song Xuanhe said, "But I just said it casually. The main point is to thank you."
Being fooled by Song Xuanhe's nonchalant attitude, Hao Ke was unsure whether he had just called out his name or "so scary". He pursed his lips, glanced at his watch, and said, "It's five o'clock now, which is evening. You should leave the woods."
Song Xuanhe paused, and just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted by a figure walking towards him wrapped in coldness. When he met Xiao Yuanmu's eyes filled with suppressed anger, he nodded: "The snakes in this forest are really scary. My boyfriend is here. Thank you for saving me. I'm leaving now."
After saying that, Song Xuanhe walked towards Xiao Yuanmu, ignoring his cold expression, grabbed his hand and walked out: "Don't go there."
Xiao Yuanmu stood still, his dark eyes filled with coldness: "Song Xuanhe, do you want to go wherever there is danger? Even though you know I will be worried, you don't care at all. Or, you said you like me but it's just talk, and you never thought about being with me for a long time."
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