The resignation turned into a vacation, and Song Xuanhe didn't care. After completing all the formalities, he called Zhou Nan and Xiao Shenglin to get together.
"Song Er is awesome." Zhou Nan clinked his wine bottle with Song Xuanhe after hearing what he said, and said, "At a time like this, your father and grandfather are willing to let you take a vacation, and a long vacation at that. What did you say to make them agree? Let me learn from you, too."
Song Xuanhe resigned and felt relaxed. He crossed his legs and leaned on the sofa, took a sip of beer, and smiled proudly: "You can't learn my father's tricks."
"You're taking advantage of grandpa." Zhou Nan kicked him, but was still curious, so he leaned over and asked, "Really? Tell me, my old man has been treating me like a donkey lately, and I'm afraid he has an illegitimate child out there who wants to punish me and kill me."
Xiao Shenglin said calmly: "If your father has an illegitimate child, does it have anything to do with you?"
Hearing this, Zhou Nan sighed, turned to look at Xiao Shenglin, and said, "Lin Zi, I find that you have really changed. You were not like this before. You used to be so gentle and kind. How come you have become as vicious as Song Er now?"
As he said that, he turned his head to look at Song Xuanhe again, frowning and looking him up and down for a long time, shaking his head and saying, "You too, Song Er, I found that you have changed too. Before, when Xiao Yuanmu just left, you seemed to have switched souls with Xiao Yuanmu. You were terribly cold all day long. I thought that not talking would be contagious. You didn't even reply three out of ten sentences. Now you have returned to normal, but I don't know whether I should be relieved or worried, brother."
Song Xuanhe just leaned against the sofa, looking at him with her eyelashes lowered, waiting for him to continue.
Zhou Nan raised his hand, pointed at Song Xuanhe's face and said, "Yes, yes, it's this arrogant and sarcastic face. You used to be so familiar with it, Song Er. After Xiao Yuanmu left, your sarcastic face disappeared, as if your face was paralyzed. I even went to consult Yu Yan, fearing that you would be afraid of seeing a facial neurology specialist."
Song Xuanhe swung his crossed legs, looking as if he didn't want to pay attention to him, and said to Xiao Shenglin: "Uncle Xiao was called back to the Xiao family and came back again. Did you say anything?"
The faint smile on Xiao Shenglin's face disappeared a little, and he said, "The situation in the Xiao family is very complicated now. It was originally the decision of the Xiao family's direct branch to transfer him away. It is not realistic to transfer him back at this time. However, he was given a position to manage the factory construction in South Asia. My uncle said that he was old and wanted to take a rest, so he came back."
Song Xuanhe put down his dangling legs, sat up straight and said, "You mean..."
"The waters of the Xiao family are already in turmoil now." Xiao Shenglin said, "Xiao Yuanmu's return home has broken the alignment of most of the branches of the Xiao family. He is not an incompetent figure. With RE there, everyone can see how capable he is. Even if Xiao Baicong performed well in school and internships before, he can't compare to Xiao Yuanmu who founded such a big company single-handedly. If my uncle doesn't want to get involved in the power struggle, he can avoid it, but Xiao Yuanmu..."
Song Xuanhe's eyes trembled, he raised his lips and put his legs on him again, saying: "You should know his ability, we don't need to worry."
Zhou Nan shook his head and sighed, "More people means more disputes. The change of the head of the Xiao family is like the change of imperial power in ancient times. Not to mention the intrigue, there may be life-threatening situations. It's better to let Uncle Xiao avoid it. And Xiao Ranyun, don't go to the Xiao family if you can. Xiao Yuanmu is really miserable. What's the point of going home? There are so many trivial things. It's better not to go back."
"The Xiao family has found him. He can't just not go back if he doesn't want to." Xiao Shenglin said coldly, looking down at the ice ball in the cup that made a clattering sound as he shook his wrist. "Xiao Yuanmu wants to live well. Now there is only one way to go."
Zhou Nan frowned: "How can it be so exaggerated? After all, he is the biological son of the current Xiao family's head and his wife. The paternity test has been done. Can't he survive without holding the Xiao family?"
"Without RE, he might be able to do it." Xiao Shenglin raised his eyes, with a cold and gloomy look that Song Xuanhe and Zhou Nan had never seen before: "RE is not only his capital to gain a foothold in the Xiao family, but also a sharp blade that forces him to die if he doesn't do it."
"How can it be so..."
Zhou Nan lowered his voice, was silent for a while, and kicked the table, "Fuck, what is Xiao Yuanmu doing back home!"
The atmosphere suddenly fell silent. A singer on a terrace not far away was humming softly. His tone was gentle but it could not blow away the stagnation here.
Among the three people, Song Xuanhe, who had the closest relationship with Xiao Yuanmu, had the most natural expression. He drank quietly, glancing at Xiao Shenglin's face from the corner of his eye, whose emotions could not be clearly seen in the dim environment.
[Xiao Shenglin's emotions fluctuated greatly. He might have thought of something negative. 】
The system's voice sounded in his mind, but Song Xuanhe didn't care. Instead, he remembered another thing.
He remembered Xiao Shenglin from a photo he had seen before during his school days. Cold, aloof, and quiet, completely different from his usual self, yet slowly becoming the same as Xiao Shenglin at this moment, and the same look in his eyes when he mentioned the Xiao family several times before.
What on earth happened to cause such a drastic change in a person's personality?
Song Xuanhe was very curious.
Moreover, he always felt that Xiao Shenglin's personality changes were related to his "accidental" death in a car accident shortly afterwards. He delayed his travel plans in order to prevent Xiao Shenglin's death, but now he couldn't figure out what was hiding in Xiao Shenglin's heart that caused his emotions to fluctuate so violently, which made Song Xuanhe feel a little uneasy.
He always felt that Xiao Shenglin's death might have something to do with the Xiao family.
"Linzi." Zhou Nan poured a glass of wine for Xiao Shenglin, poured himself another, and said, "I don't know what you are thinking about now, but I know you are unhappy. As a brother, I am a little worried, so I spoke a little fiercely just now. It was not directed at you. I will drink this glass."
Xiao Shenglin raised his eyes, Song Xuanhe pressed Zhou Nan's hand and said, "What are you drinking? Don't you usually speak fiercely? You just spoke fiercely. Besides, you were talking about Xiao Yuanmu. Why apologize to Lin Zi? If you want to pour wine to apologize, it should be to Dad."
Zhou Nan paused, then suddenly laughed. He stuffed the wine in front of Xiao Shenglin into Song Xuanhe's hand. His movements were a bit rough, and some of it spilled. He said, "Yes, I heard that you can play as you please, so I'm envious and depressed. I said so much just to have a drink. It doesn't matter who I apologize to. There's no need to apologize to brothers. Come on, have a drink."
Song Xuanhe picked up the cup, shook it at Xiao Shenglin, and said, "Let's do it together."
Xiao Shenglin tightened his hands on the table, and suddenly smiled with relief. He gave Song Xuanhe a grateful look, picked up a bottle of opened beer, clinked glasses with them and said, "Drink."
After a glass of wine, the atmosphere became relaxed.
Zhou Nan drank so much that his face turned red. He drank one cup after another. With a flushed face, he leaned over to ask Song Xuanhe, "What's wrong with Yu Yan? Sometimes he sees me and sometimes he doesn't. Sometimes he's nice to me and sometimes he treats me like the plague. How did I offend him? People say that a woman's heart is as deep as the sea, but Yu Yan's thoughts are deeper than the Mariana Trench. The needle is right there in the sea. Don't even think about trying to get it out. I'd have a heart attack if I just looked at it."
Song Xuanhe pushed his head away with a slap and said coldly: "Go to the hospital and ask him, how would I know."
"Lin Zi." Zhou Nan didn't get an answer here, so he moved the battlefield to Xiao Shenglin's side, saying as he moved: "Tell me, tell me what Yu Yan is thinking about."
Xiao Shenglin poured the wine that the bartender had just brought over, drank the whole glass in one gulp, lowered his eyes and said nothing. Zhou Nan pushed him, and he swayed a few times with a confused look on his face.
Zhou Nan had a good alcohol tolerance to begin with, and he took advantage of this opportunity to go crazy while drunk. No one paid any attention to him, and he sobered up a lot. When he saw Xiao Shenglin's appearance, he was stunned for a moment, pointed at him and asked Song Xuanhe: "No way, he's drunk already?"
Song Xuanhe had noticed that Xiao Shenglin drank one glass of wine after another, but he didn't ask much because he was in a bad mood. Xiao Shenglin had always been restrained when drinking before, and he would not get drunk even if they were all drunk. This was the first time he was seen drunk.
Xiao Shenglin's body shook for a moment and then he steady himself. He poured himself another glass of wine and drank it quietly, seemingly not noticing what was happening around him.
Zhou Nan was a little worried and said, "I've never seen him like this before. If he keeps drinking like this, maybe something bad will happen."
"What can happen?" Song Xuanhe drank his wine and said calmly, "At worst, he can go to the hospital to wash his stomach. Let him drink."
"Wash..." Zhou Nan licked his lips. He didn't know what he was thinking about. His eyes lit up and he said, "Alright, let him vent a little. Then he can go to the hospital to wash his stomach. I'll ask Yu Yan to help him."
Song Xuan and Chao Tian rolled their eyes and ignored him.
"Song Er." Zhou Nan came over again and asked him, "How long will you be away for? A high school classmate of mine also traveled around the world right after graduation. His family didn't agree, so he worked part-time while traveling. He did travel around the world, but it took him three or four years. You won't be like him and not come back for three or four years, will you?"
Seeing the reluctance in his eyes, Song Xuanhe paused for a moment, put the glass back on the table, looked away and said, "Who knows? You never know when you go out to play."
Zhou Nan was a little drunk and couldn't hear Song Xuanhe's voice clearly. He slapped him on the shoulder and said, "That won't do. Brother, you must come back for my birthday. If you don't come back, the next time you step into the imperial capital, I will find someone to pack you up and send you to Xiao Yuanmu to let him take care of you."
The reluctance in Song Xuanhe's eyes disappeared instantly, and he pushed him away with a slap, "Go away."
Zhou Nan laughed a few times, then suddenly became depressed again: "I always feel like we have all changed..."
Song Xuanhe was startled and turned to look at him.
"We were so good before." Zhou Nan stared at the pile of empty wine bottles on the table and said, "I still remember that time you had a mocking face all day long, mocking everyone you saw, especially the time when you threw that girl Lu Chao into the swimming pool. It was really fucking cruel. I thought you finally knew what was good for you, and that you had finally integrated into the circle at such a young age, so I dragged you to play with me. I didn't expect that Song Er, you really suited my taste."
"And Linzi, he and I have known each other since we were very young. Although he went out to study for a few years, our relationship was incomparable. Later, you came and added you, but the three of us had a very good relationship. We were happy to drink, brag, and do anything. We were happy all day long. Now, Xiao Yuanmu is gone, you have changed, Linzi has changed too, and Yu Yan and I... drink, drink, drink!"
Song Xuanhe clinked glasses with him, his eyes fell on Xiao Shenglin who was drinking silently, and he lowered his eyes slightly.
Zhou Nan finished the wine on the table, waved his hand and asked someone to clean it up, and ordered a bunch of more wine, saying, "Drink, today we really won't leave until we are drunk. Whoever of us is not drunk will not be allowed to leave."
Song Xuanhe had been drinking in moderation, but when he heard what Zhou Nan said, he couldn't help but drink a few more glasses. Xiao Shenglin drank one glass after another, and although he drank slowly, he never stopped.
"Song Er, tell me." Zhou Nan's eyes were red, and he grabbed Song Xuanhe and said, "What's going on between you and Xiao Yuanmu? I haven't heard that you like traveling before. After the Xiao family banquet, you want to travel around the world. Is there something we don't know? Is it that kid Xiao Yuanmu? Tell me, I'll go to the United States to beat him up."
Song Xuanhe was thinking about something, and just hummed when he heard him speak. When he came to his senses, he saw Zhou Nan slap the table and stood up, shouting: "I knew that Xiao Yuanmu was not a good guy!"
The music in the bar was soft and gentle, and when he shouted, most of the customers looked over.
Several of the ordinary-dressed guests looked the most strange. After looking at each other, one of them coughed and asked, "Do you want to report this?"
Someone answered: "Report it."
The other person thought about it and said, "Is this also considered... a safety issue?"
"Emotional security is also security." The plain-looking man affirmed, "And I think President Xiao would like to know."
Several people exchanged glances and nodded.
Song Xuan and the others were unaware of the conversation. Seeing Zhou Nan going crazy, Song Xuan pulled him to sit down. He just said "hmm" casually before and didn't hear clearly what Zhou Nan said. He could only ask in confusion, "What are you doing?"
"Didn't you say that Xiao Yuanmu hurt you?" Zhou Nan's eyes were wide open, and he wanted to stand up: "Wait for dad to help you teach him a lesson."
"Who are you calling grandpa?" Song Xuanhe pressed his shoulders to prevent him from moving, glaring at him and saying, "Don't get drunk here. I know how much you can drink."
Zhou Nan was deflated and pouted, "I can't get drunk, and I can't even act crazy when drunk."
Song Xuanhe looked away, not wanting to see his pouting mouth, and said disdainfully: "Go out and pee, no one will care."
Zhou Nan spread his hands and shrugged, then snuggled down in the sofa, calming his brain which was a little excited by the alcohol.
With Zhou Nan shutting up, the place finally quieted down again. Song Xuanhe leaned back on the sofa, supporting his chin with one hand and holding the wine with the other, and continued to think about Xiao Shenglin.
However, within a few minutes, Xiao Shenglin, who had been drinking quietly, suddenly looked up and said, "I never want to go to the Xiao family again in my life."
Song Xuanhe was stunned, put down the hand that was supporting his chin, looked at Zhou Nan who had a confused look on his face, and looked at Xiao Shenglin at the same time.
Xiao Shenglin's face turned red when he drank, so he sat there quietly. His expression was no different from usual except that it was a little colder. If his eyes were not out of focus, no one would have noticed that he was drunk.
He continued: "I don't want to go to the Xiao family, not for the rest of my life."
Zhou Nan blinked, looked at Song Xuanhe, and asked in a low voice: "What happened?"
Song Xuanhe gave him a look to signal him to shut up, then looked up at Xiao Shenglin and asked, "Why?"
Xiao Shenglin's calm expression froze for a moment, and after a long while he seemed to react and said, "I don't like it there."
Song Xuanhe asked again: "Why?"
Xiao Shenglin looked confused, his brows wrinkled a little, as if he was recalling something, or organizing his words, and he didn't speak for a while.
"Song Er." Zhou Nan pushed Song Xuanhe and said in a low voice with a frown, "What are you doing? You are trying to trick me."
Song Xuanhe stared at Xiao Shenglin's expression and whispered back, "I have my reasons, don't worry about it."
"That won't work!" Zhou Nan raised his voice a little, glanced at Xiao Shenglin's face, and seeing that he didn't react, he lowered his voice again and said, "Lin Zi must have a reason why he doesn't want to say it. Is it fun for you to ask him when he's drunk?"
Song Xuanhe ignored him and asked again: "Xiao Shenglin, why?"
Perhaps because he heard his own name, Xiao Shenglin's reaction was faster than before, his eyebrows furrowed even more tightly, and he said, "Because..."
"Song Er!"
Zhou Nan stood up, looked down at Song Xuanhe and said, "What the hell are you trying to do? If he doesn't want to talk, then he shouldn't talk. Why are you trying to get him to tell you something? Aren't you too curious?"
Xiao Shenglin's words were just about to be spoken, but Zhou Nan's voice suddenly increased, forcing him to shut up again.
Just as he had a chance to hear the reason, Zhou Nan interrupted him. Song Xuanhe also became angry and said in a cold voice: "I have my reasons. You don't have to interfere."
"What's your reason?" Zhou Nan said, "You're forcing people to tell you about their private information. Tell me what your reason is?"
Song Xuanhe opened his mouth and was about to speak, but when he saw Zhou Nan's tense expression and the hurt in his eyes, he pursed his lips and lowered his voice: "I am definitely doing this for Lin Zi's good. If you believe me, don't ask any more questions."
Seeing Song Xuanhe's drooping eyelashes, Zhou Nan's mind, which had been particularly impulsive due to alcohol, calmed down. He had known Song Xuanhe for a long time. Although he thought Song Xuanhe was not very good before, he later became a true brother and he absolutely trusted him.
But... he didn't know why, but he always felt that something had changed since Xiao Yuanmu left the imperial capital.
Especially when he saw Song Xuanhe and Xiao Shenglin who were now entangled in the Xiao family's affairs whether intentionally or unintentionally, he always felt that something was pulling the two of them into the Xiao family's circle where power and interests were torn apart, and he, as a friend, seemed powerless and could only stand aside and watch helplessly.
"Of course I believe you." Zhou Nan clenched his fists and sat down, rubbing his face with his hands, and said, "I just... drank too much."
Song Xuanhe patted his shoulder and whispered, "I know."
Zhou Nan covered his face and nodded without saying anything.
After comforting Zhou Nan, Song Xuanhe raised his head and looked at Xiao Shenglin again, and asked in a soft voice: "Xiao Shenglin, why don't you like the Xiao family? Why don't you want to go to the Xiao family for the rest of your life?"
Xiao Shenglin did not react. He lowered his eyes and looked at the empty wine glass in his hand where the ice had melted. It was unknown what he was thinking.
Song Xuanhe pursed his lips and asked again.
This time Xiao Shenglin raised his head, but still did not answer. He just looked at him quietly.
Song Xuanhe frowned and was about to ask again when he saw Zhou Nan raise his head. He glanced at him, then sat down near Xiao Shenglin and whispered, "Linzi, tell me a secret, why don't you like the Xiao family?"
Xiao Shenglin finally reacted. His relaxed brows wrinkled again. Something flashed through his eyes and he slowly opened his mouth: "After the eldest young master of the Xiao family disappeared, the head of the family and his wife searched the whole world for him, but they didn't find any clues after two years. Everyone told them that Xiao Yuanmu might be dead, so they had to give up..."
Zhou Nan turned his head and looked at Song Xuanhe, and saw confusion in the other's eyes.
Xiao Shenglin doesn't want to go to the Xiao family. Could it have something to do with Xiao Yuanmu?
Xiao Shenglin didn't exchange glances with them, and continued calmly, "It's impossible for the Xiao family to be without offspring, so after the head of the family and his wife calmed down, they wanted to have another child. However, two years later, they still didn't get pregnant, so someone suggested that they adopt a child from a branch of the family. The head of the family and his wife were reluctant at first, but they couldn't stand the pressure and finally gave in."
"Everyone knows that the eldest young master's disappearance was not accidental, and the most likely suspect is my great uncle's family. But the person who proposed it said that we should adopt a child from my great uncle, and the others agreed. The head of the family and his wife didn't like it, but there was nothing they could do, so they picked me, who had already come to China and was related to my great uncle but had no connection with him."
Song Xuanhe was stunned, and Zhou Nan was also shocked. Neither of them even had the mood to confirm the other's surprise at this moment. They stared at Xiao Shenglin and listened carefully to his next words.
"My mother was in poor health, but she couldn't compete with my uncle and the Xiao family, so she had to let them take me away. At that time, I was almost six years old and sensible, so I didn't want to be separated from my mother. So after I arrived at the main house, I was very unbehaved and made noises every day."
"The servants who took care of me were afraid that I would upset the master and his wife, so they often locked me in the room. They would only take me out when they wanted to see me. On my sixth birthday, many children came to the main house. They were all children from side branches. They came to celebrate my birthday and stay for a while. The lady took me to eat cake, and then let us play together. Those children knew that I was not the master's biological son, so they liked to bully me."
"They did a lot of things... I became less talkative." Xiao Shenglin's face showed a trace of struggle, and he said, "Until one day, someone tricked me into a cave in the mountain behind the castle, and then left by himself, leaving me there for two days."
"I had no water or food. The cave was very dark, and the sound of the wind blowing at night was terrifying, so I found my own way back. Halfway through, I was taken back by someone who was looking for me. After I woke up, I wanted to find my wife and tell her that I wanted to go back."
"I didn't expect to hear the servants talking. They said I was lucky, but it was a pity that I was worse off dead than alive. They said that after I disappeared, no one in the Xiao family was seriously looking for me and they all hoped that I would be dead. Some people also said that my disappearance might not be a child's prank, but there must be other reasons."
"I was very scared, so I just found a place to hide." Xiao Shenglin's voice became softer and softer: "I heard the conversation between the lady and the servant who took care of me. The lady said that she was a little worried when Xiao Shenglin disappeared, but then she thought it was a good thing. She said it would be great if I didn't go back. This time she completely gave up and decided to treat me well in the future."
"I was very scared and had a high fever that night." Xiao Shenglin smiled and said, "I was almost dying but I kept calling for my mother because I was scared, so they sent me back. Unexpectedly, I got better after I came back."
After hearing this, Zhou Nan and Song Xuanhe could hardly conceal their surprise on their faces. They even ignored the fact that if Xiao Shenglin was really drunk, how could he speak so fluently and clearly? It took them a while to recover.
"Are those people in the Xiao family human beings? They are so cruel to a child." Zhou Nan gritted his teeth and said, "The child we snatched back is not a life. If you want him to die, let him die."
Song Xuanhe pursed his lips and said nothing. He was thinking whether this incident was related to Xiao Shenglin's death. However, before he could think it through, he suddenly had an idea. He looked up at Xiao Shenglin and found that he did not see any signs of drunkenness on his face.
Noticing Song Xuanhe's gaze, Xiao Shenglin smiled with relief and said, "Thank you. If it weren't for you, I might never have told this story. Even my mother didn't know about my experience in the Xiao family. Now that I've told it, I feel much better."
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