Three Big Shots

Song Xuanhe stayed where he was. Xiao Yuanmu stopped too, standing two steps away and regarding him coldly.

Composing his expression, Song Xuanhe lifted his chin a little. Trying to get into the original owner's character, he walked up to Xiao Yuanmu with an air of arrogance and met his calm, indifferent eyes.

Xiao Yuanmu watched his approach without warmth. Apart from the loathing buried deep in his eyes, his expression betrayed nothing.

Of course Song Xuanhe knew how much Xiao Yuanmu hated him—or rather, hated the original owner. But in the end, that hatred would still fall on him. It was already a foregone conclusion, so he didn't feel much about it anymore.

Song Xuanhe raised a hand, caught his chin between his fingers, and curled his lips into a smile. "It just occurred to me: since I agreed to help you fund the orphanage, I ought to collect a little interest. Don't you think?"

Xiao Yuanmu's eyes darkened with cold. He seized Song Xuanhe's hand, his lowered voice thick with disgust. "What are you trying to do?"

That somber voice sounded just above Song Xuanhe's ear, carrying an icy chill that seemed to settle over him. His eyelashes trembled involuntarily.

Already, there were signs of the terrifying, ice-cold big shot this man would become. A single sentence was enough to make his scalp prickle.

But the required plot still had to play out. Feeling the pressure on his wrist, which seemed strong enough to crush it, Song Xuanhe knew there was no way he could pull Xiao Yuanmu's head down. With the difference in their heights, all he could do was silently gripe as he discreetly rose onto his toes.

As Song Xuanhe's face drew closer, the chill in Xiao Yuanmu's eyes sharpened. Just before their lips could meet, his patience snapped. Frowning, he shoved Song Xuanhe back without mercy and narrowed his eyes. "What are you trying to do?"

Song Xuanhe staggered several steps before barely catching his balance, but he wasn't angry in the slightest. Suppressing his joy at having escaped disaster, he offered a perfectly rational analysis: [I've said all the lines I was supposed to say. Xiao Yuanmu was the one who pushed me away. Given Song Xuanhe's characterization, he should storm off in a rage after being shoved, then think up ways to get revenge later. So to stay in character, I should turn around and leave right now.]

[Characterization doesn't matter at all. What matters is that if you fail to complete the plot properly, you'll die immediately—both here in the book and in your own world.] The system ruthlessly shut down any chance of exploiting a loophole. [Also, designated plot events can only be completed in their designated locations. If Xiao Yuanmu leaves this room before you've performed the specified actions, that counts as a failed task too. One last little tip: Xiao Yuanmu is about to walk out that door.]

While the system was speaking, Xiao Yuanmu had started walking out after shoving Song Xuanhe away. He was already at the door.

Seeing Xiao Yuanmu's hand on the handle, Song Xuanhe realized his life would end the moment that door opened. There was no time to think. He sprinted toward Xiao Yuanmu and, just as the man was about to push the door open, leaped straight onto him in desperation.

The system: !!!

—A clean, faint lemon scent filled his nose. Before his eyes was the side of Xiao Yuanmu's nose, the silhouettes of his eyelashes cast across it. Its bridge was straight and high, its flawless contours flowing as though carved by a blade—the Creator's proudest masterpiece.

Xiao Yuanmu slowly turned his face. The shadow falling across the side of his nose quivered, and his long lashes fluttered right before Song Xuanhe's eyes, seeming to carry a frosty chill. He met Song Xuanhe's wide-eyed stare. His voice sounded as though it were crusted with ice, each word distinct. "What. Are. You. Doing?"

Only then did Song Xuanhe realize he had actually jumped onto the back of a future big shot who would one day decide people's lives and deaths in the blink of an eye. But his fright lasted only a moment. His life was already on the line—what did he have left to lose?

"Kissing you."

Before Xiao Yuanmu could react, someone pulled the door open from outside. A kindly elderly woman stood in the doorway, looking at the two of them in surprise.

Xiao Yuanmu immediately tried to haul him off. With his life at stake, Song Xuanhe couldn't afford to care. He simply grabbed Xiao Yuanmu's face and turned it toward him, quickly brushed their lips together, then immediately delivered the next line: "You taste pretty good."

[Task complete.]

At the sound of the system's voice, Song Xuanhe finally breathed a sigh of relief. With the urgency of imminent death gone, the horror of clinging to a future big shot's back hit him all at once. He sprang off Xiao Yuanmu as though someone had jabbed him in the butt. Once he had his feet under him, he decided to take an indirect approach to salvaging the tiniest bit of goodwill from a man whose opinion of him was already at negative infinity.

Chest out and stomach in, Song Xuanhe gave the elderly woman in the doorway a very well-behaved smile. "Hello, Director."

Only now did she recover from her surprise. When Song Xuanhe had come looking for Xiao Yuanmu earlier, she hadn't thought much of it. Seeing them ask to be alone in the room, she had simply assumed the two coworkers had something to discuss. She hadn't expected this sort of relationship between them.

Yuanmu had always kept his distance from people. Having a boyfriend now was actually a good thing.

The director had no objection. In this world, same-sex marriage had been legal since before she was born. As far as she was concerned, it was perfectly natural for Xiao Yuanmu to find a partner of any gender. She only hoped he would choose someone a little lively, and Song Xuanhe fit the bill perfectly. Although she had only met him twice, his perpetually sparkling eyes and endearing smile were enough to tell her he was a cheerful, outgoing, good-hearted young man.

She thought the two of them were very well suited.

Still, Xiao Yuanmu had always been easily embarrassed. The young couple had been fooling around in the room, and her sudden entrance had interrupted their affectionate moment. With a kindly smile, the director pretended she hadn't seen a thing and supplied them with a graceful way out. "Were you two heading out for dinner?"

Xiao Yuanmu pressed his lips together. "No," he said flatly.

Her gaze moved from Xiao Yuanmu's icy expression to Song Xuanhe, whose smiling face was so likable. "Since you weren't planning to eat out, stay and have dinner with us."

Song Xuanhe instinctively checked Xiao Yuanmu's expression. He had lowered his eyes and said nothing. Faced with the elderly woman's hopeful look, Song Xuanhe could only nod. "Thank you for having me, Grandma."

Her smile deepened at his agreement. Taking his hand, she drew him over to sit on the sofa and poured him a glass of water. "Yuanmu isn't much of a talker, and I hardly ever see him get close to anyone. You're the only person he's brought home, so he must truly think of you as a dear friend. You two get along now. He's quiet and doesn't like to talk, so please be patient with him."

Song Xuanhe took the water and thanked her. Before he could say anything else, Xiao Yuanmu came over and said to her, "Grandma, go ahead and make dinner. I'll stay here."

"All right, all right." She beamed. "Grandma's leaving now. You two be good to each other."

The moment she closed the door, the softness vanished from Xiao Yuanmu's face. He scrubbed hard at his lower lip where Song Xuanhe had touched it, his eyes as cold as a winter pool. "Didn't you say we were going to your place? We're leaving now."

"But I just agreed—"

"I don't know why you're suddenly putting on this act." Xiao Yuanmu looked down at him. Beneath his deliberately lowered voice lay the threat of a man willing to take them both down. "But if you're thinking of using the director, I promise I'll make you regret ever coming into this world."

Looking at the violence and sinister menace held in check in Xiao Yuanmu's eyes, Song Xuanhe felt a chill rise along his spine and crawl slowly up to his scalp. As his scalp prickled, it suddenly dawned on him: even before his rebirth, Xiao Yuanmu had never been someone others could push around. He believed Xiao Yuanmu would absolutely make good on his words.

Bracing a hand on the sofa's armrest, Song Xuanhe stood and adjusted his expression. Chin raised, he wore a look of disdain. "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't stay for dinner in a place like this. Since you want to go home, let's get moving."

But they had only just reached the orphanage gates and hadn't yet gotten into the car when a little girl with pigtails ran over. She glanced at Xiao Yuanmu before speaking timidly to Song Xuanhe. "Are you leaving now, big brother? Grandma Director asked me to call you and Brother Yuanmu to the dining hall for dinner."

Song Xuanhe stopped and turned to look at Xiao Yuanmu.

Xiao Yuanmu didn't so much as glance at the little girl. He merely said coldly, "Tell her we have something to do and won't be coming."

Clearly a little afraid of Xiao Yuanmu, the girl hurriedly nodded, then took off like a rabbit with a pack of wolves at its heels.

Song Xuanhe pressed his lips together, holding back the question, "What did you do to that little girl to make her so scared of you?" He turned, opened the car door, and got in on his own.

Only after Xiao Yuanmu settled into the passenger seat did Song Xuanhe start the car. Catching sight of his lowered lashes out of the corner of his eye, he held back for a moment, then said, "Buckle up."

Xiao Yuanmu turned to look at him but didn't move. Song Xuanhe frowned and, in keeping with the original owner's character, said, "Don't tell me you want me to do it for you?"

Song Xuanhe had thought that would get Xiao Yuanmu to fasten his seat belt. Instead, he still didn't move, merely staring at him coldly.

Was this his passive protest against being threatened?

Surely Xiao Yuanmu wasn't that childish. It had been one thing when Song Xuanhe had only read the novel and had barely interacted with him. After dealing with him today, he had just one thought: this was definitely not someone to cross.

Back in his own world, Song Xuanhe would have given Xiao Yuanmu a wide berth. Even if they had to meet, he would never have offended him. But in this world, he was doomed to make an enemy of the man beyond all hope of reconciliation.

And his compulsive need for things to be right wouldn't let him drive while someone in the car wasn't buckled in.

He struggled with himself for a second. In the end, a persona that could fall apart at any moment was no match for a compulsion he hadn't been able to shake in more than twenty years. Song Xuanhe unbuckled his own seat belt and leaned toward Xiao Yuanmu. After fastening the other man's belt, he hastily drew back, terrified that a moment's displeasure might inspire the big shot to torment him even more horribly in the future.

[What are you afraid of?] Ergou said. [How many people in this world are going to die as horribly as you? Relax. No matter how much trouble you stir up, it can't get any worse.]

Song Xuanhe faltered at the wheel. Expressionless, he said, [Thank you so much for the reminder, buddy.]

Author's Note: Song Xuanhe: I've got a "motherf—" to say. Not sure whether I should.