Huh? This doesn't make sense, does it?
This can't be right, can it?
This isn't logical.
Yes, this definitely doesn't make sense.
Shen Yujing made an effort to push this strange thought out of his mind, then quickly stuffed both the hammer and necklace from the desk into the drawer.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Shen Yujing found a lock and secured the drawer, finally letting out a sigh of relief.
Whether it's the hammer or Song Yi... he shouldn't think about either of them anymore!
*
At the Xu residence.
After a busy day, Xu Yuanguo returned to his study and sat at his desk.
Although many strange things had happened today, securing the cooperation with Mr. Smith was enough.
As for Hang Feng...
Thinking about this son gave Xu Yuanguo a headache, but he couldn't help feeling a sense of sorrow.
Though he was his own flesh and blood, the relationship between father and son was like that of enemies.
Xu Yuanguo used to not care about such things. He didn't care what others thought of him, nor did he care about so-called blood ties in this world. He didn't even trust the person who shared his bed - he and his wife had been sleeping in separate rooms for a long time.
Until recently, when he was diagnosed with a terminal illness.
These days, he kept dreaming about Hang Feng's mother, Hang Ran, night after night. She was a gentle and beautiful woman.
In his hazy memories, everything returned to many years ago.
Back then, Xu Yuanguo had just started university. His father's countless business ventures had failed, and he only had a few hundred yuan to his name - his monthly living allowance.
So during the first month, Xu Yuanguo declined all class activities, spending all his time in the library.
He was afraid of socializing and afraid others would discover his poverty.
After spending an entire semester in the library, Xu Yuanguo received his first "love letter" in life.
He looked up to see a pretty girl sitting by the window, smiling at him shyly with a blushing face.
Xu Yuanguo knew her as Hang Ran, the beauty of the Foreign Languages Department, and one of the names most frequently mentioned during late-night talks in the boys' dormitory.
Xu Yuanguo looked down at the note in his hand—
[I've been watching you for a whole semester. You come to the library every day. You're so hardworking. Can we be friends?]
For the first time, Xu Yuanguo wrote down his contact information on a note, and from then on, he shared many firsts with Hang Ran.
The first time sitting and chatting with someone on the moonlit playground, the first time receiving a gift, the first time holding a girl's hand, and the first time staying out all night.
Xu Yuanguo was also a top student in the Finance Department, and his relationship with the beauty of the Foreign Languages Department drew countless envious looks. Most people thought they were a match made in heaven.
Even his roommates teased him: "You're so quiet usually, how did you manage to win over the beauty from the Foreign Languages Department? Share your secrets with us."
This was Xu Yuanguo's first relationship too - he had no experience to share, only a naive yet insecure heart.
Although Hang Ran's family wasn't well-off either, the Xu family was already in debt at that time.
He worked multiple part-time jobs desperately, buying beautiful roses for the girl he liked and sending the remaining money home, while surviving on steamed buns and pickled vegetables himself.
Even so, Xu Yuanguo felt happy because Hang Ran was like the moon in the sky to him - so gentle and beautiful.
Since he had managed to reach the moon, he had to treat her well.
That was what Xu Yuanguo thought, and everything seemed to be going smoothly.
In the second semester of Xu Yuanguo's sophomore year, while his parents were buried in massive debt, his father's final business venture - though desperate - actually succeeded, and the Xu family suddenly became well-known nouveau riche in the area.
This sudden wealth shocked Xu Yuanguo's mind, making his whole body tremble with excitement beyond control.
Xu Yuanguo remembered that day when his mother transferred 100,000 yuan to his card as pocket money. He held Hang Ran's hand tightly, repeatedly saying "I can give you a good life now."
At that time, Xu Yuanguo thanked both heaven and his parents, feeling that his daily prayers had finally been answered.
After graduation, Xu Yuanguo started working at his family's company. He had a natural business acumen, and his cooperation with his father made the company more and more successful.
His mother also liked Hang Ran very much, practically considering her as her future daughter-in-law.
On the surface, everything seemed to be developing in a positive direction, until—
The daughter of the Chen family fell in love with Xu Yuanguo at first sight.
She despised people who deliberately tried to please her, so Xu Yuanguo's cold and distant attitude actually attracted her, even though he already had a girlfriend.
But what did that matter? The pampered young lady didn't care about such things - she had to get what she wanted.
When the Chen family proposed a marriage alliance to the Xu family, Xu Yuanguo's father was tempted. The business empire he had built with such difficulty would be more secure under the Chen family's protection.
That night, father and son talked until dawn.
"Marrying the Chen family's daughter doesn't mean you can't keep Hang Ran on the side. Dad will help you keep it secret from them. If Hang Ran truly loves you, she won't begrudge your success or our family's prosperity."
"This is how things work in our circle. After a few years, everyone goes their own way anyway. It's not like you have to face just one woman for the rest of your life. What's there to hesitate about?"
Xu Yuanguo's resistance gradually turned to hesitation, and both men tacitly agreed to keep this from his mother.
Conveniently, Xu's mother was ill, so Hang Ran accompanied her to neighboring City A for treatment and rest for three whole months.
A modest wedding ceremony was held quietly in the capital - this was the Chen family's compromise.
On their wedding night, looking at the refined and beautiful daughter of the Chen family, Xu Yuanguo naturally didn't refuse.
Just as his father said, men of their status couldn't have just one woman.
He would still treat Hang Ran well, he would compensate her even more. If Hang Ran truly loved him, she should understand.
Their years of love - he couldn't possibly mistreat her.
This was how Xu Yuanguo thought, trying to convince his somewhat guilty conscience.
When Mrs. Xu and Hang Ran returned to the capital, Mrs. Xu rarely went out due to her health. Xu Yuanguo used this as an excuse not to bring the Chen family's daughter home, and he kept running between the Chen family's daughter and Hang Ran.
This absurd situation somehow managed to stay hidden for nearly three months before being exposed.
That day, his mother was furious, cursing him as a beast.
The usually gentle Hang Ran looked at Xu Yuanguo, crying until her voice was hoarse and she couldn't speak a complete sentence.
The Chen family's daughter merely supported her visibly swollen belly, looking at everything with a cold expression, only dropping one sentence, "Deal with your old flame, and don't appear before me in the future. It's disgusting to look at."
Later, Hang Ran left, and his mother completely ignored his existence at home.
On the day the Chen family's daughter gave birth, he also learned that Hang Ran was pregnant.
And after that...
The events after that became blurry in his memory.
His mother, disapproving of his and his father's actions, left the family and stubbornly lived with Hang Ran and Hang Feng.
Hang Ran passed away early, and his mother raised Hang Feng alone.
He tried every possible way to send them money, but it was always returned.
Just as she had said, she only recognized Hang Ran as her daughter-in-law, and she truly lived by those words.
"Knock knock—"
A knocking sound interrupted Xu Yuanguo's reminiscence.
Xu Che walked in, asking coldly, "Did you need something?"
Facing this son who had grown up under his nose, Xu Yuanguo suddenly felt nothing but estrangement.
There was an inexplicably long scar at the tail of his eyebrow, he always kept his eyes lowered, never looking directly at his father, inappropriately wearing an earring, his whole being emanating only indifference and ruthlessness.
He didn't look anything like his son, not like a child who had received a proper upper-class education, but rather like a street thug.
Xu Yuanguo suppressed this strange feeling and asked, "Did you go see Hang Feng?"
"Yes," Xu Che nodded, "He's fine."
"And you?" Xu Yuanguo frowned, "Raise your head. Is this how you should speak to your father?"
Xu Che raised his head, his eyes showing obvious impatience, "As you can see, I'm also fine. If you have something to say, just say it."
Xu Yuanguo opened the drawer in front of him and placed a document on the desk, "Take a look at this."
The word "Will" caught Xu Che's attention, making him frown, but he still opened the first page.
Xu Yuanguo said, "I'm leaving you five houses, all the family cars, and a bank card. Your mother and I originally split the company shares equally, so her portion will be yours. My portion will go entirely to Hang Feng, and as for my other assets, they'll all go to him as well. Do you have any objections? You can speak up if you do."
Xu Che's hand rested on the table, his index finger curled as he tapped lightly on the surface, saying only one word, "Yes."
"What?"
Xu Yuanguo looked at his son with surprise. This child had never cared about anything from childhood to adulthood, yet now he seemed to have developed an interest in fighting for inheritance?
If Xu Che's reasoning was sound enough, he wouldn't be opposed to reconsidering the distribution of the inheritance and leaving more to Xu Che.
Xu Che closed the will in front of him and pushed it back to Xu Yuanguo, his lips curling in mockery as he said, "Give him the houses, cars, and bank cards too. What you own, he might not want, but I certainly don't care for any of it."
"You!"
Xu Yuanguo stood up angrily, slamming his hand on the table, "Do you know what you're saying? What kind of child speaks to their father like this? This is unfilial!"
Xu Che replied, "I learned it from you, of course. Grandmother has lived such a hard life all these years - is this how you show filial piety as a son?"
Xu Yuanguo raised his hand high and slapped Xu Che across the face. "Look at yourself! Is this how your mother taught you to behave?"
Xu Che's face was struck to one side, the handprint stark against his fair skin.
Yet his expression remained indifferent, as if he couldn't feel the pain. He looked up at Xu Yuanguo with a smile and said, "What am I like? What should I be like? A selfish mother, an extremely hypocritical father - two wrong people came together and gave birth to the wrong me."
"I often wonder, when facing Aunt Hang Ran, when facing grandmother, when facing Hang Feng - don't you feel any guilt at all?"
Xu Che picked up the will in front of him and threw it into the trash bin with a laugh. "Giving everything to Hang Feng - you think this makes up for everything? You think you'll be able to face Aunt Hang Ran in the afterlife? Or perhaps you're hoping this will would move Hang Feng, that he'll attend your funeral when you die and acknowledge you as his father?"
Xu Yuanguo was so angered by Xu Che's words, as if they had struck a nerve, that he raised his hand again.
However, this time the slap didn't land as smoothly as before.
Xu Che expressionlessly caught Xu Yuanguo's wrist, saying, "That's enough. I'm only tolerating this because you're dying. Don't push your luck."
Xu Yuanguo stared at his eldest son in disbelief.
He had long grown accustomed to Xu Che's cold nature, but he never imagined his son would harbor such hatred toward him as a father.
He knew he had wronged Hang Feng, Hang Ran, and even his mother.
But Xu Yuanguo felt he had never deprived Xu Che of food or clothing. He had provided his son with a privileged life, only to raise an ungrateful wolf in return!
Xu Che released Xu Yuanguo's hand and turned to leave, saying, "Be careful not to faint from anger again. This time, no one will call an ambulance for you."
"Also, take a good look in the mirror."
*
Xu Che never claimed to be kind; he only considered himself normal.
A normal person with shame, values, and principles.
In such a family, it was precisely because of being normal that he suffered.
He tried his best to distance himself from this family, yet found himself trapped in a vortex, constantly sinking deeper.
He had met Hang Feng's mother before. Though her face was now blurry in his memory, he vaguely remembered she was a gentle woman, nothing like his own mother who, in her fits of madness, would grab his throat and tell him to kill Hang Feng, this illegitimate child, then cry about her tragic fate.
How ridiculous - she made herself sound like a victim.
But wasn't all of this her own doing?
If his mother hadn't interfered in someone else's relationship, if his father had shown any sense of responsibility or commitment to his lover, this mistaken marriage would never have begun.
These two people together became a bitter couple, torturing each other for so many years - they deserved it all.
And what about him?
As the child of such people, perhaps he deserved this too.
The young man closed his eyes as moonlight and lamplight fell across his brow.
That three-centimeter scar, though long healed, looked particularly striking at that moment.
When he was thirteen, he had secretly gone to visit his grandmother. On his way back, he saw Hang Feng being bullied by three thugs in an alley.
After Hang Feng left, he fought those three thugs alone.
Though he didn't win, he didn't lose either. He got a scar above his eyebrow, but those three never dared appear on that street again.
This was the only time he had ever fulfilled his responsibility as an older brother, even if no one knew about it, nor needed to know.
*
The next day.
When Xu Yuanguo acknowledged his second son's identity at his birthday celebration, the news spread quickly throughout their social circle.
The Saint Slee Forum was flooded with discussions about this event.
[Shocking! Hang Feng's identity revealed! He's the Xu family's second young master!]
1L: Second young master? Does he have brothers and sisters?
7L: You mean Xu Che from Saint Yu Boys' High School? I remember he was Shen Yujing's arch-enemy.
16L: No wonder those who bullied him all met with misfortune.
31L: Wait, the Xu family has two sons? My family does business with them, and I always heard they only had one child.
37L: Hold on, don't forget Xu Che and Hang Feng are the same age!
43L: !!
47L: Damn, is this some kind of soap opera?
58L: I have a bold guess... could Hang Feng be illegitimate?
67L: I think so. He doesn't even have the Xu surname, and Mrs. Xu's surname is Chen.
77L: An illegitimate child in Class A? Does he deserve it? What is the school thinking?
81L: Just thinking about sharing a school with such impure blood makes me uncomfortable.
88L: Not just sharing a school - he's in Class A enjoying better educational resources than us.
...
At this moment, the seat beside Song Yi was still empty; Hang Feng hadn't come to school.
Song Yi rested her cheek on her hand, lost in thought, asking her system internally -
"Is this what you meant by a mysterious family?"
Though the Xu family was wealthy, their assets didn't compare to the Shen family's. How could this possibly relate to being a mysterious family?
The system responded confidently.
[They're now partnering with the Smith family from the United States. They will be in the future]
Song Yi: "..."
This plot, this book, everything here just seemed so perfunctory.
At that moment, Song Yi's phone vibrated.
She opened it to find a WeChat message from Shen Yujing.
[Lonely Wolf]: Did Hang Feng come to school?
[Song You Leave]: No.
[Lonely Wolf]: I messaged him but he's not responding.
[Song You Leave]: ?
[Song You Leave]: You're concerned about him?
[Lonely Wolf]: This relationship between him and Xu Che proves they don't get along. The enemy of my enemy is my friend.
[Song You Leave]: ...
At first glance it seemed to make sense, but Song Yi hadn't met someone this boring in a long time.
The class bell rang, and the teacher walked in and stood at the podium, announcing details about tomorrow's monthly exam.
Another monthly exam was approaching.
Song Yi took out her math practice test from her drawer, but paused when she opened last Friday's paper.
The only wrong question had been annotated with two different solution methods in red pen, and the familiar handwriting was clearly Hang Feng's.
Song Yi turned her head to look at Hang Feng's empty seat, hesitated for a moment, then placed her strawberry milk from today on his desk as thanks.
However, the next day, Hang Feng still didn't come to school.
The strawberry milk Song Yi had left yesterday had disappeared - perhaps thrown away by the people cleaning up for the exam.
Before the exam started, Shen Yujing also came by, followed by a bewildered Murong Huan who had been dragged along.
Shen Yujing asked Song Yi, "Hasn't Hang Feng arrived yet?"
Song Yi shook her head and then asked Murong Huan, "Why are you here too?"
Mentioning this question, Murong Huan also felt exasperated and said, "Who knows what's wrong with Shen Yujing? He said it wasn't convenient to come see you alone, so he had to drag me along."
At this moment, Shen Yujing turned to Jiang Yiheng, "Where's Hang Feng?"
Jiang Yiheng placed his stationery at the corner of the desk and looked up at Shen Yujing with confusion, "How would I know?"
"Isn't the student council in charge of these things? Nobody cares when students don't show up for days?"
Jiang Yiheng replied, "Hang Feng barely attended classes in the past two years either."
The implication in Jiang Yiheng's words was clear: you never cared before.
Shen Yujing was stumped by this response, momentarily unable to counter, but still said, "Jiang Yiheng, how can you be so cold? We've known each other for so long, aren't we at least half-friends? Isn't it normal to show some concern?"
Just as Shen Yujing finished speaking, the preparatory bell rang, indicating that the exam would begin in five minutes.
"Alright, let's go now and talk about this tonight," Murong Huan looked at Shen Yujing and said sincerely, "Even if Hang Feng misses the Chinese exam, his total score will still be higher than yours. Stop worrying about him and worry about yourself first."
Shen Yujing: "?"
Song Yi nodded, agreeing with Murong Huan's words, "She's right."
Shen Yujing looked at Murong Huan, puzzled, "But you're only ranked one place higher than me in class?"
"Right, I know!" Quan Le chimed in from behind, grinning, "Shen Yujing is last, and Murong Huan is second to last!"
Murong Huan: "That's still better than you, isn't it?"
Shen Yujing: "Better how? Last time I only needed one more correct multiple choice question to surpass you!"
Song Yi: "...?"
What's there to argue about?
What's there to be proud of, hey!
Shen Yujing defended himself, "That's because I wasn't taking it seriously before!"
"Who was?" Murong Huan rolled her eyes dramatically, "Even so, I still scored better than you!"
Shen Yujing: "Murong Huan! Just you wait!"
Murong Huan also got angry, "Fine, bring it on! I'll show you what it means to lose completely!"
"Good!" Song Yi patted both their shoulders simultaneously, "I really admire your fighting spirit, but the exam's about to start. Quick, get back to your seats. Let this exam's results determine the winner, that's it."
Shen Yujing and Murong Huan glared at each other, then marched off proudly - one through the front door and one through the back door, clearly not pleased with the sight of each other at the moment.
They say the top two students are bound to be rivals, and the bottom two are bound to be friends, but this rule clearly didn't apply to Shen Yujing and Murong Huan.
Song Yi helplessly watched their retreating figures, then took her pen out of her pencil case, preparing for the exam.
There was only one Chinese exam in the afternoon, so school ended early.
Song Yi was among the last few to leave the exam room, but to her surprise, Shen Yujing was standing not far away, obviously waiting for her.
The moment he saw Song Yi, Shen Yujing looked around, and after making sure no one was around, waved at her.
Song Yi walked over, puzzled, asking, "What's wrong?"
"Have you seen those posts on the forum? I've already had Zhang Yong delete many of them, but people keep posting more." Shen Yujing said while scratching his head, adding frustratedly, "These people really have too much time on their hands."
Song Yi: "So?"
Shen Yujing proposed his idea, "So let's go find Hang Feng! What's he thinking, hiding like this? He's acting like a coward, it'll only make those people look down on him more! We need to help him!"
Song Yi: "...?"
So? Why? She didn't understand.
Song Yi's gaze fell on Shen Yujing, studying him carefully for a moment before asking, "Why? Don't use Xu Che as an excuse, you need to give me a real reason."
Given the relationship between Shen Yujing and Hang Feng, there was no need for him to be this concerned even if something had happened to Hang Feng, right? This was really strange.
When faced with this question, Shen Yujing's expression became even more complex.
He said, "Actually, I haven't figured it out either, but I've noticed that these past couple of days I've had a very complicated feeling about Hang Feng."
Song Yi's gaze became equally complicated, "Tell me more."
"I don't know," Shen Yujing shook his head honestly, then tried his best to describe it, "Actually, I wasn't that close with him before, but suddenly I feel like he's very important, extremely important."
Shen Yujing looked up at Song Yi again after finishing, "Actually, it's not just him, I feel the same way about you too!"
Song Yi: "?"
No, please don't.
Shen Yujing continued, "I suddenly feel like you both are very important people to me, more than just friends, as if I made some kind of oath with you both. Do you know why? It's really strange!"
Song Yi: "..."
O...oath?
Suddenly, the sealed memories were forcefully opened.
The scenes from that drunken day started playing like a movie in Song Yi's mind.
Song Yi: "Ah... I suppose the Peach Garden Oath counts as an oath too?"
