Xu Jiaqiao had just finished breakfast and was about to head to training when he heard Shang Shujue's thoughts. He immediately ran to the training camp's main entrance and huddled there, peering outside furtively.
"Xu Jiaqiao, you're here for Brother Jue's gossip too? Come on, over here. The view's good here, and we won't get spotted easily. You're way too obvious over there."
Xu Jiaqiao had only just crouched down when he heard a somewhat familiar voice calling softly. He instinctively turned and saw everyone from Zhao Zhiyu's dorm and Zhou Zheng's dorm.
Who knew when they had arrived? They were huddled in a corner, secretly peering outside through binoculars. Without hesitation, he scurried over like a rat.
"How on earth did you guys find such a great spot? And you got here way too early, didn't you?"
Once Xu Jiaqiao scurried over, he immediately leaned in to talk to them, adjusting his position as he spoke for fear that Shang Shujue, not far away, would spot him. He was hiding even more discreetly than those paparazzi who followed people like shadows.
"Never mind all that. Look, hurry! Is that loaded guy trying to take advantage of Brother Jue?"
Zhou Zheng had been watching the entrance the whole time. When he saw the tall man in blue pull Shang Shujue into a hug, his eyes went wide in utter bewilderment.
What the hell was this? Two grown men hugging in the middle of the street-where was their sense of propriety?! Society was going downhill, people weren't what they used to be, and morals were in the gutter!
"Huh?!"
Hearing Zhou Zheng, Xu Jiaqiao forgot everything else and turned to look with the others.
At the entrance, the rather tall Song Yanqing was hugging Shang Shujue so tightly that he was up on his toes, his neck tilted back just to rest against his shoulder. With a little more force, he could lift Shang Shujue right off his feet, hang him on his body, and carry him away.
Holy shit! What was going on? This rich guy made even the 183-centimeter-tall Brother Jue look petite and cute. He had to be over 190 centimeters...
Xu Jiaqiao's gossiping soul blazed to life. He stared over there wide-eyed with everyone beside him, not daring to breathe too loudly for fear of interrupting them and getting beaten up.
"Song Yanqing... you..."
Shang Shujue had only just seen Song Yanqing shed tears and had yet to recover when the man pulled him into a hug. His lashes trembled, and it took him quite a while to realize something was wrong.
He pushed at him, only to discover that the more he pushed, the tighter the man held him. His suppressed sobs were choked beyond recognition. This was completely different from the person who had so often fought him in his previous life.
He hardly dared push anymore, so he simply spoke up and told him to let go. He had spotted a paparazzo's flash, fuck!
"Let go of me first. I can barely breathe..."
Only when Shang Shujue said this did Song Yanqing loosen his grip, but he still refused to let go. He pulled open the Cullinan's door with one hand and swiftly stuffed him into the passenger seat.
"Song Yanqing, what are you doing?! You scared me!"
Being shoved roughly into the passenger seat gave Shang Shujue a fright. His rebellious streak immediately took over, and he instinctively tried to rush out.
But when he looked up, he met Song Yanqing's beautiful, tear-blurred eyes. His heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he froze.
Song Yanqing... had really been crying just now? But... why? What on earth was he crying about? I was the one who choked...
Click!
Song Yanqing buckled Shang Shujue's seat belt and shut the passenger door, then walked around to the driver's side. After getting into the driver's seat and fastening his own seat belt, he was about to drive off.
"Wait. What exactly is this supposed to mean, Song Yanqing?"
Shang Shujue finally recovered from this string of inexplicable developments. He reached out, grabbed the car key, and swiftly pulled it out. The engine died, and his brows drew together tightly.
Song Yanqing glanced at the key clutched in Shang Shujue's palm, then lowered his head and sniffled, pressing his lips together without speaking. He looked as though he had been bullied and didn't dare fight back, only cry pitifully.
The sight made Shang Shujue itch all over. Goosebumps rose in wave after wave, patch after patch-enough patches to toss into a pot and cook up a bowl of dough-drop soup. His brows were furrowed tightly enough to crush a big black rat scurrying around, and the whole thing made him want to elbow the floor.
"Did you take the wrong dose of pesticide? Aren't you usually great at yapping? Why aren't you talking now? What are you crying for?! Keep crying and I'll get someone to deal with you, believe it or not!"
Song Yanqing wouldn't speak or try to take back the car key. He just sat there all gloomy, putting on that damn act and doing nothing but crying. It made Shang Shujue's scalp crawl even more than when he silently looked at people he hated as though they were dogs.
"You're fucking crazy. I can't take this anymore. Here, take it back, and take your breakfast too. I'm leaving. Stay the hell away from me!"
Unable to stand the atmosphere any longer, Shang Shujue tossed him the car key and the unfinished breakfast.
He was like a madman. In front of Song Yanqing, he had completely lost that composed ease with which he toyed with other people in the palm of his hand. Even Nuomi was dumbfounded.
"Shang Shujue, I'm sorry..."
Shang Shujue stopped opening the door yet again and turned to Song Yanqing in astonishment, looking as though he had seen a ghost. Those three words shocked him even more than hearing "thank you."
"Why are you suddenly apologizing? You're grossing me out like this just because I won't eat your breakfast? Is that really necessary?!"
Shang Shujue snatched the breakfast back and kept eating, wanting only to finish quickly and make a run for it. It was as though Song Yanqing's brain was short-circuiting, his expression changing from one moment to the next. It was seriously scary, okay?
Song Yanqing hadn't expected such a drastic change in Shang Shujue's actions either. He paused, then opened another bottle of mineral water and handed it over, afraid he would choke again.
He really hadn't meant to do that earlier. Seeing the pain on Shang Shujue's face had reminded him of some bad things, and for a moment, he couldn't hold back his tears.
He hadn't spoken earlier because he didn't know what to say. He had always been clumsy with words and didn't know what to say to please the person he liked, much less how to explain his own situation, because crying in front of the person he liked was a little embarrassing.
For some unknown reason, none of Shang Shujue's thoughts leaked out this time. Even Song Yanqing couldn't hear his internal panic and complaints.
Xu Jiaqiao and the others, who had been hiding in a secluded spot to observe in secret and considering whether to rush over and help, were all dumbfounded. Huh (⊙o⊙), this wasn't right. Where were Brother Jue's thoughts?
"Hey, did any of you hear anything over there? Or, I mean, did you hear Brother Jue's...? His... why can't we hear it all of a sudden?"
Xu Zhichen was the first to react. The Cullinan parked by the roadside had just started up, only for its engine to suddenly die again. He had no idea what had happened inside, and he hadn't heard Shang Shujue's thoughts either.
Logically, if something had happened, they should have heard Shang Shujue complaining. But now there was nothing, leaving them all utterly bewildered.
Only after Xu Zhichen spoke did the others realize that they hadn't heard Shang Shujue's thoughts either. Before they could figure it out, Yun Qishan's and Yu Yang's cars came their way.
Just then, a somewhat soft, cute voice suddenly rang out in their ears. It was different from Shang Shujue's voice, and its appearance startled everyone.
[Ding! The host's heart rate has been detected as excessively fast. One instance of your heart stirring for Song Yanqing has been recorded. The karma incurred by changing Xu Jiaqiao's life trajectory and fate has been canceled out for the host.
Please engage in more intimate contact with Song Yanqing, or fall in love with him. Someone blessed with such great fortune is the best remedy for you, who currently has an innate vicious villain buff.
If you later change too many people's tragic fates without eliminating the karma, the karmic burden on the host will exceed capacity, and you may risk dying without a burial place.]
When these three statements rang out, everyone who could hear them froze. It took them quite a while to recover.
Whose voice was that? A system like the ones in novels? Systems really existed in this world?
As Song Yanqing handed Shang Shujue the water, his lashes lifted slightly, and he discreetly glanced at the person in the passenger seat. Even his movements as he ate his breakfast had become much gentler. He had heard it after waking up too.
Song Yanqing withdrew his gaze and turned sideways, pretending to reach for something in the back seat. As he raised his eyes, he discreetly glanced at the two luxury cars not far away and the people hiding in the corner.
Then he looked away, picked up the gift in its bag, and settled back into the driver's seat, placing it on his lap. Looks like I'm not the only one who can hear his thoughts...