Everyone was surprised. They had assumed Xiao Yi would disapprove of his nephew’s choice of fiancé. They had come partly out of respect for the Xiao family and partly to enjoy the spectacle.
Yet Xiao Yi wasn’t merely civil toward the second young master of the Song family. He was treating him unusually well.
Ten million for adopting a family form of address, followed by a personal appearance at the engagement banquet—Song Liang was receiving treatment practically on par with the Qiao heiress.
Had the Song family acquired some important resource? Or was there really something exceptional about Song Liang?
The guests couldn’t understand it. Neither could Song Zhicheng, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying the envious looks around him. He continued socializing and eagerly introducing his eldest son.
The banquet hall was on the second floor. At the rear were an elevator and a staircase leading down to the first floor. A side door opened onto a spacious terrace.
Beyond the terrace stretched a transparent glass dome. From the railing, one could look down over the entire French-style courtyard. To suit the evening’s engagement theme, the hotel had filled the garden with red roses and pink climbing roses, interspersed with masses of white baby’s breath. The rich, romantic scent of roses lingered in the air, creating a dreamlike setting.
As soon as Xiao Yi followed Song Liang onto the terrace, he saw that it was empty and stopped.
Yang Xun and Yang Xuan halted behind him and asked what was wrong.
Ignoring them, Xiao Yi looked at Song Liang.
“Where’s Xiao Ji?”
“Doesn’t seem to be here. Perhaps he’ll come back soon. I’ll keep you company while we wait, Uncle.”
“…”
At this point, failing to understand the implication would mean deliberately playing dumb.
Xiao Yi told the Yang brothers to go back and wait for him, then turned to Song Liang.
“What do you want to say?”
“What did you want to say to Xiao Ji, Uncle?”
“…”
Xiao Yi looked at him quietly.
“I agreed to your engagement. I won’t say anything unnecessary.”
Talking to intelligent people certainly saved effort. Since Xiao Yi was being so accommodating, Song Liang naturally had to show some sincerity too.
He dropped into a wicker chair, took a familiar jewelry box from his pocket, opened it, and pushed it across the table.
“Returned to its rightful owner.”
The Emperor’s Tear glowed warmly and brilliantly beneath the lights. Xiao Yi glanced down at it, then looked away.
“What? Worried I’ve given you a fake?” Song Liang teased.
“…”
Xiao Yi had owned the brooch for nearly ten years. No one knew it better than he did. Naturally, he could tell that this was the one taken from him at Yalong Bay.
Ignoring the teasing, he stepped forward and picked it up.
Then, under Song Liang’s slightly surprised gaze, he bent down and pinned it to his chest.
The dazzling, precious jade against the black bespoke suit, paired with the young man’s bold bearing, looked unexpectedly harmonious.
With one hand resting on the armrest and the other propping up his chin, Song Liang looked at Xiao Yi with a faintly amused smile.
“What does this mean, Uncle?”
Xiao Yi raised his eyes.
Their faces were very close—close enough that he could kiss Song Liang simply by leaning forward a little. Neither seemed to find the distance inappropriate.
Xiao Yi studied his face. In the dim light, his deep green eyes looked subdued, with traces of redness from insufficient rest. Yet none of it diminished his beauty.
Song Liang thought it was a terrible waste. With a touch of tenderness, he stroked the outer corner of Xiao Yi’s eye.
“Such beautiful eyes, and you won’t take proper care of them. They’re already—”
Xiao Yi caught his wrist.
His dark green gaze fixed on Song Liang like an inescapable cage.
“Does it hurt you to see?”
Song Liang said nothing. He let Xiao Yi hold his wrist, their breaths mingling.
“I’m asking you. Does it hurt?”
As though unwilling to give up, Xiao Yi’s gaze slowly moved from his eyes to his nose, his cheeks, and his lips.
“Seeing me like this,” he asked in a low voice, “does it give you any satisfaction? Do you feel you’ve had your revenge?”
Song Liang’s smile remained unchanged.
“I’m not the vindictive type.”
Xiao Yi fell silent, then returned his gaze to Song Liang’s eyes.
“What will it take for you to forgive me?”
Even while making such a vulnerable request, the man before him showed no trace of pleading subservience. He remained calm and composed, as though asking a simple question.
Song Liang’s smile deepened.
“Perhaps once tonight is over.”
Meanwhile, in the garden downstairs, Xu Bowen was trying to reason with his friend.
“Since you’ve decided to be with him, you need to accept his family too. Song Zhicheng is his father, after all. If you really can’t stand him, just see less of him in the future.”
“I have no intention of accepting the Song family.”
Xu Bowen disapproved.
“You’d better not say that in front of Song Liang. It’ll damage your relationship.”
Xiao Ji’s expression darkened.
“We don’t have a relationship like that to begin with!”
Xu Bowen paused, then suddenly remembered something.
“I don’t think you’ve ever told me how you two got together. Xiao Ji, do you… like Song Liang?”
“Of course I—”
That arrogantly smiling face kept appearing in Xiao Ji’s mind, along with all those intimate, teasing remarks.
“He and I have an arrangement. That’s all.”
Xu Bowen didn’t ask why he had avoided answering directly.
“Xu Huan came back a few days ago.”
Xiao Ji jolted and looked up sharply.
Xu Bowen sighed at his reaction.
“His family is planning to arrange a marriage for him. If you… still feel that way, you’d better sort things out with Song Liang quickly. Song Liang is a good person. If you don’t like him, call off the engagement—”
“No!”
Xiao Ji’s expression changed, and he refused without hesitation.
If he called off the engagement, Song Liang would definitely go looking for that old man. He wasn’t going to let that happen.
As for why he couldn’t allow Song Liang to go to that old man, he instinctively refused to consider the reason.
Xu Bowen merely assumed their arrangement remained unfinished. He said no more, told Xiao Ji to think it over, and left.
Xiao Ji took out his phone, wanting to ask Xu Huan why he hadn’t told him he was back. Then he wanted to ask why he had returned at all.
But he remembered telling Song Liang that Xu Huan wouldn’t come back. If Song Liang found out, he might go mad again…
As his thoughts tangled, footsteps sounded behind him.
Assuming Xu Bowen had returned, he looked back.
“Why did you come—”
He stopped, freezing at the sight of the familiar figure.
“…Xu Huan?”
He stared in disbelief.
The familiar, refined face was half-hidden in shadow, exactly as he remembered it from years ago. It hadn’t changed at all, still so clean and clear.
He unconsciously walked over.
The other person seemed startled and turned to leave. Panicking, Xiao Ji hurried forward and pulled him into his arms.
“Xu Huan!”
The person in his embrace shivered at the name and stammered, “Hello, but… have you mistaken me for someone else?”
Xiao Ji froze. He was about to turn the person around when applause sounded overhead, followed by a familiar, languid voice.
“Is this your engagement gift to me, Young Master Xiao? Isn’t it a little too generous?”
Xiao Ji looked up.
Song Liang stood at the railing, looking down at him with the faintest suggestion of a smile.
A roar went through Xiao Ji’s head. He immediately released the person in his arms.
“You’ve misunderstood. I wasn’t… I mistook him for someone else…”
“I know. Xu Huan, right? I heard you calling his name from up here.”
“…”
Xiao Ji’s face paled. For a moment, he had no idea what to say.
Song Liang hadn’t expected him to say anything anyway. He removed the Emperor’s Tear from his jacket, held it out over the railing, and let go.
Horror flashed across Xiao Ji’s face. He rushed forward to catch it, stumbling and nearly falling in the process.
He looked thoroughly disheveled, but had no time to get angry. When he raised his head to explain, the person above had already turned away.
“Song Liang!”
“…”
Song Liang didn’t even glance at him. He checked the message Duan Yan had sent, quickly replied, “Understood,” then looked up into Xiao Yi’s cold, beautiful face.
“You sent him there.”
Xiao Yi exposed him immediately.
Naturally, Song Liang denied nothing and admitted nothing. Putting his phone away, he asked, “What makes you say that, Uncle?”
“You deliberately brought me here because you were afraid I’d find Xiao Ji and ruin your plan.”
“He was the one who hugged him. He even called out his first love’s name. You can consider it a test of whether he prefers me or Xu Huan.”
“You set him up. That isn’t fair to Xiao Ji.”
“Have you been fair to me, Uncle?”
Xiao Yi faltered. His breathing quickened slightly as he stared at him.
Song Liang slowly approached, caught the knot of Xiao Yi’s tie, and tilted his face closer.
He heard the man’s breathing grow a little more uneven.
His lips curved. He kissed the corner of Xiao Yi’s mouth, a brief touch before drawing away.
Looking into the green eyes made even more beautiful by shock, he spoke in a low voice.
“I know you like me, Uncle.”
Xiao Yi’s pupils trembled. His heart felt as though it might leap into his throat.
The next instant, he caught Song Liang’s arm, turned, and pressed him against the railing.
The scent of snow and fresh greenery swept close. Cool, soft lips crushed firmly against his.
With one wrist held captive, Song Liang was pinned to the railing. The force of the kiss bent his upper body backward. His lips were insistently parted, and a soft, strong tongue was about to slip inside when a burst of voices sounded nearby.
The man pressed against him stopped.
Song Liang’s gaze flickered. Just before Xiao Yi could retreat, he reached up, hooked an arm around his neck, and kissed him back.
Xiao Yi’s eyes trembled, their depths instantly darkening like a deep green sea.
Then a chorus of gasps sounded beside them, followed by Xiao Ji’s voice, shocked to the point of horror.
“What are you two doing?!”
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