Although Shi Xuanzhu thought this in his mind, seeing Song Yun’s slightly embarrassed expression, he still spoke with concern.

“I know. You’re trying to do what’s best for me, but I don’t want to put you in danger because of these things.”

Shi Xuanzhu held Song Yun’s hand tightly and said seriously: “We’re just ordinary people. Your brother gets involved with increasingly complex matters, and each one could threaten you as his older brother. You might get dragged in. I only want you to be safe.”

Looking at the genuine concern on Shi Xuanzhu’s face, Song Yun felt a warm sensation in his heart.

“I know, but actually, it’s pretty safe in the country, isn’t it? They can’t interfere with domestic affairs.”

Song Yun said softly.

Shi Xuanzhu: “…”

Yes, they couldn’t interfere with domestic affairs, but the opportunities were abroad!

Yes, he had previously wanted to use Ye Wangxing’s connections to gain some international opportunities, but that didn’t mean he didn’t care about his life!

He just couldn’t show it now, because Song Yun truly meant well, and in terms of being the matriarch in charge, Song Yun still couldn’t find fault.

—Even though it was a case of good intentions gone awry.

Shi Xuanzhu thought this, and the irritation in his heart disappeared. His expression became more sincere, quickly smoothing over the little knot in Song Yun’s heart.

But just as Song Yun planned to shift the topic back to Ye Wangxing, Shi Xuanzhu realized it would be bad. If he lingered on this topic with Song Yun, Song Yun would eventually discover his true feelings toward Ye Wangxing. It was better to take the initiative and change the subject.

“Let’s let this matter rest for now. Maybe in a few days, it’ll be fine. I also have something I want to tell you.”

Shi Xuanzhu said with a gentle smile.

Hearing this, Song Yun temporarily gave up on the topic of Ye Wangxing. He knew that when Shi Xuanzhu said this, the matter was already temporarily set aside.

However, Song Yun still felt that this was the reason Shi Xuanzhu worried about him. Although he felt a bit strange and hard to describe, he still asked with some curiosity,

“What is it?”

Shi Xuanzhu smiled, squinting his eyes, and said: “Something about work. A director arranged a meal with me. I’ll take you along!”

His voice carried a hint of excitement, which made Song Yun believe that Shi Xuanzhu had received a new role invitation. He sincerely felt happy for him.

—Until the day of the meal, when he saw that the person sitting opposite was the director of that variety show.

Song Yun didn’t even know how he had finished the meal that day. Fortunately, he refused to agree to participate in the show, instead expressing his gratitude that the director had given Shi Xuanzhu the opportunity.

Shi Xuanzhu’s expression instantly soured, and his gaze toward Song Yun lost its usual warmth.

The director didn’t know what the couple was arguing about, but having a movie star come as a guest observer was already a great opportunity. The director didn’t ask for more and maintained a low profile during the meal, leaving early.

After the director left and they returned home, Song Yun and Shi Xuanzhu had their largest argument since getting married.

The topics included, but were not limited to, why Song Yun gave up his career to be a full-time homemaker, who benefited from it, why Shi Xuanzhu had financed Song Yun’s parents, and why the director visiting that night hadn’t been told to Song Yun.

Both men were adults. One had spent years filming, even if often using a stunt double, his stamina remained considerable. The other spent much of his time at home doing housework but also kept fit.

When these two argued, it sounded like clattering ping-pong balls, frightening the house staff.

Finally, there was a loud slam as the front door closed. Only then did the villa return to silence.

The housekeeper in the kitchen cautiously opened the door and saw Shi Xuanzhu standing in the living room.

Even though the ceiling lights were bright, Shi Xuanzhu’s square face looked dark and menacing.

He was completely different from his usual upright and gentle exterior, looking as sinister as a secret agent from a TV drama.

The next second, he could have pulled out a telegraph machine and started typing.

The housekeeper’s gaze seemed to catch Shi Xuanzhu’s attention. He immediately looked at her, and the intensity in his eyes frightened her enough that she slammed the kitchen door shut.

‘Maybe I should accept Mr. Li’s invitation tomorrow. Mr. Shi looks scary,’ she thought, patting her chest.

As the most sought-after housekeeper in this villa district, she didn’t lack opportunities elsewhere.

Song Yun didn’t know that the housekeeper, who normally worried about being poached by others, had already considered resigning because of just one look from Shi Xuanzhu.

Otherwise, he would never leave the house and would instead confront Shi Xuanzhu directly.

Unfortunately, he didn’t realize it. He was still standing outside in the cold night wind, lost in thought.

At that moment, a lyric floated in Song Yun’s mind: “Walking in the winter night wind ~ scattered and crushed are all dreams.”

The lyric made Song Yun shiver. He stepped aside to let a young man doing a public night run pass, then scrolled through his phone to see who he could visit that night.

But…

As Shi Xuanzhu had said, Song Yun had been a full-time homemaker for over seven years. He had completely lost his social circle, and old friends no longer contacted him. Establishing themselves in the capital had been hard. Except for family relatives, he couldn’t find anyone to confide in.

His younger cousin living with their parents at night was obviously not a suitable choice.

After searching everywhere and finding no one to talk to, he finally looked at the top contact in his phone and made a call.

“…So this was the reason you stayed up all night worrying?”

The handsome young man looked calmly at his older brother, who sat on the sofa with a guilty expression, and said.

Sitting on the sofa, Song Yun began to vent his feelings with a guilty expression.

The handsome young man appeared to listen attentively, occasionally responding with “mm-hmm” or “ah,” but in his mind, he flipped through the original plot, trying to figure out when this part of Song Yun’s story had happened.

When Song Yun had just arrived, Ye Wangxing realized that something seemed a little off. This plot felt too familiar, but it was supposed to happen after the variety show ended, right?

And the reason for the argument wasn’t this at all. The fight had actually started because Shi Xuanzhu had been photographed dining with his “soulmate,” and then had urgently contacted Song Yun for damage control, which led to the quarrel.

—At that time, Shi Xuanzhu emphasized “the innocent are cleared,” blaming everything on the violent online environment.

【This kind of hypocrite always had an excuse. Although some netizens in reality indeed behaved like NPCs from certain novel-style online bullying plots—believing everything blindly and rushing forward to attack others—Shi Xuanzhu was a man who constantly spoke about etiquette. Could he not understand social manners?】

After Ye Wangxing reached this scene, he complained to 19 in his mind, and at the same time, he opened the task panel to check his current mission.

[Task Panel]
Name: [Ye Wangxing]
Gender: [Male]
Age: [24]
Current Role: [Widower]
Attention Value: [482,094]
Mini World Currency: [41,239,635]
Gold (transferable to real world): [31,100 g]
Main Quest: [Capture attention of the protagonist couple]
Progress: [13%]
Reward: [200,000 Attention Value]

Side Quest:
Quest 1: [Disrupt the main protagonist couple’s quarrel]
Progress: [100%]
Reward: [Attention 7000, 5 000 000 Mini World Currency, 4000g gold]
Quest 2: [Mentally pressure the protogonist.]
Progress: [0%]
Reward: [Attention 6000, 5 000 000 Mini World Currency, 4000g gold]

Ye Wangxing looked at the “Widower” status and wanted to complain but closed his eyes and ignored it. Then he looked at Side Task Two and felt speechless again.

When he first saw this task, he had thought it would be similar to the original plot: Song Yun’s parents came to his home with the male lead to mentally pressure him. He had prepared his lines, ready to confront them.

But unexpectedly, the reason for this quarrel had changed this time.

What shocked Ye Wangxing more was that the new quarrel reason arose because Shi Xuanzhu didn’t inform Song Yun before bringing someone over—and yet, he still had an excuse!

【Host, Shi Xuanzhu’s EQ and IQ are fine, so he would instinctively find a suitable reason for his actions. In the original work, Song Yun was driven crazy not only because of his parents.】

19 said this, and surprisingly, his tone carried a hint of satisfaction.

This puzzled Ye Wangxing. 19 was not the type to admire such people.

And indeed, 19 did not disappoint him—he didn’t admire Shi Xuanzhu.

But…

【Host, I predicted the male lead behavior for the first time—it seems this person’s personality simulation function isn’t malfunctioning.】

19 looked at the personality model he had created, his tone for the first time showing satisfaction.

Listening to 19, Ye Wangxing suddenly realized how difficult the previous tasks had been. In prior worlds, chaotic characters had rendered 19’s personality simulation system useless.

Not to mention the abstract high schoolers in the first world—their odd ideas were indescribable.

After thinking about the suffering 19 had endured in those worlds and the absurd shocks his warzone system had faced, Ye Wangxing truly felt sorry for him.

What had he gone through recently?!

【That’s great! 19, your ability has increased. Let’s set off some fireworks to celebrate!】

Thinking this, Ye Wangxing bought celebratory fireworks in the system store.

The cost was minimal—just one follower point—but the fireworks were enough for them to use for ten years. Without hesitation, he set them off for 19.

19 was a little stunned.

As a system that frequently set off fireworks for its host, he hadn’t expected the host to do the same for him. The cost was low, and it wasn’t like some hosts who bought many items in the store because they missed their hometown food.

But…

19 lifted his head and looked at the fireworks exploding inside the system space.

The corners of his mouth lifted in a rare, slight curve. Then he turned to look at Ye Wangxing.

…The colorful fireworks reflected perfectly in his pupils.

—It almost made Ye Wangxing stare blankly and forget to reply to Song Yun.

Fortunately, Song Yun didn’t notice that his younger brother was completely mesmerized in his mind by a silicon-based entity.

He kept talking about his own situation.

He didn’t act, nor did he shout, but the endless logical arguments drained a person’s mental energy.

—Especially when Shi Xuanzhu said something that actually made sense.

“You should go out for a walk. You’ve been at home full-time for so many years, how many friends do you have left? You should go out and make more friends!”

Shi Xuanzhu shouted.

“This is a great opportunity. I finally got us, as a couple, on a variety show, and you threw attitude at the director during the evening banquet?”

That self-righteous attitude made Song Yun start to doubt whether he had truly isolated himself, which made the next argument exhausting, so he resorted to the method he had always despised.

“—Isn’t it because you didn’t tell me in advance? Forget it, there’s no reasoning with you. I won’t stay home tonight!”

Then Song Yun came here.

He really began to doubt whether he had isolated himself too much, to the point that even Shi Xuanzhu couldn’t tolerate it.

If that was the case, maybe participating in the variety show wasn’t a bad idea after all.

“…Anyway, that’s the entire story.”

Song Yun sighed.

He felt that his life seemed to have changed slightly. Although small, it was enough to turn everything upside down, leaving him momentarily at a loss.

His husband had clearly acted in the name of doing good for him, and indeed had good intentions, so why did he feel so upset, as if he had been kidnapped?

Had he truly isolated himself too much?

He looked up at Ye Wangxing, hoping to seek his younger brother’s opinion.

He was prepared for impatience from his brother, after all, this matter seemed trivial. But when he looked up, he saw the handsome young man raise an eyebrow with a ‘that’s it?’ expression.

“I thought you had killed my brother-in-law. I had already arranged people to clean up afterward and prepared for you to surrender, citing impulsive murder and so on.”

The handsome young man spoke, gradually showing disappointment on his face.

“—I had prepared all this, and you tell me you just argued with him?”

Song Yun: “…”

He suddenly felt that he wasn’t as upset anymore.

After all, whether he was isolated or needed more social contact seemed trivial now. What he really wanted to know was what his brother had gone through to be able to say such things.

Song Yun didn’t know that when he said those words, his brother’s mind was earnestly reflecting on the core values of socialism.

“…Wangxing, I really didn’t take things that far with your brother-in-law. We really have a good relationship.”

Song Yun pleaded desperately.

Hearing that, the handsome young man finally just showed a look of regret, and the lawyer’s number on the phone was put away, which made Song Yun sigh in relief.

“Also, with Kaizer and me, we only had minor conflicts back then. It never escalated to this extent. Although I think your way of interacting seems distant, it might just be individual differences between couples—and it’s really a small matter.”

The handsome young man said this, took a nearby wine glass, poured one for Song Yun, and swirled his own.

“Is this a small matter? Should I not have argued with him?”

Song Yun asked with some doubt, which then turned into self-questioning.

If it were someone else advising him, he might question them, but this was his brother, and he had experienced married life. Perhaps what he said was right.

“I don’t know how you interact, but this kind of thing really wasn’t a big deal in my marriage with Kaizer.”

The handsome young man shrugged, making Song Yun even more frustrated.

But…

The next second, Song Yun’s frustration froze on his face.

“After all, at least your husband didn’t install monitoring on you for three months without telling you before you discovered it.”

The handsome young man said it calmly, as if he were talking about eating an apple today.

Song Yun: “…”

He let out a sharp scream again.

“Wangxing, what exactly did you experience abroad!”

Song Yun remained dazed and distracted, unable to question himself before going to sleep.

He had originally wanted to scold his brother-in-law, but once he remembered the person was dead, he realized there was no point. He could only hold back his words and frantically explain to his brother what a normal family should be like, because his situation was abnormal.

Fortunately, Ye Wangxing behaved obediently, seemingly absorbing everything he said. How much he would really understood, Song Yun didn’t dare to guarantee, but just his attitude made Song Yun sigh in relief.

The next day, when Song Yun planned to leave with Ye Wangxing to go back home and talk to Shi Xuanzhu, Ye Wangxing confusedly took him along.

Ye Wangxing said he had to inspect the companies in which he had shares. How could his older brother not accompany him?

It also gave him a chance to see if Ye Wangxing was being deceived. Having been in the entertainment industry so long, and with Ye Wangxing being an award-winning actor, Song Yun thought nothing would escape his eyes if it were acting.

So he couldn’t leave.

Ye Wangxing had stakes in far too many companies.

From industry to e-commerce, from food to research institutes, even tourism had his shares.

Ye Wangxing inspected companies for several days, picking some to intervene in.

This made Assistant Wang busy running around.

And this was only a small part, most of the major shares were still abroad.

Ye Wangxing didn’t treat Song Yun as an outsider, so he freely ordered his brother around.

“Brother, my company has matters. Come and help me oversee the interviews. You don’t need to interview them yourself, just sit there and apply pressure.”

“Brother, my company has a contract. Come help support the team.”

“Brother, my company is under renovation. Help me supervise it.”

Song Yun was easygoing. Combined with Ye Wangxing’s requests, he ran around, going from one company renovation to another meeting. Though he didn’t understand, he could handle holding presence effortlessly.

Naturally, he also gained some shares in his brother’s companies.

His brother precisely stayed within his tolerance, so he couldn’t refuse even if he wanted.

Because of these shares, he was too busy to call Shi Xuanzhu—until news of the nanny wanting to resign appeared on his phone.

At that time, Song Yun was supervising a renovation, accompanied by the company manager.

He could now maintain a calm and composed aura.

The company also knew that this major shareholder had an imposing older brother.

The manager had been admiring that the wealthy family’s upbringing was different: one brother young and owning many shares, the other with a strong presence.

—Then he saw the imposing man check a short message, and his expression instantly changed.

He took out his phone and dialed a number.

“—Shi! Xuan! Zhu! How could you let this happen at home? How could Aunt Li call to resign! Aunt Li was hard-won from Mrs. Zhao next door!”

He practically ground the words through his teeth.

“I’m telling you, Shi Xuanzhu, I’ll be back in half an hour. If Aunt Li really resigns, pack your things and stay at the crew’s dorm!”

Song Yun was furious while rushing home.

That was Aunt Li—the most meticulous cook in the neighborhood, excellent at cooking, cleaning, and always tidy, never badmouthed her employer.

He had managed to get Aunt Li during Mrs. Zhao’s divorce situation, taking advantage of the opportunity. And now, after only a few days, Shi Xuanzhu almost drove her away?

Previously, arguments and internal strife were bad enough, but now he had to deal with Aunt Li?

Song Yun’s hands itched, and his mind recalled Ye Wangxing’s prior mention of hiring a lawyer.

Fortunately, when he returned home, Aunt Li was still there. Shi Xuanzhu had successfully retained her, even with a small raise, which reassured Song Yun.

Shi Xuanzhu seemed to realize his mistake, and in front of Aunt Li, he took Song Yun to a private restaurant, speaking gently on the way, loosening Song Yun’s emotional knots.

Despite being busy recently, Song Yun’s self-doubt eased, and he became more tolerant of Shi Xuanzhu.

Yet he still didn’t want to show himself in public, nor did he like others evaluating him.

But just as Song Yun thought this would be a private moment, when he opened the restaurant private room door, his smile vanished.

Song Yun’s father and Ye’s mother sat at the table, looking extremely stern as if presiding over a tribunal, only the little cousin smiled awkwardly and waved.

Little cousin: “…”Brother, If I told you, I just wanted their braised beef, would you believe me?

 

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