Chapter 38: Rivals in Love

After the magazine sets the gist of the next issue, the staff are busy.

When Song Yunxuan’s about to leave the office in the afternoon, Shao Xue is bored, leaving that mobile phone aside.

Song Yunxuan comes to her, picks up her mobile phone, switches on its camera and leans in front of her. She points at the camera and says, "Smile, Shao Xue."

Shao Xue probably doesn't smile often. Faced with the camera, her smile is stiff.

Click.

The photo is frozen. Song Yunxuan looks at the picture on the screen through her black pupils, feeling that the two young girls in the picture are very intimate friends.

In fact, no one knows how much hatred they have when this photo is fixed, which drives the smiles on their faces.

No sooner has the cell phone been put down than it rings.

There's no caller’s ID on it, but it's a number from the same city.

Song Yunxuan has already guessed who is calling, so she signals Shao Xue to answer the phone.

Doubtfully, Shao Xuexin's slides the screen to answer the call.

There comes Shao Tianze's voice. Song Yunxuan pulls her into her office, locks the door and let her switch on the phone’s speaker.

The voice of Shao Tianze over there is very clear.

Song Yunxuan is very familiar with Shao Tianze's voice. Even when she hears the first half of his sentence, she can guess what the second half of his sentence is.

Shao Tianze's voice is warm and moist: "Shao Xue, are you off work?"

Shao Xue takes a look at Song Yunxuan.

Song Yunxuan nods at her before she says in a cold voice: "Just off work."

"Shall I take you home and invite you to dinner by the way?"

Shao Xuexuan has a suspicion, but Song Yunxuan indicates that she should agree.

"Well."

Her voice is still cold.

Over there Shao Tianze asks her with concern, "Are you uncomfortable?"

"No, no, I'm just leaving work and I'm packing up now."

Shao Tianze smiles. "Then I won't disturb you. I'll wait for you at the door of your magazine building."

"Well."

Shao Xue wants to hang up first. But Song Yunxuan finds that Shao Tianze hasn’t hung up there. So, she gestures for Shao Xue to speak another word.

When Shao Xue perceives that Song Yunxuan's finger is pointing at her cell phone, she adds another sentence: "Thank you for the cell phone."

Shao Tianze says with a smile: "I’m happy to hear about that."

His voice is so gentle, tapping on the hearts of two girls. But Shao Xue's can’t help gnashing her teeth, hanging up the phone.

Song Yunxuan pats her on the shoulder and says, "From now on, you have to remember that he is your brother. You can just treat him as your brother."

"But..." Shao Xue retorts.

Song Yunxuan interrupts her coldly: "If you can't even get along with him normally? How can we go on till we get revenged?”

What Song Yunxuan said is not unreasonable.

Patience is never a sign of cowardice, but a process of preserving strength.

Rome is not built in one day.

To realize the revenge, it takes a long time to plan and brew.

What they’re undertaking is like a chess game in which the players have to make thorough calculation step by step.

Listening to her slightly harsh words, Shao Xue loses her mind for a moment. Then tears start to fill her eyes.

Song Yunxuan knows that she still can’t let go the idea of revenging her parents. She says nothing more, but reminds her, "You have to behave naturally when you go out to dine with him later."

Shao Xue nods.

Song Yunxuan hands her a piece of tissue in the office. Shao Xue wipes her tears embarrassingly before going out to pack up her things.

Half an hour later they go out together.

Sure enough, Shao Tianze is waiting in his car at the door of the magazine. When he sees Shao Xue and Song Yunxuan coming out together, he gets off the car and smiles, "Shao Xue, Miss Song."

Song Yunxuan nods: "Chairman Shao can call me Yunxuan."

Shao Tianze nods gently as his sight moves from Song Yunxuan's face to Shao Xue's.

Shao Xue keeps her poker face when she perceives Shao Tianze.

Song Yunxuan clearly sees her fingers clenching the bag tightly. She raises her hand to cover the back of her hand and gently opens her mouth. "Shao Xue, I'll go first. Enjoy your time with chairman Shao."

Song Yunxuan has no intention of getting involved.

However, Shao Tianze looks slightly sideways, sending out his polite invitation: "Yunxuan, join us together."

Shao Tianzeng changes his address to Song Yunxuan so naturally that she is shocked slightly with her step halted.

It's no harm to go out with Shao Tianze.

It's just...

"Shao Xue and I haven't seen each other for many years. It may be embarrassing to go out alone. Since you are her good friend, why not come along us if there's nothing urgent."

"Well..."

Noticing her hesitation, Shao Tianze hangs a gentle smile on his handsome face: "Shao Xue needs your company."

Hearing he speaks like this, Song Yunxuan has no reason to refuse.

Shao Xue looks at her and says, "Come along, Yunxuan."

Song Yunxuan nods: "Thank you, Chairman Shao, for dinner in advance."

With a smile, Shao Tianze opens the door for them to get on his car.

Yet, Shao Xue doesn’t mean to sit on the passenger seat. So, Song Yunxuan has to settle on it in order to avoid the embarrassment.

Shao Tianze sighs slightly when he finds Shao Xue sitting in the back seat. In a twinkling of an eye, he sees Song Yunxuan smiling at him as if to encourage him.

Shao Tianze feels surprised before he starts the car.

He looks sideways at Song Yunxuan several times while driving as if he wants to see some familiar expression on her face.

Song Yunxuan is aware of being watched by him. So when he looks sideways again, she looks at him in the eyes: "Chairman Shao, what's on my face?"

Touching her own face, she is a little worried.

Shao Tianze smiles faintly: "No."

"Then why do you look at me?"

"I don't think you look very similar to your sister."

That is a lie.

When Song Yunxuan hears this sentence, she has a moment of sneering in her heart.

She is really different from Song Yunjia. But according to Shao Tianze's feelings towards Song Yunjia, he won’t pay any attention to whether her sister is similar to her.

Nevertheless, she thinks, Shao Tianze may think that her smiling eyes are similar to Gu Changge's.

Shao Tianze hesitates for a moment and seems to realize that Song Yunxuan doesn't believe him. So, he says with a sad face: "Actually, you somewhat assemble my wife when you laugh."

"Really?" She reaches out to touch her own face.

Shao Tianze nods bitterly as if he is missing Gu Changge: "It feels very similar."

Song Yunxuan looks down and smiles.

Of course, they will be similar, because they are indeed the same person. No wonder they will make him feel the same.

But it's also rare that Shao Tianze still remembers his feelings when the woman killed by him laughs.

Song Yunxuan is curious: "Chairman Shao, how do you feel when your wife smiles at you?"

Shao Tianze thinks over it and then says. "When she smiled at me in college, it made me feel that she was a very bright girl. It was like a ray of light, shining in my heart."

"And then?"

The heavy haze flashes across Shao Tianze's eyes, but he clearly utters three words: "Like the sun."

Yes, like the sun.

It is so hot and dazzling that it seems to burn him to ashes.

With no tender feeling, she is so strong.

All the light gathers on her,

Making him bored.

He feels that the glory of the whole world has been taken away by her, and finally only the cold darkness remained.

Song Yunxuan does not continue to ask, she goes totally silent.

Shao Tianze drives them directly to a western restaurant for dinner.

Shao Xue's action of holding a knife and fork is somewhat clumsy. Shao Tianze personally teaches her to use a knife and fork.

But Song Yunxuan's eating manner is elegant and dignified as if she has long been used to western tableware.

Shao Tianze looked at Song Yunxuan in the middle of the meal. "Your sister told me that you grew up in Qingcheng?"

"Well," Song Yunxuan nods, "Qingcheng is a good place. Have you ever been there, Chairman Shao?"

Shao Xue's fingers are stiff.

When she mentions Qingcheng, there’s a strange feeling in Shao Tianze’s eyes. But his smile remains unchanged. He answers smoothly, "My family is in Haicheng, and I have never been Qingcheng."

Song Yunxuan asks Shao Xue, "Shao Xue, have you ever been to Qingcheng?"

Shao Xue looks at Song Yunxuan and then turns her head to look at Shao Tianze with her furious eyes. Finally, she speaks reluctantly: "No, I haven't been there. I am also from Haicheng."

Song Yunxuan can't help laughing. "We should visit Qingcheng together in the future. The people there are very simple and kind."

They are very simple and kind indeed, otherwise, they will not be destroyed by Shao Tianze.

Shao Tianze really hates his family background. In order to conceal his poor background, he even killed his adoptive parents.

After the topic is over, the dinner of the three people comes to an end.

Silence lies among them.

When Shao Xue looks up again, his eyes suddenly become fixed. She looks directly at the man behind Song Yunxuan and frowns, "Yunxuan, the one behind you is..."

Song Yunxuan turns her head and suddenly finds Chu Mochen who is in his shirt and vest, looking at her calmly in the distance.

Her eyelids jump as she has a very bad feeling.

But the expression on his face does not change.

She knows that Chu Mochen hates her being with Shao Tianze and thinks that she is trying every means to seduce Shao Tianze.

However, if she can’t knock down Shao Tianze in her entire life, why does she live?

Her eyes are cold with a special feeling, and her fingers clench the silver tableware in her hands.

Standing in the distance, Chu Mochen looks at Shao Tianze’s face after he frowns and makes eye contact with Song Yunxuan.

Shao Tianze's smile is perfect.

As if this scene has been anticipated by him long ago, Shao Tianze quietly waits to see what kind of response will Chu Mochen make.

Chu Mochen is naturally very unhappy. Even the assistant behind him whispers to remind him, "Childe Chu, Miss Yunxuan maybe..."

The secretary knows that any man who sees the woman he loves dining with his rival in love will be unhappy, and he is eager to give Song Yunxuan a break.

But Chu Mochen strides to the seat which Song Yunxuan is sitting on before the assistant has finished his words.

With Chu Mochen's steady footsteps approaching, Song Yunxuan’s heart beats faster and her fingers are freezing.

Chu Mochen, what are you doing here?