Chapter 5: Slap in the Face

Since it was merely a joke from an elder, naturally no one took Old Master Shen’s words too seriously.

The Song parents also knew that he only said it because he liked their son too much, so they smiled and replied, “That’s true.”

“If our two families happened to have one son and one daughter, becoming in-laws would’ve been wonderful.”

Song Jingyao casually mocked it in his heart and didn’t think much of it.

At the entire table, only Shen Xiuzhu remained quietly smiling.

But deep within his eyes, the color darkened slightly.

His long eyelashes lowered, making it impossible to read what he was thinking.

After that topic passed, the elders from both families continued chatting while eating.

Somehow, the conversation eventually circled back to Song Jingyao again.

The suddenly named Song Jingyao was currently gnawing on a lamb chop.

His mouth was oily, and when he lifted his head, he still looked slightly confused.

Mother Song smiled and repeated herself.

“Grandpa Shen suggested you intern at their company and learn under Xiuzhu.”

“What do you think?”

Shen Xiuzhu showed absolutely no objection on his side.

Calm and mature as always, he politely expressed agreement.

The matter practically seemed settled on the spot.

Song Jingyao froze.

Then, once he fully processed it, he immediately refused.

What did he think?

Of course not!

He was a rich playboy who only knew how to indulge himself.

How was he supposed to manage a company?

They were overestimating him way too much.

And more importantly, this was seriously OOC for his character setting!

Song Jingyao didn’t even care about the spicy, fragrant, crispy-on-the-outside tender-on-the-inside lamb chop anymore.

He waved his hands desperately.

Every inch of him screamed refusal.

Unfortunately, the enthusiasm and goodwill of four elders was not something a single junior could overpower.

Four mouths against one.

Completely unfair.

After several rounds of argument, he was ultimately crushed into defeat.

Then Song Jingyao drooped his shoulders, silently waiting for the headache punishment caused by deviating from his character setting.

One minute.

Two minutes.

…Five minutes passed.

But his head didn’t hurt at all!

Song Jingyao froze.

Could it be…

Because he strongly resisted at first before being forcibly arranged into it, it didn’t count as OOC?

Once he confirmed the headache wasn’t coming, his expression instantly relaxed.

Without caring about anything else, he happily picked up another lamb chop and continued eating with great enjoyment.

You couldn’t tell at all that he had been unwilling about the internship arrangement moments ago.

On the contrary, he looked pretty cheerful.

Watching him, Shen Xiuzhu slowly withdrew his gaze.

A faint smile curved at the corner of his lips.

At the round table, the elders from both families sat together to chat conveniently.

The remaining three juniors sat together separately.

Song Jingyao was stuck in the middle.

Su Ran sat on his left.

Shen Xiuzhu sat on his right.

Earlier, because they needed to leave some room for the waiters to serve dishes, Su Ran had moved her chair slightly farther away.

As a result, Song Jingyao ended up sitting closer to Shen Xiuzhu.

After finishing several lamb chops, Song Jingyao felt extremely satisfied.

The moment he raised his head, however, he discovered Shen Xiuzhu beside him watching him with a smile.

Song Jingyao immediately reacted by grabbing a napkin and wiping his mouth.

He thought maybe some sauce had gotten onto his face and embarrassed him.

But there was nothing there.

When he looked up again, Shen Xiuzhu was still smiling.

Song Jingyao instantly became unhappy.

Out of pure reflex and long-term habit, he kicked Shen Xiuzhu under the table.

One kick.

Then another.

Then another…

Suddenly, his calf was pinned down.

He couldn’t kick anymore!

On the surface, Shen Xiuzhu’s expression remained perfectly calm.

But beneath the table, he firmly pressed down Song Jingyao’s restless leg, preventing him from moving again.

Song Jingyao refused to accept defeat.

He increased the force, trying both to escape and sneak in two more kicks.

Unexpectedly, he got called out again.

Mother Song said, “Yaoyao, follow Xiuzhu properly and learn seriously.”

“Don’t slack off.”

“I’ll ask Xiuzhu from time to time how your learning progress is.”

Song Jingyao gave a fake smile.

“Mhm.”

“I’ll definitely study diligently under little brother Xiuzhu.”

Although Shen Xiuzhu was the same age as him, he had been born one month later.

When they were children, Song Jingyao constantly used his “older brother” status to suppress him.

During their rebellious teenage years, Shen Xiuzhu had minded it greatly.

He especially hated when Song Jingyao touched his head.

But later on, for some reason, he stopped caring altogether.

Now, Shen Xiuzhu didn’t fall for the bait at all.

He smiled calmly and politely.

“Brother Yao and I grew up together.”

“We’re close.”

“If there’s anything he needs from me, I’ll gladly help.”

The elders watched the juniors getting along harmoniously.

Completely unaware that an intense war was happening beneath the table.

Naturally, they smiled in satisfaction and resumed chatting.

At that moment, a waiter arrived carrying a large plate of steamed fish.

The platter was huge, forcing Song Jingyao to shift his chair slightly aside so the waiter could place it properly.

Right then, Shen Xiuzhu suddenly reached out thoughtfully and rotated the lazy Susan.

“Put it here.”

As he leaned forward, he naturally moved even closer to Song Jingyao.

As the male lead, how could his voice possibly sound ordinary?

Sexy and slightly husky.

Seductive to the extreme.

His lips also happened to end up very close to Song Jingyao’s ear.

Hot breath instantly surrounded his ear.

Slightly damp.

Easily capable of stirring up a tingling itch.

Song Jingyao got startled badly.

He immediately covered his ear and shrank backward to dodge away.

His entire body trembled uncontrollably.

The calf still trapped beneath the table struggled violently.

Bang.

He accidentally slammed into the table.

Everyone at the table instantly looked toward him.

Feeling awkward, Song Jingyao pretended nothing happened and casually said, “Accidentally bumped into it.”

Old Master Shen asked whether he was alright.

Song Jingyao hurriedly nodded.

Since it was just a simple bump, nobody paid too much attention afterward.

But Song Jingyao’s ears had already turned uncontrollably red.

Feeling guilty, he quickly rubbed them twice with his hand, hoping the heat would fade before anyone noticed.

Unfortunately, Shen Xiuzhu sat too close.

He saw everything clearly.

And no one understood Song Jingyao better than him.

Song Jingyao’s ears were extremely sensitive.

Back then, whenever someone played a prank by blowing into his ear, he would explode instantly and start cursing violently.

At this moment, Song Jingyao lowered his head slightly, exposing a section of pale white nape.

It made his ears appear even redder.

His soft moist earlobe was pinched lightly between his fingers.

Sensitive.

Flustered.

Fragile and pitiful enough to make people wonder—

If that earlobe were held inside someone’s mouth instead, this person in front of them would definitely become even more panicked.

Panicked enough to tremble uncontrollably.

Shen Xiuzhu’s eyes darkened.

He deliberately suppressed the turbulent emotions surging within them.

Meanwhile, Su Ran sat nearby biting her chopsticks while secretly glancing sideways.

The atmosphere between her cousin and Brother Shen felt strangely suspicious somehow.

But if she seriously examined it, she started wondering whether she was simply seeing gay tension everywhere because of her rotten-fujoshi brain.

After sneaking another look, she guiltily lowered her head and continued eating.

She needed principles.

You weren’t supposed to fantasize about people around you!

But they matched too well!

What kind of heavenly CP was this?!

Locked!

Absolutely locked together!

She was almost losing control of herself!

No.

She absolutely had to suppress her natural instincts.

Otherwise, if she got discovered, she would die horribly.

By the time the meal was nearly over, Song Jingyao stood up to go to the restroom.

Because of the earlier “accident,” he still felt somewhat dazed.

As an impure gay man, he firmly believed he needed to keep a safe distance from the male lead who emitted hormones every second of every day.

Otherwise, who knew when he might suddenly lose control and transform into a wolf that pounced directly onto him?

If that happened, not even jumping into the Yellow River could wash him clean anymore.

Muttering internally to himself, Song Jingyao slowly washed his hands outside the restroom.

“I want to be with him?”

“I’d rather jump off a building and die.”

“With someone so useless and incompetent, and with such a terrible reputation, wouldn’t my entire life be ruined?”

Wow.

Who hated someone so much that they’d rather die than be together with them?

Voices drifted out from the women’s restroom nearby.

Song Jingyao hadn’t intended to eavesdrop.

The gossip simply forced itself into his ears.

And somehow…

The voice sounded a little familiar?

“Exactly.”

“All he does every day is drink and party at clubs.”

“He’s never done a single proper thing.”

“He only knows how to live off his family.”

“He’s nowhere near Shen Xiuzhu’s level.”

Shen Xiuzhu?

Who were they comparing to Shen Xiuzhu?

And it involved the male lead too?

Song Jingyao unconsciously slowed the speed of washing his hands.

If it involved plot-related characters, listening probably wouldn’t hurt.

But the next second—

“A useless rich second-generation brat.”

“What capabilities could you possibly expect from him?”

“Don’t even compare him to Shen Xiuzhu.”

“That’s an insult to the Shen family.”

“Besides his family background and face, what else does Song Jingyao even have?”

“I bet the Song family will eventually collapse in his hands.”

“Whoever marries him in the future will be pitiful.”

Song Jingyao: “…???”

What the hell did that have to do with him?

Where did this random giant pot come from?!

You’d rather die than marry me?

Did you ever ask whether I even wanted to marry you in the first place?!

At this point, Song Jingyao more or less guessed who it was.

A novel had male and female leads.

It had cannon-fodder male supporting characters.

Naturally, it also couldn’t lack a vicious female supporting character obsessed with the male lead.

Clearly a rich beautiful heiress who should’ve just enjoyed life peacefully.

Instead, she became completely love-brained.

Constantly making things difficult for the female lead and causing obstacles in the protagonists’ relationship.

Yet in the end, all her schemes merely accelerated the development of the main couple’s romance.

The person speaking right now was precisely the vicious female supporting character, Liao Rong, along with her plastic-sister friend group.

In some novels, male and female supporting characters eventually formed CPs together.

But definitely not in this one.

Liao Rong liked someone perfect and flawless like Shen Xiuzhu.

Naturally, she despised the complete opposite comparison group represented by Song Jingyao and his rich brat gang.

Because the Shen and Song families were close, Song Jingyao had grown up beside Shen Xiuzhu.

In the beginning, they had been close as brothers.

Later, they constantly argued whenever they met.

No matter which period it was, Liao Rong always hated Song Jingyao intensely.

She constantly stepped on him while praising Shen Xiuzhu.

Although Song Jingyao didn’t like arguing with women, that didn’t mean he intended to silently endure things.

On the contrary, he always confronted them directly.

Nothing felt better than arguing until they became furious speechless wrecks.

Song Jingyao deliberately coughed once.

Then he lazily said, “What’s the point of chatting inside?”

“Come out and say it slowly.”

Instantly, the restroom fell completely silent.

So silent you could hear a pin drop.

The awkwardness practically overflowed from the bathroom itself.

Ew.

That description sounded kind of disgusting.

Song Jingyao quietly mocked himself internally first.

Soon afterward, several exquisitely made-up women emerged from the restroom.

They wore the latest designer-brand fashion pieces.

Stylish and glamorous down to every single strand of hair.

Having been caught gossiping behind someone’s back by the person involved himself, their expressions looked somewhat unnatural.

Yet there was barely any guilt on their faces.

Instead, they almost seemed convinced that everything they said was objective truth.

Led by Liao Rong, each one carried herself arrogantly while looking at Song Jingyao with concealed disdain.

Song Jingyao also had no habit of silently swallowing losses just because the other side was female.

He didn’t hit women.

But that didn’t mean he would tolerate people insulting him directly to his face.

He calmly looked back at them and even smiled lightly.

“I think I heard you say I’m incompetent and useless?”

Liao Rong sneered and nodded.

“Yes.”

“Was I wrong?”

“You, the useless waste of the Song family, became famous ages ago.”

“People just spare your dignity by not saying it openly.”

Song Jingyao slowly dragged out an “Ohhh~,” pretending sudden enlightenment.

“So despite being incompetent and useless, I still relied on my own abilities to get admitted into a top 985 and 211 university.”

“Meanwhile, you people who bought fake university diplomas are basically the elite warriors among trash.”

“You say I’m unfit to inherit the Song family?”

“And what exactly gives you the right to point fingers at our family affairs?”

“Your stupidity?”

Every sentence landed mercilessly.

And the worst part was—

Everything he said was true.

Their faces alternated red and pale from anger.

Liao Rong darkened her expression and snapped back, “That’s only because Xiuzhu tutored you.”

“Otherwise, with your abilities, how could you possibly get in—”

Song Jingyao interrupted immediately without giving her face.

“Does your family not have enough money to hire tutors?”

“Didn’t teachers give you one-on-one lessons before the college entrance exams too?”

“Then why didn’t you get in?”

“Oh right.”

“Because you don’t have brains.”

“And someone just said she’d rather die than marry me, right?”

“Sorry about that.”

“With people like you, I’d honestly worry about lowering my future children’s IQ.”

At this point, he deliberately paused.

His gaze slowly swept across their heads before he smiled.

“You could randomly pull someone off the street and they’d still be better than you.”

“Oh, and the lady standing farthest left.”

“You recently got your nose done, right?”

“The shape looks really unnatural.”

“Be careful.”

“What if I accidentally punch it crooked?”

“After all, I’m supposedly a terrible rich second-generation brat with a horrible personality.”

“If I don’t do something excessive, wouldn’t I be failing your evaluations of me?”

Liao Rong and her little sisters: “……”

They were practically puffing up like angry pufferfish.

Naturally, they weren’t easy people either.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t fit the arrogant-rich-girl image needed for bullying the female lead.

Liao Rong glared furiously, about to start a screaming match—

But one of her friends suddenly tugged her sleeve.

Song Jingyao didn’t pay much attention to their tiny interaction.

After directly firing back at all the garbage insults, he already felt thoroughly satisfied.

Now he only needed a cool final line before turning around and leaving dramatically—

“Having a brain is a good thing.”

“I hope you all get one.”

“All you do every day is fantasize about that idiot Shen Xiuzhu—”

Because of maintaining his character setting, Song Jingyao had long since grown used to cursing the male lead.

He didn’t think anything about it anymore.

After all, he knew the plot.

He even knew exactly how Shen Xiuzhu would later become lovestruck and flirt shamelessly with the female lead—

“I love you.”

“You’re my heart, my liver, my precious darling baby…”

Ugh.

Just imagining it gave him goosebumps.

Only then did Song Jingyao belatedly realize something was wrong with the expressions of the women opposite him.

Mixed into their smugness was a strange trace of shy delight.

And every single one of them was looking behind him with schadenfreude.

Suddenly, Song Jingyao had an extremely bad premonition.

Like a rusty robot, he stiffly turned around bit by bit—

And met Shen Xiuzhu’s gaze.

The man stood only several steps behind him.

Karma really rotated endlessly.

Heaven spared nobody.

Anyone gossiping behind someone’s back would eventually get caught!

Song Jingyao’s brain blanked for a second.

Then, instantly terrified, he changed his words mid-sentence—

“An idiot…”

“How can you possibly be this handsome?!”