The Real Young Master is Entangled by the Paranoid Fake Young Master - Chapter 16

The moment Zhao Qing saw Fang Yang, his soul felt like it was trembling.

That flamboyant pink hair was like the last wisp of sunset a version of Fang Yang that didn’t exist in Zhao Qing’s memories. It was the most youthful, greenest version of him from their past life’s youth, a time before they had ever met.

Zhao Qing could barely restrain himself from rushing toward the pink-haired youth. Faster, just a little faster. His heart hammered with anxiety; he was terrified this was merely a hallucination.

He knew today was a chaotic scene, filled with prying eyes. Song Yuening’s lackeys were likely waiting for any opportunity to humiliate him. But in that moment, he couldn’t control himself. He seemed to have forgotten everything else.

However, just as he was about to weave through the bustling crowd to reach Fang Yang’s side, the large clock in the distance struck seven times.

The distant, crisp chime pulled Zhao Qing’s logic back from the brink. He checked his phone; sure enough, messages from Song Lili and Zhen Xue had arrived.

Zhao Qing’s steps faltered. Now was the best time to go find Song Lili. Moreover, even if he were to grab Fang Yang like a madman now, Fang Yang would likely just think he was a freak  after all, to Fang Yang, he was currently just a stranger.

Taking a deep breath to calm his racing heart, Zhao Qing stole one last glance at Fang Yang before quickly exiting the banquet hall.

Across the room, Song Yuening was handling social obligations, but he was strangely distracted. Usually, his focus was razor-sharp, yet today he kept spacing out, his eyes involuntarily searching for Song Zhaoqing. It was as if a subconscious part of him wanted to monitor the other’s every move.

This led to a “coincidence”: whether Zhao Qing was hiding in the crowd or standing isolated at the edge of the hall, Song Yuening always managed to glance in his direction. This inexplicable fixation had become a faint leash around his neck not tight, but impossible to shake off.

As the minutes ticked by, the usually composed Young Master Song grew increasingly restless. He felt something was very wrong with him tonight, but he blamed it on the “accidental” eavesdropping at the stairwell.

He hadn’t intended to eavesdrop. That day, he had been suffering from his usual insomnia, and combined with the things Lin Qi had said, his heart was filled with a stifling annoyance. He had only wanted to take a walk in the garden to think about recent events and… that part of his memory he suspected he had lost.

As he was returning to his room, he heard Song Lili’s voice at the turn of the stairs. He didn’t think much of it at first, but before he could step out from the shadows, he heard another voice—clear, cool, and masculine.

Song Yuening would never mistake that voice. Ever since he woke up, the owner of that voice had frequently surfaced in his mind. He didn’t understand why he thought of Zhao Qing so often, but the moment he heard Zhao Qing speaking to Song Lili in a gentle tone he had never heard before, a strange, unspeakable curiosity bloomed.

Actually, every time he met Zhao Qing, that curiosity only deepened.

He had heard Zhao Qing speak calmly, almost as if coaxing a child: “Now that you know this, do you want to see your mother?”

Song Lili’s… mother? That was a topic Song Yuening hadn’t expected. He raised an eyebrow in surprise, then heard a tearful Song Lili reply in a stubborn, awkward tone: “If you take me to see my mother, I’ll agree to anything, no matter the price.”

Song Yuening was completely captivated by their conversation. He hadn’t expected Song Zhaoqing to be so clever  clever enough to use Song Lili to achieve his own goals. But what exactly did he want? Was it the Song family’s affection or their wealth?

Just as he was pondering this, he heard Zhao Qing continue:

“I don’t want anything else. I just don’t want to go to No. 1 High School. If possible, I want to go to A High School. Even if I’m just an auditing student, it’s fine. I hope you can speak to Father for me. After all…” Zhao Qing gave a nonchalant shrug, “After all, I have no voice in this family. You know that. He certainly won’t listen to me.”

Perhaps because Zhao Qing spoke so casually, Song Lili became agitated.

“Are you crazy? You say you don’t want to go to No. 1 High School? That’s the best school in the country! Do you know how much effort Father put into getting you in? Even the lowest-ranked class at No. 1 could crush the top classes at other schools! Don’t be naive. I think you should reconsider.” Song Lili assumed Zhao Qing was simply avoiding school.

“I’ve already made up my mind. Don’t worry, I have my plans,” Zhao Qing replied firmly.

“Really?” Song Lili’s voice was suspicious. After a long pause, she seemed to realize something and clapped her hands. “You! You! You! You’re not still thinking about your adopted father’s son, are you? You want to go to a school closer to him?!”

“Let me tell you, don’t be stupid! Our family already gave your brother, Chen Lian, a sum of money so he’d never bother you again. And don’t misunderstand Father didn’t threaten him. He was the one who saw the money and opened his eyes wide. He took the medical funds and then opened his mouth like a lion to demand an extra house!”

“He didn’t ask a single thing about how you were doing in the Song family. Since he’s severed ties with you now, why on earth would you go looking for him?”

Hearing Song Lili’s words, Zhao Qing knew the young girl was actually worried about him. He smiled and patted her head, explaining that he had no intention of finding Chen Lian.

“I don’t have a brother anymore. I only have a sister named Song Lili.”

Zhao Qing’s answer eventually coaxed the girl into helping him with this “stupid” task.

It’s truly interesting, Song Yuening thought as he handled the dull social interactions with practiced ease, recalling that scene. A trace of a smile flickered in his eyes as he lowered them.

Luring the tiger from the mountain while secretly crossing the river… Song Zhaoqing is quite the little liar.

A vivid, calculating Song Zhaoqing was far more interesting than the mediocre “wine skins and rice bags” [useless people] at this party. Song Yuening couldn’t help but wonder what was so attractive about A High School that would make Song Zhaoqing give up No. 1 High.

This time, Song Yuening didn’t feel any threat. On the contrary, a long-lost sense of freshness flooded his entire body. His life hadn’t seen such an interesting person in a very long time. Everyone else was so tedious; his cold indifference was simply because no one had ever piqued his interest.

Everything was so predictable. Except for…

Song Yuening watched as Zhao Qing turned and hurried out of the hall. Fang Haoyang followed his gaze, seemingly realizing something. He leaned in and whispered wickedly, asking if he should give that “low-life” a lesson to embarrass him. He was silenced instantly by a cold glare from Song Yuening.

Song Yuening felt he had finally found a very interesting toy. Until he grew bored of this toy, he didn’t want anyone else interfering. After all, this was just too much fun.

“Song Zhaoqing.” As he whispered the name in his mind, his cold, abyss-like heart seemed to burn for a fleeting moment.

“It seems we share a secret now.”