The Real Young Master is Entangled by the Paranoid Fake Young Master - Chapter 25

Why? In the past, Yuening would never act this way keeping things from him, taking the initiative to transfer schools, and trailing after someone else’s heels.

Song Zhiyuan truly missed the old Song Yuening, the one who would sit by his side reading or playing the piano, calling him “Brother” in that cool, detached voice.

And then… a few days ago, Yuening had suddenly told their grandmother that the courtyard always looked barren and that there were no flowers in spring. He suggested that if guests came to visit, they might secretly laugh at the Song family behind their backs.

He argued that since the Song family was becoming more socially active especially with the need to find a suitable match for Song Lili, an unkempt yard was unseemly. Better to plant more flowers to improve the view.

Old Madam Song’s expression had soured; she had never liked tending to plants and wanted to refuse.

“All that pollen will make you sick, Ningning. You must cherish your body; don’t do such frivolous things.”

But Yuening had replied with his usual good temper.

“Actually, the flowers don’t have to be planted in the garden. Building a large glass conservatory would still allow guests to enjoy them.”

“I heard Fang Haoyang say that Old Madam Fang’s Green Peonies won the ‘King of Flowers’ title this year. It was even in the newspapers. While such awards are often given out of respect for the family name, the reputation of those Green Peonies has everyone talking.”

“Many people are curious and are vying to visit the Fangs. Old Madam Fang has been radiant lately; she must be enjoying the praise.”

In her youth, Old Madam Song had been locked in a bitter rivalry with Old Madam Fang. Although Old Madam Song had married much better than her peers, her husband was notoriously philandering with countless illegitimate children, whereas the Fangs enjoyed a harmonious marriage. Because of this, Old Madam Song was always looking for ways to outshine her.

Sure enough, after hearing Yuening’s words, Old Madam Song pondered for a moment before finally agreeing to build the conservatory.

But Song Zhiyuan felt that this conservatory was built specifically for Song Zhaoqing. After all, it sat directly beneath Zhaoqing’s balcony. Regular guests would never even catch a glimpse of it.

Taken separately, these incidents might mean nothing, but together, they forced Zhiyuan to take notice. He felt the wind in the house shifting. Before Zhaoqing arrived, everyone had agreed to treat him with cold indifference. Yet now, Old Madam Song was avoiding confrontation, Song Lili was inseparable from him, the servants treated him with newfound respect, and even Ningning seemed possessed, doing things he would never have done before.

This led to the scene at the dinner table where Zhiyuan couldn’t help but snap at Zhaoqing.

Zhaoqing, realizing he had suffered a silent setback from Old Madam Song, could only sigh at Yuening’s masterful manipulation. To think the Songs wouldn’t oppose such an absurd suggestion.

Late at night, Zhaoqing sat alone at his broad solid wood desk, chin in hand, lost in thought.

Even though Yuening had come to High School A, they had remained at peace for the last few days. Yuening hadn’t extended his reach into Zhaoqing’s class yet, so Zhaoqing decided to stick to the plan: If the enemy doesn’t move, I don’t move.

Rationally, this was a terrible plan. He should be proactive. The best way would be to use some scheme to change schools again even a school with a lower university acceptance rate would be worth it if it meant escaping Yuening.

He especially feared that Yuening’s presence would draw Fu Lansheng out. He vividly remembered the sensation of a cigarette butt being pressed into his neck. Fu Lansheng was a different breed of psychopath; he wouldn’t be happy about Yuening transferring. That lunatic would surely pull some underhanded stunt.

Despite his anxiety, Zhaoqing truly loved the atmosphere of his new school. The students were warm and kind; he was genuinely happy with them. Human beings are strange; he had been bullied and plotted against until he was numb, like walking through a snowy night in thin clothes, he felt he could endure any pain. But now that he had found a warm hut in the middle of winter, the thick ice on his heart had begun to melt. He no longer wanted to step back out into the freezing world.

He had formed a connection with this world, and he couldn’t bring himself to sever it.

Zhaoqing had considered striking first. Yuening’s health was poor; he could use some trick to feed him an allergen, forcing him to stay home and recover. He had already carried that false reputation in his past life, after all. But he quickly dismissed the idea. Yuening still held the leverage of Zhaoqing and Lili’s secret meeting with Zhen Xue. If he failed or provoked Yuening, he might be fine, but Lili might never see her mother again.

He finished the last of his milk, drowsiness washing over him. A thought flickered in his mind: If only I could find leverage over Yuening. But finding a flaw in the calculated Song Yuening was no easy task.

On the weekend, Zhaoqing stayed up until 2:00 AM catching up on missed lessons. Consequently, on Monday morning, he woke up with messy hair only to find he had unconsciously turned off several alarms in his sleep.

Seeing the clock hit 6:45 AM, his vision went dark. Dammit, I’m late! I’ve only been at the new school for two weeks; I don’t want to be blacklisted so soon!

He washed up in a frenzy, grabbed his bag, and charged downstairs. He had no time for breakfast, but that was the least of his worries. However, when he reached the bottom, he found Yuening still there. Upon seeing Zhaoqing, Yuening immediately stood up as if wanting to say something.

Zhaoqing had no time for his clingy nonsense. He only cared about catching the bus in five minutes.

The Song family had a private driver, and he could have hitched a ride. Yuening had invited him to commute together starting on the third day after his transfer. But how could Zhaoqing agree? Sitting in a confined space staring at Yuening every morning felt like suffocation. Besides, with Yuening being such a celebrity at school, getting out of the same car would invite endless questions about their relationship.

How had he replied then? He had just offered a dismissive excuse: “You should stay where you belong and stop following me. Otherwise, your precious Fu Lansheng will get anxious.”

Zhaoqing had said it just to reject him, but as he tried to close his door, Yuening had blocked it.

“What are you doing!” Zhaoqing was already fuming. He was about to snap when he saw Yuening’s face turn cold.

“Where I belong? Why don’t you tell me exactly where that is?” Yuening asked. “And I find it very strange why you always bring up Fu Lansheng. What relationship do you think he has with me?”

Yuening pushed the door open further and leaned in. Zhaoqing felt the sudden pressure and looked away sheepishly. He realized he had said too much.

“Whatever he thinks, whether he’s anxious or not, has nothing to do with me!” Yuening’s voice was harsh, a rare flash of ruthlessness breaking through. “Do you think anyone can stop what I, Song Yuening, want to do? I am clearly talking about the two of us; why do you keep dragging a third person into this?”

It was because of that argument that Yuening hadn’t harassed him for the last few days. It was only the day before yesterday that Zhaoqing realized: Is this guy actually in a ‘cold war’ with me?

Does he think I’m afraid of his silent treatment? Who does he think I am? Song Zhiyuan? Fu Lansheng? Zhaoqing had been amused by Yuening’s rare childishness.

But ever since Yuening stopped appearing, Zhaoqing noticed a sudden influx of “mosquitoes” and insects at night. He didn’t understand why; was it the warming weather? Even though Yuening wasn’t there, the “bugs” came every night. He felt something “dancing” on his face, leaving it itchy. Once or twice, he woke up to find red marks on his neck and waist like a rash, but without any stinging pain.

It felt strange.

This morning, seeing Yuening waiting for him, Zhaoqing felt a moment of curiosity. A second later, Yuening was following him, holding a blue thermos.

“Zhaozhao, why are you leaving without breakfast?”

What? He starts a cold war for no reason for days, then suddenly decides to play the ‘White Lotus’ saint?

But seeing Yuening following him with a look of “impending tears,” Zhaoqing finally spoke: “What are you doing out here? You’ll be late. I’ll just grab something at the school convenience store after the first period.”

“How can that be, Zhaozhao?” Yuening wouldn’t be deterred, acting like a nagging mother as he pushed the thermos. “I had Mother Zhang make this specifically for you. If you don’t eat something hot in the morning, you’ll get a stomach illness eventually.”

Yuening’s diet was always meticulous; he rarely ate from the main Song kitchen. Mother Zhang was his personal chef and nutritionist since childhood.

“Stomach illness,” Zhaoqing repeated the words, a memory flickering. He let out a faint, shallow smile. Yuening thought he had persuaded him, but the look in Zhaoqing’s eyes suggested otherwise.

“Only a Young Master like you would fear a stomach illness just because they missed one hot breakfast,” Zhaoqing said calmly, without the usual hostility.

But Yuening sensed the sudden dip in Zhaoqing’s mood. Did I say something wrong again? The socially adept Yuening had never met such a difficult problem, yet he was constantly hitting walls with Zhaoqing.

He felt Zhaoqing had many secrets, but he knew nothing about them. He had sent people to investigate Zhaoqing’s past, but found little beyond the fact that he was bullied at school and abused by Chen Wan at home.

Is it because Chen Wan didn’t give him breakfast? Or did his poor classmates mock him for not being able to afford it? Yuening guessed.

Regardless, Yuening added this to the “tab” of those who had bullied Zhaoqing. If anyone mistreated his “puppy,” he would ensure they didn’t have an easy life!