Qi Xuan stayed silent for a long while before letting out a low laugh and clicking his tongue softly.
“So this is why you called me over?” His tone deliberately carried a hint of mockery and tease. “In the middle of the night, you really couldn’t wait any longer?”
He spread his hands in an exaggerated gesture, pretending to look regretful. “What a pity though. I don’t have it with me right now,” he said, feigning disappointment. “Otherwise, I’d let you have a good look. That one was quite a masterpiece.”
Those very same words existed in the original story.
They appeared in the middle of a crucial plot arc, the scene where the original Song Shiyi saved Song Gucheng, his estranged father, after the man had suffered a sudden heart attack.
He personally carried him to the hospital and stayed up all night by his bedside, tending to him with tireless care. Perhaps out of guilt or a flicker of conscience, the heartless man had shown him a trace of emotion for the first time.
Not long after came Song Shiyi’s first birthday since returning to the Song family. Song Gucheng threw a grand banquet in his honor, gifting him shares of the Song Corporation, enough to secure him a lifetime of comfort and wealth.
The moment this news reached Lin Nian’s ears, she casually mentioned it to her son, Song Jiaxin. That was when the malicious plan took shape.
Jiaxin gathered a few of his equally vicious friends, drugged Song Shiyi, and took indecent photos of him.
That night, as high society’s elites filled the grand ballroom, the screen on the wall began to play, one image after another of Song Shiyi’s disheveled figure, his humiliation displayed for all to see.
In an instant, he became a scandal, a joke whispered about behind fans and champagne glasses.
The shares promised to him were naturally revoked, torn away by a furious and disgraced Song Gucheng who refused to listen to reason.
Even when Song Shiyi, pale and shaking, tried to explain that nothing had actually happened, not a single person believed him.
Gu Ye had seen those images too. His eyes turned bloodshot as he grabbed Song Shiyi by the shoulders and dragged him into the bathroom.
Without a word, he stripped off his clothes and turned on the cold shower, washing him over and over until his skin turned raw.
The entire time, he never once looked at the tears streaming down the boy’s vacant eyes.
Thinking back now, Gu Ye must have already fallen for the original Song Shiyi. Otherwise, he would never have cared so much.
But the way he chose to show that love was enough to break a person beyond repair.
It did not matter though. Song Shiyi no longer cared.
He picked up a piece of discarded steel rebar nearby. As he dragged it across the floor, it screeched against the concrete with a harsh metallic sound.
“Hey, hey, what are you doing?” Qi Xuan raised his brows, still wearing that infuriating smirk. “Don’t tell me you’re actually thinking of hitting me here and now.”
He chuckled and tapped the sleek band on his wrist. “See this little toy? Just bought it. It monitors my heart rate in real time. If it detects any major fluctuation or sudden spike, it’ll automatically send an alert and upload a recording straight to the cloud. So I’d really advise you not to do anything rash, ”
Bang!!!
Before he could even finish, Song Shiyi swung the metal rod down with a sharp, heavy motion.
The steel sliced through the air, the wind brushing dangerously close to Qi Xuan’s face before slamming into the wall with a deafening crash.
Qi Xuan’s neck stiffened as he slowly turned his head, feeling the cold iron pressed just a breath away from his skin.
“What, not stimulating enough?”
Song Shiyi leaned closer, curious, glancing down at the small green display on the bracelet that still showed a calm, steady rhythm.
He tilted his head upward again, his expression perfectly serene, those black eyes reflecting Qi Xuan’s outline without a hint of emotion. “I see now. It needs something stronger, doesn’t it?”
His lips curved, a faint, almost gentle smile spreading across his face. “Right?”
“You… you’re out of your mind,” Qi Xuan forced out through clenched teeth, but the words came haltingly. Something in Song Shiyi’s calmness made his skin crawl.
This time, he wasn’t like he had been back at the Blue Pavilion. He was far more dangerous, not because he was wild or violent, but because he was utterly controlled.
Every spark of emotion had been buried deep, leaving behind only the quiet focus of a predator before the strike.
“Qi Xuan,” Song Shiyi said softly, calling his name as though speaking to an old friend. His tone was gentle, his eyes steady. “Do you really believe that God exists?”
In the story’s original setting, Qi Xuan’s parents were devout believers. Yet the son who had been blessed at the altar grew up steeped in every possible vice, gambling, indulgence, addiction, and cruelty. A dark kind of irony.
“Of course,” Qi Xuan replied with a mocking half-smile. “God is everywhere. He watches over every word and every deed of ours.”
He didn’t know why Song Shiyi had suddenly changed the subject, but he played along with lazy amusement.
“Ah, is that so?” Song Shiyi’s tone was feather-light, but his brow furrowed slightly, as if truly puzzled.
“Then tell me… after everything you’ve done, all the things you’ve ruined and destroyed, aren’t you afraid your God will punish you?”
He glanced at Qi Xuan’s flashy clothes, his pale skin that bore the marks of too much pleasure and too little conscience. “Wouldn’t He abandon you for what you’ve become?”
Even now, Qi Xuan laughed aloud, his narrow eyes glinting with scorn. “Do you have any idea how much my parents donate to the church every year? The money we give keeps their entire institution running. When I inherit the family business, I’ll continue doing the same. Tell me, how could God ever abandon such loyal benefactors?”
He leaned closer, his voice low and sharp with mockery. “The greatest sin in this world is poverty. I heard from Jiaxin that before you were brought back to the Song family, you were waiting tables for a living. No wonder you can’t understand our world.”
His tone darkened, breath brushing against Song Shiyi’s ear. “You’d better worry about yourself, little lunatic. God doesn’t bless people like you.”
Song Shiyi didn’t even blink. He listened quietly, his face calm, his eyes still and unfathomable, as though Qi Xuan’s words were little more than the buzzing of a fly.
“What a pity, Qi Xuan,” he finally murmured, his voice soft yet eerily precise. The smile that accompanied it was delicate, measured, and almost artificial in its perfection.
“Your God does look upon me. And you know what’s strange? He’s shown me things.”
His voice dropped to a whisper. “Things about the future. Things about you.”
Qi Xuan’s mocking gaze faltered for a second. He stared at Song Shiyi like he was looking at a lunatic. “Oh really? And what exactly did you see?”
“I saw that you will kill someone here,” Song Shiyi said, smiling as though he were simply making an observation. “And that will be the end of your future.”
The calm certainty in his tone landed like a thunderclap in the quiet room, and for the first time, Qi Xuan’s pupils contracted sharply.
Like someone commented Previously… Killing his step brother is unacceptable… I agree… Because then there’s no difference between him and his brother…
In previous life, Step brother ends up killing someone and blame was on Song Shiyi… So my opinion, In this life, Song Shiyi won’t let anyone have such easy ending….. They deserve torture but not death…
✦ ✧ ✦
Cresvynia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
The coffee spirits are watching. 👁️☕
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · He’s in the BookChapter 2 · You Like playing Stand-in, Right?Chapter 3 · This Kind of person is just asking for troubleChapter 4 · Is it so Bloody?Chapter 5 · Let’s Rot togetherChapter 7 · Illegitimate SonChapter 8 · Unfaithful husbandChapter 9 · MemoriesChapter 10 · Silence before stormChapter 11 · Hunt beginsChapter 12 · Nightmare I rememberChapter 13 · Why do they ride on their own heads?Chapter 14 · I forgive myselfChapter 15 · Can you take me in tonight since I’m homeless?Chapter 16 · Mr. Qin, do you like me?Chapter 17 · If you like it, you can have itChapter 18 · Gu Ye, it’s obvious that you also pursue these thingsChapter 19 · If you still can’t let go of Gu Ye, why not give it a try with me?Chapter 20 · He actually made him bow down to that bastard.Chapter 21 · Ruining someone’s future is simply unforgivableChapter 22 · God can’t possibly favor someone like youChapter 23 · UrnChapter 24 · May they die a horrible deathChapter 25 · If you’re broke, stop showing off.Chapter 26 · Kneel before me, begging for mercy.Chapter 27 · The plan succeededChapter 28 Part 1 · This time, the victim is Gu Ye Part 1Chapter 28 Part 2 · This time, the victim is Gu YeChapter 29 · This time, I’ll make full use of youChapter 30 · Educating about the existence of lawsChapter 31 · So who is he now?Chapter 32 · I want to destroy this fake spacetime.Chapter 33 · So, I was himChapter 34 · They’re all crazy, just let me have my wayChapter 35 · I will punish them in the right way.Chapter 36 · I’m already a lunaticChapter 37 · Can you stay by Qin Huai’s side for my sake?Chapter 38 · I’ll grant your requestChapter 39 · Not a pitiful littleChapter 40 · They Both should dieChapter 41 · I want to destroy the empire that Song Gucheng builtChapter 42 · Do you hate me too?Chapter 43 · No one should feel goodChapter 44 · He’ll definitely be the winner in the end!Chapter 45 · Acting is really tiringChapter 46 · I wanted that bastard to disappearChapter 47 · Ready made scapegoatChapter 48 · He’s willing to save themChapter 49 · I’ve come to catch up with youChapter 50 · You stole someone else’s placeChapter 51 · Shiyi, why won’t you save me…Chapter 52 · To make a good life is more importantChapter 53 · Even if you really cheated on me, it doesn’t matterChapter 54 · Finally, I can say goodbye to you completelyChapter 55 · Angel sent by heaven to save himChapter 56 · CEO Gu is a very affectionate personChapter 57 · If you love him, go to jail for himChapter 58 · His most beloved son wanted to kill himChapter 59 · Take good care of our dear fatherChapter 60 · Take back everything that truly belongs to meChapter 61 · He knew that Gu Ye would not let him downChapter 62 · The Song family’s shares must absolutely not be transferred to Song ShiyiChapter 63 · I am no one’s thingChapter 64 · He always knew what kind of person Song Qingwen was.Chapter 65 · FinalChapter 66 · Extra