With a dull thud, Song Xingqiu’s punch landed.
Inside the car, Song Xingqiu rested with his eyes closed, his expression composed and natural. Song Wenyue sat pressed against the car door, looking as if he wanted to merge with it entirely. His posture was stiff and unnatural, his whole body tense as if he were wearing a posture corrector.
The driver, glancing through the rearview mirror several times, found the scene hard to believe. Having worked for the Song family for many years, he had not had much contact with Song Xingqiu, but he had seen Song Wenyue many times. He had never seen such an obedient and restless Song Wenyue; the tension on the boy’s face was palpable. In the driver’s memory, Song Wenyue was a little tyrant. Now, someone had actually managed to subdue him.
The driver recalled other Song family drivers telling him that this “young uncle” of Song Wenyue was actually a year younger than Song Wenyue himself. He stole several more glances at Song Xingqiu. To be fair, the youth was handsome, but his boyishness had not fully faded. He looked just like a kid the same age as the driver’s own son, and there was no visible sign of anything fearsome about him.
Just as the driver was secretly sizing him up, Song Xingqiu suddenly opened his eyes. Through the rearview mirror, his gaze locked with the driver’s. “Focus on driving. Do not look around.” Song Xingqiu’s voice was calm, without any forced emphasis. Yet, a chill surged up the driver’s spine. He quickly looked away and apologized, “I am sorry.”
How could a child that young give off the same aura as Song Cheng or the Elder Mr. Song the moment he opened his eyes? It was chilling.
Song Wenyue’s instinct was to sneer and mock him for “acting tough,” but the words turned into a series of muffled coughs. His subconscious fear was warring with his desire to ridicule him. He stammered for a while but could not squeeze out a complete sentence.
Song Xingqiu’s voice rang out, “Driver, pull over.” The driver obeyed immediately, stopping by the roadside. Song Wenyue was bewildered, unsure of what was happening. Song Xingqiu glanced at him with disgust. “If you need to spit, get out and do it.”
It took Song Wenyue a second to realize that his incoherent mumbling had been mistaken for him trying to clear his throat. He wanted to blow up, wondering who would do something as vulgar as spitting, but facing Song Xingqiu’s face, he lost the courage to strike back. He ended up taking a few deep breaths by the roadside before returning to the car.
He told himself to tolerate Song Xingqiu for a few more minutes. Once they were home, he would see how arrogant the boy stayed. Song Wenyue comforted himself with this thought.
The rest of the journey was much smoother and quieter. Neither the driver nor Song Wenyue dared to do anything out of line. Song Xingqiu spent the time handling a few messages. The vehicle entered the Song estate and, ten minutes later, came to a steady stop in front of the main residence. “We have arrived,” the driver whispered. Song Xingqiu pushed the door open and stepped out; Song Wenyue followed silently behind him.
In the living room, Song Cheng was reading the news on a tablet. Hearing footsteps, he looked toward the door. He was surprised to see Song Xingqiu enter. His original intention in inviting Song Xingqiu back was to create a sense of crisis for his shiftless son. Knowing Song Wenyue, he expected him to make life difficult for Song Xingqiu at school. No matter how much Song Xingqiu dominated the Federation, in Axelonia, he had to follow the academy’s rules. As an alumnus of Axelonia, Song Cheng knew this all too well.
Song Cheng had assumed Song Xingqiu would use his one-year administrative rights over the academy to protect himself. When no news came from the Board of Governors over the past two days, Song Cheng found it strange. He had intentionally sent only one car to the academy. To him, Song Xingqiu was a whetstone for Song Wenyue. If Song Xingqiu could not even survive the academy or could not even manage to share a car with his son, then the invitation might as well have never happened.
Seeing Song Xingqiu walking ahead of Song Wenyue, Song Cheng was startled. “Did you take a taxi back?” he blurted out. Song Xingqiu gave him a puzzled look. “You sent a car. Why would I take a taxi?”
Song Wenyue entered. Though his clothes were neat, his aura was one of utter defeat. Song Cheng’s heart jolted. Song Wenyue wanted to complain to his father, but seeing Song Xingqiu standing in the living room with no intention of leaving, he turned his head away. “I am going to find Mom.” He then stomped upstairs.
Even though Song Wenyue said nothing, Song Cheng was an old fox; how could he not see his son’s avoidance? Song Wenyue was clearly fleeing because Song Xingqiu was there. It was a silent admission of defeat. Song Cheng watched his son disappear around the corner, then turned to scrutinize Song Xingqiu. His eyes were full of shock and inquiry. In his position, he was used to hiding his emotions, but Song Xingqiu’s performance was so far beyond his expectations that he had momentarily lost his composure.
Song Xingqiu sat down calmly on the sofa opposite Song Cheng, a slight smile on his lips. “What is it? Are you not satisfied? Is this not what you wanted? Or did you think your son’s petty bullying tactics at school would actually work on me?” After speaking, Song Xingqiu poured himself a cup of tea, swirled it gently, and took a sip. He met Song Cheng’s suddenly constricted pupils and sighed softly. “Sometimes I feel like you do not actually want him to improve. Seeing him at the top of the pyramid bullying others, making everyone afraid of him.”
Song Xingqiu suddenly sneered, striking the heart of the matter. “As his father, you actually feel quite proud in your heart, do you not?”
Song Cheng was a seasoned professional. After his initial lapse, he had regained his calm. Even hearing such a sharp accusation, his face remained unruffled. He smiled easily. “How could that be? If I really thought that, I would not have offered those conditions to bring you back.” He took a sip of tea, the water reflecting a flash of darkness in his eyes.
Song Xingqiu ignored the defense and continued at his own pace. “Do you know what this is like?” Song Cheng knew Song Xingqiu was controlling the pace of the conversation, yet he still could not help asking, “Like what?” It was the first time anyone had spoken to him like this, and deep down, he felt a jolt of realization. He wondered if that was how he truly viewed his son’s actions.
Song Xingqiu curled his lips into a mocking smile. “It is like letting a well-fed house cat out specifically to bully starving strays. You stand by and admire its might, feeling smug about its strength. In reality, his strength is just an illusion supported by you. If he were truly forced to live like a stray without your backing, those strays would tear him to pieces!”
Song Cheng’s face changed instantly, his voice tinged with anger. “Song Xingqiu!” Realizing his loss of temper, he quickly regained control, but his tone remained stiff. “You have crossed the line.”
Song Cheng was truly angry. No matter how much he resented Song Wenyue’s lack of ambition, the boy was his only son and the future heir to the Song Corporation. He wanted Song Xingqiu to sharpen his son, not to label the boy as a piece of trash. “Brother, I was just joking. Do not be nervous,” Song Xingqiu said with a bright smile, his previous sharpness vanishing instantly. “I have been putting up with your son’s temper for a week; you have to let me vent a little.”
Song Cheng knew he had lost this opening exchange. Song Xingqiu had used a cold, hard psychological strike followed by a soft apology to seize total control of the conversation. Song Cheng took a deep breath. He had underestimated Song Xingqiu. He had heard the Elder Mr. Song praise Xingqiu’s achievements in the Federation, but he had not cared much. He thought he knew his brother’s nature. He assumed the Elder had simply provided the backing for Xingqiu’s success. Now, he realized he was dead wrong. He felt a flicker of relief that his brother was twenty years younger than him. Otherwise, it would be uncertain who would end up on top.
“Looking at you two, it does not seem like you were the one bullied. It looks like Wenyue was the one mistreated,” Song Cheng remarked. “I have not seen him this obedient in years.” He scrutinized Song Xingqiu, wondering what had happened during the week.
Song Xingqiu replied coldly, “He was not mistreated. He has a guilty conscience. On my first day, he had his lackeys try to intimidate me by sawing the legs off my chair and pouring glue on my desk. He wanted to skin me alive. Yesterday, he even stole my roommate’s key and hid in my dorm to jump me with a burlap sack. He almost succeeded. Would you not say I have been the one suffering?”
Song Cheng’s mouth twitched. When he heard reports of his son being the “king” of the school, it sounded impressive. But hearing about sawed chair legs and glue made the tactics seem embarrassingly low-brow and childish. This was especially true compared to Song Xingqiu, who was a year younger but already a billionaire in the Federation.
“It seems you agree I have been mistreated,” Song Xingqiu teased. Song Cheng stood up and poured more tea for Song Xingqiu as a silent apology. “I did not realize he was that arrogant at school. You have indeed worked hard.”
As they spoke, hurried footsteps echoed from upstairs. Wei Yin, Song Cheng’s wife, appeared with a smug Song Wenyue trailing behind her. Song Wenyue looked down from the stairs with contempt. He thought that since Grandpa was not home today, he would show Song Xingqiu who the real master of the Song family was.
Wei Yin marched toward Song Xingqiu. “Song Xingqiu!”
“Sister-in-law,” Song Xingqiu greeted her. Wei Yin doted on Song Wenyue. His current behavior was the result of her overt spoiling and his father’s silent indulgence. Song Cheng realized that Wenyue was truly spoiled and decided to use Xingqiu to toughen him up. He had not told Wei Yin yet, knowing she would object.
“Song Xingqiu, can you tell me what happened at school?” Wei Yin asked. Being from a wealthy family, she kept her cool, but her protective nature was evident.
Song Xingqiu acted surprised. “Has Song Wenyue already told you about the glue, the chair legs, and trying to jump me with a sack?” He shook his head. “I was wondering how to talk to you two about his education. He is twenty, yet he is still playing these childish pranks. I am embarrassed for him.”
Wei Yin froze. This was the opposite of what her son had told her. “Mom, do not listen to his nonsense!” Song Wenyue shouted. “I did not do those things!”
Song Xingqiu laughed. “Your lackeys did not do them? They would do that without your orders?” His gaze swept over Wenyue’s pale face. “Or does it not count as you being the mastermind just because someone else was holding the sack in the living room?”
Wei Yin’s anger turned to doubt. She knew her son was capable of such things. Seeing his mother hesitate, Song Wenyue panicked. “Even if I did it, you are not hurt! But you hit me; that is a fact! I am actually injured!”
Wei Yin’s tone shifted back to favoritism. “Song Xingqiu, Wenyue is an adult, but he is still a student. He can be impulsive. As an elder, you should not stoop to his level. Using physical violence is never good. It makes the family a laughingstock.”
Song Wenyue looked triumphant. Song Xingqiu smiled, but it did not reach his eyes. He walked toward Song Wenyue. Before anyone could react, a gust of wind seemed to sweep through the room.
A dull thud sounded as Song Xingqiu’s punch landed squarely in Song Wenyue’s abdomen. He had stopped smiling and his expression was cold. No one expected him to strike in front of everyone. Song Wenyue’s face contorted; he let out a muffled groan and curled up on the floor like a shrimp, unable to make a sound.
Song Wenyue stared in disbelief. The shock was greater than the pain. He wondered how Xingqiu could hit him in the Song house and in front of his parents.
Song Xingqiu looked down at him. “My dear nephew, do you understand what ‘hitting someone’ actually means now? Before, I only blocked your attacks. I never let your fist touch me. At twenty, if you cannot distinguish right from wrong, I will demonstrate. Now you see; this is actually hitting someone!”
“Song Xingqiu!” Wei Yin screamed, rushing to her son’s side. “Husband, call the police! I can overlook school matters, but this is too much! If he is this bold in front of us, I cannot imagine how much Wenyue suffered at school!”
Song Xingqiu calmly placed his phone in front of them. It was playing surveillance footage of Song Wenyue attacking him in the cafeteria and another clip of Wenyue hiding in his dorm room before being pinned by bodyguards. “If you want to call the police, go ahead,” Song Xingqiu said slowly. “I am curious how the law will judge a case of breaking and entering with intent to harm.”
Wei Yin’s confidence vanished. She knew that attempted assault after breaking in was far worse than a single punch.
Song Wenyue, ignoring the pain, hissed, “You despicable coward! You installed cameras in your dorm living room!” He finally realized why the bodyguards were there. Song Xingqiu had seen him on the cameras and set a trap.
Song Xingqiu looked at him like he was an idiot. “It is my dorm. Why is it despicable to have security? The despicable one is the person who stole a key to hide in my living room.”
Song Wenyue was speechless. It seemed that made sense.