DASFAM_48

To avoid oversleeping again, Bai Xu had insisted on setting an extra alarm no matter what, yet on the final morning, he woke up early by accident.

A faint light filtered through the transparent panel at the top of the tent. Dawn had barely broken.

Bai Xu caught a glimpse of Shang Yanxiao still fast asleep, then felt the firm weight of the arm wrapped around his waist. He had no choice but to carefully adjust his position—fortunately, it didn't wake the other man.

From outside the tent came the faint sound of waves, while beside his ear was the steady, even rhythm of Shang Yanxiao's breathing.

"......"

Bai Xu had lost all desire to sleep, yet felt no urgency to get up either.

Come to think of it, this wasn't the first time he had observed Shang Yanxiao's 'sleeping face,' Back when he had first entered the Shang household, the man had feigned being an unconscious vegetable, lying motionless on the master bedroom bed day after day.

Even in that 'asleep' state, Shang Yanxiao back then had always given off an indescribable air of guardedness and coldness—nothing at all like the relaxed, settled calm he showed now.

Bai Xu slipped one hand out from under the blanket, his fingertips tracing the outline of Shang Yanxiao's sleeping face through the air.

"Shang. Yan. Xiao."

He mouthed the name of the person before him without a sound, his thoughts drifting somewhat.

Without realizing it, he had been inside this book for more than half a year. What the original text had glossed over in a single line was, for him and Shang Yanxiao, every real day they had lived through.

By his estimate of the timeline, once the bidding for the "Eaglet Cinema" project concluded, the 'Shang Yanxiao' of the original novel would be waking up right around then.

Old Master Shang had fallen gravely ill and been hospitalized, no longer able to hold the reins of the vast Shang Group. From that point on, the Shang family members would descend into an increasingly brutal internal power struggle, with accidents and incidents occurring one after another.

"......"

Bai Xu recalled the novel's description of Shang Yanxiao's ending, and his pupils flickered sharply.

The original work was written from the perspective of the male lead, Shang Queyuan—

'Shang Yanxiao,' the elder brother, had only awakened after a long coma, only to die once more shielding his younger brother from disaster. That event became the final straw that shattered Shang Queyuan's sanity.

From that point on, he—consumed entirely by the desire to avenge his whole family—cast aside all restraint. He joined forces with the Zhang family, brought every opposing faction within the Shang family to heel, and secured his place as chairman without the slightest wavering.

"......"

Bai Xu stared at Shang Yanxiao's sleeping face, and a thread of panic crept into his chest—one he could not shake off no matter how he tried.

As far back as that first encounter with Shang Queyuan at the lakeside of the estate, Bai Xu had already run through the storyline and endings of the two brothers in his mind—yet his feelings then had not been this tangled and conflicted.

At that time, he had regarded 'Shang Yanxiao' and the others as nothing more than characters on a page, with no real emotion invested in them. All his thoughts had been fixed on his own future. He had been, in every sense, a rational transmigrator to whom none of it truly concerned.

Times had changed. The Bai Xu of today could not bring himself to imagine—

If this world truly followed its predetermined timeline, then it wouldn't only be Old Master Shang who met with misfortune, it would also be the man sleeping right before him now, Shang Yanxiao!

Bai Xu's brow furrowed deeply. The palm that had been hovering in the air came to rest against the side of the man's face, "Shang Yanxiao."

As though hearing his call through the haze of sleep, Shang Yanxiao instinctively closed his hand around the one pressed to his cheek, "Mm?"

"......"

Bai Xu moved to pull his hand back, but it was already too late.

Shang Yanxiao drifted slowly awake, "Why are you up so early? Has the alarm not gone off yet?"

There was a faint, unhurried sensuality in his voice that caught a person without their realizing it.

Bai Xu pushed down the tangle of emotions churning inside him, "Yeah, I just woke up on my own and couldn't fall back asleep."

Shang Yanxiao noticed the hand he was still holding and ventured a guess, "So because you couldn't sleep, you were sneaking a look at me? Even reached out to touch me?"

"Nothing of the sort."

Bai Xu drew a slow breath and pulled his hand free, "Anyway, I'm not going back to sleep. I'll go wash up first. Do whatever you like."

With that, he scrambled off the air mattress in a flash, moving so fast that Shang Yanxiao didn't have a chance to grab him.

The tent's closed curtain was pulled aside.

The damp, salt-tinged air that belonged solely to the sea in early morning rushed in to meet him. The cool freshness seeped into his chest, quietly settling the restless thoughts that had been stirred up by all his brooding.

After washing up, Bai Xu returned to find that Chu Yate had somehow already gotten out of bed as well, standing at the campsite dining table brewing himself a cup of coffee.

Their eyes met, and both caught the surprise in the other's.

"Morning."

"Why are you up so early?"

"What about you?"

Chu Yate lifted the fragrant cup and gave a resigned shake of his head, "I'm not up early. I've been awake the whole night again. Lucky today's the day we head back, otherwise a few more days of this and I really couldn't take it."

Bai Xu teased, "If the trip ran even one more day, you'd probably be swimming back in the middle of the night."

Chu Yate took a sip of his coffee, "Want to guess why I came out of the tent?"

Bai Xu tilted his head, "Not to make coffee?"

Chu Yate shook his head, "I thought since I couldn't sleep, I'd come watch the sunrise. Waited around for ages before it hit me that we're on the west side of the island."

"......"

The realization dawned on Bai Xu and he broke into a grin, unable to resist, "Sleep deprivation really does make a person dense."

As they were talking, Shang Yanxiao stepped out of the tent in fresh clothes. He met Bai Xu's gaze for a brief moment before heading straight toward the makeshift washing area.

Chu Yate glanced over at Shang Yanxiao, as though something had just come to mind, "Well, I'm nothing like Young Master Bai who someone there every night keeping him company, coaxed right to sleep, well-rested and full of energy."

Bai Xu let out a muffled cough, "Stop talking nonsense."

"How is it nonsense?" Chu Yate refused to let it go, lowering his voice conspiratorially, "After mahjong last night, Director Zhou specifically asked me about it. Anyone with eyes can see that you two are a pair."

"......"

A pair?

Bai Xu turned the word over in his mind and said nothing to deny it.

After all, it wasn't as though he could go around casually telling people that what he and Shang Yanxiao had was a friends-with-benefits arrangement—and besides, what they had amounted, at most, to mutual convenience. Anything further than that hadn't happened between them.

Chu Yate's curiosity surged, "Bai Xu, can I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Is Shang Yanxiao rough with you when it's that kind of time?"

"......"

Bai Xu took a beat to catch up, then met Chu Yate's intensely inquisitive stare, "What exactly are you asking?"

Chu Yate had the uninhibited openness of a foreigner bred into his bones and not a shred of shame to speak of, "You're my friend, what's wrong with me asking out of concern? Don't tell me you're the one on top?"

The words had barely left his mouth before he answered himself, "No. Impossible. Just looking at you, you don't have what it takes compared to him."

"......"

He didn't have what it takes compared to Shang Yanxiao?

Who exactly was he looking down on!

Bai Xu felt the doubt land like a jab and bit down on his back teeth. The stubborn, competitive streak buried deep in him flared up in an instant, sweeping that lingering thread of panic from all his earlier brooding clean out of his head.

"Oh?"

Bai Xu let out a cold laugh in Chu Yate's direction, then turned—and there was Shang Yanxiao, freshly washed up. He crooked a finger, "Come here."

Shang Yanxiao had already been walking toward them, and at that simply picked up his pace, "What is it?"

Bai Xu yanked the nearest chair out, shoved the completely unsuspecting Shang Yanxiao down onto it with full force, then pinned him in place, leaned in, and kissed him.

Shang Yanxiao startled for a moment, then accepted it without the slightest resistance.

It was a morning kiss—light, over almost before it began, yet unexpectedly forceful.

Bai Xu looked over at Chu Yate, whose jaw had dropped, and saw his competitive streak through to the end, "Sorry, you guessed wrong. I have what it takes!"

The last two words were bitten off with particular weight.

Chu Yate applauded, not entirely convinced, "Impressive."

Shang Yanxiao understood in an instant what the two of them had been talking about and laughed despite himself, "Mm, Young Master Bai absolutely has what it takes. Very impressive."

Chu Yate shook his head in awe and stopped clapping, "Am I just a prop in your couples' show-off routine?"

"......"

Bai Xu met the thick amusement pooling in Shang Yanxiao's eyes. His sense of shame arrived belatedly. He pulled Shang Yanxiao up from the chair and pushed out two words in a muffled, flustered voice, "Stop praising me! The moment you do it like that it turns weird!"

"Young Master Bai, am I not just going along with you?"

Shang Yanxiao's sharp eyes caught sight of some of the other chiefs emerging from their tents, and he reined in any further impulse to tease.

Bai Xu noticed the other figures too and muttered, "What kind of going along do you call that?"

...

The third day's itinerary was simple.

After breakfast, everyone drew lots at random and split into two small teams, played a few cooperative games, then took a couple of group photos as keepsakes.

During the group photo portion, however, Shang Yanxiao still managed to find a reason to excuse himself.

The three-day industry event had at last come to a smooth close.

Having learned his lesson from the seasickness on the way over, Bai Xu had taken the medication and applied the patch ahead of time under Shang Yanxiao's supervision, and the return journey was far easier on him than the first.

The boat pulled into the dock.

Just before disembarking, Cheng Ye gave Bai Xu a deliberate pat on the shoulder, "Young Master Bai, find some time this week for a proper sit-down? Old Zhou and I both happen to be free."

Bai Xu was hardly in any position to turn down a business opportunity handed right to him, "Of course, no problem. I'll have our three assistants coordinate a time tomorrow?"

"Sure. See you back in the city then."

"Sounds good."

Zhou Yangfan disembarked after him, "Young Master Bai, Mr. Yan. It was a real pleasure getting to know you both."

Bai Xu and Shang Yanxiao shook his hand in turn with the appropriate pleasantries, "Director Zhou, there will be plenty of time ahead. See you around."

They watched as the two men each got into their respective drivers' cars. Only then did Bai Xu let out a breath, "That's finally sorted."

"Ah—"

Chu Yate, who had kept them company the whole way through, could no longer hold off the exhaustion. He yawned as he spoke, "I can't do it. I'm heading home to catch up on sleep first. Bai Xu, Mr. Shang, if anything comes up just call."

With that, he hurried off to his assistant's waiting car.

Shang Yanxiao was the first to look away, "Shall we head back too?"

Bai Xu gave a nod, "Sure."

The two of them had left their car in the dock parking lot the whole time, untouched.

The car door shut, cutting off the noise of the outside world.

Bai Xu finally let his guard down completely and heaved a long breath, "It's over at last. And with a good outcome, too."

Shang Yanxiao replied, "Go home and get a proper rest tonight."

Bai Xu nodded, "The materials list we drafted before will need to be divided up again. Now that we're co-operating with both the Zhou and Cheng families, after all."

"That's straightforward enough. We can talk about it tomorrow."

Shang Yanxiao said nothing more about work, and instead asked, "Did you have a nightmare this morning?"

Bai Xu was caught off guard, "No."

"Then why were you in a low mood?"

He had only just woken up at the time, yet Shang Yanxiao had still picked up on that faint trace of suppressed emotion in Bai Xu—and had carried it with him all the way until now.

"......"

Bai Xu hadn't expected that even something like that could be noticed by Shang Yanxiao. For a moment, a feeling he couldn't quite name stirred quietly inside him.

He thought of the 'Shang Yanxiao' in the original novel's ending. He couldn't go on playing the bystander, "Mm, I think I did have a nightmare, though I can't really remember it anymore."

For Bai Xu, this place had long since become another real world—

Whether it was Shang Yanxiao, or Shang Queyuan, or the Zhang brothers, or the Shang family members—all of them had already become living, breathing individuals.

Even as the gears of fate kept turning and the threads of the plot kept advancing, they would still shift—in small but real ways—because of the choices and actions of the individuals within it.

Bai Xu had never been someone who accepted his fate lying down, and he certainly wasn't about to sit idle just because an ending had been 'written'.

With that being the case, what was there to worry about? Better to press forward without fear.

Besides, he trusted himself. And he trusted Shang Yanxiao.

Bai Xu swept away that mess of thoughts and let a brightness return to his eyes, "Shang Yanxiao."

"Mm?"

"Let's go home."

Shang Yanxiao heard the word he chose and gave a quiet laugh, "Alright."

...

With the obstacle of the building materials suppliers no longer standing in their way, preparations for the project moved forward smoothly. In the interest of efficiency, the working group had brought on six additional staff members, and day by day they worked through every last detail ahead of the bid.

In the blink of an eye, the registration deadline for the bid arrived.

Knock, knock.

A knock at the door.

Chu Yuncheng kept his head down, signing off on the documents that had been brought up for his review, "Come in."

With his permission, the assistant pushed open the door and stepped inside, "Mr. Chu, here is the list of bidders for 'Eaglet Cinema' that you asked for. It was just published on the official site, seven companies in total."

Two of them had apparently known their capabilities weren't up to scratch and had stopped at the registration stage.

That number was roughly in line with what they had anticipated.

Chu Yuncheng allowed himself a self-assured smile, "Zhouye Investment dropped out?"

At that, a flicker of hesitation crossed the assistant's face, "They... they're still on the list. They passed the preliminary review and are eligible for the subsequent rounds."

"......"

Chu Yuncheng's expression shifted. He immediately looked up and pulled the list from the assistant's hands, "Still on it? They found a building materials partner?"

There on the list, the four characters for Zhouye Investment stood out in plain sight.

The assistant relayed what he had just managed to find out, "Yes, it seems they've reached an arrangement with Director Zhou of Yuansheng Steel..."

Before he could finish, Chu Yuncheng hurled the folder back at him, "Seems? I pay you to come in here and tell me it seems?"

"I told you to have people keeping an eye on Zhouye Investment and Bai Xu, and this is how you handle it!"

The assistant quietly absorbed Chu Yuncheng's dressing-down without daring to breathe a word in protest—though inwardly he was far from in agreement.

An open bid was supposed to be a fair and public affair, with everyone competing on their own merits. Yet his boss, stung by that earlier defeat, had taken to treating the head of Zhouye Investment as a personal thorn in his side.

He had even gone so far as to get an early word in with the major building materials suppliers within the borders of Singapore—which was, when you got down to it, a form of underhanded targeting that was nothing to be proud of.

Now that Zhouye Investment had found a way through and secured their place on the bid list, how could any of that be laid at his feet?

Chu Yuncheng, seeing that his assistant had stayed silent for a stretch, felt his anger rise further, "Lost your tongue? I'm telling you to speak!"

The assistant quickly produced the tablet he always kept on him and held out his evidence, "Mr. Chu, I noticed that Bai Xu attended a training and team-building retreat organized by the Construction Investment Association a little while back. Take a look at the group photo—"

With that, he held the tablet out.

Chu Yuncheng's brow creased sharply, "How would Bai Xu have the qualifications to attend? Where did he get an invitation from?"

"Director Zhou of Yuansheng Steel is in there, Director Cheng of Ling Steel Group, and the general manager of Saint Paulona...," The assistant went through the names of the building materials suppliers who might have collaborated with Bai Xu one by one, then paused for two seconds before adding, "Take a look at the third person from the left in the back row."

"......"

Third from the left in the back row?

Chu Yuncheng followed his gaze—and the moment he met Chu Yate's smiling face in the photo, everything clicked into place.

"Oh, very good. Him again!"

Chu Yuncheng's expression turned ugly. Unable to hold his temper, he pushed to his feet, "Is he in the office right now?"

Sensing the storm that was about to break, the assistant had no choice but to steel himself and answer, "He is."

...

In the spacious office.

Chu Yate had already learned of the bidder list for Eaglet Cinema. He stood in front of the coffee machine, watching with unhurried interest as the coffee dripped down into the cup, drop by drop.

Without warning, the sound of hurried, heavy footsteps erupted outside the office.

Three, two, one—bang!

Just as expected, Chu Yuncheng came barging straight through the door, his face wearing unconcealed disgust and fury, "Chu Yate, what is the meaning of this!"

Chu Yate's assistant had no time to intervene, "Young Master Chu, this..."

Chu Yate already knew what Chu Yuncheng had come for. He gestured for the assistant to step out first.

"Brother, what happened? What's got you this worked up?"

He asked knowing full well the answer, picked up the coffee he had prepared in advance, and carried it step by step over to his half-brother, "How about a cup of coffee?"

"Save the act for someone else!"

Chu Yuncheng wasn't buying any of it. He sent the coffee crashing out of his hand.

—Clang!

The cup struck the floor and split in two.

The coffee that flew up splattered across Chu Yate's clothes and cheek, carrying a faint, stinging heat.

"......"

Chu Yate, caught in the spray, closed his eyes for a brief moment. When he raised them again, every trace of his smile was gone. He pulled a tissue from the desk and began wiping away the coffee, one deliberate stroke at a time.

When he spoke again, there was an edge to his words just as sharp.

"Knew a pig couldn't appreciate fine food, so I only made you instant coffee. Not much of a loss now that it's wasted."

Chu Yuncheng's face flushed red at that, "Chu Yate, you bastard– say that again if you dare! Don't think I don't know about those crude little tricks and schemes you've been pulling behind my back!"

A flash of hatred passed through the depths of Chu Yate's eyes. The hand wiping his face pressed down a little harder.

Chu Yuncheng kept on ranting, "I'm telling you, your mother could never set foot in the Chu family back then, and you're in no position today to go up against me either..."

—Bang!

The closed office door was flung open again by someone with force.

Chu Tian, past seventy, walked in. His face was grim as he snapped, "What is all this noise about? Out of nowhere?"

Chu Yuncheng hadn't expected his father to show up. His anger stalled for a moment, "Dad, what brings you here?"

As chairman, Chu Tian had been low on energy lately and hadn't come into the group's offices in quite some time.

"There's the quarterly meeting today. Has big brother really forgotten even that?"

Chu Yate deliberately twisted the knife, and in the same motion tossed the coffee-stained tissue into the bin, "Father, have a seat. I'll have someone tidy this up."

Chu Tian took in the mess on the floor, then caught sight of the coffee stains on his younger son's clothes, and turned naturally toward the culprit standing to one side.

Chu Yuncheng met his silent questioning, swallowed once, and said, "Dad! Chu Yate, this ungrateful wretch– he's working against his own family!"

"He knows our group is dead set on that Eaglet Cinema project, and he's still out there helping some other company go up against us!"

"......"

Chu Tian's brow furrowed, "Yate, is this true?"

Chu Yate answered sideways, "Brother, do you have proof? You barge into my office without any reason, I offer you coffee out of goodwill and you throw it all over me instead!"

"There are so many employees out there, and you come straight in calling me a bastard."

At that word, he let his gaze rest pointedly on Chu Tian for a moment, "Father, take a look at who exactly is the one coming in with a grudge, deliberately making trouble."

Chu Yuncheng ground his teeth, "Chu Yate, you—"

"Enough!"

Chu Tian's expression darkened. His dissatisfied gaze swept back and forth between the two of them in warning, "Is the scene not big enough already? If you two want to fight, take it outside! Don't make a disgrace of yourselves in front of the whole company!"

Both brothers fell silent at once.

Chu Tian steadied his breath and fixed his gaze squarely on Chu Yate, "You answer me first. Have you actually been helping a competitor go up against your own family?"

Chu Yate knew there was no dodging this question, "No!"

Chu Yuncheng wasn't buying it, "You dare lie to my face!"

"I've always been interested in this project. Wasn't it big brother who shut me out of it?" Chu Yate laid out this plain fact openly, "Father, I remember you once said—"

"As long as you win a project fair and square, then you're in the right. So I'm doing what I believe is right."

Bai Xu and Shang Yanxiao were the ones going after the Eaglet Cinema project. He, given his particular position, would never involve himself in any of the key stages.

If they succeeded in the end, the two sides would divide up the stakes according to the terms of their prior agreement.

"Father, what you care about is the group. Whichever of the two of us it is that ultimately brings this project in, the group will always be the one that gains."

With that being the case, how could it be called working against his own family?

Chu Yuncheng moved to press further, "Sophistry! What if you leak the project data—"

"That's enough. Do you think I don't know you?" Chu Tian cut him off with a single line, "You've had Yate locked out at every turn. How could he have seen any data?"

"......"

Chu Tian was well aware of the grievances between the two brothers, yet gave it little weight, "Alright. A bit of competition is the right thing sometimes. Both of you rely on your own real ability!"

Chu Yuncheng seethed, "Dad!"

Chu Tian raised a hand to cut him off, "Only someone who can't measure up to others gets this flustered. If you were good enough, why would you need to fear the competition?"

Chu Yate, having been given his answer, smiled, "Father is right."

Chu Tian gave one further instruction, "The meeting is almost due to start. Both of you settle down before you set foot in that conference room. If either of you causes any more trouble, don't even think about sitting in on the quarterly meeting."

With that, he was the first to leave the office.

Chu Yuncheng, for all his resentment, had no choice but to swallow it.

Bang!

The office door was slammed shut with what felt like pure spite.

Chu Yate rubbed his nearly-deafened ear with idle nonchalance, then picked up his phone and sent Bai Xu a heads-up message without delay.

Buzz, buzz.

The phone vibrated.

Bai Xu gave the message a quick once-over, then looked across at Shang Yanxiao, "Second Chu just messaged to say that Chu Yuncheng's side has found out about his arrangement with us."

Shang Yanxiao's eyes shifted slightly, "Looks like we'll need to be on guard before the bid even begins."

Bai Xu had arrived at the same thought. He gave a cold laugh, "Exactly. After all, what matters most in a bid is the quoted price. Who's to say someone won't be unable to help themselves and try to pull something."

They wouldn't stoop to underhanded tactics, but there was no guarantee their competitor wouldn't resort to malicious bidding.

Shang Yanxiao was not the type to sit back and wait, "We move first?"

Bai Xu twirled the stylus in his hand, perfectly at ease, "Sure. Let's have a little fun."

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