Song Yuzhang: Chapter 28 - Kill Two Birds with One Stone
Chapter 28: Kill Two Birds with One Stone
Knowing he was about to go abroad, Song Yuzhang found it hard to sleep that night.
He had long grown used to drifting from place to place, and now he was going to drift all the way overseas. Still, it was hard to leave his homeland—an inescapable melancholy settled in his chest.
He wondered how Chun Xing was doing.
He had secretly gone back to see her once last year. Chun Xing was married now, though she hadn’t changed much. Her complexion was still fair, her face had filled out a bit, and her expression was calm and peaceful.
Going abroad would make coming back difficult. He likely wouldn’t see her again.
Staring at the crystal chandelier above, Song Yuzhang eventually closed his eyes. If he couldn’t see her again, then so be it—better to focus on what lay ahead.
The next day, Song Yekang told him the plane tickets were ready. He had pulled some strings—he’d be leaving tomorrow. Everything, including the travel permit, was in hand.
Song Yuzhang was deeply moved and thanked Song Yekang on Song Jincheng’s behalf for the favor.
Song Yekang waved him off, saying that they were brothers, and this was nothing. Inwardly, he thought that betraying his brother at the right time was just his duty.
As soon as Song Yekang left and got into his car, Song Yuzhang turned around and made a phone call to the bank. “I need to speak to Song Jincheng—this is the family line. I’m his fifth brother.”
Song Jincheng quickly came to the phone.
“Hello, Yuzhang, what’s the matter?”
“Eldest Brother,” Song Yuzhang said warily, “is it convenient for you to talk right now?”
Song Jincheng paused, immediately sensing this was something serious—something that couldn’t be heard by a third party. He was puzzled. What secret could Song Yuzhang possibly want to share with him? “It’s fine. Go ahead,” he said.
“I...” Song Yuzhang hesitated deliberately, sounding like he was struggling to say something difficult. “Eldest Brother, do you know Le Yao’er?”
Song Jincheng paused again but remained composed. “What about her?”
Keeping a mistress in a small private residence was hardly news in Haizhou’s upper circles. If anything, not having one would raise eyebrows. Song Jincheng hadn’t exactly kept her hidden. So if Song Yuzhang knew, so be it.
“Second Brother came to me a few days ago and asked me to take Le Yao’er out of the country,” Song Yuzhang said. “He specifically told me to keep it secret, but I thought about it and felt I should at least let you know. Otherwise, once I leave, no one in the family would know anything.”
There was a long pause on the other end before Song Jincheng replied gently, “I understand.”
The call ended, and Song Jincheng immediately dispatched a car from the bank to Le Yao’er’s small villa.
In truth, he didn’t have strong feelings for Le Yao’er. She had simply been pretty enough to qualify as a canary in his gilded cage, so he kept her around.
But how had she gotten involved with his second brother? And why was Song Yekang in such a hurry to send her out of the country? Why have Song Yuzhang help personally?
Anything involving Song Yekang couldn’t be ignored lightly.
The small villa was very quiet. Song Jincheng went up to the second floor and pushed open the door. Le Yao’er was packing. When she saw him, her face filled with visible panic. “Mr. Song…”
Song Jincheng always acted the gentleman—with everyone he considered a person. Those he didn’t, he showed no courtesy.
His face darkened. “What’s going on between you and my second brother?”
Le Yao’er stood there dumbfounded, the dress in her hand slipping to the floor. Her face flushed as her eyes darted nervously around the room. Then she covered her face with her palm and, with a choked voice, said, “I… I’m pregnant…”
Song Jincheng’s expression changed drastically. “Is it his?!”
Le Yao’er sobbed and nodded. She slumped onto the edge of the bed and buried her face in the sheets, crying.
But Song Jincheng didn’t feel particularly ‘betrayed.’ Le Yao’er wasn’t his wife. In his eyes, actresses were just high-class prostitutes. What loyalty could one expect? If she could sleep with him, she could just as easily sleep with Song Yekang. He didn’t even care enough to interrogate the matter—just clasped his hands behind his back and began pacing, frowning deeply in thought.
Song Yekang had just gotten engaged, and now Le Yao’er was pregnant. Clearly, he had panicked and decided to send her abroad to avoid scandal.
Song Jincheng let out a silent laugh.
So once again, Song Yekang was one step behind.
What was there to fear about a child? That Nie Qingyun would make a fuss and the wedding would be called off? So what if it was? Did he really think Nie Xueping would work hard for him just because he was close to her daughter? How naïve.
A child, on the other hand, was something real. Their father was already seriously ill, and even an illegitimate child was treated like treasure. If there were a grandchild—wouldn’t the old man be overjoyed?
Pleasing their father was far more efficient than trying to win over the Nie family.
How could Song Yekang make such a short-sighted decision—throwing away a watermelon to pick up sesame seeds?
With that kind of mind, how could he ever compete with him?
Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough time. Now that Song Yuzhang had informed him, there was no way to act in time to take control of the situation. If he moved too hastily, it would alert Song Yekang, and their conflict would be out in the open—an ugly scene.
Song Jincheng sorted through everything in his mind calmly, then looked at Le Yao’er still crying on the bed. He walked over and said gently, “Don’t cry, I’m not blaming you.”
Le Yao’er didn’t respond—just lay there sobbing, her shoulders trembling.
Song Jincheng continued, “What’s done is done. I won’t press you about it. But if Second Brother wants to send you abroad, do you know what he really means by that?”
Through sobs, Le Yao’er said, “I… I think he doesn’t want this child…”
“That's right,” Song Jincheng sat down on the bed, gently patting her shoulder. “I’m relieved you can see things clearly. After all, we had a good run. You're still young and inexperienced—I'm not angry with you. But let me give you a piece of advice: once you leave, don’t come back. He’ll have a proper wife one day. A good girl like you doesn’t need to be anyone’s concubine or raise a child with no name or status. Don’t you think so?”
Through her tears, Le Yao’er said, “I don’t want this child either.”
“Good, that’s the right decision. Going abroad isn’t a bad thing. Foreign doctors are much more skilled at handling this kind of matter.”
Song Jincheng comforted her with a few more words. Once he was sure this naïve and clumsy girl was completely rattled and disheartened, he left, satisfied, and rushed back to the bank.
As soon as he was gone, Le Yao’er immediately sat up from the bed, rushed to the window, and watched his car drive away. Once it was out of sight, she quickly picked up the phone.
“Hello…?”
“Mr. Song, I—I told him everything exactly as you said. He didn’t suspect a thing.”
“I just cried, and he didn’t ask much.”
“Mr. Song… do you think this will really work?”
“Trust me,” Song Yuzhang said as he sat on the sofa, one leg crossed over the other, rocking gently with a smile. “Miss Le, you have to believe your acting was flawless.”
“You don’t need to worry about anything. We’ll just meet at the airport tomorrow.”
He hung up.
There was no way Song Jincheng would get suspicious.
Indeed, the eldest son of the Song family wasn’t stupid—if Le Yao’er had claimed the child was his, he would’ve been extremely cautious and tried every method to confirm it. But because she had so cleanly admitted it was someone else’s, he didn’t doubt it at all.
That’s human nature.
We go to great lengths to verify loyalty, but we believe betrayal without hesitation.
And anyway, time was tight—Song Jincheng didn’t even have the chance to verify anything if he wanted to.
Song Yuzhang really wanted a cigarette, but he had none on hand, and it wasn’t the right time to smoke, so he just leaned his head to the side and softly sang a scene from Yutang Chun. Xiao Yingtao’s version was great, but he thought his wasn’t bad either. Halfway through the song, his phone rang.
Smiling, Song Yuzhang picked up.
“Fifth Brother.”
It was Song Jincheng’s voice.
“Eldest Brother,” Song Yuzhang answered respectfully.
“Tomorrow, go ahead and take Le Yao’er abroad as planned. I’ll act like I never knew anything. This is your second brother’s personal matter. Don’t spread it around. Your second brother was right—this should be kept secret.”
“Understood,” Song Yuzhang replied nervously. “Other than you, I won’t tell anyone.”
“But there’s one more thing I want to ask of you.”
“Please say it, Eldest Brother”
“That woman is already…”
Song Jincheng stopped short, but Song Yuzhang got the hint and responded with a shocked, panicked tone, “What? You mean…?”
“You were there at the engagement party with the Nie family. The Nies aren’t the type to be fooled easily. After you take her abroad, make sure she gets rid of the child. Don’t worry, I’ve already spoken to her and she agreed. Just make sure it’s done. Give her some compensation afterward, but whatever you do, don’t let anything go wrong. If something does, your second brother’s engagement could be ruined.”
“I’ll… I’ll try my best…”
“Not try—you must.”
“......”
“Yuzhang, you don’t want your second brother’s engagement to fall apart, do you? Listen, when you get back, I’ll prepare a gift for you. Consider it a token of appreciation for all your trouble.”
“Eldest Brother, I don’t want money—we’re brothers, aren’t we?”
“Now that’s the right way to speak. We’re brothers. And brothers should help each other. Second Brother is my brother too. I have to help him—and so do you.”
Under Song Jincheng’s persuasion, the ‘nervously overwhelmed’ Song Yuzhang finally gave in, reluctantly agreeing.
That night, Song Jincheng called Song Yuzhang into his study and secretly gave him a check for 500,000 yuan.
He’d already found out that Song Yekang had moved 300,000 yuan from the bank—clearly for Le Yao’er’s prenatal care. Can’t catch a wolf without risking the sheep. If he didn’t pay more than Song Yekang, there was no guarantee Le Yao’er wouldn’t change her mind and bring the baby back to the country. That would be a disaster. As much as Song Jincheng hated to admit it, he did have some fertility issues. That alone meant he could never truly surpass Song Yekang. He had to thank Song Yekang for being so dim-witted and blind to the bigger picture—and thank Song Yuzhang, so simple-minded he truly believed that taking a mere 10,000 yuan made him a loyal little brother.
“Take it.”
Song Jincheng insisted, placing the check into Song Yuzhang’s hand. “It’s been twenty years—this is what the Song family owes you.”
Song Yuzhang hesitated and resisted for a while, but eventually, with great reluctance, he accepted the 500,000 yuan and promised to handle everything properly.
As he stepped out of the study, he was immediately caught by Song Yekang. “It’s so late—what were you talking to Eldest Brother about? You didn’t tell him, did you?”
“Of course not,” Song Yuzhang replied softly. “He just saw I hadn’t been out lately and asked if I was feeling bored staying home.”
Song Yekang looked him up and down, but aside from how attractive he looked, he couldn’t see anything suspicious. He didn’t dare stare for long either, so he quickly looked away. “I’ve left the plane tickets and travel documents on the table. Your flight is at 10 a.m. tomorrow— just leave quietly. Once you’re gone, I’ll inform the others.”
“Thanks, Second Brother,” Song Yuzhang said gently, his eyes soft. “Eldest Brother will definitely be grateful to you.”
Song Yekang let out a silent laugh from his chest, “Haha, how could he not be?”
Back in his room, Song Yuzhang didn’t pack his luggage. Instead, he pulled out the two checks he kept close to his body and held them up in front of his eyes.
Good brothers. What a pair of good brothers!
Seven hundred thousand—he wasn’t greedy. He’d split it evenly with Le Yao’er when the time came. This was his first time teaming up with someone for a ‘mission,’ and the results were really quite good. Le Yao’er truly lived up to being an actress.
As he looked at the two checks he held aloft, a genuine and radiant smile spread across Song Yuzhang’s face.
This trip to Haizhou was definitely worth it!
He slept peacefully that night. The next morning, Song Yuzhang changed into a sharp outfit and came downstairs full of energy. For once, both Song Yekang and Song Jincheng were still home, leisurely having congee and side dishes. As soon as Song Mingzhao saw him, he said, “I’m done eating—going to school. Enjoy your breakfast, brothers.” He didn’t even bother greeting Song Yuzhang.
Song Yuzhang didn’t mind. He greeted the two elder brothers who remained and sat down.
“Fifth Brother.”
He looked over to Song Yekang, who was smiling at him. “You’re heading out in a bit, right?”
Song Yuzhang hesitated before giving a small “Mm.”
“Be careful on the road.”
Song Yekang spoke with a meaningful tone. The thought of Song Jincheng being completely in the dark, fooled like an idiot, almost made him laugh out loud.
“Fifth Brother.”
Song Jincheng put down his chopsticks. A servant quickly handed him a warm towel, which he used to wipe his hands as he said, “Your second brother’s right—stay safe out there. These days, it’s not exactly a peaceful era.”
Song Yuzhang gave a small nod.
The two brothers exchanged a glance and smiled at each other.
Song Yekang thought: ‘Go ahead and smile—see you in twenty years when you meet your son again.’
Song Jincheng thought: ‘Smile all you want—your son is about to die overseas.’
After breakfast, Song Yuzhang took his time. The three brothers left the house together and parted ways with seemingly friendly farewells. Song Yuzhang got into his car and said to the driver, “Airport.”
The driver responded and started the engine.
After a moment, Song Yuzhang asked, “Got any cigarettes?”
“I do, but they’re not good ones—I’m afraid you won’t like them, Fifth Young Master.”
“No matter.”
The driver fished a cigarette and some matches from his pocket and passed them over. He glanced up at the rearview mirror to sneak a look and saw that Fifth Young Master’s smoking posture was extremely practiced—holding the cigarette lightly between his lips, head tilted just a bit, with a smile while he smoked. But it wasn’t just any smile—it was a satisfied, sly sort of smile that sent a chill straight through your heart.
----------
If you like my translation, please support me by buying me a coffee:
0 comments: