The solid wood floor was covered with a layer of luxurious, expensive plush carpet, so even walking barefoot didn't feel cold.
Under the dim light, a man sat lazily reclining in his chair, eyes slightly lowered, looking at his phone.
He wore a simple beige turtleneck sweater with no embellishments and relatively loose trousers, paired with his gentle, handsome features, and a faint smile seemed to linger at the corners of his lips at all times.
He must be a very gentle person.
That was everyone's first impression of him.
The brightness of the phone screen was not as gentle as the warm yellow light; the harsh rays shot straight into his eyes.
As he looked at the content the other party had just sent, after a long while, a hint of helplessness surfaced in his gentle eyes.
[Song Lian: By the way, there's something else I want to ask you.]
[Song Lian: I haven't been at school much lately, and I've spent less time with you. I'm sorry for neglecting you.]
[Song Lian: It's just... I've heard people say that special admit in your class has been getting close to you recently? Are you familiar with him?]
[Song Lian: I'm just concerned, so I wanted to ask. It's okay if you don't feel like answering.]
After carefully choosing his words and sending these messages, the person he was chatting with suddenly disappeared.
He didn't know what she was doing; he just kept staring at the chat interface, his eyes gradually darkening.
Until a knock came at the study door, he said lightly, "Enter."
The Song family butler gently pushed open the door, entered with a cup of tea, walked to Song Lian's side, and placed the tea on the desk: "Young master, your tea."
"Mm."
After setting down the tea, the butler didn't leave immediately but conveyed the Song family head's words: "Young master, the master says the Xu family's land was snatched away by someone offering double the price. The master sent me to ask if you still want to raise the bid."
Song Lian was the heir of the Song family, having been involved in the family business early on.
The Xu family had a piece of land for sale. He had negotiated with the Xu family last year, wanting to acquire it. The price had been agreed upon, and the talks had gone smoothly without any issues.
They were just one step away from signing the contract.
But yesterday, the person in charge of liaising with the Xu family suddenly came to him and said the Xu family wanted to terminate the cooperation, without giving a reason. The other party was evasive and refused to disclose.
Song Lian picked up the teacup, took a sip, a faint smile on his lips, his tone unreadable: "Double the price—no wonder the Xu family suddenly changed their minds."
His previous offer had been the most reasonable price; the Xu family's land wasn't worth double his original bid.
Who was competing with him for this land at such a critical moment?
He wasn't a fool that would chase after it by offering triple the price.
Song Lian had already decided he didn't want the land, but out of curiosity, he asked: "Did Father find out who made the offer?"
"It's..." The butler hesitated for a moment, then uttered a name even Song Lian hadn't expected.
"The Su family."
The phone, which had been silent for a while, rang twice. Song Lian looked down.
[Su Zhiyi: Huh? What special admit?]
[Su Zhiyi: Oh! I remember now, are you talking about that special admit named Su Qinghuai?]
[Su Zhiyi: It's just that he has good grades, so I asked him for advice on studies a few times. We're just classmates~]
[Su Zhiyi: We're not even friends.]
[Song Lian: Is that so? Then I overthought it.]
[Song Lian: Zhiyi, you're still young and inexperienced. I hope you understand that most men in society are not to be trusted, especially men like... your classmate, who come from the slums. What they're after by getting close to you, I don't need to spell out, do I?]
[Song Lian: You're smart, I believe you understand what I mean [smile]]
[Su Zhiyi: Mm-hmm, we're not from the same class, so we rarely interact anyway.]
[Su Zhiyi: [Voice message]]
Su Zhiyi sent a voice message.
Song Lian played the voice, and Su Zhiyi's sweet voice sounded in the quiet study, like a soft candy so sweet it chokes the throat, melted by warm sunlight, carrying a hint of stickiness.
Her tone was lazy, with a slight upturn at the end, very alluring.
"Just finished my shower, I'm so sleepy. I'll go to sleep now; let's chat about the rest tomorrow~"
With that, Su Zhiyi ended the conversation.
Song Lian replied "Good night" and turned off his phone. The last trace of gentleness on his face vanished, and his gaze, calm to the extreme, fell on the butler.
He placed a palm flat on the desk, lightly tapping it once with his index finger.
"The Su family?"
"Yes, young master. The Su family offered double the price." The butler said, "The master only got this news yesterday, but we don't know which specific member of the Su family made the offer for now."
Song Lian rubbed the smooth teacup with his calloused thumb and let out a cryptic light laugh.
"Ha, double the price... thinking about it, it's not that much. Suddenly, I want to snatch it back."
"Do you mean...?" The butler was surprised, his eyes widening. He had thought the young master had given up on the Xu family's land.
After all, the current price had already exceeded the land's actual value.
It was clearly not a wise business decision.
"Triple the price. Contact the Xu family. If the other party continues to bid, keep following. Also, ask Father to look into if there have been any major changes in the Su family recently. I have a guess, but I'm not sure."
Song Lian's lowered eyes were obscured by the steam from the tea, hiding his emotions, but his words were unequivocal.
The butler didn't press further. If the young master wanted to keep bidding for that land, he must have his reasons.
He replied "Yes" and withdrew from the study.
Song Lian's gaze remained on a floating tea leaf in the cup until it settled at the bottom. Then he put down the cup and picked up the phone from the desk, its screen dark.
He found his only pinned contact and entered her chat window.
He was always good at hiding his emotions; his face didn't reveal whether he was pleased or angry, but the aura he emitted had lost some of its gentleness compared to before the butler entered.
"As expected of a mouse raised in the slums... can't hide a single trace of its tail."
"I really hope my guess is right. I wonder how much longer you can survive with these clumsy, self-impressed tricks in the dark?"
The study's lights went completely dark, leaving only the half-open curtain letting in the faint moonlight, outlining the man's silhouette.
Author's note:
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I've been writing nonstop. The aristocratic academy arc is almost done, just the ending left. I'm really into it.
I'm also thinking about the outline for the second world, whether to write about an entertainment industry female celebrity or a widow coveted by her deceased husband's friends. I really want to write both.