Song Yuzhang: Chapter 12 - List
Chapter 12: List
When Song Yuzhang saw this Third Young Master of the Song family, he couldn't help but want to laugh. Firstly, Song Qiyuan’s hairstyle was amusing. Secondly, his features were delicate and handsome, yet somehow, that full head of curls didn’t seem out of place at all. He was an exceptionally good-looking pretty boy—the exact type that Song Yuzhang liked.
“You are…” Song Qiyuan paused, the smile on his lips flickering in and out of existence. “Fifth Brother?”
Song Yuzhang nodded slightly.
Song Qiyuan tilted his face, pressing down the corners of his lips. Then, he turned back with a calm expression and said, “Come here, Fifth Brother. Let Third Brother give you a hug.”
Song Yuzhang was slightly taken aback, but after a moment, he still walked down the stairs. Standing on the steps, Song Yuzhang was a full head taller than Song Qiyuan. Judging by their proportions, they should be about the same height on level ground. Song Yuzhang was thinking about this when Song Qiyuan stepped up onto the same step as him.
The staircase was narrow. Song Qiyuan forcing himself onto the same step nearly pushed Song Yuzhang off balance. And then, Song Yuzhang was pulled into an embrace.
The embrace carried a fragrance. Song Qiyuan had the light scent of cologne on him. Song Yuzhang himself never wore cologne, but nearly every pretty boy he had been interested in did. So, he felt no discomfort and naturally placed one arm around Song Qiyuan’s shoulders while the other encircled his waist.
After a moment, Song Yuzhang was the first to let go, and Song Qiyuan released him as well. Instead of stepping back, he placed his hand firmly on Song Yuzhang’s shoulder, smiling. “Fifth Brother, we're about the same height.”
Their faces were very close, so close that it made Song Yuzhang feel a sense of danger. Feeling was one thing, but Song Yuzhang remained calm outwardly. “Yes, about the same.”
Song Qiyuan squinted slightly as he scrutinized him, his hand resting on Song Yuzhang’s shoulder before slowly withdrawing. He reached up as if he were going to touch Song Yuzhang’s face—or maybe just pat his head—it was hard to say. Just then, a voice called out from the stairs above, interrupting the movement.
“Third Brother!”
It was Song Jincheng, standing at the top of the stairs, glaring at them with a stern expression.
“This is your Fifth Brother!”
Song Qiyuan dropped his hand, stepped back down to the lower step, and lazily responded, “I know.”
The five brothers of the Song family were finally gathered. They sat together in the grand hall, and the already opulent room became so dazzling it was nearly impossible to look at directly.
Song Jincheng announced the decision for them all to visit Song Zhenqiao at the hospital. He turned to Song Yuzhang. “Originally, we wanted to let you rest for a couple of days first, but the hospital said Father is in good spirits today. When he heard you had returned, he was eager to see you right away.”
A chill ran through Song Yuzhang’s heart.
Another ‘father’ had suddenly appeared?
The Song brothers weren't the only ones; the Song family also had a father?
Of course, people are born from mothers, and they must have fathers too. But no—one must at least have a mother. Song Yuzhang knew his mother was Xiao Yingtao, but he had never known who his father was. People didn’t necessarily have fathers…
His mind was racing with nonsense, but his face remained completely calm, his smile unwavering.
This was bad.
Brothers might not recognize each other, but a father? Surely a father wouldn’t fail to recognize his own son…
All of his plans and schemes were about to die before they even started…
“Father has been tired of looking at us four brothers,” Song Qiyuan laughed. “As for Fifth Brother, he only ever had one childhood photo of you, and he treated it like a treasure. He only let us see it once. He’s been thinking about you for over twenty years. How could he possibly wait any longer?”
A warmth returned to Song Yuzhang’s cold limbs. He turned to look at Song Qiyuan, who was already smiling at him, beaming. “Besides, our Fifth Brother is so good-looking. Who wouldn’t be eager to see him?”
They set off in separate cars. “Third Brother, ride with me,” Song Jincheng said.
Once inside, Song Jincheng began scolding him from the backseat.
“Fifth Brother is very good-looking, isn’t he?”
“Yes.”
“But that doesn’t mean you can act recklessly. He is still our brother!”
Song Qiyuan leaned back lazily and smiled at him. “Eldest Brother, didn’t you all say he was an illegitimate child?”
“An illegitimate child is still Father's child.”
“Fine.”
Song Qiyuan tucked his hands into his pockets and exhaled slowly. “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything outrageous.”
Song Jincheng scoffed. “You’re the most reckless one in the family!”
After a moment of silence, Song Qiyuan turned his head with a grin. “There’s a new film coming out soon. Eldest Brother, do you want to see it?”
Hearing the insinuation, Song Jincheng's face darkened. He knew this Third Brother of his loved mingling with people from all walks of life and was always the first to hear gossip. Embarrassed, he snapped, “Mind your own business!”
Song Yuzhang sat alone in the last car, lost in thought. There was something odd about what Song Qiyuan had said back in the hall. It was as if he had already seen through his thoughts and deliberately helped him out.
This idea seemed absurd—almost completely baseless.
Would Song Qiyuan really cover for him? Had he already realized he was a fake? If so, why didn’t he expose him on the spot? Why would he help him instead?
Song Yuzhang had always trusted his instincts. His sharp senses had saved his life on more than one occasion. And now, he carefully stored away this fleeting thought, keeping it in the back of his mind for later.
The place where Song Zhenqiao was staying wasn’t an ordinary hospital. It was so lavish it resembled a vacation resort. The four Song brothers walked ahead while Song Yuzhang followed behind, feeling a little uneasy.
Fabricating a false identity was one thing, but impersonating someone was an entirely different challenge. With a fake identity, he could make up whatever he wanted. But with an assumed identity, he was confined within a specific framework. One mistake, and he’d give himself away. And in reality, he barely knew anything about the real ‘Song Yuzhang’—no more than those clueless brothers did.
It all depended on how this father and son’s relationship truly was.
Twenty years apart—how close could they be? Song Yuzhang let out a quiet laugh, thinking their relationship was probably about as distant as his own relationship with his unknown father.
“Fifth Brother, you go in first,” Song Jincheng said. “We’ll wait outside.”
A solo encounter? That suited Song Yuzhang just fine. He nodded slightly, turned away before they could detect any hesitation, and walked toward the hospital room with an indifferent expression.
Inside, the decor was exactly as he had expected—luxurious beyond reason. He passed through a front lounge and a sitting room before finally reaching the bedroom.
On the bed lay a middle-aged man with refined features. His hair was thick and jet black, and his complexion was healthy and ruddy. He looked even better than Song Yuzhang himself—far from the sickly state described by the Song brothers.
Stepping closer, Song Yuzhang carefully examined the man's face. Not a single feature resembled his own.
Song Zhenqiao seemed to sense movement. His eyelids twitched before slowly opening.
Their eyes met. Song Yuzhang thought to himself: —This is bad. Even the eyes don’t match.
Song Zhenqiao stared at him steadily. His eyes, bloodshot and seemingly numb, only began to twitch slightly after a long while. “Yuzhang?”
Song Yu Zhang gazed at Song Zhenqiao, who, though middle-aged, still had a decent appearance. He thought to himself, ‘Wow, this man is quite handsome, not a disgrace to your mother.’
“Yes,” Song Yu Zhang replied smoothly, “Dad.”
As soon as he called him ‘Dad,’ Song Zhenqiao became so overwhelmed with emotion that he couldn't breathe properly, eventually fainting from the shock. Song Yuzhang quickly ran out to explain the situation, and Song Jincheng immediately called the nurse and doctor. Song Yekang, who had originally decided to avoid talking too much to Song Yuzhang, couldn’t help but ask, “What did you say to Dad?”
Song Yuzhang looked confused, and at least half of it was genuine confusion. "I didn’t say anything."
Song Yekang fell silent, thinking to himself that perhaps father didn’t expect to have such a beautiful child, and the shock was just too much for him.
Song Yuzhang, in a blur, got through the situation, thinking, ‘Fortunately, I pretended to be that young master of the Song family. Considering the condition of this old master, if he knew his son had already drowned at sea, he would probably have died of the shock.’
That would be an added virtue on his part.
At the police station, Meng Tingjing waited for the telegram with the list of all passengers on the Peony ship. Bored, he sat in the tea room, not drinking tea but pouring boiling water into his cup repeatedly, treating it as a small form of entertainment. The cup was made of milky porcelain, and when the hot water was poured in, it shimmered, reflecting a color close to the skin.
Meng Tingjing thought of Song Yuzhang again.
He thought about how Song Yuzhang had eagerly licked his lips as if desperately needing to drink.
Meng Tingjing paused his movement, and the hot water overflowed from the cup, splashing onto the pant leg near his thigh, burning him through his trousers. He put the cup down, flicking the water droplets off his pants.
That person really had an air of arrogance… ‘Baby,’ before he left, he had at least learned some manners, but Tingjing, you… Meng Tingjing thought thoughtfully as he recalled it, even pinching his fingers. Though he had also pinched him, that was when Song Yuxhang didn’t know. When Song Yuxhang pinched him, they were both awake, blatantly flirting with each other!
He was indeed handsome, just relying on his looks and flirting with anyone he met… Meng Tingjing sneered, turning the cup upside down on the table, his face dark and filled with a feeling of being insulted.
“Mr. Meng, the telegraph has been translated.”
“Hmm.”
Meng Tingjing replied, “Bring it in.”
The list of passengers came together with the cargo list. Meng Tingjing first looked at the cargo list, growing angrier the more he read. He could see the hidden tricks right away. How frustrating that these people never learn their lesson. This time, he was determined to make them all pay with their lives.
After finishing the cargo list, Meng Tingjing casually flipped through the passenger list. The police had already gone out to sea looking for survivors or recovering bodies.
Meng Tingjing thought absentmindedly, flipping to the last page. When he saw the Song surname column, his gaze slowed down.
Song Boyuan, Song Boming, Song Chen, Song Daguo…
Meng Tingjing couldn’t help but smile, his eyes quickly scanning down those names—sliding straight to the bottom.
The last one was Song Xiang.
Meng Tingjing froze for a moment.
Soon, he flipped through the list again.
This time, he looked carefully, reviewing the Song surname column and then scanning the rest of the surnames. After repeating this a few times, he called someone in to ask questions.
“Where did this list come from?”
“It was sent by the shipping company.”
“Does the list cover all passengers on the ship?”
“Not necessarily, this list only includes the passengers who boarded at the starting point, those who boarded midway may not be included.”
“Starting point, where did it start?”
“London port in the UK.”
Meng Tingjing fell into a long silence. He stayed silent for so long that the person who answered him unconsciously asked, “Mr. Meng? Is there a problem with the list?”
Meng Tingjing raised his eyes.
The person answering knew Meng Tingjing’s reputation, and when their eyes met, they felt a chill run down their spine. However, Meng Tingjing suddenly smiled at him, with a gentle and affectionate smile, “No problem.”
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