DPPM Chapter 64.1 – Dagger (1)

|| Blessings be as vast as the East China Sea, life is as long as the Nanshan Mountain range.

Song Yan couldn’t understand why the guy who had to think of ways to change the air conditioner, was standing in the banquet hall of a five-star hotel with a 24-hour constant temperature control at this moment, dressed impeccably. 

He didn’t know why the guy who was reluctant to buy a cake in the morning was the protagonist who spent hundreds of thousands to hold a banquet full of strangers.

He didn’t know why the orphaned guy with a 70 years old grandmother and 3 years old little sister had a rich and powerful grandfather on his side. 

He only knew one thing:

Xia Zhiye, this bastard dog who scammed him out of his feelings and money, will gruesomely die today. 

Thinking of Xia Zhiye pretending to be poor and selling misery, Song Yan squeezed the gift box in his hand.

He raised his head and looked at Xia Zhiye in front of him, who was wearing an expensive custom-made suit but had a cheap scarf wrapped around him, the kind you could buy for 100 yuan from a street stall. Without expression, he lifted the gift box in his hand and said, “Wishing our Young Master Xia a happy birthday, may your blessings be as vast as the East China Sea, life is as long as the Nanshan Mountain range.”

Although his tone was indifferent like AI, it perfectly replicated Xia Zhiye’s usual teasing of “our Young Master Song”. 

However, in his mind, he had simulated violent and gory 18+ scenes more than 10,000 times. 

Xia Zhiye was a bit pleasantly surprised.

Was Song Yan going to let this thing be swept under the rug today, considering it’s his birthday?

Thinking about it, he carefully opened the gift box under Song Yan’s stern gaze that seemed to say, ‘I will kill you on the spot if you dare to act recklessly.’ He said, “Thank…” 

“Thank you.”

Before he could say the word “you”, it was stuck in his throat once he saw the gorgeous, delicate, and sharp dagger lying in the gift box.

Xia Zhiye felt that the Nanshan Mountain range that Song Yan said only meant that he would only live until 17 years old. 

He had even imagined what the dagger would look like when it was stabbed straight into his throat.

Perceiving Xia Zhiye’s stiffness, Song Yan said coldly again, “Why, our Young Master Xia doesn’t like it?”

“I like it.” 

He dare not dislike it.

Xia Zhiye closed the lid carefully, looked at Song Yan, smiled very softly and virtuously, “As long as it is from you, I like it.”

Originally, Elder Xia and Song Minghai thought that there was just something odd between the two. However, upon hearing this, Elder Xia realized that things were more complicated than he thought. “You two knew each other before?”

“Ah, yes.” Xia Zhiye hurriedly smiled and dragged Song Yan into his arms, hugged his shoulders tightly, and restricted his personal freedom before introducing him, “This is my deskmate and roommate, Song Yan, who is also my boy— male friend!” 

When Xia Zhiye said the word “boy”, the soft flesh on his waist was immediately attacked by the cruel two-finger twisting attack from the man in his arms. The pain directly caused his Ren and Du meridians to be opened up. 

A certain criminal Song remained expressionless, calm and collected, maintaining the cold and aloof demeanor of an alpine flower. 

Therefore, Xia Zhiye had to endure the pain and keep a polite smile, saying, “My male friend, the best kind of brotherhood relationship, without a doubt.”

“Oh?” Elder Xia seemed surprised to hear this, and looked at Song Minghai. “Your son is also studying at Nanwu No. 3 Middle?” 

Song Minghai was an entrepreneur who had established a firm foothold in Beijing. How could he send his precious son to a school such as Nanwu No. 3 Middle School?

Elder Xia couldn’t figure it out.

Song Minghai didn’t expect that a family like the Xia family would let their precious grandson go to a public school with very ordinary conditions like No. 3 Middle School. It felt a little out of place.

However, amidst the surprise, he felt fortunate. It seemed that Song Yan and this grandson of the Xia family had an unusually close relationship. Establishing a connection with the Elder Xia would likely become much easier now.

So he smiled and nodded. “Yeah, mainly because I believe boys can’t be too spoiled, or they won’t be able to bear the setbacks when they grow up, so I sent him here to experience the harsh reality of life.” 

“Mn, you’re right. Girls should be raised in wealth, while boys should be raised in poverty. Just let them roam free, do whatever they want, and don’t bother about them. However, if it’s something they truly want to do, they should find a way on their own. The family shouldn’t provide assistance or extra money.”

Smiling while leaning on his cane, Elder Xia shared his experience nurturing his grandson: “But this kid is quite outstanding. Even with a hands-off approach, he hasn’t gone astray. He’s been the top student in his grade, and a few days ago, he even brought back a gold medal from the national Olympiad. He barely made me lose face.”

“It’s rare to see such a sensible and excellent child. He looks very talented, tall, handsome, and has a good personality to boot. If I had a daughter, I would want him as my son-in-law.” 

Song Minghai was used to this kind of flattery, he had maxed out his skills. 

With a simple wit, he flattered Elder Xia in a natural way, making the old man happy. In return, Elder Xia said, “You Xiao Yan is also handsome. Look at him, his looks are leagues better than many new celebs in our company. I know that when you want to recruit your Song family’s daughter-in-law in the future, the queue will be impressive.” 

‘Oh, come on.’

‘Your grandson is first in line in that queue, and he just got in today.’ Song Yan mused.

Xia Zhiye defended against Song Yan’s murderous yet bloodless twisting attack while laughing and said, “Grandpa, you make it sound like Song Yan is only good-looking. In fact, he has good grades too. In the last district joint examination, he and I tied for first place. Yesterday, he even won first prize in the Youth Talent Cup speech contest. Is that right, Uncle Song?”

As long as Xia Zhiye smiles with his peach blossom eyes, he has a magical ability of killing (metaphorically speaking) men, women, or even children. He could easily use his speech to lower people’s intelligence and defenses. 

In addition, nobody would deflect such a genuine praise of one’s own son on such an occasion. Song Minghai also smiled and said, “This kid in my family is indeed quite competitive.”

In this kind of atmosphere, it promoted mutual praise. Someone echoed, “Song-zong, you’re too modest. How can that just be ‘quite competitive’? Your son is very good.” 

“Indeed, it’s a heritage of excellent family education. Look, both the children of Lao Xia and Song-zong’s family are so outstanding.”

“It shows that genetic factors are indeed powerful.”

“That’s right, the dragon gives birth to the dragon, the phoenix gives birth to the phoenix, while the mouse’s child will make a hole.”

“Yes, the tiger fathers will not have a dog son. Uncle is optimistic about you two.”

…

These polite words of flattery from the onlookers were music in his ears. 

Song Minghai had a humble and gentle smile on his face.

Xia Zhiye felt that the arm of the youth he was holding was getting tenser with each passing seconds. So he gently brought them closer, as if to comfort him. Then, he smiled at Song Minghai and said, “But Uncle Song, do you perhaps not know that Song Yan has been wrongly accused?”

When he said this, Song Yan, who was still twisting Xia Zhiye’s waist, paused, and Song Minghai, who was smiling gracefully to accept everyone’s praise, visibly paused, a glass of wine in his hand. 

It was Elder Xia who reacted first, frowning slightly, “What happened? He was wrongly accused?” 

“Oh, it’s nothing.” Xia Zhiye explained, “It’s just that after someone in the Youth Talent Cup plagiarized Song Yan’s manuscript last year, and on top of that, he framed Song Yan for plagiarism. He then jumped from the balcony on the third floor and framed Song Yan for that, too. In the end, Song Yan was disqualified from the award, and after being punished by Uncle Song, he was transferred to Nanwu No. 3 Middle. It was only two days ago that he was just cleared of any wrongdoing.”

The tone was understated, sounding like it wasn’t a big deal. However, everyone present was astute, and who among them couldn’t infer the hidden meaning behind the phrase, “after being punished, he was transferred to Nanwu No. 3 Middle”? There must be a lot more to the story in that sentence. 

Song Minghai’s complexion changed slightly, just as he was about to explain, Xia Zhiye smiled and helped him out, “But Uncle Song must have done this because he didn’t want Song Yan to go astray. I think Song Yan can understand your extreme method. Don’t worry, he doesn’t need to drink those sleeping pills now.” 

It sounded a bit convoluted, but it was very informative. 

“He doesn’t need to drink those sleeping pills now” implies that he needed those before. 

So how harsh was Song Minghai’s punishment to make his teenage son need to take such medication? 

And if Song Yan really did something wrong… still, that method was disproportionately hard for the supposed wrongdoing. 

And he was wrongfully accused too. Why Song Minghai, the father, didn’t investigate the truth at that time? Why didn’t he believe in his own son? Why did he still punish him? 

Adding to that, Song Minghai’s original wife passed away early, and the fact that his current wife was from a second marriage was not a secret. Most of the guests in the room now cast a slightly curious and speculative gaze toward Song Minghai.

The image that Song Minghai just established – a pair of loving father and filial son – was now in jeopardy, and the instigator of this disturbance was still smiling politely and amicably. Moreover, he couldn’t afford to offend the elders behind him at the moment.

So he could only continue to maintain his good father image and reflect. “It was true that I didn’t know the truth at that time, because I really didn’t expect a teenage high school student to have such a deep mind for such a twisted scheme.”

Xia Zhiye nodded knowingly. “Teenage high school students may indeed be more scheming than forty-something entrepreneurs. Uncle Song didn’t expect it at the time. It’s normal.”

To the onlookers, this sounded like a joke to lighten the mood.

But Song Minghai’s face flashed ugly for a moment.

However, Xia Zhiye remained looking oblivious. He titled his head, his face full of youthful innocence, “Uncle Song, now that you know the truth, you must feel guilty, right? But it’s okay, I believe as long as you sincerely apologize to Song Yan, he won’t blame you.”

Song Minghai’s knuckles tightened around the wine glass, showing signs of strain, but his face still maintained a gentlemanly and gentle smile. “Certainly, Song Yan has always been a sensible child. I will definitely apologize sincerely later. It’s something a father should do.”

“Wow, Uncle Song is really great! How about apologizing now? There are so many people here, and Song Yan probably wouldn’t want to make a scene with a child’s temper, right, Song Yan?” Xia Zhiye tilted his head and winked at Song Yan.

Song Yan didn’t expect Song Minghai to apologize to him at all, in public on top of that. Since didn’t want to make the scene too ugly, he turned around and was about to leave, but Xia Zhiye hugged his shoulders tightly, confining him in place.

The gentlemanly smile on Song Minghai’s face became tenser and colder. 

He could speak freely and play games in the business world, saying one thing to one person and something else to another. However, once he returned home, he had to be an unquestionable and unchallengeable head of the household.

The reason why he punished Song Yan so harshly at that time was not to punish him for his “wrongdoing”. He wanted to punish Song Yan for his rebelliousness, for his arrogance, for his refusal to bow his head and admit his mistakes.

So asking him to apologize to Song Yan in public was tantamount to the greatest humiliation to him as the head of his household. 

Song Yan was his son. He gave him food, drink, clothes, and was the one who gave him life to begin with. Why must he apologize to Song Yan? 

However, the gazes of the people directed at him already carried some discontent and condemnation. Elder Xia even furrowed his brows, tapping his cane on the ground with displeasure. He said, “Minghai, as a father, you should lead by example.”

The Xia family’s style was well known.

Elder Xia was famous for his character.

If someone left the impression of being mean, stern, authoritarian, self-willed, and unwilling to pay for their own mistakes in this kind of thing, it would be a big obstacle to their subsequent cooperation.

Compared with the huge interests of his business, his dignity and prestige as the head of household seem so insignificant.

So even though his blood pressure rose from anger, he still clenched the wine glass and showed Song Yan a fatherly face.

“Elder Xia is right. Xiao Yan, it was father’s fault in not believing you before, and not being able to unconditionally support you. That’s why you suffered so much grievance and heartache. Father is sorry, and I will change in the future. I will trust, respect, and protect you, and I also will communicate better when encountering problems. Things like before will never happen again. Can you forgive Dad for that?” 

His tone was modest and gentle, and there was even a hint of humility in the sincerity of asking for forgiveness.

Even if he knew that Song Minghai was acting, but this is the first time in his life he could hear Song Minghai speaking to him in such a humble tone in front of everyone’s eyes.Song Yan wanted to laugh. 

Has Song Minghai lost his face?

He has. 

Will Song Yan forgive him?

Hell no. 

Xia Zhiye also knew Song Yan’s answer, so he didn’t let this question linger on him for too long.

Just casually, he tightened his embrace a bit and smiled at Song Minghai, saying, “Uncle Song is indeed a good father. It seems I need to share with Grandpa more about how Uncle Song manages the household so that he can learn and stop being authoritarian with me all the time.”

“Hey, you cheeky rascal, feeling bold, huh? You even implicated me in your scheme against Grandpa,” Elder Xia teased, lifting his cane as if to playfully strike Xia Zhiye. “I just wanted to have a good chat with your Uncle Song and learn how to raise such a beautiful and well-behaved child like Song Yan, unlike you! I know that unless you’ve irritated me at least once a day, you won’t feel content.” 

Elder Xia was already very old, and he had long known about this kind of thing. How can he not see Xia Zhiye’s careful thoughts?

He just wanted to get justice for his friend. 

The talk of discussing how to be a good parent in the future was also a subtle hint to Song Minghai. It implied that if Song Minghai were to mistreat or retaliate against Song Yan when they returned home, Xia Zhiye would be there to report it to himself.

The fox exploits the tiger’s might, and the dog leans on its master’s power¹“狐假虎威，狗仗人势” this idiom is often used to describe someone who takes advantage of another’s authority or power to intimidate others. It implies using a stronger force or influence for one’s own benefit, even if it is not rightfully earned..

Elder Xia felt a disdainful contempt for his own grandson in his heart, but he had heard a bit about Song Minghai’s personal life and probably guessed that Song Yan might not have an easy time at home. So, despite the disdain, he took the opportunity to sell a bit of this favor for his grandson.

At the end, without waiting for Song Minghai to speak, he waved at Xia Zhiye in a look of exasperation. “Okay, you young people go play amongst yourselves. Don’t bother us adults.” 

Then smiled and pointed to the direction of the tea seat. “Let’s go, Minghai, chat with me, this old man?”

Song Minghai couldn’t resist. Even though his heart is full of fire, he can only bear it silently, smiling modestly. “Then I also ask Elder Xia for more advice.”

On the other side, Xia Zhiye led Song Yan out of the crowd, went to the VIP lounge, and after confirming that no one was inside, closed the door, and said with a smirk, “How is it? Isn’t your boyfriend just now exuding such a masculine ch—”

–arm?

Originally, he had intended to bask in the glory and invite gratitude from Song Yan, perhaps even seeking romantic reciprocation. However, as soon as he closed the door and turned around, he was met with a finely honed and sharp dagger.

The hilt of the dagger was tightly gripped by pale, slender fingers, with the back of the gripping hand displaying bulging veins, indicating the wielder’s chilling intent to kill. 

The razor-sharp blade, brimming with murderous intent, was aimed squarely at his vulnerable throat.

It was one breath away from cutting the aorta.

In this moment, it was the closest that Xia Zhiye had ever been to death in his brief yet dazzling life.

He swallowed the remaining word of his earlier talk. 

Whether or not he exuded a masculine charm… Xia Zhiye was uncertain.

But he knew that his days ahead were sure to be difficult to live. 

“Wait, Song-ge, listen to my explanation…”

Xia Zhiye cautiously pushed the blade away, attempting to keep it a bit farther from his own elegant and slender neck.

However, just as he moved, he heard Song Yan coldly say: “Do you want to die now?”

“…”

T/L: this chapter contains a satisfying amount of an Asian kid’s dream of making your overcompetitive Asian parent™ apologizes for their mistakes. Reading it feels so refreshing~

If you can, please support me by donating on my ko-fi~ For every 2 ko-fis, I’ll release an additional chapter ^^

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  “狐假虎威，狗仗人势” this idiom is often used to describe someone who takes advantage of another’s authority or power to intimidate others. It implies using a stronger force or influence for one’s own benefit, even if it is not rightfully earned.