Xu Zhihan felt a warmth in his heart and leaned down to stroke her face. Song Qing took a soft breath but did not dodge.
He quickly pulled his hand back. "Are you really hurt?"
Song Qing smiled indifferently, "Did Uncle Xu tell you?"
"It's all my fault. The teacher asked me to help you." Xu Zhihan felt a pang of pain in his heart, his brows furrowed, and he tried to move away.
Song Qing held onto his hand tightly, and the warmth from the blankets enveloped him, making it impossible for him to move an inch.
"Xiao Qing?" He vaguely knew what she was going to do, but this awareness moved him so much that he wanted to cry, yet he couldn't cry no matter what, and could only suppress it deeply.
"Although Dad is in a coma, I think he still believes in you, and so do I." Song Qing closed her eyes and put one arm around Xu Zhihan's neck. Xu Zhihan leaned in, and the atmosphere was so ambiguous that it made him feel weak and unable to move.
In that resignation letter, Xu Zhihan explained everything, but Song Jingmo's reply was: "Not permitted. Consider getting married as soon as possible." It seems that her father was very clear-headed at that time, and he used a completely official tone when issuing his reply.
"Xiao Qing, I..." Xu Zhihan was still struggling.
"Shh, don't say it, we're engaged, aren't we?" Song Qing used the momentum to get up and offered her lips.
The smell of alcohol on Xu Zhihan's breath filled Song Qing's mind with the intense kiss she had shared with Yan Xunan in the car that night. But besides the alcohol, there was something different about it. Her heart was beating so calmly, her breathing was even, and she could still think.
Once Xu Zhihan's lips touched hers, he wouldn't let go. He lifted the blanket and hugged her tightly, for her trust and her initiative.
Song Qing closed her eyes tightly, letting Xu Zhihan do as he pleased, afraid that if she opened them, she would hurt him again. He was so sensitive, so fragile, and so proud. He hadn't asked a single question about her affair with Yi Zhengwei, had he?
Bill was rushing to the Song family home. Song Qing's phone was off, and he was worried she might do something rash, so he drove over in a hurry. As soon as he parked, he saw a sliver of light coming from Song Qing's room and breathed a sigh of relief. He hesitated whether to go up and check on her, but his feet were already on the stairs. He never considered that the Song family's front door was open, yet no one was coming out.
He tiptoed upstairs and saw that Song Qing's door was still open. He thought to himself that she was a careless person and was about to close it for her when the noise inside made him furious. He kicked the door open with a bang and turned on the main light. Song Qing and Xu Zhihan were startled, but Bill had already strode to the bedside and thrown Xu Zhihan aside.
Before the two could react, Xu Zhihan was startled when he saw the deep wounds and bite marks on Song Qing's chest. Song Qing quickly pulled the blanket over herself and huddled inside.
Bill walked up to Xu Zhihan and punched him. "You bookworm, do you know that if we had been a step later, she would have been raped by that beast?! How could you..." Bill said, and punched him again. Xu Zhihan groaned, heartbroken and helpless.
"Bill, it's none of his business!" Song Qing exclaimed in surprise, getting out of bed and grabbing Bill.
"It's none of his business?! You actually say it's none of his business?! He clearly knew the technology was confidential, yet he kept quiet for his own selfish reasons, causing you and Fuhua to end up like this. And now you're still protecting him, still with him..." Bill was furious, heartbroken by Song Qing's compromise, and couldn't help but grab her shoulders and shake her. "Wake up! Stop beating yourself up. You know perfectly well that you don't love him..."
Without a second thought, Song Qing raised her hand and slapped Bill across the face. Did he know that saying that would break Xu Zhihan's heart?! Why did he have to shatter the beautiful dream she had created? She didn't blame Xu Zhihan; hadn't she also put Fuhua at a disadvantage for her own selfish reasons? The real culprit was her, it was her!
If she had any sense left, she would have listened to Yan Xunan's advice and Xu Zhihan's advice, and wouldn't have let Xiao Ning withdraw her shares. Those 10% of shares that were withdrawn were almost half of Fuhua's assets at the time. But now the shares are worthless, the company is burdened with 600 million yuan in debt, and the project is stalled. This unprecedented disaster was originally her responsibility.
"Xiao Qing, Bill is right, I'm not good enough for you. I was confused today." Xu Zhihan swayed as he got up, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and gave a defeated, bitter smile.
"Zhihan, don't say that, Dad..."
Xu Zhihan reached out to interrupt her, his face full of sorrow, "Xiaoqing, ask yourself, are these all your own wishes? Your teacher wants you to be well, and also hopes that I can influence you, but we are both too confident."
"The teacher believed me, and out of selfishness, I actually believed Song Ning too..." He couldn't finish his sentence, his voice tinged with bitterness. As he walked out, he patted Bill on the shoulder, apologizing to him; that slap was for Bill's sake.
"Confidence?" Song Qing murmured listlessly. Then he chuckled and collapsed weakly to the ground.
"Bill, I was so confident all along, confident that he wouldn't lie to me, wouldn't harm me, wouldn't hurt me. I was so stupid, wasn't I?"
"All the fault originally lay with me. I hurt Zhihan." Although her body was clean, her heart was already murky. Such a blow would only make Zhihan run away from her.
Look at what she's done! One by one, they've all run away from her.
She hurt so many people because of her own feelings.
"Lianxin, it's not your fault, I'm at fault too, I'm at fault too." Bill felt a pang of sadness. This wasn't just comforting words, it was a sincere apology. Seeing her in such a desperate situation, he felt that even ten more slaps wouldn't be enough to atone for his sins.
"The floor is cold, let me carry you to bed."
"Bill, you won't leave me, will you?"
"Of course, Lianxin, I..."
"No, you should leave, everyone leave. I'm not worth it." She pulled the blanket over her face. She had trusted the wrong person, loved the wrong person; she really wasn't worth it.
"Get some rest. The car has been towed and might need major repairs. I'll pick you up tomorrow morning." Bill gently patted her head through the blanket. After a while, seeing that her breathing had stabilized, he pulled the blanket down to let her breathe fresh air before returning to Haotian.
Sleep well, there's so much to do tomorrow. With that thought, she drifted off to sleep.
Bill sped along, his eyes fixed on the shocking wounds on Song Qing's chest. He slammed his hand on the steering wheel, igniting a horn.
He feared he wouldn't be able to control himself and would want to hold her and comfort her all night. But in his heart, she was like his faith, so inviolable. Perhaps it would be better if he didn't know he loved her. Song Qing didn't want to owe anyone anything more, especially since she knew he had loved her for ten years.
So much so that he couldn't even bring himself to ask her if she wanted his help.
He was trapped in his own cage, all his hopes met with setbacks, and now they all bounced back on him, leaving deep wounds.
Perhaps it's time for him to go back.
Chapter Thirty-Four: Press Conference
"Stock market fluctuations are normal. As for Ms. Song Ning's remarks, we are currently negotiating. The Song and Yan families will not go to court, but they will not tolerate malicious infringement."
-Song Qing
The press conference was held promptly at 10:00 AM in Fuhua's reception room.
Song Qing straightened his suit, took a breath, and walked into the already bustling and lively hall.
The managers of the marketing, finance, public relations, and business units were all present on the podium. To the reporters who were eager to ask questions, she simply nodded and smiled, without answering.
As soon as she appeared, all eyes and lights were focused on her. She faced the crowd calmly and confidently, and found her seat.
"Hello everyone, first of all, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this press conference."