Xu Zhihan rubbed his dizzy head, racking his brains, but he couldn't remember what he had said to Dong Haifeng when he was drunk.
"I've been wanting to bring this out, but Chairman Song is currently unwell, and I'm afraid it might upset her and cause a mess. I've also suggested, both openly and subtly, that we shouldn't let the banking group get involved, but alas, my voice carries little weight. To be honest, we at Hanlong are Fuhua's most loyal partners. You all know the depth of my friendship with Brother Song. Despite so many changes, we're still working closely together, and of course, I want Fuhua to remain stable."
Xu Zhihan took the materials and looked at them. He rubbed his eyes, and his hands were trembling.
“When Fuhua was in crisis, its stock price kept falling. The majority of the shares held by the investors were concentrated in these dozen or so companies. They still haven’t sold them off. In addition, my niece gave Yi Zhengwei 5% of the shares. So he has no less shares than you.”
"Do these companies have a holding company/investor relationship with the bank holding company?"
Dong Haifeng took a drag of his cigarette and nodded. "At the time, it wasn't there yet, but later, they were all acquired by banks, controlled by banks, or bought up. They were all under Yi Zhengwei's control. So, at the time, Fuhua didn't realize that this was a premeditated acquisition."
Yes, Bill was in control of Fuhua at that time, and with his abilities, it was impossible for him not to notice the abnormalities in the stock market.
"You decide what to do. Hongshang is at a critical juncture." Dong Haifeng is an old fox, as always. Why would he step in on such an important matter? He knows that Xu Zhihan has already learned his lesson once, and with this evidence, he can't possibly hold back again.
Nothing
This plan was incredibly detailed and thorough, taking into account numerous aspects. It would have been impossible to produce such a report without extensive research and countless hours of effort. She calmly read it all, and afterwards, she couldn't help but admire Yi Zhengwei; he was truly determined to acquire Fuhua.
-Song Qing
Yi Zhengwei was coming home later and later, and he was getting increasingly haggard. Unfortunately, Song Qing was about to give birth and couldn't help him much. These past few days, she had some free time, so she learned to make soup from Aunt Zhou, wanting to personally cook a pot of delicious soup for Yi Zhengwei.
With her intention in mind, the three elders in the family naturally taught her wholeheartedly, filling the house with warmth. Finally, after much effort, the soup was cooked to perfection, and only after she tasted it and was satisfied did she carefully pack it away.
Madam Song smiled and said, "This child is only now beginning to resemble his wife."
"By the way, you should be hospitalized next week, right? Aunt Wang, have you packed everything?" Madam Song was already impatient.
Aunt Zhou interjected first, "I've been thinking about this for a while now, and I'm ready to leave anytime!"
Wang Ma sighed deliberately, "I'm the only one left idle in this house."
The three of them clapped and laughed.
Hearing the laughter from inside the house, Song Qing drove away from the Yi residence, in a very good mood the whole way. While waiting at a red light, the little one even kicked in her belly.
As soon as she arrived at the parking lot, she ran into Yi Zhengwei's car. She went to greet him, but Shen Yang got out with him.
"Qing'er!" Yi Zhengwei was clearly surprised to see her, so he quickly put his arm around Song Qing and said to Chen Yang, "You should go back first."
Song Qing didn't ask any questions, just smiled and handed the food bag to Yi Zhengwei, "You look so tired, you must not have eaten yet, let's go eat together."
Yi Zhengwei looked down and smiled indulgently, "Okay."
Shen Yang shouted from behind, "Yi Zhengwei, why don't you confess to your wife that you got up early this morning to take my sister with you!"
"Shen Yang, don't go too far!"
Shen Yang gave a mocking smile. "I'm being unreasonable?! This is the kind of trick you men always use. You want to have it all, you want to be on your side, you can't let go of this or that. To put it nicely, it's being devoted; to put it bluntly, it's being a coward! What do you take women for? Can you honestly say that for the past two weeks, you and my sister haven't been together every night, pouring out your feelings of separation? Don't tell me you feel guilty. If you really felt guilty, you should have cut ties with your wife. Otherwise, don't see my sister. Do you know that she comes home crying every night?"
Song Qing and Yi Zhengwei didn't speak, but exchanged a glance and continued walking forward arm in arm.
Yi Zhengwei was radiating intense anger. Song Qing already knew Shen Yang's personality, so she didn't blame him. Although Yi Zhengwei had met with Shen Xing behind her back, she could understand. She had said she would trust him, and she would keep her word. She also believed that Yi Zhengwei would give her an explanation, even if Shen Yang didn't say anything today, Yi Zhengwei would.
"Song Qing, stop right there!" Shen Yang, unwilling to give up, caught up with him.
Song Qing knew what she was going to say, turned around, and remained calm; Yi Zhengwei, on the other hand, was on high alert, fearing that Shen Yang might act rashly and harm Song Qing.
“Shen Yang, I don’t owe you anything. Every time you see me, you look so bitter and resentful, it’s really unnecessary. Let me tell you, I don’t care about your attitude towards me. What I care about is whether Bill will be happy. He’s going back to England soon, and I think you two should calm down. We are family, and that will never change. In his eyes, you and I are incomparable. If you really don’t want to be associated with the Song family, you should wait until Bill terminates his adoption with my aunt.”
Yi Zhengwei couldn't help but give his wife a thumbs up in his heart. He admired her understanding, her generosity, her politeness and propriety, and her ability to know when to advance and retreat. Any irrationality or impulsiveness would only seem childish and foolish in front of her.
Shen Yang's face flushed red and then turned pale, but how could she express the grievances in her heart? Bill could never forget Song Qing.
“Then you should make it clear to Bill! You can’t be with him!” she cried, tears welling up in her eyes.
Song Qing smiled and looked at Yi Zhengwei, "If I go and tell Shen Xing to cut ties with you, will you listen?"
“Qing’er…” Yi Zhengwei said helplessly.
Only the weak shift blame onto others—a principle Shen Yang naturally understood. She had lost, utterly and completely. She had made Song Qing her target, but in reality, Song Qing wasn't that target, and she didn't care. She lost, but only to herself. She knew that once your heart is with someone, you can't just take it back. She was simply furious—why had both she and her sister lost to Song Qing? While Song Qing could do nothing, care nothing, and yet still suffocate her. In what way did she lack Song Qing? Only she could make Bill so happy.
Bill sought happiness and simplicity in her, but she was no longer pure. This is the tragedy of love: the deeper the love, the less satisfied one becomes.
Stepping out of the parking lot, Song Qing felt waves of discomfort in her stomach. Perhaps it was the sting of Shen Yang's words, or perhaps she wasn't entirely indifferent. She could understand their reunion before parting; it was rational, and she shouldn't be so petty, because she and Yi Zhengwei had plenty of time together. But her heart was protesting; she couldn't be completely rational. However, she didn't want to show her dissatisfaction. If they weren't allowed to reunite, Yi Zhengwei would never be able to accept it.
The two finished their lunch in silence, rested for a while, and then work came back. Song Qing didn't want to disturb him, so she packed her things to go home. Yi Zhengwei finally pulled her into his arms and said softly, "Qing'er, we must cherish each other. I will not let go. I will never let go of you in my entire life."
She held back her tears and nodded over his shoulder. She believed that she didn't want to be a strong woman. From now on, Yi Zhengwei would be her and her child's support. She didn't want to create trouble for herself by doubting anything.
As she went downstairs, a sudden thought struck her, and she went to Xu Zhihan's office. Xu Zhihan's desk was empty. Pushing open the lounge door, she found him asleep. As soon as Song Qing entered, she smelled a faint scent of alcohol. Xu Zhihan was slumped against the bed, his shoes still on, his brow furrowed in worry. She shook her head, took off his shoes, covered his lower abdomen with a thin blanket, and, supporting herself on her stomach, stood up sincerely, saying, "You've really worked hard, Zhihan."
Xu Zhihan mumbled a few words, turned over and went back to sleep. Perhaps to avoid making noise, he hugged the pillow with both hands and pressed it over his head.
Song Qing was both annoyed and amused. She bent down and tugged at the pillow, saying, "Zhihan, don't do that, you'll suffocate."
With this pull and tug, all the evidence concerning Yi Zhengwei's embezzlement—written and photographic—was exposed one by one. Song Qing almost slid off the bed, her stomach discomfort worsening, and her whole body began to tremble uncontrollably.
"Xiao Qing... Xiao Qing..." Xu Zhihan murmured in his sleep.
She didn't know how she got out of Fuhua. She drove around Linchuan for several hours before returning home after she calmed down. However, she looked extremely haggard, which startled Madam Song. She thought she was just tired and quickly told her to go upstairs to rest.
But how could she possibly sleep? She tossed and turned in bed, her mind filled with those documents and photos, like a movie playing in her head. "No," she shook her head. She couldn't believe it. How could her husband be hiding something from her? What was his purpose? Did the Song and Yi families still need to distinguish between themselves? She had already trusted him completely.
Reason and emotion were locked in a struggle; she even considered impulsively calling to confront him and demand an explanation. But what if he wasn't? Would this create a knot in their hard-won relationship?
She always did things steadily and cautiously, and she wouldn't make a decision lightly. She trusted Yi Zhengwei and never thought that one day he would betray her.
Could it be that she's been too relaxed lately? After Yan Xunan's incident, she went through a period of extreme anxiety, causing Yi Zhengwei a lot of trouble as well. Back then, she was paranoid and always kept him at arm's length. How difficult it had been to get to where things are today, all is well! And yet, this happened!
She knew that Xu Zhihan never believed Yi Zhengwei. Several times when he couldn't help but bring it up, she decisively cut him off, unwilling to believe those things that were detrimental to Yi Zhengwei.
At dinner time, Yan Xunan called.
“I know Xiao Ning went to see you. What she did was a bit excessive, but what she said wasn’t entirely unfounded.”
She was still relatively calm at this point, thinking that Xiao Ning had probably given those documents to Xu Zhihan. "What do you want to say?"
"Xiaoqing, I know it's not easy for you to believe this fact, but many things have signs."
Song Qing glanced at the three elders present, all of whom looked worried, then smiled and casually took the phone and went upstairs.
“Xunan, just say what you want to say. When has Fuhua ever been successful at a crucial moment?” She realized she was being sarcastic; perhaps, even now, she still believed in Yi Zhengwei.
Yan Xunan was dejected. "I know what you think of me, but we are family after all."
She said coldly, "Yan Xunan, get this straight. We are family, but Zhengwei is my husband and the father of my child. If you have something to say, just say it directly. Don't pretend."
Do you remember the stock market fluctuations when Fuhua ran into trouble?
Song Qing sneered, "Of course I remember. Yan Xunan, you also amassed quite a few shares in Fuhua back then. Shouldn't you be attending Fuhua's shareholders' meeting openly and legitimately at the end of this year?"
Yan Xunan was somewhat overwhelmed and sighed, saying, "Yes, I do have some, but you should know that Yi Zhengwei is taking the lion's share. If anything goes wrong, I will definitely stand by your side, Xiao Qing."
"No need, Xu Nan. Do you want something to happen to Fuhua?"
He knew there was no point in continuing, so he said, "Alright, Xiaoqing, I hope you can calm down and take care of your health."
She was trembling when she hung up the phone. She was almost dizzy when she remembered Bill's vague farewell words to her yesterday. It seemed that everything was going against Yi Zhengwei.
No, she can't be defeated.
Resisting the urge to call Yi Zhengwei, she went downstairs again. Aunt Zhou was washing dishes in the kitchen, while Madam Song and Aunt Wang were watching TV.
"Sister Zhou, I need to go into the archives to find some documents. Zhengwei should have a key for you, right?"
As soon as Aunt Zhou turned around, Song Qing was leaning against the door, smiling.
"Yes, there is one, but young master..."
She handed the phone to Aunt Zhou, saying, "Why don't you ask him?"
This left Aunt Zhou at a loss. Song Qing naturally knew that Aunt Zhou wouldn't make that call. If the evidence was true, then not only Song Qing had been deceived by Yi Zhengwei, but Aunt Zhou had too. Things had been calm for too long, and everyone had become less wary.
She finally got the key. Entering the archives, she felt incredibly nervous and sorrowful. She had a gut feeling that what she needed was here, because sometimes Yi Zhengwei would stay for half an hour at a time. Aunt Zhou stayed by Song Qing's side, still feeling uneasy, after all, this was a crucial military stronghold for the Yi family.
She didn't need to search much; on a low cabinet near the window, there lay the acquisition plan, covered in dust. Two months ago, during an argument, Yi Zhengwei had angrily thrown it there and hadn't put it away since. Aunt Zhou never dared touch anything there, nor would she move it when cleaning. Being unfamiliar with business, she had never even opened the plan.
Song Qing picked it up and flipped through it, page by page, not missing a single one. Excellent, truly excellent. This plan was flawless, so meticulous that she felt it was a lucrative deal with a bright future. This wasn't just some random plan to deceive shareholders; the plan was incredibly detailed and thorough, considering every aspect. It was impossible to produce such a report without extensive research and countless hours of work. She calmly read through it all, and after finishing, she couldn't help but admire Yi Zhengwei; he was truly determined to acquire Fuhua.
"Oh dear, young mistress, what's wrong? Is there a problem?" Aunt Zhou quickly supported her when she saw that she was about to collapse.
She remained conscious and calm, her fists clenched tightly, but slowly she felt a wet, slippery liquid flowing between her legs, thick and sticky. Baby, baby, she gritted her teeth, struggled to turn on her phone, and calmly dialed.
Aunt Zhou finally saw the bloodstains beneath her and screamed, "Quick, come quick, mother-in-law! Something's happened! Something's happened!"
Song Qing called Bill. At that moment, Bill was the only person she could trust. "Come back, Bill, I need you," she said, enduring the excruciating pain and dizziness.
"Oh no, the blood is flowing more and more! What are we going to do?!" The three women were in a state of panic.
Song Qing finally fainted amid Bill's questioning.
Those who work hard will eventually find happiness.
“I’m afraid she’s too tired and doesn’t want to wake up.”
- Yi Zhengwei
The Song and Yi families were in a huge fight, and the hospital was packed with people. Among those present were Xu Zhihan, Bill and Shen Yang, Yan Xunan and Song Ning, Yi Mantian and his son, Madam Song, and others, each with their own concerns.
Shen Yang's eyes were bloodshot, and she was trembling all over, almost kneeling before Song Qing. Bill, unaware of the inside story, only saw Yi Zhengwei rush to the hospital in a frenzy, and upon seeing Shen Yang there, immediately slap her. Bill assumed Shen Yang was responsible for the incident and had already threatened her, "You'd better pray Xiao Qing is alright, or I won't let you off the hook!"
At this moment, their feelings for each other were secondary. Shen Yang sobbed in panic, utterly desperate. She had also been heartbroken by Bill. It was because she had refused to admit defeat and faced the challenge head-on that she finally realized how important Song Qing was to Bill. All her previous actions had been nothing but showing off her limited skills. "I really didn't expect it to be like this. Song Qing, you must wake up, otherwise I will never have peace for the rest of my life." She collapsed to the ground, weeping.
At this moment, no one cared about her. Yi Zhengwei was completely oblivious to everything. He stood alone by the operating room door, his face turned towards it, and no one knew what he was thinking.
Yan Xunan and Song Ning felt guilty. Yan Xunan was filled with remorse and paced anxiously. If he hadn't made that phone call that night, none of this would have happened. He was so regretful that he wanted to kill himself. Hadn't Song Qing been harmed enough by him and Song Ning? Now, it was two lives at stake.
Song Ning was completely at a loss. No matter what, Song Qing was still her older sister, and seeing her die would be a heart-wrenching pain. But what could she say? Apologize? Should she reveal the truth at this moment and cause even greater chaos? Besides, it was a mystery that had not yet been fully investigated.
Xu Zhihan finally walked up to Yi Zhengwei, patted him on the shoulder and said, "I have something to tell you."
Yi Zhengwei looked ten years older, as if the sky were about to collapse. In just a few hours, he had become unrecognizable. Yi Mantian, unaware of the truth, couldn't bear to scold his son when he saw him like this.
Seeing Yi Zhengwei and Xu Zhihan walk away, Aunt Zhou took out the proposal from her bag, wiped away her tears and said to Yi Mantian, "Old Master, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have let the young mistress into the archives. She saw this document and suddenly couldn't take it anymore."