"I am deeply moved by everyone's trust in me. Manager Guo and I have already discussed it, and we will gradually make up for everyone's recent losses after Fuhua fully launches the new project."
Guo Sheng met her gaze, and they nodded to each other. There were some things he couldn't do, and couldn't promise, but Song Qing could. However, this "can" would inevitably put more pressure on her. He admired this young general manager.
"Currently, the group has formulated a series of plans, and I believe everyone will be busy soon. Are you confident about this?"
Everyone stood up and replied with smiles, the atmosphere reaching a fever pitch. With a promise and a plan in place, and given that Song Qing herself had spoken, everyone naturally trusted her. However, they were unaware of the immense responsibility and pressure this seemingly aloof young woman carried with every word she uttered today.
Song Qing smiled as she stepped off the stage, greeted Guo Sheng, and left first. She had just felt a stomachache, but she couldn't show it in front of everyone. As soon as she left the venue, she leaned against the wall and vomited a few mouthfuls of bitter bile.
After greeting the staff at the entrance, she drove away. She passed a bustling market, randomly picked a small shop, and parked, wanting some hot soup. The surrounding environment of Kangqiao was rather rough; the county roads had just been watered, and every time a pedestrian walked on them, the water was murky and muddy, splashing mud all over her Blue Wing. As soon as she got out of the car, she was splashed with mud by an oncoming motorcycle that didn't follow the rules. Her black pants weren't too badly affected, but her shirt was a complete mess.
She ordered a bowl of wontons, and only managed to eat half of it, but she drank all the hot soup. Only then did she feel her stomach warm up a bit. She took out her medicine and drank it with the boiled water she asked the shopkeeper for. She rested for a while before getting up.
The sky was still overcast, and all she could hear were unfamiliar, noisy voices. She had just gotten back into her car and turned on her phone when Yi Zhengwei called.
"Where are you?!"
Song Qing smiled and said, "I won't be at the company until the afternoon."
Yi Zhengwei breathed a sigh of relief. "Have you had breakfast and taken your medicine?"
"Thank you, I've already eaten." She glanced back at the stall and drove away.
The two had nothing more to say and hung up the phone. Halfway there, she suddenly received another call from Xu Heng, saying that Song Jingmo had been taken into the operating room again, and she had been lying on her stomach for a while before rushing back.
When she arrived at the hospital, Yan Xunan, Song Ning, and Mrs. Song were already waiting outside the operating room. Mrs. Song was holding Song Ning and crying bitterly. When she saw Song Qing arrive, she grabbed her eldest daughter and cried loudly.
While comforting her mother, Song Qing kept her eyes glued to the words "Operation in Progress" displayed on the screen.
"Sister, Uncle Xu said that Dad suddenly woke up today and even ate a little something, but he had another attack at noon. Uncle Xu said it might be due to the spread of the toxins, and he's currently being treated." Song Ning choked up a little, her eyes red, and placed her hand on Song Qing's shoulder.
Song Qing nodded and buried his head in Madam Song's arms.
"Sister, don't worry too much. Uncle Xu knows a lot about Dad's illness. He's the surgeon today." Song Ning also sat down on the bench.
After a long while, Song Qing finally got up. Yan Xunan was leaning against the window, smoking, with one hand in his pocket, looking at Song Qing.
Song Qing checked his watch, got up, and walked to the vending machine at the corner of the corridor to buy a cup of hot tea.
"Are you feeling better?" Yan Xunan followed over.
Song Qing nodded, handed him the hot tea, and took out a few pills.
"Drink this, tea isn't good with medicine." Yan Xunan handed over the water in his hand and started drinking tea himself.
"Qing'er, don't sell any more of these shares." After Song Qing took her medicine, Yan Xunan asked her to sit down on a chair nearby.
Song Qing looked up at him, smiled, and then turned her head away.
"I won't buy in, but that doesn't mean others won't."
Who are you trying to say?
"You know." He was naturally referring to Yi Zhengwei.
So what?
Yan Xunan sighed, "Qing'er, do we really have to do this?"
"Yan Xunan, let me tell you, one day, I will take back everything you took from Fuhua."
Yan Xunan looked at her for a while, then got up and left. He knew that Song Qing would definitely do this; their future rivalry was inevitable.
Halfway through the surgery, a nurse rushed out pushing a trolley covered in blood, refusing to answer any of their questions, and then pushed in several more bags of blood. The situation appeared extremely dangerous. Madam Song held her tightly, repeatedly murmuring, "Qing'er, what do we do, what do we do?"
Song Ning burst into tears and buried her face in Yan Xunan's chest, sobbing softly.
She released Madam Song and approached the operating room door. She heard hurried footsteps and voices inside, followed by the sound of the machine being powered on and the operating table shaking. She couldn't bear it any longer and rushed out of the hospital. For her, life rarely made her want to run away. From a young age, her father had taught her that she had to face challenges head-on; there was no turning back. What she considered and did could not be decided by her own feelings; she needed reason and composure. These words had been with her since she was old enough to understand, and she remembered them firmly.
At fifteen, she ran away, disappointing her father; today, she still wants to run away, but there are some things she can escape, while others are beyond human control.
Compared to that, she would much rather have only fled the latter. What was she anyway? How insignificant she was.
She drove recklessly, speeding along solely according to her memory, not knowing how long she had been driving. Her phone rang incessantly until it ran out of battery and shut down automatically; by then, she had arrived.
The former boss was taken aback when he saw her, and then hurriedly welcomed her inside.
She changed her clothes; her large leather apron still had some mud stains.
She became completely absorbed in sculpting all sorts of figures—men, women, old, young… Later, like the shop owner, she started making vases, so large that she had to stand up and carefully maintain them. The smooth clay slid between her fingers, and large drops of sweat appeared on her forehead. She didn't blink, concentrating intently on following the turntable, slowly shaping each form.
She always had a remarkable talent for porcelain sculpting. She sculpted tirelessly all night long. The shop owner, who knew her well, gave her some instructions and simply handed her the keys before going home.
The fire in the furnace was still burning, so she turned it up again to continue sintering.
The table was covered with the little trinkets she had made. After a few rooster crows, she opened her shop and then sat on a stone stool in front of it, resting her chin on her hand, watching the sun slowly rise above the horizon.
She gazed at the ceramics street. It was still too early; all the shops were closed, so the street stretched as far as the eye could see. This antique-style street had been her only source of joy in her childhood, as it helped her train her concentration and attention to detail. Besides the Yan family home, this was the place that held the most of her childhood memories.
If anything remains unchanged in her memory, it's this little street. Ten years of ups and downs, yet it's still as familiar as ever.
The sound of a heavy sports car speeding by came from the street corner. In a short while, it passed through her line of sight, then slowly retreated, finally stopping beside her.
Yi Zhengwei slammed the car door shut; he was practically driven mad by her! He rarely acted so irrationally.
He approached angrily, but Song Qing stood up with a smile.
Why isn't she answering the phone and her phone is switched off?