After thinking for a moment, Song Qing said seriously, "What you said has really reminded me."
He Min's smile vanished. She stared at Song Qing for a few seconds, sighed, and then clinked glasses with her.
You're oversimplifying things.
Perhaps so. Song Qing, without realizing it, also drank a few more cups. Aunt Zhou got away, took her cup, and hurriedly had someone brew strong tea.
For some reason, she didn't restrain herself today and drank heavily, something that has never happened before.
He Min held her hand, still rambling incoherently.
She asked Aunt Zhou to look after He Min, while she left the venue and went to the Leng family's garden to clear her head of alcohol. The Leng family's garden was very large, and in one corner against the wall hung a milky-white swing. She suddenly remembered that when she first saw Yi Zhengwei, he was sitting on the swing.
She swayed gently on the swing, recalling He Min's words. Yes, she had indeed thought too simply. But what about thinking more complexly? The longer she was Mrs. Yi, the more she realized that her pure self was getting further and further away, and her entanglement with Yi Zhengwei was getting deeper and deeper, as if they each had the other's blood. The more she tried to cleanse and restore, the more lost she became.
She couldn't possibly stay with Fuhua forever, but she was also unwilling to let it fall into someone else's hands.
When Song Jingmo said that Fuhua could only ever be the Song family's Fuhua, it meant not only that she should protect Fuhua, but also that she should pass on Fuhua's legacy. Only then did she understand the true meaning of the phone call her father made to her the night before her wedding.
Divorce is not allowed, and not abandoning the children is not allowed.
But she wasn't prepared at all.
When she and Aunt Zhou arrived home, they didn't see Yi Zhengwei's car. She knew that if she went in, Yi Mantian would definitely ask her about Yi Zhengwei's whereabouts, so she asked Aunt Zhou to go in first, while she went out of the courtyard and made a phone call to him.
She persevered until Yi Zhengwei answered the phone, preferring to face him rather than listen to her father-in-law's lecture.
Thinking of this, a bitter smile appeared on her lips.
After a long while, the phone was finally answered, but it wasn't Yi Zhengwei's voice.
Upon hearing Shen Xing's cautious reply, she knew what was going on, so she calmly asked, "Where is he? Will he be back tonight?"
"I don't know. When I first saw him, he was already seven or eight tenths drunk. Later, he drank quite a lot more at my place, and I couldn't stop him," Shen Xing said anxiously.
Suddenly, someone answered the phone, and she heard Shen Yang loudly telling her to come over, giving her the address, before hanging up without hesitation.
When I called back, the phone was switched off.
Song Qing was not without anger. She lingered outside for a long time before finally returning to her room. She told Yi Mantian that Yi Zhengwei was out socializing tonight and might not be coming back, specifying which company and which client he was with.
After going upstairs, she sent the message to Yi Zhengwei's phone.
She wouldn't actually go to the Shen family to bring Yi Zhengwei back. Firstly, she didn't want to interfere in his affairs, and secondly, it was to save face for Yi Zhengwei, and also for her own sake. She couldn't bear to lose face like that.
Around three or four in the morning, she heard a stumbling knocking on the door. Startled, she knew it was Yi Zhengwei returning and quickly helped him inside.
Hearing the noise, Aunt Zhou rushed over to help.
She then busied herself running the water and preparing clothes for him.
After the two of them fiddled around for a while, Aunt Zhou carried Yi Zhengwei into the bathroom, told Song Qing to clean him up, and then left.
In the small, steamy space, Song Qing was busy and covered in sweat. Seeing that Yi Zhengwei seemed half-awake, she could no longer suppress her anger. She took the showerhead and poured cold water over Yi Zhengwei's head. The contrast between the hot and cold water actually woke Yi Zhengwei up. He glared at her and casually slapped her with hot water back at her.
Song Qing had drunk too much tonight and was having a splitting headache, so he blurted out, "Whatever happens between you and that woman in the future, don't bother me. If you want to come home, come back clean and simple. I have no obligation to serve you!"
Yi Zhengwei pointed to the door and said coldly, "It's none of your business if I sleep in the pool for one night. The door is over there. Don't bother seeing me out."
"You've soaked my clothes, what am I going to do?" Song Qing stood stiffly, neither of them giving in. Cold water was still spilled on the ground, the steam had stopped spreading, and the chill seeped into her feet, making her shiver.
Yi Zhengwei stood up naked, turned on another heater, drained the water from the bathtub, and then refilled it.
The two stopped arguing, partly because they didn't want to disturb Zhou Sao and Yi Mantian next door, and partly because they were freezing. After washing up together, they went to bed and fell asleep.
Before going to bed, they had a big fight over the blanket, which lasted for quite a while before they calmed down.
Chapter 47 Strong Woman OR Obedient Wife
"Your so-called way is to allow that sign to stay there, and that proves you don't care at all. You don't respect anyone else!"
- Yi Zhengwei
With the end of the year approaching and the research office's work arrangements in place, Song Qing returned to Hua to oversee things. Every year at this time, there are always meetings, both large and small. This year marks the first year of Fuhua's listing, and the preparations for the year-end shareholders' meeting have taken up a lot of time.
Various summary reports and year-end summary materials from each department kept pouring in, while Song Qing was also working on a new project. Her meeting with Leng Feng was also delayed due to various other matters.
She learned from the factory in Kangqiao that the Shen family's factory in Kangqiao was becoming increasingly rampant and doing business in a very unethical manner. Guo Sheng had hinted several times in his reports that this would have an impact on Fuhua and Yinkong.
Regardless of the circumstances, she now holds five percent of the shares in the bank, and for both public and private reasons, she must have a serious talk with Yi Zhengwei about this matter.
After finishing all the meetings, she returned to her office at noon and called Yi Zhengwei. Lily answered the phone, indicating that Yi Zhengwei was still in a meeting.
She was a little annoyed, but Xia Xiaodong from the new project team had arranged for her to visit three factories that afternoon, so she could only wait until she got home that evening to discuss it further.
After dinner, Song Qing received a call from Wang Ma, who said that Madam Song had finally returned home. She felt a little better. In the first year since Song Jingmo left, the Song family was not too desolate.
After chatting with Yi Mantian for a while, she went upstairs to handle official business. Xia Xiaodong was an elite she had transferred from the marketing department; he was very familiar with the consumer electronics market, and his market analysis reports and project proposals were always practical. She was eager to try it out again; this new plan seemed ready to be implemented soon after the shareholders' meeting and the pre-New Year work arrangements.
Before going to bed, Yi Zhengwei neither called nor replied to her messages. They had been in a cold war ever since their last argument. He was currently preoccupied with work, otherwise Yi Mantian would have called her to talk to him again.
The weather was cold in winter, and Song Qing, who was always afraid of the cold, turned the air conditioner up very high. She didn't know when, but she felt extremely thirsty, so she woke up groggily and saw that the study light was still on and Yi Zhengwei was still dealing with official business.
She made two cups of coffee and brought them in. Yi Zhengwei looked up and asked, "You wanted to see me today?"
"Yes, there are some things I'd like to discuss with you."