Yi Zhengwei chuckled softly and said, "Your sister is probably going to cry every day."
"How about this, brother-in-law? Let me stay by your side. I'm very hardworking, and I even know a few kung fu moves. How about I be your bodyguard?" she blurted out, rolling her eyes.
"Why would a girl learn kung fu?" He thought of Song Qing's appearance and his face froze.
"Brother-in-law, you're too much of a chauvinist! Who says girls have to be protected?" Shen Yang said disdainfully, then laughed, "No wonder you like my sister. She's the one who's truly a good match for you, huh? Brother-in-law, right?" She called him "brother-in-law" all the way to the office, where Yi Zhengwei handed her a cup of tea.
Give your sister a call.
"Okay, okay, I'll call right away." Shen Yang almost choked, but happily took Yi Zhengwei's phone and dialed Shen Xing's number.
"Hey, oh no, it's me." She glanced at Yi Zhengwei, who was looking down at his documents, amused.
"Yeah, I'm with my brother-in-law." She chuckled to herself.
"Let me tell you, my brother-in-law has agreed to let me intern at the bank, so don't worry."
Yi Zhengwei frowned, rubbed his temples, and opened the cooperation agreement with Fuhua.
Shen Yang took his phone and walked to the side, whispering to the wall, "Sis, don't worry, the first step was a success! Just wait and see how that Miss Song seduces him, hmph."
Hearing that Shen Xing was about to start lecturing again, she quickly waved her hand and said, "No! I'll know my limits! I'll stop here for now."
"Here, your sister wants to talk to you." She handed the phone to Yi Zhengwei with a smug look on her face, then looked around restlessly.
"Xing'er, have you eaten yet? Yunlong said you still have to go to work at the hospital, but since it's far away now, you shouldn't go."
"It's okay, I can't stay idle. I'll go help out whenever I have time. There are still some of my patients there, and I'm worried they might not be used to it if someone suddenly takes over their care," Shen Xing said happily, strolling around the balcony in her thick cotton slippers, breathing in the fresh air outside.
"Alright, don't stay cooped up. I'll be very busy lately and might not be able to come over. You can learn something else when you have time," Yi Zhengwei said after a moment's thought. Women tend to overthink when they have free time.
"Okay, don't overwork yourself." She went on and on, nagging about everything from food to clothing, just like a virtuous little wife.
Yi Zhengwei listened patiently and gave some instructions before hanging up the phone.
"Yang, you should stay at Tangquan."
"Okay, anyway, I'll be pretty bored if you don't go." Shen Yang readily agreed.
However, she was also worried that once she moved in, she would become their go-between, and if her sister had free time, she would ask her to bring food or other things, which would be terrible.
"Here, take this. Report to the HR department tomorrow." While she was still in a daze, Yi Zhengwei wrote a note and handed it to her.
"Brother-in-law, can I work outside?" She pointed to Lily's secretary's office in the outer room.
Seeing Yi Zhengwei frown, she immediately said, "Uh, I don't mean to replace your secretary. I was thinking that you're so busy, one secretary definitely isn't enough. I'd like to help Lily out?"
"Then go directly to Lily tomorrow, she'll take care of it for you. How are you going to get back?" Yi Zhengwei gave him the hint to leave, feeling a bit of a headache.
Seeing that he had achieved his goal, Shen Yang happily said goodbye, "I'm driving my sister's car now, I'm off!"
※
Xu Zhihan was truly ashamed to face Song Qing and felt even more guilty towards his teacher. He drowned his sorrows in alcohol every day, completely losing his former self.
He didn't want to be a coward, but the thought that he wouldn't be able to help at all if he went back made him feel completely useless.
With Yi Zhengwei constantly by Song Qing's side, he began to wallow in self-pity again. Since graduating, he had followed his teacher and had enjoyed smooth sailing; he had never suffered such a blow. Now the Song family was in chaos, the Fuhua people were filled with anxiety, and with so many reporters every day, he truly couldn't handle it.
After Song Qing and the others left, he went to see the teacher. Xu Heng told him that Song Qing was injured, and although he was wearing long sleeves and trousers, the injuries on his face could not be hidden.
He downed another glass of wine and stared blankly at the crowd twisting and turning wildly on the dance floor.
The phone kept ringing intermittently. Someone next to him couldn't sit still any longer and nudged him. He took it out and saw that it was Song Qing.
He went outside the bar for some fresh air, and after thinking about it, he accepted the call.
"Zhihan, where are you?" Song Qing asked anxiously.
"Xiao Qing, are you alright?" His voice was slightly tipsy.
"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm back already. Have you been drinking? Where are you? I'll come pick you up."
"No! Don't come!" Remembering that the night she got into trouble because she wanted to see him, he quickly refused.
"Okay, then come back by yourself, okay? Mom went to the hospital to see Dad, there's no one at home, it's very quiet." Song Qing's face was calm, quietly swallowed by the emptiness of this mansion, but when she spoke, she was incredibly vulnerable, even a little sad.
Xu Zhihan snapped back to reality, wiped away his cold sweat, and his eyes glazed over again. "Xiao Qing?"
"I'll wait for you." She hung up the phone hastily, rushed back to her room, and buried herself tightly in the covers.
After figuring out what was going on, he hurriedly hailed a taxi back to the Song family home, but halfway there, he told the driver he was going in another direction. He was so agitated that he suddenly realized he couldn't possibly show his face in his current state. He rushed home, washed himself thoroughly, and then hurried back to the Song family home.
Fortunately, it was already autumn, and apart from being a little breathless, I didn't sweat anymore.
The Song family home was completely dark, except for a faint light in Song Qing's room, where the blue curtains swayed in the breeze. He had a sudden thought and quietly went upstairs.
The corridor was silent, the dim light spilling across the floor. Reaching Song Qing's door, he knocked gently, but there was no response. Seeing the door slightly ajar, he called out to Song Qing and pushed it open. Just as he reached to turn on the light, Song Qing stopped him.
"No," Song Qing whispered.
He dejectedly lowered his hand, stood at the doorway, and didn't know what to do.
"Zhihan, come and talk to me."
He walked to the bedside. Song Qing was still lying down, her face facing the window. When she saw him sit down, she lay flat on her back. The dim bedside lamp mingled with the moonlight outside the window, making her face look gentle. Her other expressions were like the moon behind the clouds, only hazy.
"You've cleaned up when you got back, that's good. Drinking too much is bad for your health," she said softly, moving her hand under the covers until she touched Xu Zhihan.