Shen Yang said it was for his sister's sake, a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Neither of them expected that they would one day sit down and have a proper talk; life is always unpredictable.
Shen Yang has also seen through reality and faced it, but Shen Xing may not think so.
Shen Yang is living a very comfortable life now. The business of the bamboo garden is as good as ever. Shen Xing has his younger sister by his side, so he doesn't feel too empty or have too many wild thoughts.
However, she would always sit blankly at the cashier, watching customers come and go. Thinking about how she and Yi Zhengwei used to frequent this place, she couldn't help but feel sad. Suddenly, they had broken up, and looking back now, the intimacy she had always believed in between them was so fragile and distant. In reality, it was just wishful thinking on their part.
Around one or two in the morning, there were hardly any customers left. Shen Yang was about to close the door when a bright light suddenly shone on her. She turned around and quickly covered her eyes, about to yell, "Which lunatic is driving with their high beams on so late!"
The man who arrived was Bill, who had just returned to Linchuan. He looked somewhat dejected as he stepped out of his sports car with his coat in hand. His deep, bright eyes gleamed with excitement as he reopened the door to welcome his distinguished guest. She followed behind Bill, plotting how to rip him off.
Bill went straight up to the second floor, to the same private room he and Song Qing had visited before. Song Keren had sent him to check on Haotian's business, but mainly she wanted him to see how Song Qing was doing after her marriage.
He was both resistant and eager to come, worried that the sights and sounds would trigger painful memories. Less than two months after returning to England, he felt empty. Song Qing had been in his life for a full ten years, and he had always thought that they would get married and have children in England, and run Haotian together.
Shen Yang instructed the kitchen to prepare the food and then took a few bottles of good wine upstairs. Bill saw that the waiter was youthful, cheerful, and shrewd, and knew that he needed to drown his sorrows in alcohol, so he didn't refuse, took a bottle, and downed it in one gulp.
"Come on, drink more, drink more," she kept urging, while secretly laughing.
"Little girl, I haven't seen you before," Bill replied in fluent Chinese.
"Ah, you can speak Chinese, that's great, it'll make communication easier. Handsome, where are you from?" Shen Yang became interested.
"Britain. Come on, can you drink? Drink with me."
"I drank it, so you have to pay the bill."
"no problem."
Shen Yang got up and went out, then came back in with a glass. Just then, the waiter brought in the food, so the two closed the door and drank heartily. Bill rarely met such a forthright girl in China, and he was also eager to get drunk. So the two played rock-paper-scissors and rolled dice, laughing happily.
As Shen Yang poured him wine, a large movement was followed by a soft yet very familiar voice. Bill seemed to sober up a bit, quickly grabbing her hand and rolling up her sleeve. His eyes lit up; it was indeed the porcelain doll Song Qing had made for him. He always carried the male doll with him, and he remembered giving the female one to the proprietress of this bamboo garden, but it wasn't this girl that day.
Where did this come from?
Shen Yang abruptly withdrew his hand, saying as he rubbed the area, "What's it to you?"
"This is mine, and now I want it back!" Bill said, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Shen Yang stood up angrily, pointed at Bill and shouted, "Are you crazy? This is my stuff, what right do you have to take it?"
As soon as Bill got drunk, he stood up abruptly and tried to snatch it back without saying a word. Shen Yang nimbly turned around and dodged. Instead of getting angry, Bill laughed and said, "Oh, you know a little kung fu. Okay, let me see some Chinese kung fu."
Shen Yang hadn't made a move in a long time. Although Bill was tall and strong, she still felt a bit annoyed. However, alcohol emboldened her, and she beckoned with her finger, pointing to the bamboo grove outside the window, "Don't break my tables and chairs, let's go there and have a one-on-one fight."
"Okay, I won. You have to give this back to me."
The two chased each other through the woods, and soon collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. They didn't seem to mind the dirt on the ground, and rested their hands behind their heads, half asleep.
"Ah, it's been so long since I've had this much fun! Hey, are you coming again next time?"
Bill shrugged and raised an eyebrow. "I don't know, but my beloved woman is here. Maybe... if she's unhappy one day, I'll come back."
Shen Yang rolled his eyes at him and waved his hand, "Tch! Don't give me that. You're not going to tell me this was a gift from your most beloved woman, are you?"
"That's right, but I felt she was just brushing me off and trying to get rid of me, so I passed this thing on to someone else." Bill took the porcelain figure that Shen Yang handed over.
"You're so devoted, but there's no such thing as true love in this world. People will abandon anything for money or profit; they're all heartless!"
Bill murmured, "She has her reasons."
Shen Yang turned his gaze away dismissively, while Bill carefully examined the porcelain figure. Suddenly, he pulled Shen Yang up, picked it up for comparison, and exclaimed in surprise, "Hey, you two do look a bit alike!"
Shen Yang chuckled and snatched the porcelain figure, saying, "Of course, that's what my sister said back then, so I took it."
The distance between the two seemed to suddenly shrink considerably. They leaned against each other, gazing at the bamboo forest and the sky, and drifted off to sleep.
Chapter Forty-Eight: Identity and Responsibility
"That's because I also want to be a good wife and a good daughter-in-law. After all, it's my responsibility, and I can't escape it. I've been in this role for a long time, so I've gotten used to it. There's nothing that can't be overcome."
-Song Qing
After a brief meeting, Song Qing and Bill didn't keep in touch much because they were too busy at the end of the year.
Bill didn't have much to do on his trip back to Linchuan. After handing things over with Wu Peng, he spent his time in the bamboo garden, where he and Shen Yang became increasingly familiar with each other. With Bill and Shen Yang around, Shen Xing's mood improved a lot.
The new project on Song Qing's side is almost ready. The factory in Kangqiao has vacated its workshops and purchased equipment, and everything is prepared. Guo Sheng and the new project team are setting up the production line, and the technical department has also sent people over. The entire Fuhua Group is extremely busy. At this time, Song Qing naturally can't care about Yi Mantian's dissatisfaction. He leaves early and returns late every day, and sometimes he has to go home to accompany Madam Song, so he is almost never home.
Yi Zhengwei was also busy at the end of the year, so he temporarily put aside the matter of Song Qing and Shen Xing. He was still thinking of Song Qing after all, so he invited Yi Mantian back to the company the next day and made decisions with Yi Mantian on everything. At the end of the year, there were many social engagements for the shareholders, and these people were all old friends of Yi Mantian, so Yi Mantian's life became more fulfilling.
However, the topic Yi Mantian discusses with his old partner who helped him build his empire is no longer business, but rather a hopeful speculation about when he'll have a grandson. He trusts Yi Zhengwei with the banking empire, but due to some setbacks and lack of profit in the cooperation with Fuhua, he still has to pave the way for Yi Zhengwei.
While everyone praised him for marrying a capable and beautiful wife, some couldn't help but make veiled criticisms: why would a woman build such a large business? How can they maintain their relationship when they're both so busy with their own things?
Whether this was out of jealousy or genuine concern for Yi Mantian remains unknown.
After having dinner at the Kangqiao factory canteen, Song Qing and the new project team checked the production line for any loopholes and held a meeting to assign tasks to the staff.
“Thank you all for your hard work during this period. Before the New Year, we need to arrange the production line and personnel for the new product. Otherwise, I will not have the confidence to go out to inspect and negotiate business. The technical department has already produced samples, which are now being sent to various authoritative departments for testing. We hope to produce a batch before the New Year. Having finished products will greatly help increase customer trust.”
Everyone nodded. The production manager was leading a group of workers to work overtime that night, debugging the machines. The empty factory floor was filled with noise. Song Qing had gotten used to the noise over the past few days and had started speaking loudly as well.
While introducing the production line, the location of the equipment, and the future personnel arrangements, Guo Sheng also said with some concern, "President Song, we are new to this industry and there are still many things we don't understand. With our technical capabilities, production should not be a problem, but I am worried that once the personnel are in place, all the investment here will become an expense. I hope the sales team can keep up. As far as I know, this sector is all about large volume; otherwise, it's meaningless. But most large companies have established partners and are unwilling to risk investing in newcomers."
Song Qing nodded. "That's right, so we need to split up. We must get into this area. Once Power One gets going, it will require a lot of funding, so the new project can only succeed, not fail. Don't worry about the orders."