But Yi Zhengwei still felt uncomfortable, even distressed.
Song Qing did go to see Madam Song because of Hongshang, but this experience also made her realize that her decision was not wrong.
Has she really lost her way? She doesn't know, and she doesn't have time to think about it.
Song Qing, I'm finding it harder and harder to hold onto you. Why is it that the more I try to get closer to you, the further away you seem to drift from me? I can see you, I can touch you, yet I still feel empty. Yi Zhengwei leaned back in his chair, lost in thought, watching Song Qing across from him engrossed in studying the materials.
He disliked this feeling of being controlled. He had been following this woman around, almost forgetting what he was supposed to be doing. He had completely forgotten why he had wanted this marriage in the first place. But Song Qing hadn't forgotten. In their relationship, she had always maintained control, refusing to yield an inch. He felt weary, wondering when this relationship would end. He had given so much for this woman, changed so much, yet he still couldn't grasp her heart.
Even though she no longer has Yan Xunan in her heart, she still doesn't have a place for Yi Zhengwei either.
In the large fish tank in the study, it was late at night, and the fish were swimming slowly, but Yi Zhengwei felt like a fish that was about to drown.
He got up and went to his secret room, where many clients' confidential documents were stored. He opened one of the cabinets, which was covered with a thick layer of dust. He took out the business plan for acquiring Fuhua, looked at it for a long time, and suddenly slammed it onto the cabinet with a loud bang. He lit a cigarette, leaned against the wall, and puffed away. He thought about his initial ambition to enter the power market, but looking at himself now, even he despised himself.
His desire to revive China is actually quite simple; it's all about the Power One project. Now, Song Qing has entrusted the entire project to him, showing such trust. But what good is that?
What could he do? Yan Xunan's interference had left Song Qing with a lingering sense of urgency, a desire to seek justice for Fuhua. Now that they were husband and wife, and had just had a child, he naturally wouldn't do anything to betray Fuhua. He could have destroyed that report long ago; he kept it only to remind himself that he wasn't entirely at a disadvantage, that he didn't consider Song Qing his everything—it was just a man's pathetic pride.
He slumped down, packed up the documents, locked the secret room, and looked back, thinking reluctantly that as long as Song Qing hadn't given his heart to him, he would still need to numb himself like this, and he needed to tell himself that they were equals.
As he came out, Song Qing had just stood up and yawned. He desperately wanted to rush forward and ask her if she liked him even a little bit. But how could he bring himself to ask? They had never talked about feelings before, as if whoever spoke first would lose.
A few days later, Xiao Huainian arrived at Linchuan Airport without incident. When Song Qing and Yi Zhengwei went to the Song family to pick up Madam Song, Yan Xunan and Song Ning were also there. Song Qing roughly knew what was going on, so she looked at Madam Song, who avoided her gaze and said to smooth things over, "Alright, alright, let's go quickly, don't keep Huainian waiting for us."
Yan Xunan walked over to Song Qing and looked at her appearance and complexion. She didn't seem pregnant, and her figure wasn't showing. On the contrary, she looked much more energetic. Standing next to Yi Zhengwei, they looked so harmonious and well-matched.
"Qing'er, I have something I want to tell you," Yan Xunan said.
Song Ning snorted and took Madam Song's arm, saying, "What else is there to say? She has already declared war on us."
Yan Xunan glared at her fiercely, "Don't interfere in company matters!"
Song Ning was so angry that her face turned pale. She grabbed her mother and rushed out. Yi Zhengwei walked up and hugged Song Qing, saying softly, "I'm in the same car as Mom and the others. Take care of yourself."
Song Qing turned her head and smiled at him, "Okay."
Song Qing drove, and Yan Xunan sat quietly in the passenger seat. They didn't speak a word even after passing through the bustling city. Once on the highway, the surroundings became quiet, and the car key on the control panel made a crisp sound as the car sped along. Yan Xunan stared intently at the two small glass bottles on the key, their dim, snowflake-like particles stirring up old memories. But the woman beside him was no longer someone he could control.
In his memory, Song Qing still sat at the school gate, watching the setting sun with a gentle yet persistent look, never showing any impatience, because she was waiting for him.
Sometimes, when her legs went numb from squatting, she would walk quietly back and forth along the long campus wall in the sunset, always leaving a long shadow behind her. He would always arrive then; he loved the way she waited for him, and for those years he enjoyed her almost indulgent love.
The moment she saw him, her face would light up with a radiant smile, and she would run towards him, calling out, "Xunan, Xunan!" Ah, what a distant voice.
Now, they are more like these two glass bottles, each with their own world. Although they still cherish that beautiful memory, the separate glass bottles are causing them to drift further and further apart.
"What are you thinking about?" Song Qing asked with a smile.
Yan Xunan put his arms behind his neck, leaned back comfortably, and smiled back, "Thinking about our past, thinking about the you of the past."
“You said it yourself, it was in the past.” Song Qing glanced at him and replied indifferently, her eyes fixed on the endless, flat highway.
"Qing'er, you still haven't forgiven me, have you?"
“Xu Nan, this isn’t like you. I believe you consider everything carefully before you do anything.” Since he’s still like this, he must have considered the consequences, so what’s the point of her forgiveness?
These two can never coexist.
"Qing'er, all I've ever wanted is a complete Weisheng. The power project is not within my consideration." Yan Xunan spoke his mind. He really just needed this opportunity to squeeze out his uncle.
Song Qingyang smiled and shrugged, saying, "Are you trying to say that things escalated to this point because Xiao Ning gave you the right to be greedy?"
Yan Xunan sighed and said self-deprecatingly, "I know you won't believe me. Actually, there's no point in saying anything, because the damage is already done. Qing'er, I wish I could make amends, but I've realized that our relationship was just wishful thinking on my part."
Song Qing put on sunglasses; the sun was already shining directly into the car window. Yan Xunan didn't move. He squinted at the dazzling sun. It was already summer, and the sweltering heat was just like their relationship. They had long since shed their thick winter clothes and coats, increasingly and openly expressing their intentions without any concealment.
"Xunan, it was you who taught me that I can't let my emotions cloud my judgment in the business world, otherwise I'll be utterly defeated!"
"Qing'er, seeing you like this breaks my heart." This girl who grew up with him will never change her place in his heart, no matter how strong she becomes. He had let her down; he had taken her concessions for granted and had been constantly testing her limits.
Song Qing smiled and the car smoothly turned around, almost catching up with Yi Zhengwei's sports car.
“Qing’er, I can’t just give up the power project now, but personally, I really don’t want us to continue developing in the current situation. I admit the mistakes of the past, but do you really want to hold onto this mistake and make our loved ones who are still living their lives worry about us? What I never expected was that you would drag your mother into this battle.”
Song Qing's smile vanished. After Yan Xunan finished speaking, the composure she had been carefully maintaining finally crumbled. Perhaps Yan Xunan's words had touched a nerve, for she slammed on the brakes. The Blue Wing braked sharply, emitting a piercing scream that startled Yan Xunan. Instinctively, he reached out to shield Song Qing, pressing his entire body against the steering wheel. He cried out in pain, his arm around Song Qing's shoulder.
"You don't need to pretend anymore, Xu Nan. No matter how much you say, I will never show you any mercy on the power project!" Song Qing pushed him away.
Yan Xunan pressed his lower back, his brows furrowed, and stopped her from driving.
“Qing’er, there’s really no need for this. We shouldn’t do this. I think even if Dad were in the afterlife, he wouldn’t want to see us killing each other like this. To put it another way, Xiao Ning is still your sister. Even though she took the shares, the Power Project is so big, so it’s good that the benefits don’t go to outsiders.”
"No! You're the ones who killed Dad! She didn't deserve it!"
Thinking of how Yi Zhengwei had leaned against the headboard and looked at her with worry every night, Song Qing suddenly lost control of her emotions and shouted out loud.
No, she did nothing wrong. No!
Yan Xunan grabbed her hands to stop her from hurting herself. "Don't do this, Qing'er! Calm down! Okay, okay, we won't talk about this today. I won't say another word about Xiao Huainian. You can tell him to reply to Hua, or whatever, I will absolutely not interfere again!"
Why did tears suddenly stream down her face through her thick sunglasses? She was a little annoyed; she shouldn't have acted this way. She couldn't break free from Yan Xunan, and she didn't want to show weakness in front of him. The carriage was so cramped that she could only bury her face in his chest, trying to hide her vulnerability from him.
"My dear, Qing'er, let's not do this, please don't do this. I'd rather give up the power project than see you like this."
Song Qing sobbed uncontrollably, shaking her head in his arms, unable to utter a single word. She had truly lost her composure; she hadn't meant to.
"Alright, stop crying. You can't be so emotional now that you're pregnant. It breaks my heart to see you like this. I know you won't believe me. I know you've condemned me to hell, and I know I can never get back up. But whether you believe me or not, in my entire life, Yan Xunan has only ever truly loved one person, and that person is Song Qing. That will never change, and it can never change."