Yi Zhengwei and Song Qing's close cooperation led to them being hailed as one of the top ten model couples by the public after the incident concluded. They gave numerous interviews to magazines, and their intimate photos quickly appeared in major newspapers and magazines, becoming a celebrated story.
Yi Zhengwei did his best to suppress the fire incident. Guo Sheng naturally couldn't get any information from the fire department and the public security department, but he had been in Cambridge and attached great importance to this accident. He knew some clues, both overtly and covertly. He wasn't stupid; the relationships involved couldn't be explained by public or private matters. So, he dragged it out until Power One was shipped, and he still didn't make that call to Song Qing.
He did meet with Yi Zhengwei afterward, and Yi Zhengwei took full responsibility, saying he would handle it, so he naturally couldn't say anything. After all, the bank and Yi Zhengwei had put in a lot of effort in this matter, and now that everything was fine, even if he had some dissatisfaction, he had to suppress it for the time being.
“I will explain this to her myself,” Yi Zhengwei said.
The day before the official shipment, Song Qing invited Dong Haifeng from Hanlong to visit the factory. Firstly, she was a little worried, and secondly, she wanted Dong Haifeng to see for himself that everything at Fuhua was running smoothly, which would also be an encouragement to the factory employees.
Guo Sheng brought several security guards and kept watch over the warehouse overnight. He told Song Qing that he would sleep there that night and see what else could happen.
Song Qing laughed at his words, "Director Guo, don't take this too seriously. I have complete confidence in your work."
Deep down, I greatly admired his serious and dedicated work ethic, and at the celebration party, I unconsciously offered him much encouragement and recognition in my words.
Dong Haifeng was very satisfied with his visit. After the celebration party, he drove back to Linchuan that very night. "If President Song has nothing else to do, you can come back with me," Dong Haifeng invited.
After thinking for a moment, Song Qing said, "I'd better wait until the shipment goes smoothly before going back." Actually, it wasn't that she was worried, but rather that she had made an appointment with Shen Xing.
But things didn't go as she expected. Just as she was about to leave to see Shen Xing, Yi Zhengwei called.
"Xiao Qing, I'm with her right now. Let me handle this." His tone was slightly unfriendly, giving off a feeling of keeping people at arm's length.
Song Qing chuckled silently on the other end of the phone, a mocking smile playing on his lips. He wondered what she was planning to do to Shen Xing.
And she actually believed Shen Xing's words, thinking that only the two of them knew about this date.
"Alright, I'll head back to Linchuan now," she said coldly, hanging up the phone.
Yi Zhengwei sighed, "Qing'er, why don't you believe me? He could have handled it. If Song Qing hadn't intervened, this matter should have ended here."
Song Qing pretended not to hear and gently hung up the line.
As she drove, she pondered, how could she trust him? How could she possibly trust him? Just as Shen Yang had said, she had no idea how profound and unforgettable their past was. Naturally, she didn't want to know; she simply felt that it was better for her to handle this matter than for Yi Zhengwei to. Since they were both leaving, since it was all over, why leave any lingering thoughts? If Shen Xingruo truly wanted to break up, she wouldn't have needed to call Yi Zhengwei. Would she have asked for one last night of intimacy before the breakup? Song Qing thought about it and found it laughable; when had she ever had such dark thoughts?
She rolled down the car window, letting the cold air rush in to clear her head. She didn't like herself like this, but right now it felt like a million ants were gnawing at her, and she couldn't even scratch them.
So he pursed his lips and drove faster and faster, returning to Linchuan early.
As soon as they arrived in the city, Bill called and said he wanted to take her swimming, to which she readily agreed.
The two of them didn't say a word to each other throughout the four seasons, swimming wildly for a while before starting to chat when they came ashore to rest.
"Lianxin, you're not angry with Chen Yang, are you?"
Song Qing was absent-minded and simply said "oh".
“She didn’t mean it. I know her. That’s just her personality. After all, she’s her older sister, so it’s inevitable that she can become biased.”
"She was telling the truth, but she was a little too emotional."
Bill scratched his head and frowned. "Lianxin, the fact that you're saying this proves that you still haven't let go."
"Let go? We haven't even mentioned it, so how can you let go?" She looked up at the sky, motionless, a stark contrast to Bill's anxiety.
Bill was at a loss, facing Song Qing like this for the first time.
Song Qing smiled, hugged her knees, and sat up. "You and she are dating, aren't you?"
Bill shook his head violently, repeatedly saying "NO." "I just think she's funny. I'm happy when I'm with her when I'm feeling down, but I know that I still love Lianxin, and that will never change."
“You’re just used to me. You’ve been used to me for so long that you feel like it can’t be changed. At least, she already has a place in your heart. You care about her, don’t you?” Song Qing said with a smile.
Bill sighed, took Song Qing's hand, and lowered his head. "Lianxin, I really don't want to admit this."
"Go ahead and love freely. You should have your own new life. I can't divorce Zhengwei. We're already inseparable, like blood and flesh. We can't let go of each other." She murmured these words, which she had originally planned to say to Shen Xing tonight.
Blood and flesh intertwined? That's not a good word. It's so cruel and bloody. Even though they're together, their flesh and blood are blurred. How can you tell if they were pure anymore? Entanglement is also painful.
Looking at the clear blue water, she thought with amusement, "Just now she was saying that Shen Yang's emotions were intense, but didn't she think of it as even more bloody?"
“I know I should let you go, but my heart can’t find peace whenever I think of you. I don’t even understand myself anymore.”
"I don't understand either."
The two exchanged helpless smiles, then lifted their heads and went back into the swimming pool. Song Qing still liked to hold her breath underwater; when she was underwater, she felt especially quiet, everything was still, and it felt so comfortable.
This time, however, she couldn't recapture the feeling she had last time here, when she desperately missed Yan Xunan.
After their swim, they went to a tavern for a few drinks and didn't get home until midnight.
Bill finally asked her how she would handle the feud between Fuhua and Weisheng.
This made her head ache even more, and she kept saying she didn't know, she didn't know, and hurriedly got off the bus.
The Yi family had already gone to sleep. Song Qing saw from the courtyard that their room was still dark, and a chill ran through her. Her steps slowed as she went upstairs. She suddenly sat down at the entrance to the stairwell, leaning against the wall, lost in thought. The smell of alcohol on her breath stirred a certain impulse within her.
After a long while, she finally stepped back into her room, which was filled with the smell of alcohol. She covered her lips and was about to turn on the light when Yi Zhengwei called out softly, "No." She didn't know where he was.
She drew back the curtains to let the moonlight in. Yi Zhengwei was sitting at the coffee table by the window, beer cans and wine bottles scattered all over the table and floor. He was indulging himself today, which was unusual for him. He could have handled it, but what he couldn't get over was the word "love" and the word "debt."
He felt he still owed Shen Xing something. He was the one who abandoned her first. She got into a car accident for him, lost her child, and lost a lot of weight. It would be a lie to say he didn't feel sorry for her when he saw her. After all, she was the woman he had loved for more than two years. If he suddenly said he had no feelings for her anymore, he would be lying to himself and to Song Qing.
Song Qing stood by the window with her arms crossed, silently watching him, and said only to the moonlight, "Do you regret it?"
Yi Zhengwei tilted his head back and took a big gulp of wine, then shook his head, holding the bottle. "The word 'regret' doesn't exist in my dictionary."
"Then why are you drinking? And why are you drinking in front of me? What do you want me to see?"