Although Xia Xiaodong was busy taking notes, he interjected, "As for Leng's Manufacturing, President Song, you've been putting it off for a long time. Although you've tried to schedule two meetings without success, if we don't catch up soon, we might have to start all over again. They're so busy, they might forget about it in no time."
"Alright, that's enough for today." She walked up to Li Shuhua from the technical department, who was talking to the production manager, and said, "Why don't you stay here before the end of the year? I'm not at ease until the finished product is ready."
Guo Sheng approached and nodded. "Yes, the technical department and the production department still have a lot to work out. Don't worry, President Song, leave this to us."
Song Qing left the noisy factory and let out a long sigh of relief. Xia Xiaodong handed her water, saying, "President Song, you've been working like this for so long, I'm afraid your body can't take it, especially since these electronic products still emit low levels of radiation."
Song Qing took the water, tilted her head back and drank a few mouthfuls. Her nose seemed a little numb. After getting into the car, she put on her earphones and started calling Yi Zhengwei.
"Xiaodong, I've reviewed your marketing plan, and it's very good." She smiled and suddenly added, "You've only been out of school for a short time and have been busy with work. If you have some free time this weekend, why don't you learn to drive?"
Xia Xiaodong blushed. Seeing Song Qing's tired appearance, he felt guilty for not being able to drive and share her workload. Just as he was about to speak, Song Qing gently raised her hand to stop him. The car smoothly drove through the city and onto the highway. The call had already been connected.
"Zhengwei, are you still at the company?"
"Yes, I have some reports to review, so I'll be going home a little later today."
"How is Dad?" she asked anxiously, and in a moment of distraction, she narrowly avoided an oncoming speeding car.
Yi Zhengwei frowned. It seemed that Yi Mantian had indeed put a lot of pressure on Song Qing.
"There was a small banquet at the company at noon. He drank a little too much and should be asleep by now. Are you still in Cambridge?"
"Hmm, on the way back, didn't we make plans to have dinner with Mom tomorrow?"
"I remember. Don't make phone calls while driving. I'll be back soon, we'll talk again tonight." Yi Zhengwei could hear the weakness in Song Qing's voice and was worried about her driving safety.
Song Qing looked at Xia Xiaodong with a wry smile before saying to Yi Zhengwei, "I can't go back tonight. There's still some work to be done at headquarters."
Yi Zhengwei paused for a moment before saying, "Alright then, how about I ask Aunt Zhou to bring you some midnight snacks?"
Song Qing initially wanted to refuse, but then she thought that Yi Mantian sometimes needed Zhou Sao to put in a good word for him, so she decided not to refuse anymore. "Okay, but don't make Zhou Sao work too hard."
"Okay, that's settled."
She put down the phone and focused on driving. The window was slightly open, and only then could she catch a faint whiff of the evening breeze.
"President Song, I really admire you. Since working with you, I've realized how fortunate I am."
"What's wrong?" Song Qing smiled and turned around deftly.
Xia Xiaodong shrugged. "Take me for example. I study and work in Linchuan, and I only go back once a year. I'm free and can focus on doing what I want to do. Sometimes, I feel tired, but when I see how hard you work, Mr. Song, I realize that I'm just a nobody compared to you. I even feel bad about thinking about my own hardships."
Song Qing smiled and said, "Isn't that great? You'll grow very quickly if you work for me."
"Indeed, I am very grateful to Mr. Song for giving me this opportunity. At the same time, I feel sorry for you. When a man neglects his family for work, even if he doesn't care, people just say that he is ambitious and a workaholic. But you, Mr. Song, not only work hard, but you also have to worry about everything. You live a very tiring life."
"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. Once you've held this role for a long time, you get used to it, and nothing is insurmountable." Song Qing truly believed this. With each additional role came an additional responsibility, and she never thought it was understandable for a man to neglect his family for work. Even though Song Jingmo worked incredibly hard and took excellent care of his wife, he never slacked off in educating and guiding her and Song Ning. The four of them lived happily together, and her father had successfully raised her. He was a good boss, a good father, and a good husband.
"By the way, Xiaodong, you need to maintain the relationships with the clients you've worked with before, and also work harder to expand your client base. My date with Lengfeng is going to have to be postponed because of the miscellaneous things at the end of the year. There aren't any big orders yet, but if the factory's trial production goes smoothly, I hope we can at least take on some small orders. Making money is secondary, but at least we need to make sure we have something to do. The factory's employees all have families to support, so we have a great responsibility."
"Yes, I understand. I have arranged to meet with two clients tomorrow. I may take them to the factory for a site visit and to finalize some preliminary agreements."
Song Qing nodded, glanced at his watch, and said, "I don't have time tomorrow. You've already taken care of things, so the reception shouldn't be a problem. Until the shareholders' meeting, you can make the decisions yourself."
Xia Xiaodong felt his spirits lifted. He had only graduated two years ago and already had such a great opportunity. Although it would be a bit tiring, upon hearing this, he was already eager to roll up his sleeves and do his best to show Song Qing what he was capable of.
Song Qing drove Xia Xiaodong home before returning to Fuhua headquarters. The building was already pitch black, and security guards were patrolling outside. Upon seeing Song Qing's blue wing, they hurried over to greet him.
"Mr. Song, shall we go up?"
Song Qing handed him the keys and told him to park the car. "Okay, after I go in, lock the door again. I'm not going back tonight."
Halfway there, she turned back and said, "Wait a moment, Aunt Zhou is going to bring something over later. Lock the door after she's done."
There are so many things to do, she shook her head slightly.
Back in her office, half of her desk was piled high with documents that needed her signature. She drank half a glass of water to clear her head before starting to look at them. She was understandably frustrated, but what could she do? No one could help her with these matters, and she had no way out.
She was especially tired tonight. She had just finished signing a folder and casually put it down, but she knocked over her water glass, splashing water all over her. Luckily, the documents didn't get wet.
Having just started working overtime, she couldn't help but tidy herself up a bit hastily.
When Yi Zhengwei came upstairs, he saw Song Qing looking flustered under the messy table. He knocked on the door, and Song Qing got up and exclaimed, "Zhengwei, what brings you here?"
Yi Zhengwei picked up the late-night snack in his hand and said with a smile, "Aunt Zhou is already asleep. I didn't think I'd eat either, so I might as well come over and have some with you."
"Okay, you can leave it here. I'm going inside to change my clothes."
Seeing the messy table, Yi Zhengwei shook his head helplessly, put the things away, and began to tidy up for her.
Song Qing came out in her pajamas, already yawning. Yi Zhengwei had already heated up the midnight snack. Seeing her listless appearance, he felt quite sorry for her. "You have a stomach problem and you don't even take care of it. If I hadn't come, were you planning to fight a battle on an empty stomach all night?"
"Sigh, there's so much to do at the end of the year, aren't you also running around like crazy?" She took the soup and slowly drank it.
"Never mind, I'm not going back. You finish your drink and keep reading. I'll go inside and read, I won't bother you." Yi Zhengwei stretched, took a towel from the lounge, and went to the bathroom.
Song Qing quickly finished eating and had barely looked at three documents when Yi Zhengwei, reeking of soap, came out and strolled past her. The room was warm and cozy; he was only wrapped in a towel, his hair still dripping wet, and he wore her small slippers as he entered the lounge. She stared at the air as he passed by until Yi Zhengwei called from inside, "Don't stay out too late!"
She let out a silent wail, and couldn't help but grit her teeth at Yi Zhengwei. It was all Yi Zhengwei's fault for disturbing her peace of mind. If she were alone, she would have already finished reading these documents by now.
When she finished showering and went into the room, Yi Zhengwei was already fast asleep. She didn't want to think about anything else at that moment, and she fell into a deep sleep as soon as she got into bed. She smelled the pleasant scent of Yi Zhengwei's body, a mixture of masculine scent and the clean smell of soap, which made her feel safe and secure.
When did he stretch out his long arm and pull her into his arms? She stirred restlessly a few times, then nestled against his chest and fell peacefully asleep again.
Chapter Forty-Nine: The Contraception Scandal