The stall owner was very hospitable, packing the porridge up and adding, "Drive carefully, the road is slippery."
When they arrived at the hospital, Yi Mantian was still asleep. When they asked Aunt Zhou, she said that Yi Zhengwei had gone to wash up.
She and Aunt Zhou set out breakfast. Aunt Zhou sighed, "You're quite thoughtful. I'll talk to the master about it when he wakes up."
Song Qing understood what Zhou Sao meant; Yi Mantian didn't want to see her yet, and she was afraid of triggering his illness again. So she whispered a few words and went to find Yi Zhengwei.
In the corridor leading from the sanatorium to the dining hall, there was a secluded but quiet little garden in the middle, now covered in snow, the branches beautifully decorated, and several large Christmas trees shimmering in the still-dim morning light. Behind this Christmas tree, she saw Shen Xing and Yi Zhengwei holding hands, heads close, talking. Shen Xing was wearing a snow-white mink coat that reached below her knees, her once straight hair now styled into loose, wavy curls, giving her a more alluring look. However, she was wearing a pair of cartoon-patterned, fingerless cotton gloves, which seemed somewhat incongruous, yet not out of place.
Song Qing paid no attention to their conversation. She turned and slowly walked back through the snow, each step making a heavy crunching sound. Several hurried footsteps followed behind her, but she didn't turn around. The sound faded away halfway through their journey.
Yi Zhengwei watched Song Qing slowly disappear into the long hospital corridor, but he didn't call out to her. That lonely and stubborn figure was so cold that it was hard to approach her.
He gazed at her through the snow, and it seemed as if the distance between them was so vast.
"Qing'er, are you going to the environmental protection public service event this afternoon?" Yan Xunan called Song Qing.
"Yes, you received an invitation too?"
"Yes, this year's event is huge, with many new environmentally friendly products on display. It's a great business opportunity. Our Power One will definitely be the highlight, and I think you'll definitely go," Yan Xunan said excitedly.
"Yes, have your samples been produced yet?"
"It was submitted the day before the final deadline of the conference."
"Congratulations!"
"Qing'er, what's wrong? Are you sick?" Yan Xunan noticed the hoarseness and weakness in Song Qing's voice and asked with concern.
"It's okay, see you this afternoon."
"Wait, Qing'er, there's someone I think you'd like me to introduce you to. He's asked me to have lunch with him after the meeting this afternoon. If you're sure you want to come, I'll give him an answer."
Song Qing's spirits lifted, and he regained his strength. "You mean the cold wind?"
Yan Xunan snapped his fingers on the other end of the line. Hearing Song Qing's voice suddenly change, he couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. "That's right, I've been waiting for you to come to me, but I know our President Song can't bring himself to do you a favor, so I'll take the initiative to do you one."
Song Qing smiled, "I still prefer to guess what other people are thinking! Alright, we'll talk about the details when we meet."
When Song Qing arrived at the company, she scheduled all her afternoon work for the morning, even forgetting to eat lunch. She felt incredibly excited because she had the opportunity to further develop her relationship with Leng Feng; she had originally thought she wouldn't have a chance to ask him out before the New Year.
During this time, Yi Zhengwei sent her a message, "I will give you an answer about Shen Huidong's matter before the shareholders' meeting."
In her haste, she quickly replied with "Thank you."
Chapter Fifty: Belief and Rectification
"No need. Just check with the organizers to see which newspapers and TV stations are coming tonight, report it to the public relations department, and let them handle it. From now on, this is how it should be done. Don't ask me for my opinion anymore."
-Yi Zheng
The annual international environmental protection association trade fair was held as expected. Weisheng, Fuhua, and Yinkong, as the main guests of the fair, received the warmest and highest-level hospitality. The organizers even set aside half an hour at the beginning of the fair for them to introduce the Power One project. Dong Haifeng of Hanlong also arrived early, all smiles. His previous aloof attitude towards Fuhua was gone; now he treated Song Qing like a benefactor.
“My dear niece, I am so happy to see that you have overcome this difficult time. Your father was wise to insist on waiting for you to come back and take over Fuhua. Now that you have married into the Yi family, Fuhua and Yinkong are joining forces and their future success is just around the corner.”
Song Qing smiled knowingly, took a sip of red wine, and said with a smile, "Thank you, Uncle Dong. Without your continued support, the project probably wouldn't have gone so smoothly."
They clinked glasses, and Dong Haifeng turned to face Yan Xunan, slightly raising his glass as he said, "Fuhua has a great market. Although we don't care about having one or two more competitors, this situation is probably not what your father expected."
Song Qing stopped laughing and calmly asked, "What do you mean by that, Uncle Dong?"
Dong Haifeng put his arm around Song Qing and led him to a private seat. Then he said, "Hongshang is already in your hands. I don't know if this is Brother Song's foresight, but to let it go is certainly not his idea."
"The final experiment on the Red Robe has not yet passed, and the Power One project has not been fully launched yet. Uncle Dong, why are you in such a hurry?"
“My dear niece, that’s not how it works. As a businessman, you naturally need to have a long-term vision, especially when your competitors are strong. If you don’t improve, you will eventually be overtaken. Engineer Xu was a great talent. It’s a real pity that he’s gone. Red Robe was developed by him and Brother Song together. You should know how much effort Brother Song put into it.”
Song Qing looked in Yan Xunan's direction and saw him walking towards them. Song Qing stood up, his face calm, and said lightly, "Uncle Dong, your focus should be on the overall sales of Power One now. I will arrange the subsequent research and development."
Dong Haifeng sensed the coldness in her words and realized that perhaps his words hadn't suited Song Qing's taste, or perhaps he had been a bit too hasty. So he stood up and smiled, "Alright, since Brother Song trusts me, I will naturally not let him down, and I will definitely assist you properly."
Today, he brought up Song Jingmo in every sentence. Song Qingming knew what he meant, but every word he said struck a nerve with her. She reached out and shook hands with Yan Xunan; her hands were already a little cold. If it weren't for this man she had loved since childhood, Song Jingmo wouldn't have died, Song Ning wouldn't have broken up with her, and she wouldn't have married Yi Zhengwei.
"What are you talking about? You seem to be having a great time," Yan Xunan said with a smile.
"It's nothing, I just haven't seen Uncle Dong in a long time, we were just talking about Dad."
Yan Xunan paused for a moment, then smiled and changed the subject, saying to Dong Haifeng, "President Dong, you're at the top of the sales charts again this year. Aren't all the magazines and TV stations swarming to interview you?"
Dong Haifeng laughed heartily, patted Yan Xunan on the shoulder and said, "It's like being in a completely different field. I didn't expect President Yan to pay so much attention to us."
"That was true before, but not anymore. There will be many production-related matters I need to consult you about in the future, and there might be a possibility of cooperation, right, Mr. Dong?"
Dong Haifeng's old face showed a half-smile. Yan Xunan's olive branch was something he couldn't accept or refuse in front of Song Qing, so he could only laugh awkwardly twice.
Song Qing knew Yan Xunan was doing it on purpose, but Dong Haifeng was an elder and a good friend of Song Jingmo, so she didn't want to make things difficult for him. So she suppressed a laugh and interrupted them, saying, "Uncle Dong, we need to step away for a bit. By the way, Xunan, you said you'd introduce me to a friend?"
Yan Xunan understood, smiled, and put his arm around Song Qing as they left.
"That old fox, you'd better stay away from him in the future," Yan Xunan said.
"So you were observing us with a microscope on your back?"
"Whether you're happy or not, do I need to look back?"
"Is that so?" Song Qing gave a soft hum, her heart filled with endless melancholy.
Yan Xunan pretended to look around, "President Yi didn't come today?"