"You can't escape, Xiao Ning."
"Let me go."
As soon as my hand let go, I immediately grabbed the book and ran upstairs.
Before I could even enter the room, he blocked me at the door.
"Does your face have to be so red?"
"Who are you?" We never allow guests to come up to the second floor.
He stepped aside to let me into the room. "My name is Yan Xunan. I came here with my parents today. I've heard Xiao Ning mention you a few times. Your name is Xiao Qing, right?"
I nodded.
"Why do you have so much homework?" He flipped open the exercise book on my desk.
I said calmly, "I always make sure I finish learning before my teacher, otherwise I won't have time to learn other things."
He raised an eyebrow, his narrow eyes full of laughter.
"You're just a girl, why do you need to learn so much? Wouldn't it be better to be like Xiao Ning?"
"It's none of your business."
He frowned slightly, looked at me, and nodded as if he understood, but I could clearly see a hint of pity in his eyes.
I disliked this feeling and wanted to resist it, but the moonlight shining through the curtains of my room, the handsome and slender Yan Xunan, at this moment, was like a prince returning from the jungle on a magnificent white horse, like the pale moonlight outside the window, hazy and indistinct, shining into my heart.
Perhaps, that is love at first sight in fairy tales.
But it's just a fairy tale.
Chapter Sixty: Stance
"My dear niece, please take this as me saying something out of the blue, but in the business world, you shouldn't trust even your closest relatives completely!"
-Dong Haifeng
Further research on Hongshang ultimately came to a halt due to the cold war between Song Qing and Yi Zhengwei.
When Madam Song brought the tonics to visit Song Qing at the hospital, she was staring blankly at the sky outside. It was already June, truly comfortable weather. Looking at the bright sun through the glass, the leaves swayed in the sunlight, but a breeze stirred within her heart.
"Mom, I'm fine. Don't send me soup every day. I haven't finished the soup that Aunt Zhou made yet." Song Qing glanced indifferently at Madam Song's figure as she arranged the bowls and chopsticks.
Madam Song sighed, sat down on the edge of the bed, took her daughter's hand, but didn't know what to say.
"What is it that's so important that neither of them is willing to compromise? Is there anything that a married couple can't communicate about?"
Song Qing shook her head. "If it's just between us, anything is fine. I never hold grudges."
Mrs. Song was both amused and exasperated. "Look at what you're saying. Zhengwei is your husband. If you don't care about this, why are you?" She said, "He may have had some bad past experiences, but he has never been bad to you. You've been married for almost a year. Why are you still acting like a businessman?"
"I don't know either, Mom, why can you and Dad have such a good relationship? Even Xu Nan and Xiao Ning, although they argue from time to time, they still live their lives. But Zheng Wei and I seem to be separated by a long river. Whenever there is fog, we can't see each other clearly."
"Then let's walk over there."
Song Qing smiled wryly, "Fuhua and Yinkong are on opposite sides of the river, which way should we go?"
Yes, it seems she really can't leave. She can't rely on her father like her mother and devote herself to him wholeheartedly; nor can she be like Song Ning, who can pack up her belongings in Hedong at any time and head to Hexi without any worries.
Her father had always told her that she had no way to retreat; no matter how difficult things got, she had to lead Fuhua forward. She longed to rest, to be a good wife. Besides, she wasn't indifferent to Yi Zhengwei. But she feared the consequences; the burden she carried was too heavy.
Her father told her that Fuhua could only be the Fuhua of the Song family.
She underestimated the challenges of this marriage. After years of navigating the business world, she'd always handled difficulties with composure, finding a balance. What business couldn't she handle? It was just a matter of how much profit she made. Besides, she always had detailed plans to follow, and a team behind her to help her manage the workload. But today, to whom could she confide her troubles? Could she truly create a clear marriage plan for herself and Yi Zhengwei?
He said he was her husband, and when he stormed out of the house that day, he even questioned in despair whether she truly considered him her husband.
She stood there at the entrance of the stairwell, wanting to yell back; she did, she really did.
She had unknowingly begun to rely on him during this time. From the day Fuhua's accident, she had allowed herself to depend on him. When the factory caught fire, the first person she thought of calling was Yi Zhengwei. When she saw the police cars lined up neatly at the factory gate, when she saw the factory walls blackened, when she smelled the pungent smell of glue, she kept thinking and calling out in her heart: Zhengwei, where are you?
Afterwards, she sped wildly through the streets of Cambridge. Was it to vent her frustration? Was it out of fear? Or was she searching for something?
She knew, knew perfectly well, that Yi Zhengwei was indeed in Cambridge that day, and that she had agreed to it, that she had allowed him to come and see Shen Xing.
She sped past, yet still clearly saw Yi Zhengwei's shadow. So, she retreated frantically, recklessly, wanting only to find him and tell him that her project, which she had worked so hard on for six months, had been reduced to ashes! She wanted his comfort, his concern; she wanted to hold him tightly, so desperately needing his strength.
It turns out that she also wanted to be a good wife.
So, she personally called Shen Xing, forcing Yi Zhengwei to make a decision between them. She also used work as an excuse to force Yi Zhengwei to stop investing in Shen Huidong. She also cared that Shen Xing had his child, and this caused her to lose her usual composure. In the early days of her pregnancy, she used the excuse of being in a bad mood during pregnancy to lash out at Yi Zhengwei, causing him to leave the house time and time again. It wasn't that she didn't care.
*
She drove to the western suburbs, where Weisheng's factory was newly built and beautiful. Soon, it would be just like Fuhua's factory in Cambridge, bustling with people. Every day she spent in the hospital was filled with anxiety, and her cold war with Yi Zhengwei only intensified her worry.
She watched the groundbreaking ceremony of the Weisheng factory repeatedly, as if Yan Xunan was about to transform into an eagle, far surpassing her. Fuhua's solid position in the power industry, built up over many years, seemed to be crumbling. Even if Song Jingmo wanted to share half of Song Ning's achievements, it was absolutely impossible for her to hope to see Weisheng surpass Fuhua in the future.
Hongshang's research was imperative, and she could not refuse it for any reason.
She called Dong Haifeng and said she wanted to go see Hongshang, and he immediately agreed.
“My dear niece, I come to see it every day. It’s so perfect. This is your father’s life’s work. A few years ago, he told me that this was your birthday present. So every year I asked him if Xiaoqing was coming back this year. Until Hongshang was finished, he never had the chance to give it to you in person.”
"Uncle Dong, please stop talking." She bent down with heartache, leaning against the car body that was as red as flames.