Song Qingning nodded. Although the company was viewed favorably after its listing, she was always on edge. Now that Fuhua was no longer entirely in her hands, she could only try her best to make the ship as sturdy and stable as possible, but she couldn't control how it would sail.
To prevent Fuhua from being eliminated by the market, their only option was to rely on the technological strength of Zhenhua Research Lab. She raised an eyebrow, took out her keys, a bell rang, and she briskly went out the door, turning to wave goodbye to Bill.
Blue Wings vanished from Bill's sight in an instant, shimmering with a leaping light in the twilight, much like Song Qing's heart at that moment.
"Lianxin, I hope I haven't done anything wrong." He stood there, leaning against the magnificent stone pillar of Fuhua, and murmured.
※
"Zhengwei, how's it going?" Yi Mantian asked, taking a walk on the lawn of the First Hospital's sanatorium, phone in hand. He had just finished dinner and was about to go chat with Song Jingmo when he was told that he had been picked up and taken home.
"Dad, don't rush, your health is the most important thing." Yi Zhengwei frowned, listening to his father's uneven breathing on the other end of the line.
"Can't we calm down? We've invested so much, how can it end like this? What exactly is your plan?" Yi Mantian was almost shouting. During this time, he had spoken highly of Yi Zhengwei to Song Jingmo, constantly implying the benefits of a marriage alliance between the two families. Although Song Jingmo always agreed, she was determined to marry her daughter to Xu Zhihan, which naturally angered him.
Weisheng was truly patient, delaying the process far more than he had anticipated. The first wave had already allowed Fuhua to make a fortune in the stock market, a truly auspicious start, and once the new project was fully implemented, Yan Xunan would be forced into a passive position. He firmly believed that Yan Xunan would make his move soon, and there was no way to delay any longer.
"Dad, within a week."
Yi Mantian waited anxiously for Yi Zhengwei's reply. After a long while, he finally heard him utter these words. His son, who was always steady and cautious, would not make promises to him easily. He hummed in agreement and hung up the line with satisfaction.
"Your mother was an accident, Zhengwei. The path your father chose for you will not be wrong." He looked at the setting sun, stroked his chin, and seemed to be deep in thought.
Song Qing is a loyal and righteous child with a sharp and insightful mind; he is definitely not like Zhengwei's mother, Zi Nan. But he is equally determined that without Zi Nan, Yinkong would not have achieved its current success.
※
Song Qing drove carefully on the mountain road. The Blue Wing was clearly not suitable for driving on the winding and uneven mountain road. She regretted that she had left in such a hurry. Now she could only ask Zhihan to wait patiently.
After driving for more than half the distance, she thought it best to call him. Just as she reached for the phone, it unexpectedly rang. She smiled and answered it without even looking at it.
"Hello, is this Zhihan?"
There was a sudden, deathly silence on the other end of the microphone. She also abruptly stopped smiling, and her hands on the steering wheel turned white.
"Is that you, Xu Nan?" It took her a long time to find her voice. Then she was jolted by a small pothole. She cursed under her breath. A few drops of water mixed with mud splashed onto the glass in front of her.
"Wait a minute." She took a deep breath, pulled the car over to the side of the road, turned off the engine, and got out for some fresh air.
"You're not in Linchuan?" he finally asked.
Song Qing lowered her head, lightly stepping on the roadside grass with her shoes, and hummed in response. Clearly, Yan Xunan's call had greatly surprised her. Since the ticket refund, she had begun to reflect on her past with Yan Xunan. Xu Kai's words had served as a wake-up call; perhaps she had indeed made a mistake, consistently disregarding Yan Xunan's self-esteem. She considered her financial assistance to Weisheng as an example; for a moment, she felt utterly like a failure.
"congratulations."
"Um?"
"congratulations."
"Oh, yes, thank you."
Both sides spoke in dry, uninspired language, like the bleak autumn wind that blows by, leaving a lingering chill in one's heart.
"Xiao Ning told Dad about your marriage. I think Dad will soon arrange to discuss the details with Uncle Yan and Aunt Yan." This phone call might have been a dividing line, but for no reason, she continued the call.
"Yes, it's already scheduled for tomorrow."
She blinked dryly, then chuckled softly, "Yeah, that's great, you know, they've all been waiting for this for a long time."
"Um."
She ignored the bleakness and paleness in Yan Xunan's words, devoid of any emotion.
"Xunan, Weisheng's current situation..." she blurted out, but immediately regretted it, and weakly added, "I'm sorry, Xunan, I..."
"It's alright." Yan Xunan turned the back of his chair, crossed his legs, and propped them up on the small table to the side, facing the late autumn sunset.
"What I mean is..." She took a deep breath, then suddenly had a flash of inspiration and said, "Xunan, Xiaoning owns ten percent of Fuhua's shares..."
"Don't give it to her!" He abruptly lowered his leg, sternly refusing.
"Huh?" Song Qing was startled by his sudden reply.
"I don't need it." He closed his eyes, propped himself up on the desk, and stood up, looking extremely tired.
"Yes." After a long while, she finally replied, but for some reason, her eyes were already filled with tears, but just enough to fill them without overflowing.
"Qing'er, can you see the sunset now?"
She blinked back her tears, looked up, and sure enough, a thick twilight had enveloped the surroundings. The previously dark and gloomy landscape had been transformed, now a sea of golden hues mixed with a heavy, somber hue. Clearly, it had arrived too late and would soon be swallowed by the night.
"tomorrow……"
"Um?"
Let's go back to school tomorrow.
"..."
I want to pick you up from school one more time.
"No..." She finally blinked the large tear that had been lingering for so long. Her eyes filled with tears, which gathered into one and fell heavily.
"Still in that place. This time, I won't be late again, leaving you all alone waiting for me at the school gate."
She gripped her phone tightly, listening silently to the dial tone, without moving.
As dusk fell, darkness soon enveloped her, and the flickering light from a distant lamp made her feel disoriented.