"Jingmo is gone, and I don't want to live anymore."
"Mom, what nonsense are you talking about! Don't you think my sister and I have suffered enough?" Song Ning shook her, tears streaming down her face.
Watching them hug each other and cry, Song Qing felt incredibly lonely.
The operating room door opened, and the hospital bed was brought out first, with doctors and nurses, including Xu Heng, standing behind, their expressions solemn. Song Ning and Madam Song rushed over first; the white sheets concealed Song Jingmo's head.
"Xiao Qing, your father passed away with a smile on his face." Xu Heng patted the blank-faced Song Qing.
A loud rumble came from outside the window. Song Qing turned to Yi Zhengwei and said, "It really is raining."
A bolt of lightning struck her face, turning her deathly pale. Finally, she collapsed, as if struck by lightning.
Yan Xunan rushed forward, but Yi Zhengwei pushed his hand away, picked up Song Qing, and turned to walk out.
※
This funeral, like the wedding, came suddenly and ended just as suddenly.
The funeral, organized by the Yan and Yi families, was naturally a grand affair. Yesterday, they wore white veils, but today Song Qing and Song Ning were dressed in black as they saw their father off to Yangming Mountain. Along the winding mountain road, a long line of small carts stretched out in a spiral, with white flowers blooming brightly on the hood of one of the carts.
Song Jingmo is dead, Xu Zhihan is gone, her sister is married, and her brother-in-law is her rival. The only one who truly stays by her side is Yi Zhengwei, the man who is her husband.
She held his hand tightly the whole way, like a lost child. She didn't want to remember the way up the mountain, nor did she wish to.
His thick palms enveloped hers tightly, giving her strength. At that moment, she was vulnerable, and she made no attempt to hide it.
Dressed in black gauze, she appeared even more frail and thin. The wind was strong on the mountain, causing her long black hair to flutter like wings, as if trying to carry her away.
She insisted on staying until the very end. The muddy ground, wet and slippery from the recent rain, was so slippery that she knelt down and let the mud slide down her knees.
"Zhengwei, we can't stay here at the same time. You go down the mountain first and give me the key."
"Okay, but you have to promise to come home early. I'll be waiting for you for dinner tonight." He knew that from the moment Song Jingmo was wheeled out of the operating room, she hadn't spent any time alone with her father.
Song Qing nodded blankly.
"Dad, the Song family will not fall apart. I haven't had a chance to tell you that yet."
"Xiao Ning said she wanted to take her mother to the Yan family home, and I agreed. They were going to meet through matchmaking anyway, and besides, she got along well with Uncle Yan and Aunt Yan. The Yan family home is lively, and since you just left, she might be able to adapt better there."
"Dad, today is my birthday. I received a gift from Uncle Dong, which was from you. I'm so happy. I also received a letter from Zhihan. You left me the best things from Fuhua. I will definitely live up to your expectations."
The bright red car key is still buried in the ground. She still remembers what Xu Zhihan said when she first went to the laboratory: this gift is the best gift to help her stabilize Fuhua and defeat Weisheng.
"But Dad, I will get up from where I fell. I don't know how to use the technology of Power Unit 2, at least not now. If it weren't for my mistake, you might still be by my side." She wiped away her tears and buried the key deep into the soil again.
It wasn't until dusk that she slowly descended the mountain. Blue Wing was parked steadily by the roadside, emitting a lush green light. This was a birthday gift Song Jingmo had given her when she turned twenty.
As soon as she arrived home, Wang Ma came out to greet her. The house was brightly lit, and she hugged her gratefully.
"Young Miss, don't worry, I won't leave."
They entered the house together. Madam Song and Song Ning had already tidied up the house, leaving only her rooms on the first and second floors as they were. Wang Ma led her around and said, "Madam, the second young lady's and master's study have been covered with cloth. Madam said she was afraid you would be sad if you saw it when you came back."
Song Qing nodded.
"The master left this house to you. He knew this before he passed away. It's not your fault. The second young lady's shares were bought back by the master long ago. The house and other properties are all left to you according to the will. To put it bluntly, the second young lady has no connection with the Song family anymore."
"Wang Ma, isn't it too lonely for you to live here all by yourself?"
Wang Ma prepared the meal for her and brought it to the table. She wiped her hands with her apron and said, "I'm getting old. This house is so big, with a garden in the backyard. It's not easy managing it. A few days ago, I called my granddaughter from the countryside over. She didn't get into university, so she came to take over my life."
"Aunt Wang, do you have any other relatives? Please invite a couple more people over. Our house is big, and I'm afraid the two of you won't be able to manage. I'll also be coming back to stay from time to time, so the house won't be too quiet." She said while eating.
Wang Ma sighed and served her a bowl of soup. She understood what Song Qing was thinking, but after all, she was still a married woman.
"I think Zhengwei is a very good person. He handled the funeral arrangements efficiently and took good care of you. Moreover, Old Master Yi is a good person. He had a deep relationship with the master when he was alive and valued you very much. Otherwise, how could the master have felt at ease letting you marry into the family? I am old, but I can still see things clearly. Recently, things at the company and at home, if it weren't for the Yi family, I don't know how things would have turned out today."
"Aunt Wang, I know. I'm very grateful to them. Don't worry, Dad doesn't like owing favors, and neither do I."
Aunt Wang shook her head. "That's not how it works."
Just then, a car horn sounded at the door, and she suddenly remembered that Yi Zhengwei had said he was waiting for her to have dinner. So she hurriedly got up and went out.
As Yi Zhengwei opened the car door and got out, the sound of the door closing was loud. She stared blankly at the mud on his feet and trouser legs, and the marks he left on the bluestone bricks.
He leaned against the car door with one hand, looking at Song Qing, who was neatly dressed and had oily lips, and remained silent.
Wang Ma knew what had happened at a glance and hurriedly said, "Come in quickly, I just finished preparing the food. Come on, you've arrived just in time." Without waiting for a reply, she pulled Yi Zhengwei inside.
"Zhengwei, go wash up first, and I'll go cook a few dishes."
Wang Ma quickly gave Song Qing a wink, and she went upstairs to get her pajamas and slippers.
Yi Zhengwei went into the bathroom. She opened the door, closed her eyes, and handed him the clothes. After a long while, there was no movement. Just as she was about to open her eyes, he pulled her inside.
"You...you should get dressed first." Although her vision was blurred by the fog, her face still turned red.
"Take a good look at me." He lifted her chin, placing his hands on either side of her to prevent her from escaping.
After a long silence, Song Qingcai said, "I'm sorry, I forgot."
"You forgot? Yes, you've suddenly become President Song, busy with countless affairs every day. You just got married a few days ago, and you've already forgotten?" Yi Zhengwei couldn't help but mock. He rushed back from Cambridge, worried that she wouldn't be able to adapt on her own, so he specially asked Aunt Zhou to prepare a meal. He thought that Song Qing needed her family and him at this time, but it turned out that he was just being delusional.
Song Qing knew she hadn't yet adapted to being a wife, and that she had made a mistake. She had forgotten that there was already another person in her life.
"It's getting cold, hurry up and put it on."