During their conversation, Leng Feng's driver arrived, and the two said goodbye. Watching Leng Feng leave, Song Qing sat up straight, full of energy, returned to the driver's seat, and drove the car back to the garage. He was very satisfied with the preparations he had made for Leng Feng. That's how business is; the effort you put in will naturally yield the same return.
Even work requires fate and luck. Her efforts over the past two months were completely resolved tonight.
She quietly went upstairs, carefully turned on the light, and the switch clicked. She then realized that Yi Mantian wasn't home today; she didn't need to come back like a thief, nor did she need to be afraid. At that moment, the smell of alcohol rushed up her head. She clutched her chest, hiccuped, and shivered. The air conditioner downstairs was already off. She put her coat back on, went to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of hot water, and sat down at the dining table, sipping it slowly.
Aunt Zhou's room was dark. She had been back for a while, but I hadn't seen her come out. It seemed she had gone to the hospital too.
She glanced at her watch; it was already 1:30 a.m. It was clearly inappropriate to call and inquire about her father-in-law's condition at this hour.
She propped her head up, wide awake, but her head began to throb again. So she sat at the table, looking out at the Yi family garden through the French windows. The birds that Yi Mantian kept paced restlessly in their cages because of her movements. The snow in the garden was piled up thickly, unswept, and quite a sight to behold.
Yi Zhengwei came downstairs wearing dark red pajamas, his hair disheveled, clearly having already taken a nap.
"Did I wake you up?" Song Qing got up, turning her head with a slightly hoarse voice.
Yi Zhengwei poured himself a glass of water, gestured for her to come to the living room, and then turned on the air conditioner.
"I'm thirsty, come down and get a glass of water. Have you been drinking? I called you."
Song Qing said "Oh," took out her phone, and sure enough, it was her. She quickly apologized, "I had a social engagement tonight, and I didn't hear it because of the noise. I'm sorry."
"By the way, how is Dad?"
Yi Zhengwei took a bottle of paste-like nutritional supplement from the cupboard and handed it to her, saying, "It's nothing, just the same old problem. Drink this. You've lost a lot of weight; if this continues, your body won't be able to handle it."
Song Qing silently took it and swallowed it in one gulp. It tasted a little bitter and astringent, so he drank half a glass of water. Yi Zhengwei's words were loaded with meaning. He knew perfectly well that given Fuhua's current business situation, Song Qing didn't need such socializing. Yet he said it would continue for a long time, proving that he wasn't completely unaware of Song Qing's situation.
"What happened this morning..."
Song Qing smiled faintly and said, "You don't need to explain. You said that we reached an agreement on some things before our marriage, didn't you?"
Seeing that she said this, Yi Zhengwei didn't know what else to say. He sighed inwardly, but said aloud, "I have already taken care of Shen Huidong's matter."
Okay, thank you.
"Is that all you have to say?" Yi Zhengwei's words already carried a hint of anger.
Song Qing had a splitting headache and stood up, saying, "I'm sorry, Zhengwei, I'm tired and want to go upstairs to rest."
She had already stepped onto the stairs when Yi Zhengwei suddenly hugged her from behind, turned her around, and said in a somewhat urgent tone, "Xiaoqing, can you listen to me for a moment? Fuhua is already developing steadily. Your father and I both hope that you can focus more on the family and not go on any new projects, especially Kangqiao. Recently, you have hired a lot of new workers, which has caused quite a stir. Your father has already noticed."
"Zhengwei, I'm really tired. Let's talk about this another time."
"Next time? Next time? When is next time? Why do you have to push yourself so hard? Think about it carefully, is it really necessary!"
“This is Fuhua’s business, and you said you wouldn’t interfere.”
"I've resolved Shen Huidong's problem, shouldn't you also give me an explanation regarding the issues between us, and your responsibilities as Mrs. Yi?!"
Song Qing frowned. "You mean the child?"
“You can tell me if you don’t want children.” Yi Zhengwei did not deny it.
“I’ll talk to you about this when I have time. I’ve never thought about not having children, Zhengwei.”
Yi Zhengwei breathed a sigh of relief, his expression softening. "What about the factory..."
"I won't back down on this, but I'll explain it to Dad myself. Okay, is there anything else you want to say?"
Yi Zhengwei let go.
Song Qing, holding onto the handrail, moved out of his sight.
Then came a loud thud. Yi Zhengwei had a bad feeling and rushed upstairs. Sure enough, Song Qing had fallen in the corridor and was unconscious. However, seeing that her breathing was steady, she must have fallen asleep. Yi Zhengwei silently blamed himself, thinking that he shouldn't have forced her to stay and talked about these troublesome things.
Since Aunt Zhou wasn't home, he took it upon himself to bathe and change Song Qing's clothes, then carried her to bed. Seeing her sleeping so sweetly, devoid of her usual aloofness, stubbornness, and headstrong nature, she seemed so approachable. But the thought of her opening her eyes tomorrow and coldly keeping everyone at arm's length, hanging high on a branch, filled him with both amusement and exasperation. How had he ended up with such a woman?
"Qing'er, how should I treat you?"
Chapter 51 The Child as a Transaction
"This child should have the surname Song."
-Song Qing
After finishing Fuhua's shareholders' meeting, Song Qing began to seriously consider how to explain to Yi Mantian Fuhua's strategy of expanding its operations and exploring new markets in the new year.
Bringing this matter up would definitely upset the entire Yi family, so she'd been tossing and turning, unable to sleep well these past few days. The shareholders' meeting of the bank was postponed a few days to accommodate Song Qing, and Yi Zhengwei had been working overtime at the company almost every night. Since she had said she would discuss this with her father-in-law, she naturally wouldn't bother Yi Zhengwei any further.
It was unclear whether Yi Mantian was still angry or not, as he hadn't returned home yet. Aunt Zhou was also at the hospital taking care of him, making the Yi family home feel cold and deserted. Song Qing paced back and forth in the living room, arms wrapped around herself, feeling extremely agitated. Outside, the snow continued to fall heavily, the driveway of the Yi family home was covered in thick ice, and icicles clung to the iron gate. Sometimes, when the temperature difference was significant, a faint mist would rise from the French windows.
Madam Song called Song Qing, asking her to come home for dinner, saying that Song Ning and Yan Xunan, the young couple, were coming to see her today.
"Zhengwei, are you free tonight? I heard from people at Fuhua that things will be a bit quieter these next couple of days. Our family hasn't gotten together in a long time, and you've been busy whenever I call you these past few days. Aunt Wang keeps nagging that if you don't come back, the New Year won't be as lively, and there won't be anyone to take charge of the family."
Song Qing frowned, exhaled a smoke ring, and the smoke mingled with the condensation on the glass, rushing back into her eyes. She stretched out her index finger and drew pointless patterns on the window, absentmindedly saying, "I'm afraid it won't work. Zhengwei definitely won't be able to find the time tonight."
"I heard that your wife Zhou isn't home. Last night, Wang Ma was worried you hadn't eaten, so she sent a driver to take you there. She waited for hours, but it was still dark. Qing'er, did something happen? If you've been wronged at their house, you must tell your mother. Don't keep everything bottled up inside." Madam Song said with concern, only now showing a hint of her motherly concern. It was probably because Wang Ma had been nagging her all night that she had to tell her. In her eyes, Song Qing was no one she needed to worry about. It was precisely because of these things that the mother and daughter didn't get along.
Song Qing smiled faintly, "It's okay, I can handle it. I'll come back before the New Year's Eve dinner. I'll call and ask Xiao Ning to stay with you for a few more days."
Madam Song said repeatedly, "That's wonderful! I've been staying home every day lately, and seeing all the excitement outside makes me really want to go out for a walk. It's just too quiet at home."
Just as Song Qing hung up the phone, the living room phone rang. It was Aunt Zhou calling, saying that Yi Mantian was being discharged from the hospital today. "We can't get through to Zhengwei, and the master said he wants you to try contacting him," Aunt Zhou added.
Song Qing readily agreed.