Aunt Zhou glanced at Yi Mantian, took the phone and left the ward. She lowered her voice and said to Song Qing, "Tonight, agree to whatever the master says first, and we'll talk about it later. It's the New Year, and with his irritable temper, it wouldn't be good if he were hospitalized again. It's bad luck."
Song Qing glanced at the gloomy sky, let out a long sigh, and compromised, "Yes, I'll go find Zhengwei right away. Aunt Zhou, you've been working hard lately. You take Dad home first, and we'll have the driver pick you up after we've made reservations."
Aunt Zhou breathed a sigh of relief and hung up the phone. Back in the ward, Yi Mantian gave her a thumbs up, "From now on, you should keep an eye on things and give me some advice. Once I say something, there's no turning back."
As Zhou Sao chuckled, she helped him tidy up his clothes. "Don't worry, sir. I'm also eager to take care of my grandson. After you retire, it'll just be the two of us old folks. Wouldn't it get boring if we just looked at each other all the time?"
Yi Mantian smiled with a cigar in his mouth and his eyes narrowed. His face was rosy, and he did not look like a patient at all.
Song Qing called Yi Zhengwei, but was indeed transferred to the secretary's desk. She put on her coat and drove directly to the bank.
The bank was still brightly lit, but his office was empty. Lily brought up the boxed lunch a while later. When she saw Song Qing, she quickly put it down and greeted him: "President Song, President Yi is in a meeting downstairs right now. He said the meeting will be over soon. I just went to the cafeteria to order him a boxed lunch."
Song Qing nodded. "Does he have any work coming up?"
Lily quickly flipped through the schedule and said, "I have an appointment with Chairman Chen of Longfeng Industry at 11 o'clock, but... President Yi said that this appointment is not particularly necessary and can probably be canceled."
Song Qing checked the time. She figured she and Yi Mantian had finished their meal and should still have time. So she asked Lili to book a nearby restaurant, while she went to the window to look down, frowning as she thought of what to say. "Whatever I say, I'll just agree," she thought, remembering Aunt Zhou's words. She shook her head with a bitter smile, leaning against the wall in a daze.
Xia Xiaodong then reported the good news to her, "President Song, I have several small orders that were shipped to Kangqiao yesterday. Factory Director Guo just called to say that everything is progressing smoothly and the goods can be shipped in a week!"
Song Qing smiled and said, "That's great, Xiaodong. We must keep up with the quality of this batch of goods. Go to Kangqiao this week and keep an eye on things. Report the customers' opinions to Director Guo and Minister Li in a timely manner. This battle will be very meaningful for our future development."
"No problem! I definitely won't let you down, Mr. Song!" Xia Xiaodong assured him confidently.
Just as Song Qing hung up the phone, Yi Zhengwei rushed into the office with a folder in his arms. He was stunned when he saw Song Qing's smiling face. He subconsciously took out his phone and apologized, "I'm sorry, I've been in meetings all day. I asked Lily to block all calls."
“It’s okay. Dad is being discharged from the hospital today, so the family can get together. But before that, there’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”
Yi Zhengwei scratched his head, put down the documents, and went straight to the lounge. When he came out, he had already washed his face and looked much more refreshed.
He sat down, pressed the phone on the table, and told Lily, "Cancel my appointment tonight."
He gestured for Song Qing to close the door before saying, "What urgent matter could you possibly have? Can't we wait until after the shareholders' meeting to talk about it?"
Song Qing sat down opposite him, her expression not relaxed. "I'm afraid it's too late, Zhengwei. Dad must ask about the child's affairs today, and I must also explain my new project to him. He was just discharged from the hospital, and I don't want him to have any more accidents because of me."
Yi Zhengwei glanced at her, quickly signed the documents in his hand, put them down, then crossed his legs, crossed his arms, and sat slightly apart. It seemed that he took this issue very seriously and was ready to have a good talk with Song Qing.
What are your plans?
Song Qing lowered her head and twisted her hands. After thinking for a long time, she bit her lip and looked up resolutely, saying, "I can back down on the matter of the child, but I cannot give up on the new project."
There was a hint of anger in Yi Zhengwei's eyes, but his voice remained calm after suppressing his emotions as he coldly said, "You want to use the child to get your father's approval of your new project?"
Song Qing shook her head. "Zhengwei, it's unfair to me to say that. Why don't you look at it from another angle? I'm doing this for Dad's health, and I also don't want our future work to be affected by this."
"Is there anything wrong with what I said? Maybe Dad will agree with you, but personally, I'm sorry, I don't want you to treat our lives like a negotiation."
Suppressing her dissatisfaction, Song Qing still said, "Zhengwei, can you be a little more rational? This is the only way to resolve all conflicts perfectly. I don't want any more misunderstandings between us because of this. I didn't come here today just to talk about this; that's not the point."
Yi Zhengwei raised an eyebrow and smiled, sitting closer and saying with interest, "That's not the point. I'd really like to hear the details."
Ignoring the sarcasm in his words, Song Qing reached out and grasped Yi Zhengwei's hand, speaking sincerely and earnestly: "Zhengwei, I know you might find it hard to accept the request I'm about to make, but please understand me, understand my responsibility to Fuhua and my father's instructions to me before he passed away."
Yi Zhengwei's heart tightened, he withdrew his hand, and asked in a tense tone, "What exactly is it?"
Song Qing felt her throat was dry. She hadn't expected to face this problem so soon, but she had to discuss it with Yi Zhengwei before explaining it to Yi Mantian.
"This child should have the surname Song."
Yi Zhengwei felt a surge of anger welling up inside him, and after a long while, he finally said, "Song Qing, you're joking with me." By the end, he was gritting his teeth, and his chest was heaving violently.
Song Qing was anxious and apologetically grabbed his hand, "Zhengwei, I know this request will be hard for you to accept, but please, this time you must stand with me and persuade Dad."
Yi Zhengwei stood up angrily, flung her hand away, and said resolutely, "Impossible!"
Does this woman even know what she's saying?! He was truly at a loss for words. If this got out, even if he didn't care, how could Yi Mantian ever hold his head high again? He would become a laughingstock. Precisely because he knew Yi Mantian wouldn't agree, he absolutely couldn't agree to Song Qing's suggestion this time; otherwise, Song Qing's situation in the Yi family would become even more difficult.
Song Qing is now slowly distancing herself from the bank-controlled entity. Once the Power One project is fully underway and the funding issues are resolved, it won't be so easy to get her to compromise. Besides, the purpose of her new project is simply to operate without the bank-controlled entity's funding. He knew what Song Qing was thinking from the beginning, but he just didn't say it out loud.
Whether Yi Mantian will slam his fist on the table tonight, point at Song Qing's face, and berate her for being ungrateful and betraying her benefactor, and end up in the hospital again, remains to be seen.
Regardless of the child's surname, it will always be Yi Zhengwei's offspring. The current relationship between the two families, and Yi Mantian's insistence that he marry Song Qing, stemmed from the expectation that Fuhua would eventually become part of the banking group. As for whether he himself harbored such intentions, he hadn't truly considered it. From beginning to end, even at the very beginning, his desire to acquire Fuhua was solely for the Power One project; however, he did indeed still possess the plan for a full acquisition of Fuhua.
Song Qing hugged Yi Zhengwei tightly from behind. She knew she couldn't let him just turn around and leave. Her only option now was to get his consent; otherwise, she wouldn't be able to face it alone. She had no other choice.
"Zhengwei, please help me one more time. At most, we can have one more child."
Yi Zhengwei, who had just been angry, almost couldn't hold back his laughter. He pursed his lips, letting Song Qing hug him, without turning around.
“You know how much my father’s passing hit me. The Song family needs a successor, and this is my inescapable responsibility. From now on, nothing will trouble you again. This is the last time, Zhengwei.”
Yi Zhengwei turned around and pushed Song Qing away. He held her shoulders, looked into her eyes and said seriously, "Qing'er, I really can't do anything about this."
"What should we do tonight, Zhengwei?" Song Qing asked worriedly.
"You need to weigh for yourself whether your new project is more important or the surname of your future child. All I can do for you today is pretend I didn't hear what you said," Yi Zhengwei said calmly. He already knew in his heart that Song Qing would definitely agree first, taking a risky step. After all, he knew very well how important the new project was to her; she was a businesswoman, and she wouldn't give up immediate profits. Besides, there was still at least a year until the child was born, giving her enough energy to resolve and persuade Yi Mantian.
“Jung-wei, what you yourself mean is…”
"Me? Does my wish matter?" Yi Zhengwei casually rolled up his coat sleeves, opened the door, and went out. If Song Qingruo really cared about his thoughts, she would never have made this request.
Song Qing followed him out with a headache and caught up with Yi Zhengwei.
That night, the couple worked together seamlessly. Song Qing indeed promised Yi Mantian that she was willing to start preparing for pregnancy from that moment on.
Yi Mantian nodded in satisfaction, stopping Yi Zhengwei from drinking several times. "I'll have Lili keep a close eye on you these days. You need to quit smoking and drinking, otherwise how will my grandson be healthy?"