"Qing'er, do you have to be so aggressive? Can't you understand me for a moment? Why can't you stand in my shoes and think about me? Can't you be a little more merciful?" Yi Zhengwei spoke in a roundabout way, but his words were clear.
Song Qing smiled, pursing her lips, without refuting, and she didn't know why.
She felt her legs go weak, so she turned to leave, but Yi Zhengwei grabbed her and pulled her into his lap, pressing his face against her back as he said, "Qing'er, it's over."
Song Qing straightened her back and said calmly, "Is that so? That's good."
"She is the most innocent in this matter."
Innocent? To whom can she proclaim her innocence? Time can heal psychological wounds, but life cannot be brought back.
Her father was innocent, but he still died, she thought with heartache.
What is Shen Xing's pain? Although she lost love, she chose a path that suited her, and isn't she living a good life now?
Ultimately, Yan Xunan and Yi Zhengwei are the same type of people. They'll pity them behind their backs and mourn their lost love, but when they're sober, they'll still choose what they want. Of course, she wouldn't sympathize with them, much less pity Yi Zhengwei, who was using his drunkenness to seek comfort from her.
She just sadly wondered what love really meant to them.
He's now regretting his actions towards another woman in front of her—what kind of nonsense is that?
She felt a stinging pain in her heart, as if she had swallowed a fly. She shook off Yi Zhengwei's hand from around her waist, picked up her pajamas, and went to the bathroom, leaving Yi Zhengwei there, fuming. Anyway, tomorrow, everything would be the same as always. They were the same kind of people after all; for the sake of profit, they could abandon their love.
She was enjoying her bath when Yi Zhengwei rushed in and started vomiting violently while hugging the toilet. Song Qing ignored him, but felt that they were both very sad.
Yi Zhengwei stubbornly continued his drunken rampage, insisting on washing with her, splashing water everywhere, and ignoring Song Qing's attempts to reason with him. Song Qing couldn't resist the urge to hit him a few times, but he didn't budge, remaining limp and refusing to get up from her.
Song Qing was so angry and anxious that tears welled up in her eyes. "Yi Zhengwei, who do you think you are? What gives you the right to act so arrogantly in front of me? We're just business partners. I'm not responsible for handling your relationship problems!"
Yi Zhengwei kept his eyes closed, and it was unclear whether he heard her or not. Only after a while did he bury his face in Song Qing's chest and say in a muffled voice, "Song Qing, Song Qing, be good to me, you have to be good to me." His voice was filled with indescribable sadness and vulnerability.
This version of Yi Zhengwei made Song Qing feel unfamiliar, sad, and confused. She collapsed underwater, looking up at the dazzling heater, not knowing what to say or do.
He was just being childish, just wanting some comfort and support from Song Qing. He didn't know how to love either. He had so cruelly rejected Shen Xing for Song Qing's sake, hadn't he? Why couldn't Song Qing be kinder to him? Why couldn't Song Qing understand him a little more? He could, he truly deserved her trust.
Men and women, one from Mars, the other from Venus, differences are inevitable. What Song Qing saw was only this man nestled in her arms, heartbroken over another woman, yet seeking comfort in her. What did he take her for? She could allow him to vent outside, even with other women, just not let her see this side of him. She also had her own pride and self-respect.
She never revealed her past with Yan Xunan to Yi Zhengwei.
That night, their bodies were so close, yet their hearts were farther apart than ever before.
*
Just as he said, Yi Zhengwei wanted to make amends to Song Qing. Now that the Shen family's matter was resolved, he felt much lighter and often called Song Qing after work to invite her out for a candlelight dinner, but Song Qing always disappointed him.
"Sorry, I've neglected Zhenhua recently. I need to go and reorganize things."
Yi Zhengwei's heart tightened, and he hurriedly said, "There are too many unknown toxins at Zhenhua. Back then, Dad..."
"Don't worry, I'll be out in a little while. Don't tell Dad about this, so as not to cause trouble," Song Qing instructed cautiously.
Yi Zhengwei was still worried and asked, "When are you going? Let me see if I'm free."
"No need. As for company management, I hope we can keep to ourselves." Song Qing coldly refused and hung up the phone with a snap.
Yi Zhengwei was extremely upset. Nothing was wrong at first, but after get off work, he called a meeting with all the department heads, a meeting that turned out to be completely pointless. After the meeting, no one knew what the topic was. Everyone had gradually left, but Yi Zhengwei remained sitting there, lost in thought.
When Song Qing returned from the research institute, she received a call from Yan Xunan, inviting her to attend the factory's opening ceremony.
She certainly wouldn't go.
"It's such a bad coincidence. That day happens to be the day Zhengwei and I were planning to hold a banquet. We invited some friends who have recently contributed to Fuhua. It seems you won't be able to attend."
Yan Xunan felt uneasy, sensing that Song Qing had become much colder lately. He wondered if it was because Weisheng's power project had also taken off, and the two of them were about to officially step into the ring.
"Okay, it's alright, Qing'er."
"Okay, I'm hanging up."
Overwhelmed with emotion and lost in thought, she suddenly felt nauseous. So she stopped the car on the mountain road, clutched her stomach, and vomited violently by the roadside.
More than a month has passed since the accident. Could it be that what Aunt Zhou said was true? She immediately drove back to Linchuan with unease and went straight to the hospital.
She didn't know whether to feel happy or sad. She left the hospital with the test results in her hand, but for a moment, she felt no joy of becoming a mother.
Two and a half months have passed; time flies.
When he got home, Yi Mantian was having a late-night snack. Yi Zhengwei was unusually home today and was chatting with Yi Mantian. The house was peaceful.
The family doctor arrived shortly afterward and confirmed the good news with the Yi family once again.
The Yi family was overjoyed. Yi Mantian gave all the workers in the Yi family red envelopes and other gifts, saying that this was the result of everyone's hard work.
Yi Zhengwei sat with his arm around Song Qing, a smile playing on his lips, radiating joy. Song Qing looked at him, wondering how much of Shen Xing's place remained in his heart.
“This isn’t your first child,” Song Qing couldn’t help but say. She thought to herself, “Yi Zhengwei, you don’t need to be this happy.”
Yi Zhengwei immediately stopped smiling.
He could never remember his drunken madness that night.
"What do I have to do to make you happy?" Finally, he angrily picked up his coat and left the house.
Aunt Zhou jumped up in surprise and rushed over to ask what was wrong. Seeing that Song Qing's eyes were also red, she sat on the edge of the bed and comforted her, "Women are like this when they are first pregnant. Their temper is not easy to control. You will get used to it slowly. You must keep a happy mood. If the young master does something wrong, there will be people in this family who will stand up for you!"
Song Qing chuckled and held Zhou Sao's hand, saying, "Yes, I don't know what came over me today, I just wanted to pick on him. Actually, he didn't do anything to upset me."
"That's good." Aunt Zhou breathed a sigh of relief.