The car that came to pick up Song Yan this time was not the Maybach that Song Minghai used in Nanwu, but Tan Qing’s car she used in Nanwu. The driver was also Tan Qing’s own assistant.
This small difference speaks volumes.
Song Yan and Tan Qing sat side by side in the back seat, his eyes fell subconsciously on Tan Qing’s wrist. He then asked in a casual tone, “Did he beat you?”
Tan Qing paused for a while, then covered her wrist and smiled sweetly. “No, he’s didn’t do that. We got into a dispute, and he wanted me to sign a document. I guess his grip was too hard, so there’s an imprint here.”
She might be putting it lightly, but it’s not a lie.
Song Yan asked, “Is there something wrong with his company?”
When Song Minghai and Tan Qing got married at that time, the company encountered a big problem. Relying on the Tan family’s various technology patents and capital, Song Minghai managed to turn things around, and his company gradually improved.
So Tan Qing owns 22% of the company’s shares, and is the largest shareholder other than Song Minghai. She’s responsible for financial auditing. Her opinions are very important in many decisions.
Seeing Song Minghai’s behavior of trying to get close to the Xia family, Song Yan guessed that something happened to Song Minghai’s company, and had a disagreement with Tan Qing on the handling of the matter.
Tan Qing knew that Song Yan was very smart, so she didn’t plan to hide it from him, lest his thoughts may go astray. “Your father bought a lot of land in Nanwu before, and he wanted to develop it into an international shopping center, focusing on the high-end market. However, due to the epidemic, many imported goods were blocked, so the project was halted in the short term. The funds cannot keep up the current spending, so his only option was to invest in real estate. But to develop things in that way, his land’s area isn’t enough, he needs to buy the land next to it. That land is owned by the Xia family, and he hasn’t been able to negotiate the term with them. Simply put, there’s a problem in his capital chain; and on top of that, your father’s rise in recent years has been too rapid, and he has many rivals who are waiting for his fall. It’s very difficult for him now.”
Song Yan asked, “Is there any solution?”
Tan Qing replied, “He has two options: one is to use all his existing properties as a collateral to take loans, so he can buy the land at a high price. If he succeeds, things will pass, but if it fails, he’ll go bankrupt.”
“What about the other?”
“Acquisition. Accepting funding from the parent company, but your dad won’t be the largest shareholder anymore, and he might even be ousted from management.”
There was no doubt that a person of Song Minghai’s character would never use the second option.
But Tan Qing was different from him.
“In the current tough environment, being acquired can save the jobs of the vast majority of our company’s lower-level employees, and it’s the safest option. Many executives in the company feel this way. But your dad owns more than fifty percent of the shares and has veto power, so we can only delay.”
Song Yan may not fully grasp the intricacies of the business world, but his math skills have always been good. He calmly said, “Right now, of my father’s 60% ownership, 20% belongs to my mother.”
Tan Qing was stunned.
Song Yan continued, “According to her will, when I come of age, I’ll inherit this portion of the property. So, if I disagree with him continuing to hold the shares on behalf of others at that time, he’ll only have 40% of the shares, while we’ll have 42%.”
Song Yan said it in a very matter-of-the-fact manner, as if he was just an objective data calculator.
However, when Tan Qing heard the “we” of “we’ll have 42%”, her heart warmed.
When she saw Song Yan for the first time, she thought the child was really beautiful. But everyone told her that being a stepmother was difficult, and children with the temperament of Song Yan were hard to raise. Indeed, Song Yan had always behaved aloof and indifferent, as if he particularly unwelcomed her and Song Lele’s arrival.
But she always remembered one afternoon shortly after Song Lele was born. At that time, she was extremely tired, while Song Minghai was too busy to come home, and the nanny had taken a leave. She was so exhausted that she couldn’t hold on, and she fell asleep while taking a bath, leaving Song Lele alone on the sofa.
When she woke up and realized this, she quickly ran to the living room, only to see Song Yan with a serious expression, holding out his arms as if guarding the sofa, as if afraid that Song Lele would fall off with the slightest move.
This child, who was very particular about his hygiene, didn’t seem to mind that the sleeping Xiao Lele had drooled on his clothes. He just looked at Lele with a gaze that seemed to be examining an alien.
Tan Qing even remembers to this day the murmured words of Song Yan, frowning at the time, saying, “Your dad, mom, and big brother are all so good-looking. Why are you so ugly? You should remember to become more good-looking when you grow up.”
Song Yan never mentioned the incident that day, but Tan Qing kept it in her heart.
However, she had a naturally gentle disposition, bordering on timidness, so she could never contend with Song Minghai. Also, she had to consider Song Lele, so she couldn’t be as good to Song Yan as a real mother would. As a result, Song Yan suffered many hardships during his upbringing that he shouldn’t have endured, and she has always felt guilty about it.
Fortunately, Song Yan was a good boy from the very beginning. Not only did he not grow crooked, he was also leagues better than many boys his age.
Tan Qing couldn’t help but smile as she tousled his head. “Why worry so much when you’re still a child? This is something for adults to handle. You just need to focus on your studies and have fun with your friends, okay?”
This was the first time that Tan Qing has used a tone similar to that of elders educating younger generations to him. Song Yan tilted his head, pursed his lips, and mumbled an “Mn.”
Tan Qing looked at Song Yan’s stiff tilting head. She chuckled.
What a cute boy.
Thankfully, this child had only one year left before he’ll undergo the college entrance examination and become a legal adult. At that time, she can leave Song Minghai without any scruples, and everything will be fine.
Thanks to Song Minghai’s company’s various problems, causing him to be too busy to come home, they actually lived a comfortable year without Song Minghai.
Tan Qing’s cooking skills were average, so she brought Song Lele’s grandma and grandfather over on New Year’s Eve.
When cooking, the old couple felt deeply guilty and remorseful upon learning that the incident where Song Yan pushed his classmate from the third floor was a false accusation.
In addition, when Song Yan came back from the winter vacation, he single-handedly raised Song Lele’s math test – which has always failed no matter what – to more than 80 points. The more the old couple looked at Song Yan, the more they found him to be lovable.
Even the New Year’s money they gave to Song Yan was twice as thick as last year’s.
As for Song Yan, who was previously aloof and rejecting, upon considering that after returning to Nanwu, he would live together with Xia Zhiye until they’re old, politely said, “Thank you, Grandpa and Grandma Tan,” and accepted it calmly.
Only Song Lele was left holding his New Year’s money, which was as pitiful as his report card, and hummed and pouted as he acted coquettishly.
A reunion night without the head of the family was a rare occasion. The atmosphere was usually quiet and solemn, devoid of the usual laughter and chatter, unlike now.
It’s just that the old couple were getting older, and Song Lele was still young, so they couldn’t stay up all night. During the Spring Festival Gala show, Song Yan suddenly felt a little lonely.
Everything was fine and happy, but something was missing.
Missing… someone very important.
Song Yan turned his head and saw Song Xiaoxi on the windowsill, surrounded by pots of extraordinarily noble orchids worth six figures. He wanted to call Xia Zhiye.
But at this hour, Xia Zhiye’s large family, who were not particularly well-organized, should still be having their reunion dinner. It wouldn’t be convenient to call them now.
And if he called suddenly, Xia Zhiye might think he missed him. It is only halfway through the winter vacation now.
So Song Yan turned around and continued to watch the extremely boring Spring Festival Gala show.
Looking at it, Song Yan suddenly felt that if there are two people doing mock exams questions together and teaching each other, their learning efficiency would be higher.
Definitely.
With thoughts swirling in his mind, Song Yan, who was fully focused on his studies, solemnly set down the remote control, picked up his phone, and after some contemplation, typed: [What are you doing?]
As he prepared to send the message, he felt like he might as well have written “I miss you” directly on his face. After all, what else could one do on New Year’s Eve? Asking such a question seemed pointless.
So he deleted his initial message and re-typed: [This year’s Spring Festival Gala is so boring.]
After typing it out, he felt it wasn’t right.
What if Xia Zhiye didn’t watch the Spring Festival Gala?
He deleted it again, his fingertips danced on the phone’s virtual keyboard. [Have you received the new dress I bought for Little Mahjong? Does it look good?]
But then, he remembered that Little Mahjong followed Grandma Liu back to her hometown for Chinese New Year.
After repeating this cycle for more than ten times, he suddenly heard a “ding” sound, and a new message appeared on the interface.
[Dumbass]: Were you trying to write a beautiful sonnet as a confession? I’ve been watching you typing for 27 minutes.
Song Yan: “…”
Fuck!
Even a dog is better than Xia Zhiye. Why the hell is he staring at his chat dialog box!
What a fucking shameless guy!
Song Yan threw his phone away, buried his head in the quilt, and covered his ears with her hands, trying to pretend that nothing happened.
However, the ringtone for the video call was like a tempting little demon, constantly enticing him.
He hasn’t seen Xia Zhiye for more than ten days.
Ten days.
What a concept!
Comparable to life and death.
But he couldn’t let Xia Zhiye know that he was thinking about him…
Wait, why not?
Isn’t it more efficient to study together?
With this in mind, Song Yan suddenly felt emboldened. He sat up straight, adjusted his hair, picked up his phone, and pressed the answer button, looking cold and indifferent as he said, “What’s up.”
On the screen appeared the enlarged face of Xia Zhiye, which seemed perfect for causing mischief and chaos. He smiled at Song Yan and said, “I was afraid you’d be typing until dawn trying to send a message, so I decided to ask directly.”
Song Yan’s face did not change, his heart definitely wasn’t beating fast. He appeared very indifferent. “It was my little brother who was playing with my mobile phone just now.”
“Oh, is that so?” Xia Zhiye understood, then smiled, “Then let me say hello to my little brother-in-law1specifically 舅子; wife’s little brother?”
“…”
Who is your brother-in-law!
Just say hi like a normal person!
Song Yan still has an indifferent expression. “He’s going to sleep now.”
“Oh, okay, then I’ll hang up…”
“Wait!”
Song Yan’s mouth is faster than his brain.
When he finished shouting, he saw Xia Zhiye’s scheming smile on the screen. He realized that he had been tricked by this dog again.
But the words “I miss you” are a little embarrassing to say.
So Song Yan turned the camera to a different direction with a stern face, aiming at Song Xiaoxi on the table. “Did you see it?”
Xia Zhiye at the other end of the video was a little dazed. “What am I supposed to see?”
‘He couldn’t see it?’
Song Yan moved the camera lens a little closer.
Xia Zhiye seemed to finally see clearly, and asked, “Song Xiaoxi? He looks taller than before. It seems that we are very good at taking care of plants.”
Is the point the plant grew up a bit?
Is this important?
Song Yan gritted his teeth. “Think about what you said to me on the day of the holiday?”
Xia Zhiye innocently asked, “What did I say again?”
Song Yan: “…”
Xia Zhiye asked tentatively, “See you next year?”
Song Yan: “…”
“Or go to bed early?”
“Fuck! You scumbag!”
Song Yan couldn’t take it anymore, so he abruptly ended the video call. Then, he turned and saw the small sago palm tree swaying gracefully under the moonlight. He walked over with resentment, using a book to block it and accompanied by a harsh remark. “Your dad is a flirtatious, irresponsible scumbag.”
Finally, he laid on his bed, pulled the quilt, covered his head, and went to sleep.
He cursed as he slept, calling Xia Zhiye trash and saying that it’s all lies about him showing up if he just thinks of him. He made a wish to Song Xiaoxi, and Xia Zhiye swore that he’ll definitely appear within six hours. All of them are scammers!
He couldn’t even see such an obvious hint, is Xia Zhiye a fool?
Sure enough, it’s better for a man to be studious and reliable.
Amidst various swears and scolds, Song Yan actually fell asleep.
It’s a shame that Xia Zhiye didn’t even appear in the dream.
Song Yan wandered frantically through the forest of giant sago palm trees, unable to find his way out. He walked back and forth, shouting for Xia Zhiye, but there was no answer.
Song Yan grew more and more anxious as he walked, becoming increasingly angry. He became so enraged that he set the forest of palm trees on fire. Strangely, fire alarms were triggered in the wilderness, and just as the fire burned most fiercely, a loud alarm startled him awake.
When he woke up, he realized that it was already 5 AM, and the ringing was not a fire alarm, but his cell phone.
When he saw the big characters of the “Dumbass” jumping on the screen, Song Yan stroked his hair, let out a long breath, and picked it up angrily. “Calling me at 5 AM? Are you that itchy for a beat up?”
“Mn. I want to be beaten. You haven’t beaten me for more than ten days.”
The sound of rustling wind outside the phone made Xia Zhiye’s soft laughter sound even gentler.
Song Yan’s anger subsided by half, but his tone was still cold. “You have the guts to say this to my face, huh?”
“Mn, indeed. I just might have to trouble you to go downstairs.”
“?”
“Look out the window.”
Outside the window, the first heavy snow of the new year had begun at some point. The snowflakes from the north swept across the sky, heralding the biting cold wind and temperatures well below zero.
Under the streetlamp outside the window, a handsome man with a red scarf picked up his phone. He looked up at his window, his smile tender and indulgent.
“Look, as long as you make a wish to Song Xiaoxi, within six hours, I will definitely appear. I didn’t lie to you. However…”
“It’s not because you miss me, it’s because I miss you, Song Yan.”
