Shen Heng went to find his brother in low spirits.
But before entering the study, he first adjusted his emotions and enthusiastically pushed open the door.
“Big Brother!”
Shen Yuqing glanced over.
His expression remained completely calm.
Shen Heng stuck out his tongue.
“I just came from the company. I’ve already explained everything to Mom and Dad. I was the one who insisted on getting your help. There were so many projects. Without your help, I wouldn’t have been able to finish them even if I worked myself to death!”
Shen Yuqing’s voice was calm.
“In my current condition, I’m no longer suitable to continue being President. Back when I got into the car accident, you should have been prepared for our parents to push you into that position instead of continuing to revolve around me.”
Shen Heng’s eyes instantly filled with tears.
He was already twenty-five years old. He still loved sneaking lollipops, and he loved crying even more.
But this time, he stubbornly held back his tears.
“How could I think that far ahead? At the time, all I wanted was for my Big Brother to be safe and sound and stay with me for the rest of my life.”
A faint smile curled Shen Yuqing’s lips.
It looked weary and bitter.
Looking at his brother’s increasingly thin body, Shen Heng’s heart ached terribly.
And the more it ached, the angrier he became at Xu Jiachang.
“That bastard Xu Jiachang actually complained about us to Mom and Dad. He even said those things in front of Mom, Dad, and all the senior executives. He was obviously provoking you on purpose and trying to make you lose your composure in front of everyone!”
Shen Heng did not even dare recall those words a second time.
“Yuqing’s legs are disabled. No matter how well he hides it, outsiders can still tell at a glance. It has a significant negative impact on the group’s image.”
“Actually, disability itself isn’t a major issue. As long as someone’s abilities are sufficient, people can still be convinced. But Yuqing can barely manage basic daily life now, so everyone should stop forcing him.”
“I think everyone should stop putting so much pressure on him. Yuqing’s emotions are very unstable right now. I heard he’s already changed dozens of nannies. Fortunately, his current nanny is very kind and compassionate and is willing to tolerate him.”
First, he had criticized Shen Yuqing’s appearance.
Then, he had reduced Shen Yuqing’s abilities to nothing.
Finally, he had used the matter of changing nannies as proof that Shen Yuqing was emotionally unstable at his core.
In that way, from every angle, Shen Yuqing appeared unfit to be involved in company affairs.
Not even helping Shen Heng was acceptable.
The more Shen Heng thought about it, the worse he felt.
There had been so many people there, including the parents he loved most.
Yet apart from him, not a single person had stood on his brother’s side.
Had they all forgotten that when the Changqing Group faced bankruptcy several years ago, it had been his brother who stepped forward in the crisis, turned the situation around, and even tripled the scale of the company’s business?
His brother’s legs could no longer walk, but his brain still worked perfectly.
Running a company was not a marathon.
Why couldn’t his brother do it?
Choking back emotion, Shen Heng said: “Brother, honestly, what upset me the most was that Song Tinghuan left.”
Song Tinghuan was wonderful.
She was always smiling, and her two dimples alone could brighten anyone’s mood.
Upon hearing those words, Shen Yuqing stiffened for a moment before quickly returning to normal.
“She has already been dismissed. It wouldn’t make sense to ask her to come back.”
Shen Heng’s eyes lit up.
That’s right.
Leaving a job wasn’t the same as dying.
She could still be hired back.
Squatting in front of his brother, Shen Heng pleaded,
“I’m thick-skinned. Let me go invite her back.”
Shen Yuqing pressed his thin lips together tightly.
Counting on his fingers, Shen Heng listed her merits.
“Song Tinghuan gives great massages, cooks delicious food, and can even kick Xu Jiachang. You couldn’t find such a good nanny even with a lantern.”
Shen Yuqing remained silent.
Shen Heng rubbed his face against Shen Yuqing’s forearm.
“Big Brother~ Just let her come back~”
Shen Yuqing rolled forward in his wheelchair and shook the goosebumps off his arm.
“It wasn’t me who asked her to come back.” Shen Yuqing said. “You insisted.”
Shen Heng hurriedly nodded.
“Right, right, right! I insisted! It was all me!”
No one understood his brother better than Shen Heng.
One look at Shen Yuqing’s expression told him everything.
His brother regretted it.
He regretted speaking harshly in a moment of anger and driving her away.
But Shen Yuqing was still Shen Yuqing.
His face was thinner than paper.
Fortunately, Shen Heng’s skin was thicker than a city wall.
He immediately instructed the Human Resources Department to draft a new confirmation-of-employment notice and a formal labor contract.
He would personally bring her back.
The Huanxi Deaf-Mute Massage Parlor closed for half a day that day.
Song Kai and Xu Wen were bustling around the kitchen.
Her grandpa, grandma, maternal grandpa, and maternal grandma surrounded Song Tinghuan and interrogated her repeatedly about her three days of work.
After enduring what felt like eight hundred rounds of questioning, Song Tinghuan dropped to her knees and begged for mercy.
“Grandpa, Grandma, Maternal Grandpa, Maternal Grandma, please spare me!”
“Let’s see if you dare sneak out to work again!”
Even her aunt was not spared.
“If I ever find out you’re helping her hide things again, I’ll break your legs!”
Xu Nan immediately knelt beside Song Tinghuan.
“Mom, I know I was wrong too!”
Only then did the four elders finally let the matter go.
Xu Nan quietly whispered into Song Tinghuan’s ear.
“I heard from my ex-husband that something major happened at Changqing Group today. Was it related to your dismissal?”
Song Tinghuan looked puzzled first.
“Didn’t Former Uncle-in-law already quit?”
“He went back.” Xu Nan said. “After resigning, he realized every other job had worse benefits than Changqing Group, so he returned. They didn’t even hold a grudge and hired him back.”
Song Tinghuan was shocked.
“You can really get a second chance like that?!”
Xu Nan nodded.
“Not only did he go back, but he even got promoted and received a raise. It makes me furious.”
Finally, Song Tinghuan’s gossip instincts kicked in.
“You and Former Uncle-in-law have been divorced for so long. How do you still know so much about each other’s lives?”
Xu Nan poked her forehead.
“You’ve gotten bold enough to gossip about your own aunt now?”
Song Tinghuan smoothly dropped into another kneeling apology.
“I wouldn’t dare.”
Grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds, Xu Nan cracked them open as she spoke.
“Anyway, your boss Shen Yuqing apparently got scolded by his parents today. Something about interfering with company affairs without authorization and damaging the company’s image.”
“President Shen was President before the car accident. Even Uncle-in-law got a second chance. Why can’t President Shen go back to work?”
“Former Uncle-in-law.” Xu Nan corrected. “But honestly, his parents really are ruthless.”
Song Tinghuan immediately grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds as well and perked up her ears, ready for more gossip.
At that moment, the doorbell rang.
Song Tinghuan went to answer it.
“Well, well, Huanhuan really is home!”
It was their neighbor, Aunt Xue, along with her son Deng Boyi, who had joined Changqing Group this year.
The threshold for entering Changqing Group was incredibly high, and its salary and benefits were famously excellent.
If someone’s child managed to work there, it was practically equivalent to being admitted to Tsinghua or Peking University.
As long as they weren’t fired, their future was secure for life.
How did Song Tinghuan know all this so clearly?
Because she had heard Aunt Xue brag about it countless times.
“My son told me Huanhuan works at Changqing Group too, though her position is rather special. How special could it be? I’ve wanted to visit you for a long time, but my son wouldn’t let me. He said Huanhuan is a nanny, basically the same as a cleaner, while he works in an office. He was worried I’d say something that would make your parents feel bad.”
“Well, now it’s perfect. I heard you got fired after only three days, so I figured I could finally come visit!”
Aunt Xue smiled so broadly that all the folds on her face bunched together.
Song Tinghuan forced a dry laugh and narrowed her eyes at the culprit.
Deng Boyi rubbed the tip of his nose.
“Song Tinghuan, you’re only a graduate of an ordinary university. Getting fired is normal. After all, the people who can become nannies for the Shen Family aren’t ordinary. If you still want to join Changqing Group, feel free to ask me for advice anytime.”
Aunt Xue immediately agreed.
“That’s right, Huanhuan. We’ve been neighbors for so many years. We’re practically family. If you have any questions, just ask my son!”
Song Tinghuan laughed awkwardly.
“Hehe… no need. Thank you.”
Aunt Xue stretched her neck and peered inside.
“It smells wonderful. Did your parents make something delicious again? My son and I haven’t had dinner yet…”
As she spoke, the two-hundred-pound Aunt Xue attempted to squeeze inside with her two-hundred-pound son.
Song Tinghuan’s hundred-pound frame struggled desperately to block them.
At the critical moment, Xu Nan and all four grandparents appeared.
Together, they finally managed to push the mother and son back outside.
Xu Nan remained fairly polite.
“Sorry, but our family’s diet is very light. We don’t allow pigs or pork at our dining table.”
Then she slammed the door shut.
Aunt Xue nearly had her nose broken.
“Son, what did she mean? Was she calling us pigs?”
Deng Boyi replied: “Mom, if you already know, why say it out loud?”
“That whole family—deaf, mute, and they even raised a fool. They’ll never amount to as much as my son!”
Deng Boyi nodded approvingly.
“Now that’s the right thing to say.”
The mother and son returned home together.
They lived directly upstairs from Song Tinghuan’s family.
Just as they reached the stairway landing, two people hurried up from downstairs.
Deng Boyi glanced at them from the corner of his eye and inexplicably found them familiar.
Aunt Xue asked: “We’re already home. Why are you standing there staring?”
Deng Boyi frowned.
“Mom, I think I just saw my company’s General Manager.”
“President Shen would never come to a place like this. You definitely saw wrong.”
After thinking it over, Deng Boyi agreed.
Besides, he was insignificant within the company and had never had a chance to meet the General Manager in person.
At most, he had only seen him from a distance during company-wide meetings.
He must have been mistaken.