When Song Zhi returned home, she saw her parents looking completely miserable. She opened her mouth and asked, “Mom, Dad, what’s wrong?”
Noticing their daughter had returned, Tan Yingying quickly forced a welcoming smile. “Ah, Zhizhi, you’re back? Are you hungry? Should Mom have Auntie Wang whip up something delicious for you?”
Song Tao chimed in supportively from the side.
Song Zhi didn’t say anything at first. After a long pause, she finally spoke up. “Mom, Dad, are you keeping something from me?”
The smile on Tan Yingying’s face could no longer hold up, and she offered a strained grin. “How could that be? How could Mom and Dad keep anything from you? We probably just didn’t rest well last night and are a bit tired.”
Song Zhi frowned, guessing the truth. “Is it Fu Nian and the Xu family? Are they targeting us?”
Hearing her words, the smile completely vanished from Tan Yingying’s face.
She turned to Song Tao, casting a look for help.
Song Zhi looked over as well.
Sitting on the sofa, Song Tao remained silent for a moment before nodding his head.
Song Zhi cursed inwardly. She thoroughly agreed with Song Xian’s sentiment, it was a wonder how people like that could manage to make their businesses flourish so successfully.
Yet, she also felt a wave of regret. If she hadn’t acted so impulsively out of spite last night, she wouldn’t have dragged her family into this mess.
As if seeing through her thoughts, Song Tao said, “Zhizhi, there’s no need to blame yourself. Both your mother and I support what you did last night. You did the right thing.”
He smiled and continued, “When I heard about what happened last night, guess what my very first thought was?”
Song Zhi asked, “What was it?”
Song Tao looked at her, his eyes filled with pride. “That’s my girl.”
He spoke with deep earnestness. “Back when you were going through your rebellious phase, I used to lose sleep night after night. I kept wondering if we had spoiled you too much, making you so defiant and stubborn. Later, when I saw you fall for Fu Nian and go so far as to break ties with the family for him, I truly regretted not keeping a stricter eye on you. But these past few days… you’ve really changed a lot. I was very surprised and proud that you dared to stand up against authority and public opinion to protect Xu You in front of so many people last night. You are truly my daughter.”
Hearing Song Tao’s words, Song Zhi felt a burning sensation behind her eyes.
She lowered her gaze. “But our family’s business…”
Song Tao waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about that. That’s just par for the course in business.”
“Zhizhi, Dad only hopes you can do what you love and have the courage to speak up when you encounter injustice…” He finished, then quickly added, “But only under the condition that you ensure your own safety first.”
Song Zhi’s vision blurred slightly as she managed a heavy nod.
She looked up at Song Tao and said seriously, “Dad, I want to work at our company.”
The moment she said this, Song Tao looked at her in surprise. “Sweetheart, what brought on this sudden idea?”
Song Zhi pressed her lips together and said, “I’m already twenty-one. I can’t just stay at home and live off my parents forever. Besides, I want to develop my own skills.”
Song Tao pondered for a moment, then nodded. “Alright. Tell me what position you want, and I’ll see if I can slot you in.”
Song Zhi shook her head. “No need, Dad. I can start from the most basic entry-level position.”
Song Tao opened his mouth to object but ultimately smiled and nodded. “Alright.”
Song Zhi smiled. “Thanks, Dad!”
She turned her head to look around and asked, “Where’s Brother?”
At the mention of Song Xian, Tan Yingying felt like crying again.
When Song Xian had come home last night, Tan Yingying had held him tight and wept, apologizing over and over. She kept saying, “I’m so sorry, baby. Mommy shouldn’t have spoken to you in such a harsh tone. You and Zhizhi are both my precious children.”
Song Xian’s expression had still been quite sullen, but his eyes had turned red.
In the end, he awkwardly muttered that he wasn’t angry anymore, and even apologized to Tan Yingying, admitting that no matter how angry he was, he shouldn’t have gotten physical.
As soon as he woke up this morning, he heard about the Fu and Xu corporations cracking down on their family. With a cold face, he walked right out the door and hadn’t returned since.
Song Zhi sent him a message. “What are you up to?”
Song Xian: “Taking a stroll.”
Song Zhi: “…The sun is scorching hot, what kind of stroll are you taking?”
Song Xian: “Mind your own business.”
At this very moment, Song Xian was actually sitting in a private lounge with his arms crossed and a freezing expression.
He had invited so many people, but every single one of them feared the power and pressure of the Fu and Xu corporations. Not a single person had shown up.
He let out an irritated click of his tongue and sent a message to Song Tao. “Dad, I want to come back and work at the company.”
Song Tao: “What’s going on with you two? How come both you and your sister suddenly want to come work at the company one after the other?”
Song Xian: “?”
Song Xian: “Song Zhi is going too?”
He immediately messaged Song Zhi. “You’re going to work?”
Song Zhi replied instantly. “Mind your own business.”
Song Xian: ?
Song Zhi spent the rest of the afternoon researching the Fu Corporation. However, the volume of information available online was scarce, everything she could find was stuff she already knew.
Just as she was about to ask Song Xian, it suddenly struck her, the original owner of this body loved Fu Nian so much, there must be a treasure trove of information about him in her WeChat history, right?
Moving her fingers rapidly, she opened the chat search function.
She couldn’t help but marvel at how the original owner truly deserved the title of Fu Nian’s number one fangirl. Just typing the name “Fu Nian” into the search bar revealed over 2,000 related messages just within the top ten search results.
Song Zhi patiently read through them, but the more she read, the more she regretted it.
The original owner really was the ultimate love-brain! Every single one of these countless messages was full of starry eyed obsessing over Fu Nian.
It gave her goosebumps just reading them.
After combing through tens of thousands of related messages, Song Zhi was nearing a state of despair and numbness.
She kept scrolling with a blank expression until her hand suddenly paused on a specific message.
Do you know why Xu You insists on clinging to Fu Nian’s side?
Spill it, quick!
I heard from my parents that Xu You’s health is extremely poor. She needs periodic treatments using specialized equipment, and she has to take a very specific, rare medication to stay alive. Did you forget what Fu Nian’s family business does? Xu You’s specialized medicine can only be manufactured by the Fu Corporation!
You mean Xu You is deliberately keeping Brother Fu Nian on the hook just so she can stay alive?
Exactly!
Song Zhi read through the text with a tight frown.
Xu You’s illness…
That’s right. How could she have overlooked the most critical point? What exactly was going on with Xu You’s illness?
Song Zhi racked her brain to recall Xu You’s ending from the original novel. When she finally salvaged it from her hazy memories, the color drained from her face bit by bit.