Moreover, Song Tianyao did not publicize his shameful act of swindling money. Apart from the three young girls, Fu Xinniang and Lou Fengyun, the other female workers in the factory did not know that he was a conman. Furthermore, the four women, perhaps at Song Tianyao's behest, did not tell the female workers about their past experiences. Ning Zikun was quite grateful to Song Tianyao for saving his face.
When Song Tianyao started recruiting and training female workers, Ning Zikun personally helped, guiding most of them. As a result, Ning Zikun is now like a teacher in the factory, and the female workers treat him with utmost respect. Apart from Song Tianyao Lou Fengyun, he is practically the third most important person in the factory. The old man enjoys the feeling of being looked at with admiration by a group of women.
Ning Zikun was unwilling to leave, and Song Tianyao did not force him to leave. Whether the old man's words were true or false, he treated them as legendary tales, and besides, the old man posed no threat to him.
Moreover, whenever a con artist sets up a scheme, it always targets the greed hidden in people's hearts. What Song Tianyao is greedy for, Ning Zikun cannot give.
With 120 yuan a month, Song Tianyao wasn't worried about going broke by feeding one more person. Even having an old guy around to help out and occasionally tell legendary stories to relieve his boredom was a good thing.
"Boss Song." Ning Zikun pulled up a chair and sat down opposite Song Tianyao.
Brother Xiong also sat down and personally poured wine for the two of them. The three sat at the table drinking and chatting. Even the usually reserved Brother Xiong could tell that Song Tianyao was in a good mood today. After the three of them drank two jars of Wujiapi a type of Chinese herbal medicine), Ning Zikun, his face flushed with wine, smiled and stroked his beard as he asked:
"Boss Song, you look so pleased with yourself, is there some good news?"
"Tomorrow morning, I'm going to pick up a woman." Song Tianyao nodded with a smile, not denying it. "It's a happy occasion."
Just then, Sister Xiong brought over a plate of sliced cucumbers for the three of them. Hearing Song Tianyao's words, she exclaimed in surprise, "Picking up women again? Boss, I've been through this before, I'm thick-skinned, can you handle it? Don't think about picking up women all day long, your health is more important. Don't think you're so strong and healthy now that you're in your twenties, what will you be like after you turn thirty, seeing my dead husband..."
"Get away from me! You'll ruin yourself with that mouth of yours sooner or later..." Brother Xiong, who was about to put a clam in his mouth, suddenly spat it out, sobering him up halfway. He reached out to cover his wife's mouth, saying, "Boss Song is rich and young, isn't it normal for him to have several wives? Which rich man doesn't have three wives and four concubines?"
"I'm advising the boss to take care of his health. If this continues, how can the dozens of young female workers in the factory be in the mood to work? They might as well all dress up and wait to climb into the boss's bed, right?" Sister Xiong pushed Brother Xiong's hand away and said to Song Tianyao earnestly, "Boss, I will definitely remember your kindness in taking care of my husband and me. But as the saying goes, honest advice is hard to swallow. No matter how many women you have, only the one who has been with you all the way is the best. They are the ones who have shared joys and sorrows and are husband and wife since childhood. There are already four in the factory. I heard from Sister Yun, the boss's wife, that you also have the daughter of the tailor shop owner outside. Be careful that you are too busy with women and have no heart for business. I'm only saying this because I mean well."
"The woman I'm going to take is the one who's been with me since I was a penniless nobody. She's been through so much with me. Without her help, where would I be today? Because of one phone call from me, she traveled all the way from London back to help me prepare for the next hardship. So, do you want to take this woman?" Song Tianyao said to Sister Xiong with a smile on his face, without getting angry.
Sister Xiong was stunned for a moment. "So Sister Yun really isn't the boss's wife, and this one is?"
Ning Zikun, standing next to him, was clearly a little drunk. He tapped his wine glass lightly with his chopsticks as if making a clapper sound, his face flushed with alcohol, and in a hoarse voice, he began to sing opera lyrics, swaying his head:
"Those who lack romantic understanding should not speak of it lightly, for love alone is a labor of love. If one can truly comprehend love, then calling oneself romantic is not shameful. I advise gentlemen to look at the affairs of marriage throughout history: Heaven does not favor the heartless..."
Before he could finish singing, Sister Xiong slapped him on the back of the head, nearly knocking his head onto the table. Ning Zikun and bewildered, he looked up at Sister Xiong, who had suddenly attacked him. Sister Xiong glared at him and yelled, "You've been drinking too much and spouting nonsense! You old widower who's never even married dares to talk about the boss? Be careful the boss doesn't feed you, you bastard!"
Chapter 233 Red as fire, black as night.
It's already late December, and although Hong Kong won't be experiencing the typical winter scene of heavy snowfall, a light drizzle fell from the sky this morning, adding a touch of chill to the city.
Outside Hong Kong's Kai Tak Airport, Song Tianyao, wearing a long black trench coat, leaned against the hood of his car, smoking and gazing at the somewhat gloomy sky in the distance.
This trench coat was an outdoor style coat that Meng Wanqing personally measured for him at the factory when the weather turned cold. It is said that it was made of the same fabric as those trench coats sold at high prices in department stores.
Knowing that he was coming to the airport to pick up Angie Perlis this morning and might wait outside for a while, Lou Fengyun was worried that Song Tianyao would get wet in the rain, so she specially found something for Song Tianyao and reminded him to put it on.
At nine o'clock in the morning, a plane appeared in the distance and slowly descended into the airport. Many people waiting to pick up their loved ones rushed into the arrival hall. Song Tianyao flicked away the half-burnt cigarette in his hand, brushed off the ash on his trench coat, and followed the last person in the crowd into the arrival hall.
Upon entering the arrival hall, even with hundreds of people scrambling towards the airport exit to greet passengers, Song Tianyao immediately spotted Angie Pelice, wearing a bright red trench coat and walking at the forefront of the arriving passengers. She was already at the exit, preparing to take her rolling suitcase from the airport staff at the baggage claim.
Angie Perlis casually tossed her hair and spotted Song Tianyao standing alone at the back of the crowd, smiling at her.
"Miss, your suitcase." A staff member pushed Angie Perlis's suitcase to her side.
"Thank you." Angie Perlis pulled her suitcase, trying to make her expression look as calm, composed, and relaxed as when she left Hong Kong.