"Miss Wanqing, I'm in the car outside. Please let me know if you need anything." Huang Liu said to Meng Wanqing with a smile after Song Tianyao went inside.
Meng Wanqing smiled at Huang Liu and said politely, "Thank you for your hard work, Brother Six."
"The boss looks like he's working harder than me," Huang Liu said to Meng Wanqing, then turned and walked towards the car outside.
After closing the door, Meng Wanqing leaned gently against it, gazing tenderly at Song Tianyao on the sofa.
If two people are together all the time, it's hard to notice any changes in each other. However, Meng Wanqing and Song Tianyao only see each other five or six times a month, which makes her feel that Song Tianyao is changing more and more obviously. When they first met, Song Tianyao was a bright and energetic young man, but in just over a year, the Song Tianyao sitting on the sofa now, with a slight furrow between his brows, gives her a feeling that he is more mature than herself. This feeling of maturity is not Meng Wanqing's own perception, but rather that Song Tianyao's current temperament and the appearance of his slightly growing beard make people increasingly forget his age.
Wearing a stiff suit, a plain shirt, a dark tie, and a serious face, Meng Wanqing felt that Song Tianyao looked older than Chu Xiaoxin.
After sitting and massaging his temples for a while, Song Tianyao, not hearing Meng Wanqing's voice, lowered his hands and opened his eyes. He saw Meng Wanqing leaning against the door, quietly looking at him. He smiled.
What? Don't you recognize me?
"We'll hardly recognize each other anymore." Meng Wanqing walked over and poured Song Tianyao a cup of tea, then picked up a small mirror from the coffee table and handed it to Song Tianyao: "You've matured a lot since we first met."
Song Tianyao took the mirror, looked at himself, and said with a smile, "No wonder Billy Zai's first words to me today were that I look much older."
He put the mirror down, reached out and gently put his arm around Meng Wanqing. Meng Wanqing rested her head gently on Song Tianyao's shoulder. "Sister Yun is in business, and so is my father, but they don't seem to be as hardworking and busy as you."
"Businesses are different. The business I run is one that makes doing business easy for them. If some people have it easy, then naturally some people have to work hard." Song Tianyao said with a hint of self-deprecation, "Born with a lowly fate, I can't steal a moment of leisure."
"I'll fill the bathtub for you. A hot bath will help you sleep better." Meng Wanqing got up from the sofa, lit some sandalwood incense to aid sleep in the incense burner in the corner of the living room, and then headed towards the bathroom.
Song Tianyao also got up, loosened his tie, and walked towards the bedroom. There was a book on the bedside table in Meng Wanqing's bedroom, and a pot of tea on the bedside table next to it. It seemed that Meng Wanqing's statement that she hadn't been disturbed by Song Tianyao was true. Song Tianyao walked over and picked up the book, which was a copy of "Six Records of a Floating Life" published by Zhonghua Book Company. Song Tianyao casually turned to the page and happened to be on the section "The Joys of the Boudoir" where Shen Fu first met the cold and beautiful Wen Hanyuan of autumn water reflecting a chill."
I casually flipped through a couple more pages and noticed a few watermarks at the end of "The Joys of the Boudoir," as if they were caused by Meng Wanqing crying while reading. The tear stains had long since dried, leaving only faint watermarks on the paper.
Most likely, Meng Wanqing felt a pang of sadness because she had projected herself into the character of Wen Hanyuan from the book.
In the book, Wen Hanyuan ultimately failed to marry Shen Fu and was taken away by a rich and powerful man. Thinking back to how Meng Wanqing would likely have been taken by Chai Fa Chiu if she hadn't met him, it's no wonder that Meng Wanqing burst into tears when she read this part.
"Reading this kind of book before bed, of course you won't feel sleepy." Hearing footsteps approaching, Song Tianyao turned around with the book in his hand and said to Meng Wanqing.
Meng Wanqing walked over and stood in front of Song Tianyao, calmly unbuttoning Song Tianyao shirt as she softly said:
"Every time I read about Wen Hanyuan, I can't help but think of myself back then."
Women sometimes...
"Knock knock." Before Song Tianyao could finish speaking, there was a knock on the door from the outside. "Miss Wanqing, it's me, Huang Liu."
Song Tianyao buttoned up the buttons that Meng Wanqing had helped him undone, then walked to the living room and opened the bedroom door. Huang Liu, followed by Yan Hung's henchman A Yue, was outside. Seeing Song Tianyao open the door, Huang Liu lowered his voice and said, "Boss, Yan Hung just sent him to deliver a message: Lee Jusheng has been shot dead. Headless is currently being severely punished at the Central Police Station. Lai Man-yau has gone there to oversee things, and he seems determined to get Headless to confess."
"So what if he's dead?" When Song Tianyao first heard that Lee Jusheng had been shot, he was stunned for a moment, but then said in a calm tone, "What does Lee Jusheng's death have to do with me? But whether it's Liu Fu or Lai Man-yau, they can't use my people to make arrangements. Let Yan Hung handle it; he's good at this kind of thing."
A Yue had never met Song Tianyao before; this was his first time getting up close to Mr. Song, whom the Big Brother Yan Hung often mentioned. Hearing Song Tianyao simply say that Yan Hung should handle it, A Yue couldn't help but chime in from the side:
"Mr. Song, Master Hung just doesn't know what to do. Should he try to resolve the situation peacefully, or should he completely break ties with Lai Man-yau...?"
"I don't know what to do either. If I have to think about such trivial matters, what use is Yan Hung? If I have to do everything myself, why should I give others a chance?" Song Tianyao turned his head and said to A Yue in a matter-of-fact tone.
A Yue was speechless.
Song Tianyao reached into his pocket but found it empty. Huang Liu across from him had already offered him a cigarette. Song Tianyao took it, lit it with Huang Liu's lighter, and said to A Yue, "Lee Jusheng is already dead. No matter what Yan Hung does there, he'll only lose face. Just send some nobody to deliver a message and protect Headless. I think you should go. You hit my man and expect me to be lenient. Tell Lai Man-yau, who's so eager to stand up for others, to wash his hands of his own business and wait to be stabbed in the back. Go."
"What?!" A Yue pointed to himself and asked uncertainly.
Song Tianyao had already turned and gone back to his room, saying coldly, "If you don't even consider yourself a minor character, then let Yan Hung send someone else."