Song Qiao stood awkwardly in the living room, enduring his wife's scolding. He didn't know how to explain himself.
Just then, Xia Xueqing returned home from school. She glanced at the embarrassed Song Qiao, didn't greet him, and went straight to the bathroom.
Though the family's opinion of Song Qiao had somewhat changed, Xia Xueqing was convinced he was a bad person who would never change. She believed he had deceived her parents and sister through some special means. She was determined to find enough evidence to expose him completely.
"Ah!"
As soon as she entered, a sharp scream echoed from the bathroom.
"Blood!"
"Wh-what's going on?"
Xia Xueqing, clearly unaccustomed to such a scene, stammered.
"What's wrong, Xueqing? Why the fuss?"
Her mother-in-law, woken from her nap by the scream, emerged from the bedroom in slippers, looking puzzled. She then saw Xia Xueqing rush out of the bathroom holding a blood-stained shirt. She immediately recognized it as Song Qiao's. Her expression darkened, and she glared at Song Qiao, scolding, "Xiao Song, what exactly have you been doing outside?"
"The other day, I heard Yuqing say you were involved with Duan Kun. I didn't quite believe it then, but I never thought you'd stoop to this. Do you want Xixi to bear the shame of having a father who's a thug?"
Her mother-in-law's barrage of words hit Song Qiao like a storm, clearly indicating her extreme anger. Having lived a law-abiding life, she couldn't stand violence.
"Mom, please let me explain." Song Qiao's head pounded. He regretted coming home today. He should have just stayed at his tofu stall for the night. He thought his impression on Xia Yuqing's family had just started to improve, and now this would likely revert it back to square one.
"This afternoon, I encountered a severely injured person on the road and took him to the hospital. I wasn't fighting." Song Qiao explained to his mother-in-law.
"Hmph, you always have a good excuse, don't you? Would someone like you, a scoundrel, actually do something heroic?" Xia Xueqing scoffed, her words dripping with sarcasm. She couldn't bring herself to believe that someone who associated with Duan Kun could do anything good, let alone something that would "move China."
"Xiao Song! I don't care what you've been doing outside, but do not affect our family. Xixi is still young. If someone hurts my precious granddaughter because they're seeking revenge on you, I will never forgive you! Leave now and go resolve the trouble you've caused!"
After speaking, his mother-in-law turned and returned to her bedroom, followed by a loud slam of the door.
Song Qiao gave Xia Yuqing a helpless look and left the Xia family's home without further explanation.
"Sigh, why won't the Xia family believe me?" Song Qiao felt dejected as he walked. Since his rebirth, he had been working hard to prove himself, only to be misunderstood by his wife and her family time and again. It made him sad. Even his two employees, Lin Jing and Li Lili, believed in him, yet his own relatives were filled with suspicion.
"It seems my past actions hurt them too deeply. I may never be able to compensate for it in this lifetime." Thinking of this, a sense of guilt washed over him, and he vowed to succeed and properly compensate his wife and daughter in the future.
...
The next morning, Song Qiao went to the tofu stall as usual, ready to start the day's business. Unlike other days, Ah Wei and several of his associates were waiting anxiously at his shop.
"Boss, something big has happened. Brother Kun is missing," Ah Wei rushed forward to inform him as soon as he saw Song Qiao.
Song Qiao had already anticipated this. Duan Kun, believing he was implicated in a murder, would naturally flee. However, he feigned surprise and asked nervously, "What happened? Brother Kun wasn't injured yesterday, was he?"
Ah Wei shook his head, his face etched with worry. Having followed Brother Kun for years, he still held feelings for him.
Seeing this, Song Qiao smiled slightly and patted Ah Wei's shoulder. "Don't worry, Brother Kun is lucky and resilient. He's probably just gone into hiding for a couple of days. From now on, follow me, Song Qiao. I promise I won't mistreat you."
Ah Wei and the others looked grateful. Although Duan Kun was their leader, Song Qiao had always treated them well. Many of them had already decided to follow Song Qiao for life. They all pledged their loyalty, "From now on, we'll completely follow you, boss. Just give the word, and we'll go through fire and water without hesitation."
Song Qiao nodded with satisfaction. His efforts to win them over with money seemed to be working. While he couldn't fully trust their words, he was content as long as they worked diligently for him. He was running a legitimate business and didn't need them to risk their lives for him.
"Lin Jing, bring me the shop's recent account books," Song Qiao said, rubbing his temples as he sent everyone to their respective stalls. He no longer allowed Li Lili and Lin Jing to sell outside; they were now stationed in the shop, one managing supplies, the other keeping accounts. These two had worked hard with him from nothing, and he trusted them more than Ah Wei and the others.
"Yes, boss!" Lin Jing agreed excitedly and eagerly handed the ledger to Song Qiao.
"Our total earnings so far are 250,000 yuan." Song Qiao's heart skipped a beat. He was thrilled; in less than a month, they had earned 250,000 yuan. This profit margin was even faster than when he started his business in his previous life.
"With this money, we can't just leave it in the bank. We need to invest it to make more money." Song Qiao forced himself to calm down and began to strategize his next move. As the head of a company, every decision he made determined the fate of his employees, and he couldn't afford to be careless.
After an hour of deep thought, Song Qiao finally relaxed his furrowed brow. He took out his pager and called Ah Wei, instructing him, "Get ready. We're going out this afternoon for some business."