"Song Qiao, you and Yu Qing are truly affectionate," Yuan Jianan said enviously after hanging up the phone.
"Ah, it's mostly because Yu Qing understands me so well," Song Qiao, in good spirits, happily shared his relationship experiences with Yuan Jianan.
"What about you, Jianan? I haven't heard you talk about your own relationship," Song Qiao said, then suddenly remembering something, asked with curiosity.
"I..." Yuan Jianan gave an awkward smile, a hint of loneliness flashing in her eyes. She waved her hand, indicating she didn't want to discuss the topic.
Seeing this, Song Qiao didn't press further and instead chatted with Yuan Jianan about other matters. From Yuan Jianan's reaction, it seemed she had likely faced many setbacks in her romantic life.
"Boss, everything is taken care of. I've already paid the penalty and redeemed our designs from Tianyuan," Xu Kai ran over, out of breath, as soon as they finished eating.
"Good, this matter is now behind us," Yuan Jianan gently patted Xu Kai's shoulder, signaling she no longer held it against him.
"Wait a moment."
Just as Xu Kai was about to express his thanks, Song Qiao seemed to recall something. He then looked at Xu Kai again, and asked with concern, "How much more money do you need for your mother's treatment? I can lend you a sum. The condition is that you work diligently for your boss, President Yuan, and repay me once you've saved enough from your salary later on."
After Song Qiao finished speaking, Xu Kai stood frozen for several minutes before reacting. The next second, he knelt down again with a thud.
"President Song, I... I..." Xu Kai couldn't speak, tears of gratitude streaming down his face.
Song Qiao quickly stepped forward and helped him up again, chiding him gently, "Why are you kneeling again? A man's knees are made of gold. I'm just offering a small helping hand, no need for this."
"Song Qiao, this..." Yuan Jianan glanced at Song Qiao sheepishly, a hint of gratitude in her eyes. Xu Kai was her employee, and though she knew Song Qiao was wealthy now, she hadn't expected him to be so generous, lending money directly to someone he had no relation to. Even as Xu Kai's boss, it would have been very difficult for her to come up with two hundred thousand. She had been planning to organize a donation drive among her employees for Xu Kai, but unexpectedly, Song Qiao had resolved the problem with a wave of his hand.
Song Qiao smiled at her and waved his hand dismissively, "This money is a loan because of his filial piety. I believe he will be capable of earning enough to repay me in the future." He then looked at Xu Kai standing beside them, his eyes full of encouragement.
Xu Kai was choked with emotion and couldn't speak, vowing inwardly to work hard and repay the money as soon as possible.
...
After resolving matters on this end, Song Qiao drove straight to Xinyuan Restaurant to pick up his wife.
"General Manager Xia, I never expected that as a newcomer to the industry, you would possess such outstanding capabilities," a young man in his late twenties or early thirties said, raising his glass in the private room of Xinyuan Restaurant, full of admiration for Xia Yuqing.
"President Bai, you are too kind. It's mainly due to my husband's financial support; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to undertake such a large project," Xia Yuqing politely clinked glasses with him, substituting tea for wine, and replied modestly.
"Ah, Miss Xia is truly modest. I truly envy President Song for having a wife like you," Bai Hao said as he took out a contract from his briefcase. "Since General Manager Xia handles matters so competently, why don't we sign the contract today?"
Xia Yuqing's heart leaped with joy. She had expected it to take at least another week to sign the contract, but President Bai was surprisingly straightforward today. "Of course, since President Bai is so agreeable, I couldn't ask for more." Xia Yuqing stood up and took the contract from Bai Hao.
Just then, the private room door was suddenly pushed open from the outside.
"Who is it? Didn't I say not to disturb us?" President Bai frowned and reprimanded in a low voice.
"My apologies, wrong room," Xue Mei apologized softly, closing the door and quickly ducking to the side. Xia Yuqing, engrossed in reviewing the document, didn't notice that the intruder was her colleague.
Meanwhile, outside the private room.
"Mrs. Bai, you just saw it yourself. It's that woman who's always with President Bai. She used all sorts of disgusting tactics to secure the contract with President Bai," Xue Mei said obsequiously to a plump middle-aged woman behind her after closing the door.
"This vixen!" Upon hearing Xue Mei's embellished report, President Bai's wife couldn't help but curse, then rushed forward and kicked open the wooden door of the private room.
"You, surnamed Xia, how dare you seduce my man! Get out here now!" With that, she barged into the room and snatched the contract from Xia Yuqing's hands. "You won't get any benefits from my husband!" With that, she attempted to tear up the contract.
"How dare you! What are you doing here?" President Bai, who had been sitting nearby, roared in fury, slamming his hand on the table.
"You, surnamed Bai, what do you mean? You're actually protecting this vixen!" Bai Hao's silence was one thing, but this statement immediately angered Mrs. Bai, who was already furious. In a fit of rage, she started arguing with her husband.
President Bai's face darkened. "What nonsense are you spouting? Watch your tone." President Bai's wife had always been domineering at home, and Bai Hao had never bothered to argue with her. He hadn't expected her to cause such a scene outside. This time, he finally lost his patience.
"Hmph, you're messing around with other women behind my back, and now you won't even let me say a word? I can see this vixen has completely bewitched you."
"Mrs. Bai, please show some respect. Who are you calling a vixen?" Xia Yuqing could no longer contain her anger and frowned, speaking to Mrs. Bai. No matter how good-tempered she was, she refused to be called a vixen repeatedly. Moreover, her relationship with President Bai was purely a professional collaboration, and this woman was clearly jealous without reason.
"Hmph, I'm talking about you, you slutty fox!" Seeing that Xia Yuqing dared to talk back, Mrs. Bai immediately turned her attention to her. "In broad daylight, you dare to seduce a married man. If you're not a vixen, what are you? And you dare to talk back to me." As she spoke, she lunged forward, ignoring her husband's attempts to stop her, and slapped Xia Yuqing hard across the face, saying resentfully, "I'll beat you to death, you shameless vixen! See if you dare to seduce my man again!"