Chapter 55: A-Li, Mother Firmly Opposes Your Relationship with That Song Mi

There was no “seems like.”
It was a statement of certainty.
He liked her.
Song Mi was different from him as well—she never asked unnecessary questions.
That was enough!
The mood was perfect—so perfect she wanted to throw herself at him and do something about it.
He knew what she was thinking again; wrapping one arm around the back of her head, his lips descended on hers.
Unlike their previous kiss, which had been lingering and tender, this one bore a hint of possessiveness, as if declaring a kind of sovereignty—not so much domineering plunder as an urgent offering.
But both of them exercised remarkable restraint. Neither allowed the flame to be stoked any higher.
After the kiss, his forehead leaned against hers, and he let out a soft laugh.
Just a laugh.
Their noses brushed, tip to tip.
Song Mi quickly suppressed the dizziness brought on by her rapid heartbeat and instinctively furrowed her brow. “Turn around.”
Wen Yanli paused, his gaze falling on her head. “Let me dry your hair first.”
With that, he turned and walked toward the dressing table.
Song Mi didn’t move.
She watched him stop, and soon he retrieved a hairdryer from the drawer.
He turned to her and beckoned, “Come here.”
Then he called again, “Mi’er, come here.”
When she walked over and sat down, he actually set about drying her hair for her, patiently and methodically.
Song Mi simply sat, voicing no opinion, letting him handle her as he wished.
“All done,” he said, setting down the hairdryer. “I’ll carry you back to the bedroom.”
Her long lashes lifted, eyes on him.
Wen Yanli knew she wouldn’t let this go without seeing for herself, so he didn’t hesitate, moving to her side and crouching down on one knee.
At this, Song Mi’s expression softened, but as she lifted his collar, her eyes instantly turned cold and severe.
It was plain to see—a swollen bruise on his neck.
A little higher and it would’ve hit the back of his head!
“Was it someone Lu Zhizhi sent?” The chill in Song Mi’s eyes solidified into icy blades at the mention of Lu Zhizhi’s name. “That woman won’t admit to anything easily. Tomorrow, I’ll have someone from the legal department handle it.”
At her words, Wen Yanli quickly turned to look at her. “Song Mi.”
Song Mi knew what he was about to say and spoke first. “You’re a lawyer. There are lines you won’t cross, things you’d never do.”
“I’m not like you.” Not only that, but ultimately, someday she would stand on the opposite side of the law.
If his profession represented justice, then one day, he would have to witness her own “crimes and punishments.”
Given that, she might as well prepare him now. “I never despise the rules, and I won’t cross the line lightly. But I’ve never minded using extreme means.”
As chairman of the Sihai Group, she was first and foremost a businesswoman, and in business, the law of the jungle prevailed—scheming, backstabbing, devouring one another without leaving a trace.
If she insisted on fairness and justice in all things, there would be nothing left for her to do.
Song Mi spoke with candor and her gaze was forthright.
It was a bit jarring to voice such harsh truths right at the outset, ruining the romantic atmosphere,
But it was better than a future full of constant friction.
Or perhaps, it gave him the chance to regret.
She was giving him that chance, openly and honestly.
If he wanted to change his mind now, there was still time.
They looked at each other, neither hot nor cold, for a while. Then Song Mi was the first to lower her gaze. “After all, you and Lu Zhiyuan are business partners. Let me handle this matter.”
Wen Yanli was actually waiting for the words she hadn’t said.
Just now, she’d been on the verge of saying something more.
But since she chose to avoid the topic, he would go along with her.
After a moment, he asked in a calm tone, “What do you plan to do about Lu Zhizhi?”
He stood as he spoke.
Song Mi narrowed her eyes out of habit, tilting her face up to him. “This kind of petty revenge, Lawyer Wen, is best left unasked.”
Just that one sentence, that one glance—the distinctions in her eyes and the glint of schadenfreude struck right to his heart.
The sharp distinction was for him.
She thought he would disapprove of her ways and methods, so she made her position clear from the start.
—This is who I am. I won’t, and can’t, change for you.
If you can accept it, accept it.
If you can’t, you’re free to walk away.
The schadenfreude was for Lu Zhizhi.
She had clearly already decided how to deal with Lu Zhizhi, and was looking forward to her coming retribution with unabashed malice.
Song Mi sat while he stood.
Though he seemed to have the upper hand in this confrontation, a frown creased his brow.
The mood had changed long ago.
Song Mi had no doubt they were on the verge of parting on bad terms.
Normally, she wouldn’t have tried to defuse the situation.
But tonight was different. After all, he was hurt, and her heart ached for him!
“Lawyer Wen,” she said quickly, her gaze softening, the corners of her mouth drooping in a pout, “I’m so hungry.”
A flawless plea for sympathy.

Wen Yanli’s frown deepened. “What did you eat for dinner?”
Song Mi thought for a moment, her grievance growing. “I was busy doing Qiao Weiwei’s makeup. Didn’t eat.”
He glanced at his watch. “There’s probably nothing left in the fridge. I’ll order takeout.”
He pulled out his phone as he spoke.
Song Mi’s mood lightened, and the tension finally dissipated.
Troubles could wait for another day.
Live in the moment!
For now, she just wanted to be an ostrich.
The security at this apartment was strict—couriers weren’t allowed inside, so after more than half an hour, the property management delivered the food.
The doorbell rang, and the man got up to answer it.
Song Mi tidied up the first-aid kit by the bedside.
She’d just tended to his neck injury.
But as soon as he carried her out and set her at the dining table, his phone began to vibrate.
At first, he didn’t answer.
He took out the food, arranged it on the table, and then checked his phone.
Song Mi looked up and saw his expression change. “…I’ll be right there!”
“What happened?” Her heart sank.
“My mother fainted in her hotel room!” He spoke as he grabbed the jacket from the chair and put it on. “Eat more, then go to bed. Don’t wait for me.”
Song Mi tried to get up, but he reached her first and pressed her back down.
Hurriedly, he bent to kiss her forehead. “I’ll message you.”
“All right!”
Once the door closed, the apartment fell silent.
The food no longer smelled as inviting as it had a moment ago, and her hunger, though still present, no longer made her eager to eat.
Still, she had to eat.
After sitting quietly for a while, she picked up her chopsticks and began eating, unhurried.
…
Originally, Song Mi had intended to give herself only three days of bed rest.
Today was the fourth day, a Monday.
She didn’t go to Sihai Tower, but held all the regular meetings via video conference from her living room, right on schedule.
At noon, Assistant Lin delivered several documents for her to sign.
All afternoon, no media outlet reported anything about Lu Zhizhi’s solo art exhibition from the previous night.
To be fair, Lu Zhiyuan had handled the fallout well.
As for the woman who attacked them, the police were efficient and had already determined that she was an unemployed young woman with moderate depression.
She had been laid off two months prior.
She was a fan of Rong Le, but according to the police, her actions were more likely the result of long-term depression and a sudden psychological trigger than of being hired to do harm.
Testing further revealed her behavior matched early symptoms of antisocial personality disorder.
In other words, it was unlikely she’d been paid or incited to attack them.
Still, Song Mi asked Ye Zhao to have her watched for a while.
And this incident gave Ye Zhao the perfect reason to thoroughly vet and overhaul Sihai Group’s security department.
Of course, that wouldn’t be accomplished overnight.
Every matter had to be handled step by step.
And every adversary dealt with one at a time.
Lu Zhizhi’s video had been “shared” by Shen Ruming—there was no doubt about that. Rong Le’s cameo was both at Shen Ruming’s behest and a means to vent her own resentment.
So, seeing this Seventh Miss still refusing to back down, Song Mi thought she couldn’t even forbid Ye Zhao from telling her precious son another fairy tale!
Song Mi still had her limits.
After all, the boy was only eight or nine. Last time, thanks to the school’s sports day, Ye Zhao had managed to approach Su Zerui in a completely friendly manner.
Since she’d once used this as leverage against Shen Ruming, Shen Ruming would certainly increase security around Su Zerui.
It would now be much harder for Ye Zhao to get close to Su Zerui again, especially without resorting to force, which would put Ye Zhao in an awkward position.
But unless she had no other choice, Song Mi would never want to leave the boy with any childhood trauma.
Still, in Song Mi’s opinion, given Su Zerui’s background, the way Shen Ruming was raising him would do him no good.
While she was pondering this, her phone rang.
And it was none other than Shen Ruming.
The first time it rang, Song Mi didn’t answer. When she called again, Song Mi picked up lazily, “Seventh Miss…”
“Song Mi, give Ruier back to me!” After two hours of fruitless searching, Shen Ruming was frantic, her voice nearly unrecognizable. “He’s just a child—how could you do this?”
Song Mi straightened with a frown. “I haven’t touched your son.”
Shen Ruming didn’t believe her—very few people knew of her relationship with Ruier. “If not you, who else? Song Mi, if you dare do it, you should dare admit it!”
“The video in Lu Zhizhi’s possession—I sold it to her. I called Rong Le over, too. That was all me. But if I did something, I’ll own up to it. You can’t—”
“Shen Ruming, I’ll say it again. I haven’t touched your son!” Song Mi’s voice rose, wanting the other woman to shut up. “Believe it or not, it wasn’t me!”
Shen Ruming wouldn’t listen—apologizing, pleading, her so-called worry turning to chaos.
Song Mi grew exasperated and snapped, “Enough!”
“If I did it, I did it. If I didn’t, I didn’t.” Her tone was sharp. “Can’t you think of anyone else besides me?”
“Haven’t you made any other enemies?”
There was always something about this that puzzled Song Mi. Shen Ruming had agreed to take the money and leave—
So why the sudden change of heart, even helping Lu Zhizhi set her up, going so far as to push Rong Le out as a shield?
Shen Ruming finally quieted, perhaps realizing something, her mind racing.

After a moment, Song Mi tried, “Was three million not enough, or did you think I’d go soft, so you went back on your word and helped Lu Zhizhi target me?”
“Or have you considered why, after last night’s art exhibition, not a single word has leaked to the press?”
Despite her words, Song Mi didn’t believe the Lu siblings would harm Su Zerui.
Firstly, as Shen Ruming had said, few knew of their mother-son relationship.
Secondly, even if Lu Zhiyuan wanted to undermine Song Mi by acting first, he wouldn’t think to kidnap Shen Ruming’s child and frame her.
The circle was too convoluted.
In truth, Song Mi’s first instinct was that this was the work of the Shen family.
The reasoning was simple: the Shen family would be far more likely than outsiders to discover Shen Ruming had a son.
Shen Ruming had already admitted that the masterminds were Shen Yanye and Tang Lishi.
—They’d gotten rid of Xia Yuan, kidnapped Qiao Weiwei, drugged her, convinced Housekeeper Zhou to call an emergency shareholder meeting.
They had done all this, thinking they could control her and install Minghao, or at least temporarily sideline her from Sihai Group.
But she had deftly neutralized their schemes, leaving them no choice but to hire hackers to erase the records of those meetings from the group’s intranet,
Trying to cover their tracks.
Even if she investigated, they could blame the hackers, claiming they were just fulfilling their duties as board members and shareholders based on what they’d seen online.
As for who hired the hackers, it was left for her to find out.
Normally, as long as no one tore away the facade, things would quietly blow over.
But after all these failed machinations, would Shen Yanye be content?
—Kidnapping Su Zerui, forcing Shen Ruming into a desperate fight with her. Either way, Shen Ruming couldn’t escape responsibility for plotting against her.
And Song Mi was determined to bring Shen Ruming down as well.
There was silence on the line for a long time, and Song Mi was about to hang up when Shen Ruming suddenly burst out, “It was Shen Yanye! It must have been him!”
“Song Mi, you just asked me why I went back on my word?” Shen Ruming continued, “Shen Yanye came to see me.”
Song Mi had guessed right.
Shen Ruming had always been mercenary. She must have questioned her son closely about that day—who he met, what they said and did.
Ye Zhao’s kindness toward Su Zerui had only convinced Shen Ruming that Song Mi was bluffing, that she’d never really hurt the boy.
That emboldened Shen Ruming to try her luck one more time.
Now that Shen Ruming’s wits had returned and she understood Song Mi had nothing to do with it, Song Mi saw no need to say more.
But Shen Ruming grew desperate. “Wait, Song Mi, don’t hang up!”
“Song Mi, please, help me!”
“If you help me get Ruier back, I…I can tell you something else. In fact, Shen Yanye and Tang—”
“They’re lovers,” Song Mi cut in, finishing the secret Shen Ruming thought so valuable, with a slight, mocking laugh. “Otherwise, how do you think the emergency board meeting got cancelled?”
“With your intellect, Seventh Miss, if I could find out who Su Zerui’s real father is, do you think I couldn’t uncover Tang Lishi’s affair with Shen Yanye?”
Once again, Shen Ruming silently questioned her late father’s wisdom—just where had he found this monster to drag into their family?
It had taken her a herculean effort to dig up that secret, yet Song Mi had managed it too. Was she even human? “You…you knew…”
It wasn’t that Song Mi was so capable—
But that Old Master Shen had kept those secrets for years.
In the end, he was a pitiful man.
When Shen Ruming said nothing, Song Mi prepared to hang up, but Shen Ruming started again, “Song Mi, please help me, won’t you?”
“Shen Yanye even dared to have an affair with Tang Lishi. Do you really think it was just about her looks? She’s forty, after all—there are plenty of younger women out there. Do you think she’s the only older woman in his life?”
“He’s after the family fortune!”
“Shen Yanye is the most ambitious, most covetous of Sihai Group in the Shen family—he’s your biggest enemy!”
“Song Mi, he’s heartless, he cares nothing for family. If you help me get Ruier back, I’ll do anything you ask!”
“I’ll do anything to help you!”
Her endless pleas were wearing Song Mi out, but she did have something for Shen Ruming to do.
The more she thought about it, the more perfect it seemed.
Only this way could Shen Ruming taste her own medicine—fight fire with fire!
With a hint of a smile, Song Mi said playfully, “Seventh Miss, are you sure?”
“I swear! If you help me get Ruier back, I’ll serve you loyally, whatever it takes!”
Song Mi couldn’t help but be amused, her smile deepening. “Seventh Miss, you won’t go back on your word this time, will you?”
“No! Never!”
“You said, whatever I want done, even if it’s impossible, you’d still—”
Song Mi quickly cut her off, laying out her request: “…”
…
Meanwhile, in the VIP ward of St. Noah’s Hospital, Feng Shengzhi sat propped up in her hospital gown, looking weary and haggard.
But what truly troubled her was not her sudden illness, but her son’s love life.
Wen Yanli was seated in the chair beside her bed.
Looking up, she could see his face—clouded, grim.
Wen Yanli had no desire to discuss this now, but Feng Shengzhi was resolute.
Or rather, she was unwilling to waste another minute, needing to make her position clear at once. “Ali, I absolutely oppose you being with that Song Mi.”