Chapter 57: Miss Song Comes Out to Entertain Guests, Bringing a Bodyguard?

In truth, the moment she spoke, she regretted it. She was too anxious! This uncontrollable emotion made her appear anything but composed. Fortunately, the tremor in the depths of the man's long eyes did not escape her notice either. So, perhaps it was fair.

Suppressing the turmoil in her eyes and heart, Wen Yanli's Adam's apple moved up and down with effort before he managed to speak in a normal tone, "Long time no see."

Song Mi immediately lowered her gaze and stepped forward. Ye Zhao followed suit in perfect timing.

It wasn't until even Ye Zhao's silhouette vanished from his peripheral vision that Wen Yanli lowered his head again, staring at his phone. Yet his heart had long since fallen into disarray.

For the past month, whenever he was in Jinzhou, as long as he wasn't so busy that even an hour or two late at night couldn't be spared, he would drive to the road outside her apartment in the early hours and linger there for a while. He had lost count of how many times he had done this. Once, a security manager from the property company had even come over and knocked on his car window, delivering a warning disguised in friendliness.

For this entire month, he hadn't called her, nor sent a single message. Likewise, she hadn't called him, nor sent a message. Their message thread remained stuck on two notes: one from him on the day of the art exhibition when he failed to show up, "I can't make it, Ye Zhao will fill in," and another from her that night, after the woman attacked them, sitting in his car waiting for him, "Ye Zhao is coming to pick me up."

Over the past month, he accompanied his mother back to their residence in Vancouver, helping her bid a temporary farewell to settled life there. Right before the Mid-Autumn Festival, they returned to Feng Mansion and enjoyed a rare, lively family reunion. The next day, he visited his uncle in Xicheng Prison, and because of the Shen Ye case, he flew back and forth to the capital twice.

He was busy. The life of a lawyer was always like this, and he was long accustomed to it.

Yet this month was unlike any other period in his life. He thought of Song Mi incessantly. Wondered if she ate on time every day. Wondered if she had already returned to the endless bustle, busy enough to forget to rest. Wondered if she was taking good care of her health.

He was attached.

At first, he had hoped she would reach out to him. But soon, he saw reason. With her temperament, it was impossible for her to do such a thing. Even the glance and the words "long time no see" just now—if she had another chance, she might not react the same way.

He feared she would choose to ignore him completely. Because she would never stoop to demand an explanation from him.

Thinking of this, the surging emotion in Wen Yanli's eyes gradually faded to calm, though a bitter smile unconsciously crept onto his lips.

...

Song Mi's seat was near the tail of the plane. After settling in, she quickly put on her sunglasses and closed her eyes to rest. The ripple caused in her heart by that earlier glance soon subsided.

She truly had no questions. It was easy to understand: apart from his mother's fierce opposition, there could be no other reason.

Her attitude remained unchanged—he was dutiful, and there was nothing wrong with that.

Even for couples aiming for marriage, reaching the stage of meeting the family and being forcibly separated was hardly rare, let alone for them, who were more improvisational and transient.

Even if she could provide him with significant emotional value and make him happy, if the price was a bitter conflict with his mother, then the matter deserved serious reconsideration.

Clearly, the man was in the midst of weighing his options. Perhaps he had already decided.

Given that, why should she seek out disappointment?

Song Mi saw this very clearly.

The man did as well—because from landing to leaving the terminal, she saw no sign of him again. Evidently, he was avoiding her.

She had flown over in haste to solve a problem, so Song Mi quickly shifted all her focus to resolving it.

First, she attended a meeting at the branch, then arranged to meet the relevant person from the raw materials supplier.

Perhaps it was the generous "welcome gift" she had sent earlier, but Xu Yu's attitude toward her was especially respectful. "Chairwoman, here's the situation: Kaida's Manager Yin just got married—still away on honeymoon and hasn't returned. Manager Yin has always been in poor health, so the company is currently managed by his wife's brother, Mr. Huang."

"I've already arranged for you to have dinner with Mr. Huang tonight, but..." Xu Yu paused halfway, and Song Mi shot him a sideways glance, "What does he want?"

Xu Yu's expression turned somewhat awkward, and he spoke very tactfully. "I'm just worried Mr. Huang might offend you, Chairwoman."

Song Mi's brow twitched; the meaning was clear. Xu Yu implied that Kaida's Mr. Huang was lecherous.

Men being lecherous was nothing new. What was odd was Kaida's sudden price hike.

Kaida was the supplier; they were the buyer. Now Kaida had notified them of a price increase three months in advance. Although they didn't want to hurriedly find a new manufacturer and reestablish rapport—familiarity counted for much—they still had three months. Was Kaida really not afraid she'd replace them?

Business is about mutual benefit. Kaida, after all, was just a single-category packaging material manufacturer—what reason did they have to act so tough?

Seeing her silent, Xu Yu quickly put on a smile, "Actually, it's not urgent; we can wait until Manager Yin returns to discuss further."

"The main issue is Mr. Huang—perhaps he grew up poor, didn't get much education, lacks cultural refinement. I'm just worried he might say something inappropriate..."

Song Mi quickly raised her hand, "I'll go."

If she didn't go, how would she learn what tricks lay beneath the surface?

Her intuition said this matter was not so simple.

First, the Shen family had been quiet long enough, especially Shen Yan Feng, who had been courting Lu Zhiyuan for ages, plotting to trip her up in the business arena. It was impossible that nothing had happened after more than a month.

Then there was Xu Yu, whose over-submissive attitude made her suspicious.

As the saying goes, if something is unusual, there must be a reason.

The dinner was set at Xiangta Ju, which piqued Song Mi's interest. Back when she was planning Tianxiang Lou's phased development, Xiangta Ju was her primary market research reference.

It had been years since then.

Food is the people's first necessity, and the restaurant market was always fiercely contested. Some thrived, more lost everything.

Back then, she had helped A-Zhe save Uncle Zhang's restaurant, eventually expanding to a dozen Tianxiang Lou branches.

She started out unintentionally, but later it was strictly business—there was no reason not to make money.

As host, she naturally arrived early for the meal.

At twenty past six, she entered the private room.

Since being lured away once, Ye Zhao's vigilance had increased tenfold. He thoroughly checked the room inside and out, including the windows, before stepping outside. "I'll be right at the door."

Song Mi said, "Order some food first."

"Alright."

Mr. Huang arrived fifteen minutes late.

Xu Yu's description was spot on: poorly educated, uncultured, and Song Mi added—exuded the greasy aura of a nouveau riche.

As for Xu Yu's worries about offense, words weren't necessary; Mr. Huang's gaze alone made Song Mi's skin crawl.

She even regretted attending. Such a person was hardly worth meeting in person. Or rather, this kind of character had no value for exploitation.

From her experience, Mr. Huang was likely the type to jump at rumors, thinking the Si Hai Group had handed the reins to a young woman, with the entire Shen family in constant dissent and daily infighting.

As Kaida's uncle-by-marriage, it was his rare chance to play house monitor while the young master was away on his honeymoon. Naturally, he wanted to seize the opportunity to profit and add to his achievements.

After all, Si Hai Group's annual order volume accounted for at least a third of their total output.

Anyone else would be scrambling to curry favor.

But this Mr. Huang, whether out of newfound success or actual backing, put on such airs that Song Mi was nearly overcome with secondhand embarrassment.

"...Miss Song, come, let's fill up our glasses and have a drink."

Song Mi didn't move.

He pulled his chair closer, nearly touching her arm. Before she could cast him a glance, he poured her glass full, saying, "I know, you're here to haggle over prices."

"Heh, well..." He grinned, waving a fat hand, "No negotiations."

Song Mi detected subtext and decided to give him a few more minutes. "If Mr. Huang has difficulties, why not be upfront? After all, we've worked together for years. Better to stick with the familiar as long as..."

She said this on purpose. With his personality, and riding high, the moment he heard "difficulties," he would jump.

Sure enough, he bulged his eyes, "Miss Song, that's looking down on me!"

"We raise prices and you call it difficulties? Everything's getting more expensive, workers always demanding raises. If you think we're too small to serve Si Hai's big Buddha, we don't need to beg. To be honest..."

Knowing the main point was coming, Song Mi watched his expression closely.

"Someone wants our factory land. The offer is quite high! So, should we sell the land and live comfortably, or keep slogging year after year?"

"Running a factory nowadays brings endless responsibilities and hassles—just working for the employees in the end..."

Seeing him pontificate, Song Mi raised her glass and clinked it, "Oh, so that's the issue."

"That would be a once-and-for-all solution." She changed tack, lifting her glass, "That land must be worth over a hundred million?"

The key was, who would be foolish enough to buy?

With Kaida's location and the state's strict control over land sales in recent years, she couldn't think of any developer willing to pay such a price for it.

The answer soon came, as Mr. Huang said, "Of course! Lu's Group, they're loaded!"

Lu's Group. Lu Zhiyuan.

So it was Shen Yan Feng stirring the pot.

Lu Zhiyuan's involvement was clearly in retaliation for their earlier conflict at Lu Zhizhi's art exhibition.

Since Mr. Huang had revealed this, her time spent enduring his presence wasn't wasted.

"In that case, I won't block your path to fortune, Mr. Huang." Song Mi had already set her glass down—she never intended to drink, just to play along.

But Mr. Huang was utterly tactless, downing his own glass in one go, then turning it toward her and repeatedly signaling, "Why won't Miss Song drink?"

If it were only gestures, she could ignore it, but then he actually reached out, making Song Mi unable to endure any longer.

Everything changed in an instant; timing and angle combined as she abruptly stood, nearly toppling Mr. Huang from his chair. "Hey, I say—"

Bang—the soup bowl on the table went flying.

"If Mr. Huang likes to drink, stay here and drink your fill." Song Mi snorted, "I'll pay for the meal."

Hearing the crash, Ye Zhao immediately opened the door. "Miss Song, are you alright?"

Unexpectedly, Mr. Huang slammed the table and jumped up, "Hey, who the hell are you!"

The next words were even nastier, "Miss Song comes out to entertain clients, and brings a bodyguard?"

Song Mi felt nothing.

Such a petty character, spun around by others, wasn't worth her ire.

Ye Zhao's face was dark, murderous as he strode over, "Say what you just said again if you dare!"

Mr. Huang was visibly intimidated, unable to hide his gulp, but pride forced him to stand his ground. He puffed his belly, stepped forward, "What if I repeat it?"

"Xu Yu sends a woman to negotiate with me, isn't that obvious? And who are you, her man—"

"Ah—" With a shout, Mr. Huang was knocked onto the table by Ye Zhao's punch.

Plates, bowls, bottles, and glasses crashed to the floor, shattering everywhere.

Song Mi was already walking out by the time Mr. Huang finally cried, "Help, assault!"

"Security! Security!"

Song Mi paused, turned, and her amber eyes flashed coldly at him, "Does Mr. Huang feel wronged because I didn't cry 'harassment'?"

Her gaze was icy, her aura formidable, and her bodyguard's punch even more so.

Cowardice aside, Huang Weiguo couldn't swallow his humiliation. How many years had it been since he was punched—especially by such a fist! He hadn't even touched a finger of this woman, yet he'd been beaten up. If word got out, how could he show his face?

Fury rose in his throat, forcing him to retort, "Song, you're just going to leave—aren't you afraid Xu Yu will fire you?"

"Don't want to do business anymore?"

Song Mi had already guessed: Mr. Huang likely didn't know who she was. Whether Xu Yu deliberately kept that from him or he misunderstood on his own was worth investigating.

"Mr. Huang, you're stealing my lines." Song Mi's expression grew colder, the chill in her eyes sharp and ready to erupt. "Go ask your Manager Yin if you want to keep doing business."

With that, Song Mi lowered her gaze, long lashes sweeping down and up, and strode away.

But at that moment, as her eyes moved forward, she met a pair of deep, cold eyes.

—Why was he here?

How long had he been standing there?

Either she wouldn't see him for a month, or she would run into him twice in a day.

That glance on the plane, they were still in Jinzhou.

This glance, they were already fifteen hundred kilometers away in the capital.

But wherever, whenever, whatever glance, if she wished, she could call him "Lawyer Wen" a thousand times over.

If she didn't, she wouldn't even spare him a glance.

At this moment, Song Mi chose the latter.

Wen Yanli watched her look away—a single movement, from recognition to indifference, seamless.

His beautiful eyes held nothing but coldness.

He had imagined this scene on the plane, but hadn't anticipated the pain it caused him.

Like being pricked by a needle—the pain lingered even after the needle was gone.

His gaze lingered, chasing her.

The doorway wasn't wide, but she didn't pause, forcing him to step aside, "Song Mi!"

Within reach, she slipped away.

Her heels struck the floor decisively as she walked out without a backward glance.

Soon, Ye Zhao approached him, "Lawyer Wen."

The feeling was almost schizophrenic.

He was still wondering whether, if he had reached out to her just now, she might have stopped.

But his gaze had already landed on Ye Zhao's face, and he mechanically parted his thin lips, "What happened just now?"

"That man harassed Miss Song, so I punched him."

With that, Ye Zhao left.

The man remained standing, face darkening ominously, both hands unconsciously clenched into fists, every knuckle itching for action.

But the instigator, Huang Weiguo, had the misfortune to run right into him, "…Waiter…"

"Move…"

"Hey, don't block the way… hey… ah—"

Huang Weiguo's scream was no lighter than when Ye Zhao struck him earlier!

And the next blows landed even harder, each punch flesh and bone, pain so intense he could no longer cry out, "…Ah… stop… stop…"

But the one delivering the blows, possessed by anger, eyes red, poured all his strength into every hit—discipline and catharsis at once.

This led the Xiangta Ju manager to call the police immediately.

When Feng Jue received the call, he sprang from the sofa, startling everyone nearby, "What did you say?"

On the phone, the officer repeated, "…We've detained him. Family members, please come down to the station."

…

Song Mi was notified by Xu Yu.

Xu Yu had booked the private room, and she was the one who actually dined, and Huang Weiguo had mentioned her.

After hanging up, Song Mi instructed Ye Zhao, "Turn around, head to Yanbei Road precinct."