She was in the middle of telling him about the company when he suddenly hit her with a line like that.
Song Xinya smiled bashfully. “Let’s talk about business first.”
Qin Yuhe said, “You’re more important than business.”
Song Xinya gave a soft, coquettish laugh before saying, “Qin Yuhe, you know what? I slept terribly last night.”
Qin Yuhe’s expression turned serious. His brows drew together as he asked worriedly, “Why?”
Song Xinya said sweetly, “Because the blanket was too light to hold down my heart, which was missing you.”
Qin Yuhe froze for a moment. Then his brows relaxed, and the corners of his mouth lifted into a smile.
Song Xinya gazed at the handsome, dashing man on the screen and spoke from the heart. “Qin Yuhe, before I met you, I was always complaining about one thing or another. I complained when the roof leaked, when the air conditioner broke, when the weather was too hot, and when my salary was too low. But after I met you, I stopped complaining.”
“Do you know why?”
Qin Yuhe’s rational mind considered the question briefly before answering, “Because I’ve given you a life of material comfort?”
Song Xinya’s eyes curved into crescents. “Because I want to hug you.”
Qin Yuhe leaned his head back against the chair. A deep laugh rumbled from his chest, and his Adam’s apple bobbed.
So that was what she meant.
He raised both palms toward the screen. “My hands are much better now.”
Song Xinya looked at his palms. They were no longer rough, and the normal lines of his skin had begun to reappear.
“Does it still hurt when you hold a pen for a long time?”
Qin Yuhe said, “No.”
This time, he wasn’t merely trying to reassure her. It truly didn’t hurt anymore.
Song Xinya asked, “Can you play the piano now?”
Qin Yuhe replied, “I can play simple pieces, but I’m still not fluent with complicated ones.”
“Then play a simple piece for me.”
“‘Two Tigers’? ‘Pulling a Turnip’? ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’?”
Song Xinya clapped her hands. “Yay! This twenty-five-year-old adult child just loves nursery rhymes.”
Qin Yuhe smiled. “Actually, I want to play ‘Mariage d’Amour’ by the French pianist Richard Clayderman for you.”
“Why do you want to play that song for me?”
Qin Yuhe gazed into her eyes. He was reminding her, and also making her a promise.
“Yaya, we still haven’t had our wedding.”
Song Xinya had a vague feeling that something was coming. “Why are you suddenly bringing up the wedding?”
Qin Yuhe said, “When I return home, I want to give you a grand, lavish wedding.”
Her heart began to race. She was delighted and nervous as she nervously clutched the hem of her nightgown.
“A wedding? I’ve never really thought about it.”
“Why have you never thought about it?”
“You’re so busy with work and work overtime every day. I thought you wouldn’t have the time.”
Qin Yuhe asked her, “Do you want a grand, lavish wedding?”
“Of course I do. A wedding is a ceremony for yourself, a memory to preserve from the best years of your youth. When we’re old, we may forget many things, but we’ll always remember that we once had a grand, lavish wedding.”
“If that’s what you want, I’ll give you exactly what you wish for.”
………
Song Xinya began counting down the days.
Each day that passed, she crossed it off on the calendar.
Qin Yuhe’s birthday was drawing closer and closer.
Song Xinya had already booked a flight to New York.
She planned to arrive the day before Qin Yuhe’s birthday and personally bake him a birthday cake.
She had packed her luggage long ago as well. Apart from her everyday clothes, an exquisite bag contained two especially important items—
the most beautiful red maple leaf specimen she could find,
and a purple piece of erotic lingerie with openings over the breasts.
She was so looking forward to seeing him.
Song Xinya looked at the two days remaining on the calendar, barely able to contain her excitement.
She would soon be seeing Qin Yuhe.
Only two days left.
Two days passed in the blink of an eye!
She hummed a little tune under her breath.
Chen Siyan rolled over from his workstation. “Signed any deals lately?”
Song Xinya said, “I signed a huge deal a few days ago. My position as the perennial runner-up is still rock-solid.”
Chen Siyan said, “Sorry, but I’m used to being number one. I’m never giving this spot up to any of you.”
“Funny, I like being number one too. I’ll work harder and strive to knock you off the top spot as soon as possible.”
Chen Siyan said lewdly, “Shh—keep your voice down. I know you’re lusting after my body. If you want to screw me, wait until no one’s around and whisper it to me.”
Song Xinya rolled her eyes. “Please. The ‘knock you off’ I meant and the ‘screw me’ you mean are two completely different things.”
“Fine, fine, I get it. ‘Knock you off’ can mean many things. You want to screw me in all kinds of ways.”
“If you keep spouting nonsense, I’ll record you and send it to Tiantianquan.”
Chen Siyan immediately went silent, as though she had seized him by the throat. He drew a finger across his lips, signaling that he wouldn’t say another word.
At lunchtime, as Song Xinya was heading toward the company cafeteria, three people blocked her path.
Song Xuanli said, “Long time no see. You must’ve forgotten all about your father.”
Song Xinya replied, “Long time no see. You must’ve forgotten all about your daughter.”
Zhang Yingying quickly took hold of Song Xuanli’s arm, putting on a show of filial devotion. “Dad, don’t be angry. You know Song Xinya has always been like this.”
Song Xinya said, “So my old scumbag dad finally remembered me. I see you’ve been too busy raising your mistress’s daughter. Every frog has a frog that loves it, and every rotten tree has a stinking vine clinging to it. You’d better cherish your cheap old dad. Men like him—old men who love raising children that aren’t theirs—are an endangered species anywhere on Earth.”
Li Cuirou sniffed. “Xinxin, stop saying such things. Your father is sick.”
“Hasn’t he always been sick?”
Song Xuanli asked, “What illness have I always had? Why don’t I know about it?”
“Brain damage.”
A murder of crows seemed to fly over Song Xuanli’s head.
Zhang Yingying said, “Dad really is sick. Three people died at the construction site in Magic City, and Dad had to pay out a huge amount of compensation. The project was affected too. He hasn’t been able to sleep at night, and his health has completely deteriorated.”
Song Xinya immediately understood why the three of them had come looking for her:
They wanted money.
Li Cuirou’s next words proved that her guess was right.
“Yaya, the suspension of your father’s project in Magic City has had a tremendous impact on him. Money is bleeding out every day, but nothing is coming in. You’re married to Qin Yuhe now, and he’s so wealthy that one or two hundred million yuan is nothing to him. Ask Qin Yuhe for two hundred million and give it to your father to keep the business afloat.”
Song Xinya actually laughed. “You never contact me normally, but the moment we meet, you ask me for money—and you open with two hundred million? Where did you get the nerve?”
Song Xuanli felt entirely justified. “I gave birth to you. Just for that alone, you should repay me properly.”
“Repay you?” Song Xinya smiled with icy, dazzling charm. “When you die, I’ll burn paper money for you. That’ll be my repayment.”
