The only company in the Song family that was still making money was Yating Education Technology.
The reason it was still profitable was that its founder—the mother of Song Xinya and Song Tingye—had built a powerful business empire. Its reserves were deep enough that Song Xuanli, Li Cuirou, and Zhang Yingying had yet to squander them all.
If they sold the company to Qin Yuhe, what would they live on afterward?
Li Cuirou tried to stop him. “Old man, we can’t sell this company. It’s the only one making money. We can sell some of the other companies to President Qin.”
Qin Yuhe let out a mocking laugh. “The other companies don’t make money. Why would I want the useless junk even you don’t want?”
Li Cuirou came up with a flattering excuse. “The other companies aren’t profitable in our hands because we lack the ability to run them properly. But once they’re in your hands, President Qin, your exceptional business acumen will surely turn them around and make a fortune.”
Zhang Yingying chimed in, “Mom’s right.”
Qin Yuhe said, “I have no interest in managing your worthless companies. Even if they become profitable, the money they make would be nothing more than a few scraps of pocket change to me.”
He delivered his final ultimatum. “I’ll give you this chance only once. If you don’t want to sell now, don’t come looking for me again.”
At that moment, Song Xuanli’s phone rang. The caller ID displayed three glaring words—
Debt Collector.
This debt collector had once held a sharp kitchen knife against Song Xuanli’s throat and told him that if he didn’t repay the money, he would cut his head off.
Song Xuanli hurriedly looked up at Qin Yuhe. “Sell! I’ll sell! I’ll sell Yating Education to you right now!”
Li Cuirou cried, “Honey, you can’t sell it!”
Zhang Yingying said, “Dad, don’t sell it!”
Qin Yuhe’s mocking smile was lazy and composed. “Given this situation, I can’t tell who’s actually in charge of your family. It seems the true heads of the Song family aren’t you, Song Xuanli, but this mother-daughter pair.”
Song Xuanli immediately felt humiliated. He glared furiously at Li Cuirou and Zhang Yingying. “Both of you, shut up!”
Then he looked at Qin Yuhe. “I’m the head of the Song family. What I say goes. President Qin, I’ll sell Yating Education to you right now.”
Qin Yuhe took out a contract he had prepared long ago and tossed it onto the table. “Sign it.”
Song Xuanli picked up the pen and signed his name on the contract.
Qin Yuhe said, “Complete all the formalities before the New Year.”
Song Xuanli exclaimed, “There are only four days left until the New Year!”
Qin Yuhe swept him with a cold glance. “Are you planning not to live through these four days?”
“I’m willing to cooperate,” Song Xuanli said. “The sooner the formalities are completed, the sooner I’ll receive the money. It’s just that some procedures require filing documents and obtaining official seals from government offices. They may not be willing to cooperate.”
Qin Yuhe replied simply and decisively, “Just handle the procedures.”
Song Xuanli understood the meaning behind his words. “All right.”
After the three of them left, the assistant pushed open the door and came in to ask, “President Qin, now that they’ve agreed to sell the company, should we still have those underworld people collect the debt?”
Qin Yuhe said, “Keep at it.”
Fear and anxiety were the New Year’s gifts he had prepared for the three of them.
Whether they wanted them or not, they would have to accept them.
…
Zijin Huafu.
Song Xinya was boiling dumplings.
Song Tingye and Song Tingyou stood on either side of her.
Jin Ruizhi stood beside Song Tingyou.
Song Tingye said, “I just wrapped a piece of bitter melon in one of the dumplings. Whoever gets it will be the lucky one.”
Jin Ruizhi said, “What’s so lucky about eating bitter melon? Why didn’t you wrap a piece of coptis in there?”
“I couldn’t find any,” Song Tingye replied. “If I had, I definitely would have wrapped a piece in.”
Song Tingyou clasped her hands together and made a wish. “I hope Big Brother gets the bitter-melon dumpling, so he’ll have to take responsibility for his own actions.”
Song Tingye protested, “Youyou, how could you say that?”
“You said whoever gets the bitter-melon dumpling is the lucky one,” Song Tingyou said. “I’m just making you the lucky one, Big Brother.”
“Exactly!” Qin Yuyan chimed in.
When the dumplings were ready, The four little ones each held a bowl and a pair of chopsticks, standing in a row as they waited for Song Xinya to serve them.
“Sister-in-law, I’ll have six dumplings,” Qin Yuyan said.
“Sister, I’ll have eight,” Song Tingyou said.
“Ms. Song, I’ll have ten,” Jin Ruizhi said.
“I don’t eat much either,” Song Tingye declared. “I’ll just have a simple 108.”
After serving everyone, Song Xinya said, “I’m too lazy to count them for you. You can have all the rest.”
“I’ll drink every last drop of the soup too!” Song Tingye announced.
No one present was surprised. They had long since grown accustomed to Song Tingye’s appetite.
The meal consisted of more than just dumplings. The servants had also prepared braised abalone, steamed lamb with milk, rouge goose, French foie gras, and truffle-roasted steak.
Song Tingye eagerly picked up his chopsticks. “We eat abalone at every meal and beef every day. Is this really how people live? This is practically the life of the immortals!”
He picked up a piece of truffle-roasted steak, opened his mouth wide, and took a bite. Then he looked at Song Xinya.
“Sister, ever since you married Brother-in-law, our standard of living has gone through the roof. You have to stay with him forever, so I can keep eating delicious food with you for the rest of my life.”
Song Xinya slowly stirred the dumplings in her bowl with her spoon. Her thick lashes lowered as she said, “What if we can’t stay together forever?”
The four little ones abruptly stopped eating.
The dumpling Song Tingye had just scooped up fell back into his bowl with a plop.
“Sis, what are you talking about? Why wouldn’t you and Brother-in-law stay together forever? Brother-in-law treats even Youyou and me—two extra burdens—so well. Everything we eat, drink, and wear is top of the line. He treats us well because of you, because he respects you, because he holds you in his heart. That’s why he treats us like family.”
“Your husband is that wonderful. What could you possibly dislike about him?”
Song Xinya said, “It’s not that I dislike him…”
“Does my brother dislike you?” Qin Yuyan asked.
The Little Princess slammed her chopsticks onto the table. Her chubby, rosy face was blazing with anger. “If my brother ever does anything to hurt you, I’ll be the first to object! I’ll secretly put croton seeds in his food every day and let his intestines throw a party!”
Song Xinya said, “Stop making wild guesses. My husband treats me very well.”
“Then why did you say that just now?” Song Tingye asked.
“I was only imagining one possibility,” Song Xinya explained. “If your brother-in-law and I ever separated in the future, who would you go with?”
“Of course I’d go with you,” Song Tingye answered. “Wherever you are, Sis, that’s my home.”
“Wherever you go, I’ll go too,” Song Tingyou said.
“Then I’ll leave with you as well,” Qin Yuyan declared. “I don’t want my brother. I want my sister-in-law.”
Jin Ruizhi asked timidly, “Can I come with you?”
Song Xinya said, “You’re excluded. If you come with me, I’ll have to feed another mouth.”
“I can pay for my meals,” Jin Ruizhi said. “Thirty thousand a month. You can decide what we eat. I’ll be fine with steamed buns and pickles every day.”
“Deal,” Song Xinya said. “You’re allowed to come with me.”
After dinner, Song Xinya was preparing to go upstairs to rest when Song Tingye glanced toward the entrance. “Brother-in-law still isn’t back?”
“He’s busy,” Song Xinya replied.
Song Tingye: “The New Year is almost here. Everyone else is taking it easy, so why is he still so busy?”
Song Xinya: “Everything you eat, drink, and wear is paid for with money he earns. With an appetite like yours—one person eating as much as a hundred—you’re practically a glutton who could eat an entire family into poverty. Of course he has to work hard to support you.”
Song Tingye opened his mouth and sang “The Moon Is to Blame”: “It’s all my fault, for making my brother-in-law fall in love with me…”
Song Xinya steadied herself against the staircase as she went upstairs, tossing over her shoulder, “Shut up. You sound awful.”
By the time Qin Yuhe came home that night, Song Xinya was already asleep.
In a hazy half-conscious state, she was drawn into a warm, broad embrace.
The distinctive scent of a mature man slipped into her nose. The steadiness and sense of security that came after years of being tempered by life wrapped tightly around her.
He kissed her gently on the forehead and whispered, “Good night.”
Nestled in Qin Yuhe’s arms, Song Xinya pressed herself against him without leaving even the slightest gap, both arms wrapped around his waist. She asked nothing and said nothing.
Let things remain this way. If she could stay by his side for one more day, then she would treasure one more day.
There were two days left until the New Year.
Song Xinya was sitting in her office when Chen Siyan hurried over with a contract.
“Ms. Song, this contract needs to be stamped.”
Song Xinya searched the entire office but could not find the required seal.
Having a new one made would take five business days. With the Spring Festival holiday just around the corner, there was no time.
Chen Siyan said, “Zhao Yinian definitely knows where it is. Or maybe she hid it herself.”
Song Xinya: “I’ll go find her.”
Chen Siyan: “She’s in prison!”
Song Xinya: “What’s wrong with going to prison? Prison doesn’t only lock up good people. If there’s a chance, I’ll give it a try. It’s better than sitting around doing nothing.”
At the prison, a guard informed Zhao Yinian that she had a visitor.
Zhao Yinian thought she must have heard wrong.
Ever since she had been imprisoned, this was the first time anyone had come to see her.
When she arrived at the visitation area, Zhao Yinian saw Song Xinya standing on the other side of the iron bars.
She was still as beautiful as ever, with fair skin, delicate features, and a tall, graceful figure. Her thick hair shimmered with a gorgeous luster, and her skin was smooth and translucent like fine porcelain. Dressed in a custom-made black cashmere coat, she looked even more elegant and decisive than before.
Then Zhao Yinian looked at herself. Her long hair had been cut down to a buzz cut. Her face was sallow and gaunt, her skin dry and dull, her back hunched, and her wrinkled prison uniform hung from her body.
The two women stood face-to-face across the iron bars. The contrast between them was brutal.
Zhao Yinian said, “I never imagined that after I went to prison, you would be the first person to come visit me.”
Song Xinya: “I’m not that noble. I came today because I have something to ask you.”
Zhao Yinian: “I know that, of course. Who would come visit an enemy for no reason right before the New Year?”
In truth, Song Xinya had never considered Zhao Yinian her enemy. Hatred was an intense emotion, and Zhao Yinian was not worth wasting one on.
To Song Xinya, Zhao Yinian was nothing more than an irrelevant person.
Song Xinya said, “There’s a company seal we can’t find. I want to ask where it is.”
Zhao Yinian mocked her. “Do you think I’ll tell you?”
Song Xinya was not surprised. She had expected this response from the beginning. The corner of her lips curved into a hint of derision.
“I’ll make you tell me.”
She took out some food and arranged it on the counter. In an instant, the rich aroma of meat filled the air.
Zhao Yinian’s eyes lit up.
Song Xinya said, “Life in prison must be miserable. All you get is watery food, and you have to work the sewing machines every day.”
Zhao Yinian’s eyes remained fixed on the bag of food. “What did you bring?”
Song Xinya: “Abalone, steak, braised meat, and roast chicken.”
Zhao Yinian’s eyes grew even brighter. “I’ll tell you where I put the seal if you give me that food.”
Song Xinya: “Fine. Tell me.”
Zhao Yinian: “Give me the food first.”
Song Xinya: “Tell me first. I need to verify on the spot whether you’re telling the truth.”
Zhao Yinian: “It’s in the company warehouse. In the cabinet at the very back, the second drawer.”
Song Xinya called Chen Siyan and asked him to look for it.
Chen Siyan said, “We found it, Ms. Song.”
Song Xinya ended the call and slipped her phone back into her purse.
Zhao Yinian looked at her beautiful face and asked, “Has President Qin ever said the words ‘I love you’ to you?”
Song Xinya paused. “Are those three words really that important?”
Zhao Yinian: “Of course.”
Song Xinya: “There are plenty of couples who’ve said ‘I love you’ to each other. They still ended up breaking up.”
Zhao Yinian: “Those words are different when it comes to Qin Yuhe.”
Song Xinya straightened and looked at her. “What makes them different?”
Zhao Yinian: “Qin Yuhe is a very old-fashioned man. He would never casually say ‘I love you.’ To him, those three words aren’t merely an expression of emotion; they’re a lifelong promise. Once he says them to you, it means that no matter what happens—whether the heavens fall, the earth splits open, or you face sickness, old age, and death—he will rush to your side without hesitation and protect you for the rest of your life.”
Song Xinya: “How do you know those words mean so much to him?”
Zhao Yinian: “I used to be his grandmother’s goddaughter and his god-sister. I heard him say it himself at a family dinner.”
Song Xinya: “Why are you telling me this now?”
Zhao Yinian smiled. “From the look on your face, I already know that Qin Yuhe has never said ‘I love you’ to you.”
“Your husband never tells you that he loves you, Song Xinya. Do you regret it? Does it hurt?”
Zhao Yinian let out several mocking laughs and reached for the food.
Song Xinya moved faster. She reached out and took the food away.
Zhao Yinian glared at her. “That’s mine! You just said it was for me.”
Song Xinya turned and walked toward the exit. “I wanted to give it to you before, but I’ve changed my mind.”
Zhao Yinian screamed furiously from behind her, “Song Xinya! Get back here!”
The guard raised his electric baton. “Silence!”
“Don’t hit me! Don’t hit me!” Zhao Yinian cried, clutching her head and shrinking into the corner.
The iceberry-pink Porsche came to a stop outside the Qin Corporation building.
Song Xinya got out of the car and walked toward the lobby.
Her gaze inadvertently shifted to the left, and she suddenly froze.
Zhang Yingying was sitting face-to-face with Qin Hanxiao. She had no idea what they were talking about.
That evening, Qin Yuhe still came home very late.
New Year’s Eve was just around the corner, and the Spring Festival holiday was about to begin. While everyone else was beginning to relax, he was growing busier by the day.
She had no idea what he was busy with…
Qin Yuhe pulled Song Xinya into his arms. His warmth and scent enveloped her whole body.
They held each other tightly, as if they wanted to merge the other person into their very bones and blood.
When she woke the next morning, there was only one day left until the New Year.
Qin Yuhe had risen early. Moving quietly, he put on his suit trousers. Just as he began buttoning his white shirt, a black tie slipped around his neck.
Song Xinya’s slender, pale fingers came into view as she stood in front of him and tied it for him.
Qin Yuhe gazed at her tenderly. “Did I wake you?”
Song Xinya: “No. I was thinking about waking up with you, so the moment you moved, I woke up.”
Her slender, fair hands deftly tied his tie. Lowering her long, thick lashes, she asked him, “Qin Yuhe, can we spend the New Year together this year?”
She had never spent the New Year with him before.
The New Year was a time for family reunions.
She wanted to be reunited with him.
Qin Yuhe pulled her into his arms and kissed her hair. “Of course we can, Yaya. We’ll definitely spend the New Year together.”
Song Xinya buried her face in his chest, a choked “Okay” escaping her lips.
She asked him, “Do you still have to go to the office today?”
Qin Yuhe replied, “I do. I’m almost done with everything. Everything will be taken care of soon. Tomorrow, I’ll clear my schedule and spend the New Year properly with you, Yaya.”
Qin Yuhe seemed especially busy today. He didn’t even come home for dinner.
When Song Xinya woke up, her fingers reached toward the other side of the bed, only to find it cold.
Qin Yuhe hadn’t come back last night.
He had probably worked through the night again.
Today was New Year’s Eve. The New Year was about to begin.
After getting up, Song Xinya received a call from Qin Hanxiao, Qin Yuhe’s father, asking her to return to the Qin family’s old residence. He said there was something he needed to discuss with her.
Song Xinya asked, “What is it?”
………
Today’s two chapters have been combined into one long chapter.
Tomorrow, President Qin’s emotions will finally erupt. He’ll formally confess to Yaya and say, “I love you.”
Writing this novel out of love costs nothing. You can send three gifts a day, so please keep the little gifts coming. They’ll give the author more motivation to write. Thank you~
