The Wake Complex:
Qian Meigui spent the last few days and nights at Song Sheng"s apartment. She had called Jinyi many times throughout different periods of the day to ask how she and Song Jun were doing. Jinyi typically responded with, "We"re okay," and "Take your time." Qian Meigui figured that they would be fine as adults; though, she can"t help but worry.
Qian Meigui adopted a routine between her and Song Sheng. She had already adapted to the living s.p.a.ce between them.
After work, she would go straight to his apartment—with the spare key card he had given her—and they would rotate on who made meals depending on who arrived first from work.
The apartment crowded with piles of doc.u.ments and case studies, and suddenly it felt like two years ago when they played detective in concern with her birth parents. Her memories contained moments like this, and then Qian Meigui still questions why did Song Sheng join the Entertainment Industry? He claims it was for a change in career, but there seemed to be more to it.
Still, Qian Meigui shrugged off the questions. She felt like things were running smoothly with him again, and she did not want to ruin it.
Qian Meigui prepared dinner by wearing a black ap.r.o.n, cooking several dishes for the two of them. Song Sheng informed her that he would be late because some of the scenes took place during the late afternoon.
After cooking and placing the food on plates, Song Sheng arrived home. He could smell the aroma of the meals; he could hear the sound of light music and the shuffling of Qian Meigui"s footsteps, as he recognized the pattern.
He set his briefcase down, loosening his tie, and removing his long coat. Qian Meigui had her hair bound in a ponytail, wearing a subtle smile, humming to herself according to the tune of the light music. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration to preparing the dishes for him, and he chuckled at how dedicated she looked.
Qian Meigui heard him enter and she smiled. "You"re home!" she said. But Qian Meigui flushed without him noticing, as she realized she called his apartment, home.
"Mhm," he said, "I brought something for you."
Qian Meigui glanced up from the dishes, surprised. What did he bring her?
Song Sheng dropped a box of pastries, and her eyes began to sparkle. Qian Meigui cursed him. How could he be doing this to her heart? But she shook the feelings.
"Thank you," she said with a soft smile.
"There"s one more thing," he said, but his face was grave. It could be nothing good.
"What is it?" she asked with her eyes widened in fear.
He opened his briefcase, slamming a news article in front of her face. The t.i.tle said, "President Song Ren Believes Legal Case Is Not Important." She quickly skimmed through the pages and found that the Jian"s have placed statements claiming that Song Ren was not present for the legal proceedings, and initially wanted to compensate until she accused the plaintiff of lying.
There were also more articles about Song Ren only showing her face to cover up the fact that she does not want to take responsibility for what happened to their son. Furthermore, there were pictures of Song Ren kissing a mystery man with the cap after addressing the public, and leaving the day after her announcement.
Qian Meigui curled her fingers around the edges of the article. She could not believe that the media was trying to stir against the family and company. The media never cared about the truth; they only wanted to spin lies and debate.
At last, Qian Meigui glanced up at Song Sheng, her face cold and unwilling to yield. Song Sheng appeared to be looking at her with a slight smile.
"Why don"t you look angry?" she asked.
Song Sheng leaned over. "Because I have confidence in you. In us," he began, "I have already spoken with Song Entertainment. They are shutting the news. Even if Song Ren is not close to them, she is still part of the family."
Qian Meigui nodded, "All right then. But do we tell her?"
"What do you think?" he asked, "If we tell her, she will come straight home."
Qian Meigui thought for a moment, "She"s on vacation with Su Feng. Perhaps they should announce their engagement," she said.
"That"s Song Ren"s choice. But I"m not sure she"s ready," he said.
"Why?" she asked.
"You haven"t figured it out? Because there are people after her. They will be out for Sun Group as well. You should know by now; Song Ren is protecting him."
Qian Meigui appeared to be stunned. "Is that why they haven"t announced it?"
"Mhm," he said.
"Song Ren is probably trying to lure those people out. The only people that know about their engagement are the two immediate families, the Su"s and the Song"s."
"So do you believe that some on the inside is trying to stir this?"
"Perhaps, but we don"t know for sure," he said.
Qian Meigui placed her hand under her chin. "We must be missing something," she claimed.
"Let"s connect the dots after we eat, shall we?"
Qian Meigui nodded. They both ate some rice with sweet and sour pork.
After dinner, they sat on the sofa with doc.u.ments spread across the table. "What do you think people are after Song Corporation?" Qian Meigui asked.
"There could be many. It could be revenge; it could be about our father, it could be about Sun Group as well."
"Hmm," Qian Meigui thought out loud, "Once Song Ren returns, we have to tell her."
"Of course."
"First things first, we must solve the case with the Jian"s. I think I found something." Qian Meigui handed something over to Song Sheng. His eyes widened slightly at what she showed him. He gave her a gentle, knowing smile. Qian Meigui felt entranced and momentarily stunned. Her heart skipped a beat, but she ignored it.
"When Song Ren returns, we will shut this down."
"Xiao Mei, you make me proud to know you."