Song Ren left the room with Qian Meigui leaving Song Sheng alone with the Alpha.
"Sheng," his father called him distantly, quietly. "You were rather quiet during this meeting."
"Was I?" Song Sheng questioned sarcastically.
"I know why you are doing this."
Song Sheng narrowed his eyes, "Do you now?" he responded coldly.
"Is it not the same reason why you left?" his father finished.
Song Sheng scoffed coldly, "You misunderstand me father; I left the company for two reasons."
Remained sitting, he positioned himself to rest his elbows on his lap, leaning in. "I can"t bear to look at you for what you"ve done. You have something to do with Xiao Mei"s parents."
"What do you know?" asked his father, his eyes cold and distant. The father aspect of him was gone, masked with the head of a company.
"I am not entirely sure, but I have reason to believe you are responsible for their deaths. I think you covered it up and took Xiao Mei in because you hope to use her someday."
Father Song laughed. "Is that what you believe?" he asked. "I never believed to have raised such a stupid son. Their deaths had nothing to do with me. I was truly their friend and took Mei in from the guilt of not protecting them."
"Then why are you hiding it?" he almost yelled though he did not dare afraid of anyone else hearing.
Song Rui stared at his son with sheer coldness, as if he was disowning him with the weight of his fury.
"I"ve covered it well to keep Mei safe. If you try to find any more information about her family, you do not only compromise the company; you also compromise her safety."
Sheng considered it, his face not revealing any emotion. "Is Mei in danger?" He had to ask.
Father Song shook his head. "No," he began, "because she"s within our family registry. Luckily Qian is a common name, so even if people were to find out she was adopted, they can"t track her towards her parents. They were people who kept a low profile, but I do not risk it at all."
Song Sheng crossed his arms and questioned, "If her parents were low-profile, then why is finding information about their background almost impossible. I worked with computer scientists and hackers alike, yet neither of them was able to find anything about the details of their death. The autopsy reports claim that it was a car accident, which is true. But what about the damages to the car? It was taken to the yard immediately and crushed. Also, when they drove, they weren"t attending a celebration. They were fleeing. Why is that?" he asked.
"There are some things that are best for you not to know," his father dismissed. Song Rui stood up and left the room without another word for him.
Song Sheng remained seated on the luxurious sofa. It was different from the last one before he left home. It had been too long, and Song Sheng felt guilty for not greeting his family.
As soon as he woke up this morning he arrived only to attend this meeting. Song Ren would take his position, and she would do well for the company. Perhaps it was because that Su Feng guy had always known how to push her forward.
He thought of leaving the house quietly when he left the room. But he was met with his siblings in the foyer of their home.
"Where are you going?" asked Song Jinyi.
"I am going to my apartment," he said coldly.
Jinyi clenched her fingers on the hem of her skirt, and said, "You are not staying for the afternoon? You"re the worst!" she said before storming out. Song Jun was quiet and left with her. His face composed, but his eyes were furious.
Qian Meigui was left rooted to the ground when she glanced up at him. Song Sheng was staring at her with iciness before he stormed out of the house.
She could not understand why he was pus.h.i.+ng everyone away. She knew that Song Sheng used to do things on his own, but she felt like he should not be treating them with the cold shoulder.
Song Sheng strode away, heading towards the gate. Feeling a burst of courage, she ran after him.
"Song Sheng!" she called him out. He paused abruptly before turning around. And with the bright light of the afternoon sun, she caught a better glance at his handsome features.
While Song Ren was beautiful, Song Sheng was breathtakingly handsome. His almond-shaped golden-flecked eyes met hers, narrowed and focused. Strands of his black hair fell over his eyes. And she had to look away, even after many years of knowing him she could never face him directly.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Why are you leaving?" She demanded an answer.
"I have to unpack and have some business to attend to after."
"Why don"t you stay?" she asked, almost begged.
After a moment of silence and staring at the ground, Qian Meigui felt a hand ruffling her hair. She glanced up at him, her heart warmed. He looked at her with a subtle smile. Song Sheng was rather cold and aloof much like their father, but he was kind, gentle, and patient with those he cared about.
Qian Meigui knew that if she were anyone else, that he would not even acknowledge her. But as his adoptive sister, he was not afraid to reveal his gentle side.
"I"m sorry Xiao Mei," he began, "Ren is angry with me, and I"ve disappointed the family."
Qian Meigui"s lips parted, "No! That"s not true. Just stay and...and..." she was at a loss for words. He looked at her again with a smile as sweet as honey and said, "It"s better that they hate me; I hate myself."
"But they don"t hate you. Please visit some day if not now."
Song Sheng smiled again and gazed into her eyes as he tucked a strand of hair behind her ears, unexpectedly. His gaze was so piercing that her brain forgot what she wanted to say to him next. His fingers remained behind her ear as the beat of her heart sped up.
Song Sheng let go of her and tucked his hands away before saying. "I"ll call you, all right?" he said. Qian Meigui smiled, "All right."
Qian Meigui watched the silhouette of his back as he walked past the gate. Her heart kept beating rapidly, and she did not understand why.