After hearing Jin Gui, Yingui and Mei Jinghan's description of the newly moved "neighbors" outside the yard, Song Shu was no longer too surprised to see Old Man Qin walking out of his own tea room.
But she could clearly feel that the moment she saw Qin Liang appear, Qin Lou, who was standing next to her, immediately made a tense and almost aggressive reaction.
Song Shu's eyes flickered slightly.
She took a step forward to block Qin Lou's view of Qin Liang, and at the same time, she put her hands behind her back and held Qin Lou's wrist calmly.
Mei Jinghan and Qin Yuzheng were not familiar with Qin Lou after all, and they did not notice the change in the young man's expression.
Qin Yuzheng was just stunned for a moment when he saw Qin Lou, then he turned to Old Man Qin beside him and gestured to Song Shu.
"Nannan, this is Mr. Qin who just moved in next door. He happens to have the same last name as us. It's a coincidence that you're back today, so come over and say hello to the old man."
"… "
Song Shu looked at Qin Liang for a few seconds, and after they reached some kind of tacit understanding, she lowered her eyes slightly and pulled Qin Lou over.
"Hello, Grandpa Qin, I'm Qin Qing."
Qin Liang obviously didn't expect that the fact that he moved here would be exposed so early. After recovering from the accident, he calmed down, turned his head and nodded to Qin Yuzheng: "He is a very good child."
Qin Yuzheng laughed, and his peripheral vision quickly swept over Qin Lou, whose figure was half blocked by Song Shu. Qin Yuzheng's face flashed a little embarrassment, and after hesitating for two seconds, he introduced: "This is the boss of Qin Qing's company. Well, the two have a good relationship... Speaking of which, he should be about the same age as your grandson."
"!"
As soon as these words were spoken, the three people in the living room, except Qin Yuzheng and Mei Jinghan and his wife, paused at the same time.
Song Shu came back to her senses and wanted to say something to make amends, but it was too late. Qin Lou behind her grabbed her wrist and pulled her behind him, sneering softly. Then Qin Lou slowly raised his eyes.
"Why, Mr. Qin only said that he has a grandson, but refused to say that your relationship as grandparents and grandchildren should have been severed long ago?"
When these words came out, Qin Yuzheng and Mei Jinghan were stunned.
Neither the husband nor the wife were stupid. After a moment of thought, they realized the truth of the matter through Song Shu's helpless expression and Qin Lou's undisguised hostility.
Qin Yuzheng paused with a smile, and turned to look at Qin Liang beside him, "Old sir, how are you and Qin Lou...?"
Qin Liang looked at Qin Lou for two seconds, then he sighed softly, "Sorry, I kept it from you. Qin Lou is my only grandson that I mentioned."
"… "
Although the couple had expected it, when they heard it, they still looked at each other in surprise and complexity.
The air in the living room was frozen for a few seconds, and Mei Jinghan broke the awkward silence, "Since we are a family, let's not stand here, let's go to the tea room, let's go to the tea room."
Qin Liang followed Qin Yuzheng and turned back to the tea room.
Behind him, Mei Jinghan winked at Song Shu and quickly followed.
Song Shu was silent for a few seconds, then turned to look at Qin Lou.
"Are you leaving?"
"…" The air was quiet for a moment, and Qin Lou seemed to slowly get rid of the depression. He raised his head slightly, "Uncle and aunt want us to go into the tea room."
"Then you can go too. It's nothing." Song Shu said, "I'll explain it to them separately later. They will understand."
"But that would be bad for you. Just like you were willing to pretend not to know him and address him respectfully for my sake, I can endure some things for you."
Song Shu was silent.
Qin Lou's hand holding Song Shu's wrist slowly slid down, he hooked her fingertips, and then tightened them little by little.
"Come in with me."
"But you don't want to see him."
"I don't want you to have any trouble because of me, especially for them - I know you sincerely regard them as your parents, and I will learn to cherish the people you love," Qin Lou paused here, then he frowned slightly, "Except Luan Qiaoqing, my IQ does not allow me to cherish her."
“—”
Song Shu was moved by Qin Lou's words before, but the next second he was in tears and laughter.
She shook her head slightly and said helplessly: "If Qiaoqiao hears what you said, she will probably make a fuss for several days."
"Anyway, it wasn't me who was making the fuss. It was most likely Chu Xiangbin."
"..." Song Shu couldn't refute, "Do you really want to go in?"
Qin Lou expressed through actions—
He held Song Shu's hand and walked towards the tea room.
After Qin Lou and Song Shu walked into the tea room, they found that only Mr. Qin was sitting next to the teapot. This surprised Song Shu a little, but he soon understood.
—Qin’s parents obviously intended to give them some time alone to deal with the problem.
Qin Lou could naturally think of the same questions that Song Shu could think of. He was silent for a few seconds, then took Song Shu's hand and walked to the table and sat down.
Qin Lou didn't say anything, just said, "If I were you, I wouldn't be ashamed to sit in this room."
Qin Liang was silent for a few seconds, "I just want to make some repairs to our relationship."
"Some things can be fixed, and some things can never be fixed—like this."
As he spoke, Qin Lou raised his hand, grasped a purple clay cup beside the table, and then slowly clenched it.
His fingertips pressed tightly against the wall of the cup, which was faintly white, and it looked like he was about to crush the cup in the next second - but Song Shu reached out and pressed on Qin Lou's wrist.
"They won't want to see you ruin a tea set first thing you do tonight."
"..." Qin Lou's hand suddenly loosened. He frowned in annoyance, glanced at Song Shu, and finally put down the teacup.
Qin Lou turned to Qin Liang and asked, "If I crushed this cup just now, do you think it can be repaired?"
Qin Liang frowned.
Before he could speak, Song Shu suddenly took over the conversation without any warning, "He originally wanted to crush the cup, then show you his bloody hands and tell you that the wound will be there forever."
Qin Liang was stunned. There was no emotion on the pretty face of the girl in his sight, and her tone was calm, but with a hint of disapproval.
The coolness was not directed at Qin Liang.
Qin Liang looked at Qin Lou—and Qin Lou obviously noticed it, he turned to Song Shu, "We should share the same hatred for the enemy."
"It won't work. You won't give up your hostility, and Mr. Qin won't give up his insistence. No matter how much you talk, you will always end up back to square one. I don't mind accompanying you—"
Song Shu paused, frowned and raised his eyes: “But what you just wanted to do makes me very unhappy.”
Qin Lou choked.
After a few seconds, he gave in and said, "I was wrong."
"Will it not happen again?"
"It won't happen again."
"..." Song Shu's frown relaxed slightly, and she turned back, "You guys continue."
The grandfather and grandson looked at each other for two seconds, and the emotions and words they had prepared for each other were long gone.
The two of them fell silent at the same time.
After a while, Qin Lou spoke first, his voice was low and muffled, almost like a kind of dissatisfaction but unwilling to show anger: "You did it on purpose."
Song Shu had finished the new tea in front of her. After putting down the cup, she calmly continued, "I don't want my parents to spend the last night of the year listening to your quarrels. They are getting old, so they should change to some more beneficial entertainment programs."
Qin Lou remained silent.
Qin Liang slowly stood up with the help of crutches.
"It's the last night of the old year. You really should spend it peacefully. I won't disturb you."
The old man's voice was vicissitudes.
After all, he was an old man who had been in the business world for too long. Song Shu couldn't tell how much truth and how much falsehood were in his words, and she was always too lazy to tell the difference.
Song Shu stood up and said, "I'll take you there."
Qin Liang wanted to say something, but finally nodded silently. He glanced at Qin Lou, who had never looked up at him again, sighed softly, and walked out with his cane.
Song Shu was about to leave, but Qin Lou grabbed him by the corner of his clothes.
"I'll be back soon," she said softly, almost coaxingly.
Qin Lou: "You don't have to see him off."
"If I don't do this, my parents will think I have lost even basic manners."
"..." Qin Lou reluctantly and helplessly let go of his hand.
Song Shu walked quickly to the outside of the tea room.
Walking through the corridor, out of the entrance hall, and into the yard outside the villa, the two rooms, one in front and one behind, were very quiet.
Arriving at the gate, Song Shu took the initiative to step forward and unlock the door. Just as she turned aside to make way for the passage, she heard the old man behind her sigh with a smile.
"In fact, it's a pleasant surprise for me to see you here tonight."
Song Shu was silent for two seconds, then spoke calmly, "I thought that since Mr. Qin had moved here on purpose, you had expected our meeting tonight, so there should be nothing surprising about it."
"No, tonight is different. After all, it's the transition from one year to the next. I thought I would have to cross it alone, but I didn't expect to see you and him."
"… "
The desolation in the old man's words, which was not deliberately exaggerated but came from the heart, made Song Shu's voice choke in his throat.
She was silent for a long time, "I wish you good health in the new year."
Qin Liang seemed stunned.
His eyes trembled slightly, and after a few seconds he spoke in a hoarse voice: "I thought you would never forgive me."
"I really won't." Song Shu said without hesitation, "I am not qualified to forgive you. The qualified person is buried underground and cannot tell me her answer."
"and you-"
"But I will give you the respect you deserve, because you are the only direct blood relative of Qin Lou alive. Just as he resents you for me, I will respect you for him - regardless of whether Mr. Qin can understand the relationship between us, this is how we are."
Song Shu paused and spoke again.
"And if you can't understand, then maybe I can tell you, Mr. Qin, that this is why, from the beginning to the end, Qin Lou could never truly become your grandson without any grudges."
"… "
Qin Liang's eyes trembled slightly.
Song Shu lowered his eyes calmly and continued, "He hates utilitarianism, and all the so-called love you give him has a purpose - whether it is for compensation, for atonement, for preservation, for self-forgiveness, or for forgiveness - every bit of care and love you give him has a price tag, and none of it is purely for him. And things that can be valued and traded are what he hates the most."
Song Shu paused and looked up, "Me too."
This time, Qin Liang's silence lasted exceptionally long.
After a long moment, he nodded slowly.
"I see. Anyway, thank you for telling me this."
"… You're welcome."
Song Shu moved sideways to make way to the outside of the courtyard.
"Take care, I won't see you off."
Qin Liang walked out slowly, slowly, leaning on a cane.
Looking at the somewhat hunched back that no longer matched the vigorous and strong figure in his memory, Song Shu finally lowered his eyes.
Her voice was very soft.
"I know that you really took care of us before we thought we were dead. Just like, I really think of you as my grandfather."
"!"
Qin Liang's back suddenly stopped.
"I didn't like to talk during those years, maybe I owed you one."
She raised her eyes and turned slightly in the night.
"Happy New Year, Grandpa."
After a while, the sound of the villa door closing came from behind.
With his back to the dim light on the courtyard gate, Qin Liang's cloudy eyes hidden in the shadows slowly turned red.
"I'm sorry..."
The old man's voice was blown away by the wind into the night.
I don't know who it blew to.
After New Year’s Day, there is only a month left until the official New Year’s Eve.
The year-end performance appraisal and the annual financial statements that need to be published before the end of January have reached the final stage, and the company is busy in full swing.
The Human Resources Department is the most affected.
Performance appraisal was originally the top priority of their department. In the past, when Raymond Lam was there, Luan Qiaoqing basically slacked off. This year, the person involved in the case was under trial, and Chu Xiangbin was transferred from Lu Yunkai's group. He was not familiar with the HR department's procedures, which made Luan Qiaoqing very busy.
As the countdown reaches the last month before the end of the year, the company's annual meeting has to be put on the agenda.
Luan Qiaoqing was already overwhelmed with the performance appraisal. As soon as the task for the annual meeting was assigned from the 22nd floor, she wished she could be cut into two pieces on the spot.
The Human Resources Department already had a logistics group, but it lacked someone who could take the lead. To be able to manage this kind of big company event held annually, one must have someone at least at the department head level or above. However, right now, anyone at the department head level or above in the company is having a hard time, as there is simply no one who can be seconded.
When Luan Qiaoqing was most anxious, she habitually turned her gaze to Song Shu.
After being pestered by Luan Qiaoqing for half a week, Song Shu finally gave in.
"Let me make this clear first," Song Shu said helplessly, "I have never organized such an annual meeting before, so I don't know all the details. At most, I will follow the process records left over from previous years and will only be responsible for checking and supervising the progress."
"That's enough, that's enough!" Luan Qiaoqing nodded repeatedly and hugged Song Shu tightly, "It turns out that you are the only one who is my biological sister. No one else can be trusted!"
Song Shu pushed her away with disdain. "This is your job, and you still need others to rely on you? If you continue to be a vain person next year, I will ask the 22nd floor to replace you with someone more capable and competent without anyone asking me to do so."
Luan Qiaoqing was scolded by her cousin until she was depressed, but she couldn't refute a single word and could only accept it with grievance.
So from that day on, the first thing Song Shu did when he arrived at the company almost every morning was to go to the Human Resources Department on the 8th floor to inquire about the logistical progress of the annual meeting.
The biggest benefit is probably that matters that require 22 levels of decision-making can be finalized in the shortest time through her.
After the news of the department dinner during the New Year's Eve spread, everyone in the company knew that assistant "Qin Qing" was favored by the general manager on the 22nd floor. No one dared to offend her, and even the gossip behind her back decreased a lot.
Until a person appeared and threw a stone into the gradually calming lake of Vio.
The first ripples spread to the Human Resources Department.
On a Monday morning, when there were less than 20 days left until New Year's Eve, Song Shu had just arrived at the assistant secretary group on the 22nd floor when he saw Luan Qiaoqing coming out of the elevator in a menacing manner and heading straight for the general manager's office.
Song Shu was startled, put down the documents at hand, stood up and walked outside the office area to stop the man.
"What are you doing up here so early in the morning?"
"Where is Qin Lou! I want to see him!" Luan Qiaoqing's face flushed.
Song Shu frowned slightly, "There was a small problem at the E Country Office, so he went on a business trip."
Luan Qiaoqing was stunned, "Then why didn't you go?"
Song Shu glanced at her coldly, "Why didn't I go?"
"Oh yeah, the annual meeting is coming soon, right?" Luan Qiaoqing gritted her teeth, "Bah, you're so angry that I'm confused."
Song Shu asked in confusion: "What happened?"
"… "
Luan Qiaoqing hesitated several times before finally gritting her teeth and speaking.
"I just received a notice that Song Ruyu is returning to China—how dare she come back after what her mother did?!"
The author has something to say: There will be two more chapters in the afternoon