In the west room of the Li family's house.
Closing the door, Mai Xingyang held Li Sixuan in his arms, his hoarse voice whispering in her ear, "You little liar, you made me too afraid to kiss you, worried you'd have trauma from your facial injury."
Li Sixuan chided, "You've stolen kisses before, haven't you?"
"Is it the same?"
Mai Xingyang's arm tightened around her. "Even though your mask was cut, when I kissed you, I touched the mask, and I was worried, not daring to ask for more."
Li Sixuan lightly punched his chest. "Are you complaining about me?"
"No."
Mai Xingyang shook his head. "I'm applying for benefits. Next time, can I take off your mask?"
"Mm."
"What?"
"Mm."
"Mm what?"
"Bang!"
Li Sixuan punched him hard in the chest. "Don't push your luck."
"Alright, alright."
Mai Xingyang quickly knew when to stop. Such matters weren't for discussion; he'd act them out next time.
...
When Li Weixin returned home, he was surrounded by his family, bombarded with questions about what had happened and why he was now just a friend.
Li Weixin recounted the events, and his family members laughed instead, saying it was Teacher Zhang giving him a chance and urging him to cherish it.
Li Weixin patted his chest. "Don't worry, she'll definitely be mine."
His family, however, was not reassured. They exhorted the two quiet children, saying their uncle was too foolish and that they must help according to the situation, just as they had done today by assisting their uncle's confession.
Li Sikun and Li Sixuan...
They felt exhausted. They were only third graders in the first semester, why did they have to worry about their elders' romantic lives?
...
In the capital, within the Xin Sheng Song Group, Song Shaoqing stood by the floor-to-ceiling window in the chairman's office, looking down at the ground. The height of over twenty stories made the pedestrians below appear as small as ants, yet his heart did not feel the sense of looking down on ants.
At any time, one's own standing was not measured by the height of their office. Of course, if this building belonged to his own group of companies, it would be a different measure.
Now, Sheng Song Group was merely a name, a tool in the hands of the Zheng family. Even as an empty shell, its centuries-old reputation was enough.
Yin Yu was still too young.
He regretted it; he had ruined his son.
If he hadn't taken his eight-year-old son to the Li family, the subsequent series of events would not have occurred, nor would his son have become so fixated on Li Sixuan, neglecting to learn everything a successor should master in terms of power and strategy.
Currently, his son's schemes and methods were childish and laughable in the eyes of some old foxes. He could deal with Zheng Xiuyue, as she was still swayed by his son's good looks.
Against others, he had no chance of winning. Take Jiang Junhu and Mai Xingyang, for example. Although his son had gained an advantage, he had still been outmaneuvered by the two. The current Xin Sheng Song, though successfully registered, was constantly constrained and unable to fully implement its plans.
How could a new company compete with an established old group with a renowned reputation?
A new company had the same leader as an old group, but its framework was unstable and exposed. Who would be willing to cooperate with a new company?
"Daddy."
Song Yinyu called out to his father, who had been standing by the window for a long time.
Song Shaoqing turned and walked to the desk, sitting down. He took out his phone and dialed, but heard a busy signal. Had he been blacklisted?
He put down his phone and dialed using the landline. After a long pause, the call was finally answered.
"Hello? Who is this?"
"Lu Shi, it's me, I... *Beep beep beep*..."
Song Shaoqing had only spoken five words before the call was hung up. He stared blankly at the receiver in his hand.
"Daddy."
Song Yinyu didn't understand why his father was calling Han Lushi.
Song Shaoqing slowly put down the receiver. "Yinyu, go and cancel the company."
"Why?"
Song Yinyu's voice rose in anxiety.
Song Shaoqing opened the drawer and began to tidy his belongings. "If you can't bear to, then you'll have to carry it yourself."
"A successor to a world-renowned company, wanting to rise again, doesn't need enemies to act; anyone who knows this successor will not offer any help. As for the reason, you'll understand if you put yourself in their shoes."
"I plan to go back. Even if Sheng Song Group is an empty shell, it's easier to make a comeback than with a new company."
"I would rather lose my life than hand over Sheng Song Group to your uncles; because Sheng Song Group belongs to the Song family."
"No family can be without hidden storms. Even your grandfather didn't obtain his successor status through normal means. Your uncles and great-uncles didn't fail to retaliate, but Sheng Song Group stood firm. Sheng Song Group still belongs to the Song family and remains a top ten global enterprise."
"I have failed the Song ancestors by raising a son who handed over Sheng Song Group to outsiders. If I don't go back and reclaim Sheng Song Group, I will have no face to see your grandfather and the Song ancestors in the afterlife."
Song Yinyu lowered his head. Wasn't he doing all this to save his father?
Song Shaoqing destroyed any traces of his signature and turned to his son. "I know you feel wronged, that you think you did it to save me, but I'll say it again, I would rather die than see Sheng Song Group change hands."
"I will join forces with your uncles. The condition is that once Sheng Song Group is recovered, I will withdraw from it. I will only keep ten percent of our original shares."
If he hadn't illegally seized Han Lushi's twenty percent, his son would never have let Sheng Song Group change hands. It was a pity that Han Lushi was unwilling to cooperate with him.
With this thought, he took out his phone and dialed Mai Xingyang.
"Hello?"
"Mai Xingyang, this is Song Shaoqing. Please listen to me for a few words."
Mai Xingyang glanced at his future father-in-law. "You speak, I won't hang up."
Song Shaoqing said, "Han Lushi owns twenty percent of Sheng Song Group's shares, which I illegally took possession of."
"Don't you feel sorry for him? Don't you feel angry that wealth you could have had has been taken by someone else?"
Mai Xingyang replied, "I don't."
Song Shaoqing choked.
Mai Xingyang continued, "I know what you mean. You want me to persuade Group Leader Han to legally reclaim those twenty percent shares. This would be of great help in you regaining Sheng Song Group."
"But why should I help you? And why should Group Leader Han help you?"
"Weren't these twenty percent shares given to Group Leader Han back then because he helped Sheng Song Group through a major crisis?"
"You decided you no longer needed Group Leader Han, a capable person, and so you seized them after you fell out with him."
"Now, Sheng Song Group is facing a greater crisis, and you want to use Group Leader Han to help you again. On what grounds? Because your thick skin makes you oblivious to shame, or what?"
"Let me tell you, your fight over Sheng Song Group has nothing to do with us or the Li family. Don't call us anymore. You might not find your behavior disgusting, but we certainly find it repugnant."
"Goodbye, I look forward to Sheng Song Group making headlines again."
Sigh!
Listening to the silence on the other end, Song Shaoqing sighed softly.
"Daddy."
Song Yinyu was displeased. "Why did you beg Mai Xingyang? He's already with Xuanxuan."
Hearing the unwillingness in his son's tone, Song Shaoqing sighed again. "Yinyu, sometimes what is not yours cannot be forced."
"The reason I sent you to the Li family back then was to let things take their natural course. I told you so, and you agreed."
"But after seeing Xuanxuan, you changed. You became too fixated on gaining Xuanxuan's and the Li family's approval."
"Think about Mai Xingyang's efforts. His efforts were in vain when Xuanxuan didn't approve."
"A good situation was ruined by one mistake. Mai Xingyang was helped by you. If you could have patiently waited for Mai Xingyang to make a mistake, then he would have been helped by you."
"At least there are four years of operating space. You were too hasty. Sigh!"
"By the way, your keeping Zhou Yufei in gilded confinement was an absolute mistake. Never mind what methods Zheng Xiuyue will use, even if Xuanxuan never gets married, she won't be with you."
"You haven't learned about power and strategy, nor have you learned how to control a woman's emotions. The mistake was that you were too indecisive, and from childhood, you couldn't bring yourself to be ruthless with Zhou Yufei, who pestered you."
"A man who is indecisive and tries to please everyone ends up with nothing. This is my final advice to you."
Watching his father's retreating back, Song Yinyu clenched his fists.