Chapter 19, Chapter 19, pressed directly against his Adam's apple.

From a very early age, Song Mingli noticed that his Xiaoxue was different from others.

While his male classmates were all big boys who ate their way out of poverty, Xiao Xue, who was so thin and clean-cut in the cafeteria, sat among a group of rascals, eating only half or less of what they did.

During that time, not only was he worried, but Aunt He also tried every day to get him to eat more. However, no matter how carefully she was cared for, Xiaoxue, who was in her growth period, quickly lost her last bit of baby fat and showed the cold and melancholy nature of life.

Song Mingli sighed softly.

How can there be such a child? Even though I keep an eye on him every day, I still feel like I might lose him.

Sure enough, Ying Shixue patronized the newly selected dishes and graciously finished the entire small bowl.

Song Mingli looked at his slightly puffed-up, fair cheek, his fingertips pausing subtly as he resisted the urge to touch it and looked away: "The birthday party is the night after tomorrow. There will be a lot of people coming. I've prepared gifts and clothes for you. Don't think too much, just have fun."

Ying Shixue slowed her chewing and nodded.

—

As a highly influential figure in SK and even the entire Deen State, Song Qi's birthday celebration has long transcended the simple act of celebrating a birthday. It is more like a grand banquet for the entire group, with business partners, important subordinates, and various delicately balanced interests coming and going. The bustling traffic and the luxurious atmosphere under the night lights are even more apparent. A row of luxury cars of various colors, rarely seen outside, are parked on the green lawn of the manor.

bedroom

Song Mingli stood in front of the huge floor-length mirror and fastened the last cufflink: "Are you dressed?"

Ying Shixue emerged from the fitting room, head bowed, intently adjusting her tie around her collar: "Just a moment..."

The dresses were all custom-made, tried on, ironed, and delivered this morning. The workmanship was exquisite. The only drawback was that they were a bit troublesome to put on. I don't know if it's the designer's style or if this particular dress was like that. It took him quite a while to put on all these layers of clothing.

This tie was different from the usual ones that could be tied in a normal knot. It was a thin, silver, brocade silk tie. He had tried to tie it twice, but had to undo it each time because of the wrinkles. Just as he was about to tie it a third time, a pair of hands took the tie from his hands.

Ying Shixue was caught off guard and he actually took it. Before she could even say, "I can do it myself," he had already deftly twisted his fingers and made a knot.

He tilted his head slightly: "I..."

"Look up." The man's voice was deep and pleasant.

Ying Shixue subconsciously did as he was told. Song Mingli held the end of the tie with one hand, and with the other hand, he naturally curled two fingers. As the knot slowly tightened, it pressed precisely against Ying Shixue's Adam's apple.

The feeling of being pressed down on this place is very strange. Such a small thing is being pressed down by the knuckles, not too hard, not too soft. Even though I am just tying a tie, I inexplicably have the illusion that other more important parts of my body are being restrained.

Just a second before Ying Shixue couldn't help but reach out to push him away, Song Mingli naturally let go, straightened his clothes, and said with a deep gaze, "Very beautiful."

That's absolutely true. Looking around the room, you probably couldn't find anyone more handsome than Young Master Ying.

The guests' gazes were filled with curiosity, envy, or astonishment. They glanced at him subtly and whispered among themselves. Ying Shixue held a wine glass, leaning against the table with his back to her. He took a sip of wine as if he were oblivious to their presence. The hall was brightly lit, casting a cold yet dazzling light on his head. His pure white suit made him seem otherworldly.

"Look, that's the second young master of the Song family."

"Why is he standing there all by himself? Isn't anyone going to talk to him?"

"Hmph," the man scoffed, "This young master has high standards. In his first year here, President Song announced his existence. Some people tried to curry favor with him, but he turned them all away."

"Really? We've heard very little about him these past few years..."

"How old were they back then? Besides, they had a proper prince as an older brother."

A chorus of boos erupted.

After a long while, someone sighed, but there was a hint of pity in their voice: "I heard that you're going to choose a university soon, right? I wonder where you'll be sent."

They were about ten meters apart, a very delicate distance. The potted plants provided excellent cover, concealing their figures, yet words could still be carried by the flowing wind.

Ying Shixue maintained the same posture of holding the wine glass as before, as if she were not the person they had just been talking about so casually. She stared at the swirling liquid in the glass with a normal expression, her thoughts already drifting back to half an hour ago.

"You're too late."

Song Qi sat in the main seat of the study, his expression and tone indifferent.

Over the years, he has not been involved in the specific business of the group, and only appears when making some major decisions. However, his accumulated prestige over the years is still there. When he sits there and looks at people with his eyelids lifted, he appears particularly imposing and unfathomable.

Song Mingli replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "I was delayed on the way here."

He took out the gift list and handed it over: "The gifts for this year are all listed here. The writing brush, ink, and paper are all ordinary, but I specially found the inkstone. The purple jade statue is a gift from Xiaoxue. Please take a look and see if it suits your taste."

Song Qi took the gift list and glanced at it. The study was quiet. After a moment, he simply grunted in response, closed the gift list, and put it aside. His tone finally softened: "Good taste."

“These are all superficial things. You should focus more on your career in your daily life,” Song Qi said, taking a sip from the teacup on the table. “I heard that you’ve been negotiating a contract with Jitai Medical recently. It’s a good opportunity. If you do it well, it could greatly expand SK’s prospects in this field. However, the biomedical industry is sensitive. Five years have passed, and we need to be more cautious in this critical period.”

He offered a few more tips, all related insider information. After all, he had dominated the business world of Fancheng for decades, and his experience was definitely worth listening to.

After saying a few words, he seemed a little tired: "Go ahead, I'll go to the front hall later."

The study door closed again, and the secretary standing outside bowed respectfully to see them off.

Ying Shixue followed him down the steps, and suddenly asked as if possessed, "If the cooperation with Guangyun is successful, when will the first batch of goods be launched?"

Song Mingli paused for a moment, then replied naturally, "This week."

This week.

Ying Shixue closed her eyes. This week, at such a grand and crucial time, almost all the celebrities of De'en State were gathered here. If Song Mingli, who had gradually taken over SK, were to be exposed at this time for selling counterfeit liquor smuggled by private individuals in the contracts he had signed, even if it would not shake the foundation of the group, such a scandal would definitely make it difficult for him to recover for a long time.

With such a tightly linked and meticulously planned scheme, could it really be that the signing of the contract was just a coincidence, and that it happened to coincide with a period of high-level corruption within the company, with Dong Yu just happen to be the person behind it who had a grudge against the Song family?

Or perhaps there has always been a pair of cold, sinister eyes, watching and observing this place from a very, very long time ago.

Ying Shixue slowly exhaled. Even though the air conditioning in the hall was on full blast, the large number of people created a mix of smells, perfumes, alcohol, and clinking glasses, making it easy to feel dizzy if you stayed there for too long.

He put down his wine glass and walked outside.

The air outside was indeed fresh, and the air was already slightly cool at night. Music drifted from afar, and the fountain splashed up crystal-clear light on the lush grass.

This is a property acquired in the early years. Although it is called a manor, it actually covers almost half a mountain and is the private property of the Song family. The magnificent hall we just saw is only one of the many buildings in the manor.

He walked slowly along the cobblestone path. The hall was cleverly divided into east and west sections. The east side was more like a social gathering place, while the west side had a swimming pool, dance floor, and other facilities, and was mostly frequented by young people.

As soon as the two left Song Qi's study, Song Mingli was called away to give a pre-meeting speech and conduct business negotiations.

I hadn't realized that I had walked halfway around the hall and ended up on the west side.

This side was noticeably more lively, with the sounds of young people laughing, playing, chasing each other, bursting into loud laughter every now and then, the clinking of glasses, the rustling of clothes, and the cacophony of men and women all blending together.

Ying Shixue frowned, decisively stopped stepping inside, and planned to turn around and go somewhere else, when suddenly a whistle rang out from afar: "Don't go!"

Several people around him looked in the direction of his whistle and gasped in surprise, covering their mouths.

The others in the room seemed to have noticed as well, and they all looked over in that direction, their faces showing surprise.

He should stop wiping away the snow and look back coldly at the past.

This is an outdoor swimming pool. Usually, those with some family talent are taken to the east side by their parents to socialize. Most of those still gathered here are good-for-nothing rich kids. Although they are not so ignorant as to rashly go into someone else's pool in their swimsuits, judging from the chaotic state they were in when they arrived, they were not much better.

There were about a dozen people, both men and women. The one who was surrounded in the middle, the one who had whistled at him first, was wearing a flashy, open-front suit with a lace cutout. He raised an eyebrow at him.

"Little beauty, come play!"

He half-removed his sunglasses, and as if he had finally recognized the person in front of him, he exclaimed, "Young Master Ying, it's you!"

Ying Shixue stood still and coldly uttered two words: "Zhan He".

"It's me, it's me," Zhan nodded. He was actually quite good-looking, inheriting his parents' deep-set eyes. Even without showing his whole face, he had a somewhat wicked handsomeness. Although he was unreliable and glib, he could still make some young girls blush.

Ying Shixue looked away with some disgust. Zhan He clicked his tongue, then laughed and casually patted the face of the person next to him: "Look, they have a proper background, which is why they're different from us. How arrogant they are."

His female companion dared not say more and awkwardly agreed.

“Go,” Zhan He said coldly, seemingly casually pointing to someone in the group: “Go and offer a toast to Young Master Ying.”