Chapter 55 He made a peace sign with a blank expression.

Ying Shixue's eyelids twitched, and she retaliated by giving him a hard elbow.

Song Mingli exaggeratedly leaned onto his shoulder, wrapping his arms around his waist.

He looks tall and imposing in a suit, but he's actually quite heavy, with dense muscles that make him look like a mountain when he's on.

She didn't actually reach out to hold his hand again; she had only teased him a little in response to his words.

The air fell into a long-lost stillness, and the two of them embraced and leaned on each other.

"What are you thinking about?" Song Mingli asked lazily.

"I was thinking," Ying Shixue pushed him, her voice tinged with resentment, "you're so heavy..."

Song Mingli chuckled softly then, moving away from him slightly: "You want to leave here?"

Ying Shixue corrected him: "It's not that I'm leaving, it's just that there are still things I haven't finished doing."

Their eyes met, and Song Mingli's hand on his waist gradually tightened.

Ying Shixue wrapped her arms around his neck and gently kissed him.

The kiss was incredibly tender and comforting; even through the thin fabric, one could clearly feel the other person's heartbeat.

The ambiguous and secretive sound of water echoed in the room, and Song Mingli's aura was extremely excited, with the veins on his forearms bulging.

During a brief pause between kisses, Ying Shixue straightened up slightly, but he pressed her head back down.

"I want to see your daily schedule."

"Um."

"You must be back before 8 p.m. every night."

"Um."

"We need to video chat during lunch."

"......Um."

"You have to tell me in advance what you're going to do when you go out."

"Um."

"You are not allowed to smile at others for no reason, nor are you allowed to talk to them too much."

"..."

Song Mingli's hand moved upwards in a half-threatening gesture.

Ying Shixue nodded helplessly: "I understand."

—

8:00 AM

The elevator doors opened immediately, and Ying Shixue, dressed in a black suit, stepped straight out.

He strode with great strides, which made him appear particularly firm and resolute. The wind beside him lifted a corner of his clothes, and his face was cold and solemn in the morning light.

SK's top-level office has finally welcomed its owner back. Those who had inevitably become a little lazy because he had been away for days immediately sat up straight, looking like professional elites.

Ying Shixue's gaze swept over them, and Fang Zhi stepped forward to greet her: "President Ying..."

He had already reviewed the reports from the past few days. Overall, Song Mingli truly lived up to his reputation. Even though he hadn't touched this field for many years, he still had a basic level of familiarity with it. All departments and areas were operating smoothly, and the project was progressing according to plan.

The morning flew by, and soon it was lunchtime.

The news of his return after recovering from his illness must have already been spread by those with ulterior motives. I just got my phone back this morning and logged into my work account, only to find that there were countless unread messages from the past twenty days, and many of the contacts' last messages were sent this morning.

Xi Bojian: [Have you looked at the contract for that project in the north of the city?]

[The local chronicle says you're sick, are you alright?]

Where have you been these days?

Why aren't you replying to my messages?

I know a restaurant that just received a new batch of seafood via air freight. Let's have dinner together tonight!

Ying Shixue switched out without any hesitation, ignoring other information that wasn't particularly relevant. Just as she was about to exit, she caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye, paused, and clicked on a chat interface for someone whose profile picture was of a flower and bird painting.

The note reads: "Uncle De, [Xiao Ying, do you want me to have someone send you that purple clay teapot you left behind when you came to my place last time?]"

The message was sent ten days ago, when he was still at his most confused.

This was said in a very veiled way, but the hidden meaning was quite clear: he was subtly asking if he was alright and if he needed anyone's help.

However, Ying Shixue certainly couldn't reply to him at that time. He estimated his schedule for the week and typed a few words: "Leave it with you for now, Uncle De. I'll pick it up next week and visit you then."

Uncle De replied quickly: "That's good. I'll keep it safe for you and wait for you to come and get it."

After typing "OK," Ying Shixue flipped her phone face down, leaned back in her chair, and gently pressed her temples with her long, slender fingers at a moderate pace, finally showing signs of weariness in her eyes.

I haven't gotten up this early in a long time; my bones have become so lax.

Lunch from today was also laid out on the table: four dishes and a soup. Even though the portions were small, the table was still quite full.

Ying Shixue picked up the chopsticks and rice, and reflexively reached for some vegetables. But halfway through, she seemed to remember something, paused, put down the chopsticks, picked up her phone, and turned on the camera.

He wasn't someone who cared much about food; he usually ate more to quickly replenish his energy. So taking pictures of his food in such a serious manner felt a little strange.

Fortunately, his aesthetic sense is still good, and the food looks quite appetizing in the photos.

Ying Shixue sent the photo to her only pinned contact and then lowered her head to start eating.

Almost the very next second after he sent the message, his phone vibrated again.

[The nutrition seems fairly balanced, but with only two bites of each item, will it be enough to fill me up?]

Ying Shixue picked up her phone, about to reply, when another message came through.

Where is Little Snow's selfie?

The phone was slammed face down onto the table with a hint of anger.

They're pushing their luck!

Ying Shixue stuffed a mouthful of rice into his mouth, a mouthful that was noticeably larger than the usual amount he would take, causing a small bulge to form on the side of his cheek.

He chewed with his eyelashes drooping and no emotion in his eyes. Song Mingli really shouldn't be spoiled. He's too good at taking advantage of others. I should have agreed to those ridiculous requests of his yesterday.

Half a minute later, he swallowed the mouthful of rice, switched his phone camera to the front, raised his left hand a little further away, and expressionlessly gave a peace sign to himself and the food on the table.

As soon as the photo was sent, a video call request came in.

The uniform electronic ringtone was jarring, startling Ying Shixue. He then realized he was in his own office, where the soundproofing and privacy measures were excellent.

The phone kept ringing. For some reason, Ying Shixue's fingers trembled slightly, and she accidentally answered it.

Song Mingli's handsome face with its distinct features appeared on the screen. He seemed to be in an office somewhere, with bookshelves and white walls behind him.

With a hint of a smile in her eyes, she deliberately moved closer to the screen, subtly flirting with it, showcasing her superior eye shape and eyelashes.

Ying Shixue moved her phone further away and didn't say anything.

Song Mingli: "I'm fine, I just wanted to see you."

He instructed, "Put your phone on the shelf next to the water glass... the one that was peeking out from next to the first photo, just put it there and you can eat."

When Ying Shixue was adjusting the position of her phone, she touched the red hang-up button several times, but in the end she didn't press it.

He continued eating quietly, his eating speed slow and his posture elegant.

The phone was held a little distance away from him, capturing most of his upper body in the photo. When he lowered his eyelashes to pick up food, his neck appeared long and his collarbone slender.

He had almost finished eating and was about to call someone in to clean up when Song Mingli on the other end of the screen noticed something: "Xiaoxue."

His voice was deep and cold, and his stern expression was extremely intimidating. If his subordinates saw him, they would most likely be too frightened to speak.

Ying Shixue's hand tightened unconsciously as he put down his chopsticks. He had been living with Song Mingli ever since he was about thirteen and had recovered to normal. Many of his ways of doing things and his skills were taught to him by Song Mingli.

At this moment, Song Mingli was caught off guard and his face turned serious. Although he was no longer a teenager, he still felt his heart skip a beat.

Song Mingli: "Let me see how much rice you ate?"

Her desire to destroy the evidence and leave no trace could no longer be concealed. Ying Shixue picked up the small bowl of rice and was about to put it in her mouth when Song Mingli's voice came from over there again: "Don't force yourself to eat, eat slowly with the dishes."

Ying Shixue pursed her lips, and finally, under his gaze, she ate some rice and vegetables obediently.

Half an hour later, the phone call ended abruptly. There was a crisp knock on the office door, and Si Chengjun raised an eyebrow at him mischievously: "May I come in now, young master?"

This place is located in the east of Brahma City. It was recently completed. If it weren't mentioned, no one would know that the tycoon who has recently aroused everyone's curiosity in Brahma City has chosen this site.

Although it doesn't occupy an entire building complex in the most prime downtown location like the SK Tower, it boasts a superior environment and convenient transportation after the new subway line opens. With the addition of various brands, it will only become more and more prosperous in the future.

More importantly, when Chengjun walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling glass window, the floor was extremely high with a wide view. On a clear day, it could overlook half of the city of Brahma. In terms of location, it also echoed the SK Tower.

"You're being a bit too mushy," Si Chengjun said as he sat down on the sofa in the reception area and poured himself a glass of water.

"As soon as he got back, he grabbed me and started playing some kind of imprisonment game. We finally got to be apart for half a day, and then he kept talking on the phone for so long."

Song Mingli ignored his teasing remarks: "How's things going?"

Si Chengjun took a sip of water from his cup. He and Song Mingli were the same age, but his family had been in politics for generations, so he naturally followed the same path.

He wore a standard black jacket and white shirt. His abstinent and sultry hairstyle from his teenage years had been changed to a short, neat haircut. His face was refined and gentle when he wore gold-rimmed glasses. Only when he occasionally raised his eyelids did he reveal the ruthlessness and cunning he was born with.

Even sitting on a soft sofa, he is sitting upright.

Without saying much, he started talking about the information he had collected over the past few days.

The turmoil seven years ago did not only affect SK, but he only vaguely realized later that it must have also involved the power struggle among several military and political bigwigs in the capital.

Several deeply rooted and centuries-old forces fell from power, while several others rose to power, causing the situation to become unpredictable and volatile. Even the Si family lost several of its supporters because of their close ties with other factions. He had originally only spent two years in the lower levels of the city to accumulate experience, but he never expected that he would not return to Fancheng for another seven years.

"...For the past few years, I've been secretly collecting evidence of the Xi family and those other families' illegal and unethical practices. I've discovered that they..."

The sound of conversation began, and what was displayed on the desktop computer was something that could shake half of the Taide region.

"But there are still loopholes in our evidence points, look here..."

Si Chengjun pointed to those lines of data: "Recently, the laws and oversight have become increasingly sophisticated, and they are acting very cautiously, unless the benefits are large enough to force them to take another risk, but that would be too dangerous..."

He paused abruptly at this point.

The afternoon weather was not as clear as in the morning. Several layers of dark clouds rolled up in the blue sky, and a storm was brewing. Perhaps because of the dim light, Song Mingli's face looked particularly gloomy and cold.

Si Chengjun frowned slightly, unable to suppress his expression, closed his notebook, and slowly straightened up: "Wait, you wouldn't..."

Song Mingli's lips twitched, his handsome features revealing a chilling aura of evil and ferocity born from bloodshed.

His voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the empty room: "The greatest hatred in the world is killing one's father and mother..."

He uttered the last two words: "Snatch, wife."