Chapter 67 is ambiguous and highly suggestive.

However, that moment of distraction was only fleeting. Ying Shixue quickly regained his senses, only now noticing that Song Mingli had not yet spoken to him.

He stood there hesitantly. Song Mingli looked up, smiled slightly, and pointed towards the floor-to-ceiling window with his chin slightly raised: "The view from here is great, isn't it?"

Looking towards the NX Building, one can see that it is extremely tall and offers a panoramic view of a large part of the city. It must be even more spectacular at night.

Song Mingli had already gotten up from his seat and walked towards him, finally stopping just thirty centimeters behind him.

Ying Shixue was looking at the scenery outside the French windows. He nodded, then looked away and was about to say something when his forehead unexpectedly brushed against Song Mingli's lips as he turned his head. His face was only millimeters away from Song Mingli's chest.

Just as he was about to touch her, a tingling sensation ran through his body like an electric current. It was still too strange to be discussing business in such a bright and clean room. Ying Shixue subconsciously tried to lean back and create some distance, but Song Mingli grabbed his forearm first.

A surge of scalding heat rushed up the spot where he was being grabbed. Song Mingli looked down at him, his gaze naturally condescending due to his height, his tone businesslike, as if no different from any other collaboration they had ever discussed:

"Will Ying always come to me to discuss future collaborations?"

That's a somewhat ambiguous question. It was clearly you who stopped him and had your assistant bring him up, but if you insist on saying it that way, it's not wrong either; Ying Shixue did need to discuss the next quarter with him again...

“Hmm,” Ying Shixue responded, “that piece of land on Anshi Road…”

Song Mingli interrupted him: "As far as I know, Baiwei has the same standard design as SK, but they are willing to give up three percentage points in profit."

Ying Shixue looked directly at him. Her figure was slender and upright under her white shirt. Her tone was calm and polite: "The terrain there is complicated and it is not easy to design. Bai Wei lowered the price because he was not confident in their plan... I believe that President Song chose such a place because he values ​​the fact that the transportation will become more and more developed after it is built. He is aiming to make it a landmark building. SK is confident that it can do this project the best it can."

Song Mingli grunted in affirmation: "A very convincing statement."

He seemed genuinely considering the feasibility of these words, but after a long pause, he still smiled and said, "But many things are still uncertain. Before everything is settled, no one knows who the final winner will be. That's undeniable."

They were standing very close together; when Song Mingli spoke, he could even feel the airflow blowing past his ear.

If another person were present, they would recognize that it was a distance far beyond normal social interaction.

What's going on here?

Ying Shixue was suspicious, but she looked at him calmly and asked, "So, what does President Song mean—?"

"Actually, it's not difficult to do," Song Mingli slowly moved his body, and Ying Shixue's feet also began to move slightly as he moved. The second hand turned silently until Ying Shixue felt a chill on her lower back, as if she had touched something cold and hard.

He snapped back to his senses and realized that he had unknowingly retreated to the edge of the table. His instincts kicked in, and Song Mingli finally revealed his true intentions, pressing his hand against that narrow waist and slamming him hard onto the table.

The hem of his shirt was pulled out, and the rough calluses on his palms traced a gentle upward motion, scraping against his delicate, fair skin in an ambiguous and suggestive manner. He tried to move but couldn't pull away; instead, his hand was pressed even tighter. The man's voice was deep and magnetic:

"That depends on how much of a bargaining chip Mr. Ying is willing to offer..."

Song Mingli lowered his head, and their lips were about to touch when suddenly there were two urgent knocks on the door.

"boss!"

Ying Shixue's eyes cleared instantly, and she reached out to push Song Mingli away. Of course, Song Mingli wasn't pushed, but the atmosphere that had been painstakingly created in the office was completely gone. At this moment, he was so angry and irritable that he wanted to devour someone.

With veins bulging on his arm, Mo Wen knew the two of them were in the office. He was usually discreet enough not to disturb them unless something really happened.

Ying Shixue had clearly thought of that too, and he chuckled as he patted Song Mingli's shoulder, saying, "Alright, we'll talk about it when we get back tonight..."

Song Mingli got up from him somewhat reluctantly, but before opening the door, he was still not satisfied and grabbed the man and kissed him hard.

Ying Shixue was surprised by his sudden return, her pupils contracted and then widened. Song Mingli bit her twice before straightening his clothes and carefully tidying up Ying Shixue's attire to ensure nothing was exposed. Only then did his expression turn serious, and he said in a deep voice, "Come in."

The office doorknob was turned, and as soon as Si Chengjun entered and saw the two of them standing together, he exclaimed "Oh!" and then sat down on the sofa without any ceremony. He poured himself a cup of tea and said with a smile, "Did I disturb you?"

He then looked at Ying Shixue and waved, "Xiaoxue, long time no see."

Mo Wen remained standing at the door, not daring to look the boss in the eye, and quickly closed the door and left the battle to someone else.

Ying Shixue greeted him, "Brother Jun."

Song Mingli's expression was displeased, and his tone was indifferent: "It's good that you know."

He almost choked on the tea he had just drunk. Si Chengjun coughed twice, grabbed a tissue, and looked at him speechlessly.

Her suit jacket was nowhere to be seen; she was only wearing a vest underneath, which accentuated her broad shoulders and narrow waist. Her hair was clearly coated with a lot of hairspray, giving her a distinctly spiky appearance.

He used to be a bit reserved, but lately he's become increasingly overtly flirtatious.

Although he didn't know what Si Chengjun was thinking, he could tell from his expression that it wasn't something nice. Before Si Chengjun could ask, he put down his teacup and spoke frankly:

"I've been suspended."

Song Mingli raised an eyebrow; this was genuinely a bit of a surprise.

Logically speaking, someone like Si Chengjun, who has both a privileged family background and personal abilities, would have had a smooth and successful career if it weren't for the accident seven years ago. Even so, it didn't affect his promotion speed. On the contrary, three years at the grassroots level added more brilliance to his resume. Now, it's hard for anything to threaten him anymore.

But Si Chengjun actually said that he had been suspended from his post.

Song Mingli looked at him, and Chengjun coughed lightly: "It was a moment of impulsiveness that caused a slight accident, but it's not serious."

He straightened up, his face finally showing his usual coldness and seriousness: "I'm here to tell you that the matter you're investigating has made some progress."

What are you investigating?

Ying Shixue paused, and Song Mingli comforted him by putting his arm around him and gently patting his shoulder.

Si Chengjun placed a USB drive on the table and slowly pushed it over: "I've always been curious about why pharmaceutical companies, whether big or small, are subject to annual audits, inspections, and replacements. Generally, due to market and overall regulatory needs, even if there aren't any major issues, some minor problems are unavoidable."

"But Shengan's audit interface has been rated as excellent every year, with every indicator from accounting to product output being very clean."

"Haven't you been looking for who's secretly protecting the Xi family? ... This," Si Chengjun pointed to the small USB drive, "might give you some answers."

“But my authority isn’t high enough, and the information I can find is limited. The old man fell ill and never recovered, and now he’s old and needs to rest… I don’t want to expose these things to him again.”

Song Mingli chuckled: "Of course, there's no need to trouble him."

It's difficult for political and business circles to completely avoid contact and rely on each other for mutual benefit, especially for families with deep-rooted connections spanning hundreds of years. Bribery and information sharing are merely the most basic methods of mutual benefit used by ordinary merchants, and most of these have now disappeared. The Song, Si, and Dan families have a long history, and their heirs were arranged to attend the same school from a young age to minimize potential conflicts. Each place has its own rules for survival; the difference lies only in whether or not those basic principles are still upheld. Song Mingli picked up the small USB drive, while a hint of worry flashed in Si Chengjun's eyes:

“You need to be careful. I can only find the most recent five to eight years. The earlier files are not fully classified and were later deliberately erased... The chain of evidence is not yet complete and irrefutable.”

In a flash, Ying Shixue suddenly remembered what Uncle De had said that day, and a possibility began to stir in his chest: if Song Qi already knew something, could he have left some clues in the old house...?

But such speculation is somewhat absurd, and the exact number is unknown. On the surface, Ying Shixue's eyelashes only trembled slightly.

Song Mingli nodded on the other side: "I know." That was for sure. A few data points and money statements could be manipulated if they were treated lightly or given a false pretense.

After finishing his story, Si Chengjun's face returned to its initial expression. He sat there for a while, then, realizing that Song Mingli had no intention of inviting him to lunch, he shrugged, feeling bored, and stood up: "Fine, it seems you've forgotten your brothers once you have a lover..."

Their relationship hadn't been a secret all these years, and Si Chengjun knew a little about it. Song Mingli pulled Ying Shixue closer to him, a hint of mockery in his eyes: "If I really stayed, I doubt Director Si would stay either..."

He seemed to remember something, muttered the words "suspended from duty" to himself, and said, "He was so angry for his beloved, Young Master, your charm is still as good as ever."

As Chengjun stepped out, his leg nearly hit the corner of the table. Sure enough, as if something had been touched on, he stopped joking around.

After Chengjun left, Ying Shixue looked at him curiously and asked, "What male confidant?"

Song Mingli paused for a moment, then said casually, "It's just that he's my childhood sweetheart... we've known each other since we were little, and we've been entangled in this on-again, off-again relationship. Recently, I don't know what he's up to again. He should be rushing back to finish cleaning up, so he won't stay any longer."

A hint of doubt flashed in Ying Shixue's eyes: "...Childhood sweetheart?"

Although he wasn't close to Si Chengjun, they had at least grown up in the same circle. How could he have known about this...?

Song Mingli wrapped his arms around his waist and hugged him, nuzzling him like a large dog: "Don't think about him, baby. Speaking of which, when did you start calling him 'Brother Jun'? You haven't called me 'brother' in ages..."

What's going on here...? Ying Shixue was suffocating from his grip and tried to push him away, but Song Mingli moved slightly away without letting go. He was much taller than her, so he was basically carrying her in his arms as they walked.

"What do you want for lunch? I've made a reservation at a newly opened restaurant... Do you want to try their cuisine? No, your stomach can't handle anything that spicy... and neither can you eat blanched food..."

-

Shengan has been facing a lot of trouble lately. First, the original partner ran into problems and could not pay on time. At the same time, another batch of suppliers had already delivered the goods and were waiting for payment.

It's not uncommon for companies to experience cash flow problems and delay payments for a few days, but Sheng'an has been in a phase of rapid expansion in recent years and is already short of working capital. He originally planned to pay the goods as soon as the payment arrived, but now he is facing both being forced to default on the contract and paying a huge amount of compensation.

Unlike the original Xi Chengxu, Xi Bojian didn't have an entire conglomerate backing him up. In fact, he knew that Xi Zongbo only valued him. And that old codger just wouldn't die...

As if things weren't going to go wrong, just when he was busy and stressed about this matter, the Discipline Inspection and Supervision Department, which had only been going through the motions, suddenly began to investigate and crack down hard, and in a short time, it found several unqualified and non-compliant companies and demanded rectification.

When the news broke, even Xi Zongbo, who had been watching from the sidelines, was shocked. Both of them looked grim. No matter how upright and innocent they spoke, they knew they had something to hide. Amidst the chaos and confusion, Xi Zongbo swallowed his pride and went to see the person in person, hoping that they would not be punished severely in consideration of his many years of economic contributions.

The final fine was still an astronomical figure, and the project that was originally a sure thing was snatched away halfway through. For at least the next two or three years, they will have to keep a low profile and behave themselves.

The money was a minor issue. When they later inquired about the reason for the sudden inspection, all they heard was that a high-ranking inspector in charge of this area, who had been honest and upright for most of his life, happened to run into trouble while buying medicine and was caught in the crossfire. Moreover, it was just a routine inspection, and they didn't give anyone any face and just investigated everything.

These seemingly unrelated events, where misfortunes just happened to coincide, were actually being pushed together by an unseen hand. However, almost everyone who knew about it had been purged. Could there be an internal problem? This prompted another round of investigation.

One afternoon, Xi Bojian sat in his office. The long hours he had been working had left him with dark circles under his eyes and a haggard look on his face.

He rubbed his temples hard, then looked wearily out the window. The midday sun was gradually hiding behind the clouds, and the leaves on the ground were being swept up by the wind, swirling and dancing in the low sky.

Dark clouds gradually pressed down from the distant sky. Xi Bojian watched the fine dust particles being stirred up by the wind, and the inexplicable premonition in his heart grew stronger and stronger.

A storm is brewing.