After visiting the Qi family, Shan Song ended his CEO annual leave early and went to work like a slave at the company. The only difference was that this time his wife could finally visit him on set.
However, he seemed to be exhausted last night. Seeing that the omega was sleeping soundly this morning, Shan Song didn't have the heart to wake him. Now, besides Shan Song, the only other person in the office is Qi Changzhou, who was forcibly dragged here to do manual labor. At this moment, he is constantly complaining.
"I'm asking you, can a boss who makes his employees work overtime during the Chinese New Year really grow a big and strong business?"
Shan Song bluntly tossed him two large stacks of documents: "Starting this year, salaries will be increased by 30% overall, and overtime pay will be tripled, with bonuses calculated separately. I think they are quite motivated."
Qi Changzhou glanced at the workstation when he went upstairs, and it did look quite energetic.
"So I get a share too?"
No, that's not the case.
"Oh!"
Qi Changzhou was forced to look at the company reports head-to-head with Shan Song for three hours. He hadn't looked at these things in so long that he was feeling dizzy and lightheaded.
Looking at the unmoving Dansong across the way, Qi Changzhou gritted his teeth and held on for another half hour before finally declaring a strike.
"When will your sister-in-law bring food?" Qi Changzhou asked in a barely conscious state.
Shan Song glanced at him: "The company has a cafeteria."
Qi Changzhou rolled his eyes: "Do you think I'm stupid? The food my sister-in-law brings is better than what's served in the cafeteria. You want to eat it all by yourself? You're a really wicked kid."
"If you want to eat at my wife's restaurant, you have to pay 10 yuan for meals first." Shan Song showed the QR code and pushed it over.
"A rip-off shop?"
"In the early stages of starting a business, it's a small operation. Mr. Qi, could you please provide some support?"
"You're a junior, so what am I? A volunteer ox or horse?"
As they were talking, Tong Zhao had already arrived at the door.
"Wife." Shan Song stood up to greet her and took the bags from her. "Why did you bring so much?"
Tong Zhao smiled and said, "You work so hard, so I made a little more to reward you. Aunt Lin and I made it together. Let's eat together, and then you can get back to work."
"Okay." Shan Song paused, and was about to speak when Qi Changzhou quickly transferred the money, waving his phone smugly and saying, "Don't even think about raising the price!"
Tong Zhao listened to the Alipay notification sound, somewhat confused. She looked at the two of them, not understanding but respectful.
After lunch, Shan Song took Tong Zhao to the lounge for a nap. Qi Changzhou, completely oblivious to the danger, followed and brazenly occupied the large bed in the lounge.
Dan Song hesitated for a moment, then decided to be considerate of the lonely, unpaid laborer and made do with his wife on the sofa.
"Hey, are you planning to cooperate with the Geng family?" Qi Changzhou suddenly asked while lying down.
The Geng family? Upon hearing the keyword, Tong Zhao also looked at Shan Song with curiosity.
Shan Song held Tong Zhao's hand and trimmed his nails, saying without even looking up, "Well, we'll have to face Geng Keli sooner or later, so we might as well prepare early."
“That’s true. You’re quick to act. Is the eldest son of the Geng family easy to get along with?” Qi Changzhou turned over to face the two people on the sofa.
Shan Song had only met the person twice. After thinking for a moment, he commented, "He's average. His style is rather conservative, but he's not as honest as he seems on the surface."
"He's been hiding his true strength, which is a good thing. It shows that he's still ambitious. How about we test the waters with a small collaborative project first?"
"We'll talk about it next time we meet." Shan Song finished filing his nails, blew on them lightly to make sure Tong Zhao's ten fingers all had a smooth, crescent-shaped curve, then picked up a towel to dry them. Seeing Tong Zhao's puzzled expression, he explained:
"The Geng family has two brothers, Geng Qiushi and Geng Keli. Geng Keli is the younger son and is more favored by the family. Our next partner is Geng Qiushi."
"Oh!" Tong Zhao understood: "Are they not on good terms? Are they brothers?"
"Those are genuine brothers." Qi Changzhou was wide awake when he talked about this. Gossip is only interesting when told to people who haven't heard it before. He sat up and slapped his thigh like a storyteller.
"The eldest son of the Geng family is a beta. It is said that his mother almost died during childbirth, so he was never favored by his family. Geng Keli is more than ten years younger than him. The Geng family would rather spend more than ten years raising their younger son than hand over the family business to the eldest son. Back then, it was rumored in the circle that Geng Keli was the illegitimate son of the Geng family head. After all, it is rare for brothers to be so biased."
"The Geng family even made a special clarification about this once. Afterwards, they all pretended to treat everyone equally. But people aren't blind. Over the years, the eldest son of the Geng family has been basically marginalized. It's conceivable that the relationship between the two brothers is definitely not the kind of brotherly affection that appears on the surface. However, it's hard to say exactly how bad it is."
Tong Zhao nodded blankly, his mouth slightly agape. Gossip about wealthy families was always fresh and new; every family had its own dramatic saga. It seemed that only the Qi family was somewhat normal at the moment.
Just as I was thinking that they were indeed a family with a strong military and political tradition, their family values were indeed upright, I heard Qi Changzhou say in a very righteous and awe-inspiring tone not far away: "Now we must use any means necessary to interfere, sow discord, and make them stage a scene of brothers fighting each other, turning against each other, and killing each other."
"..."
Shan Song agreed, "That's right, so when we discuss cooperation in a while, we'll have to trouble Young Master Qi to show his face with me."
What kind of cause and effect is this? Qi Changzhou, with a toothache, said, "You really managed to pick a sheep off the ground?"
"Yes, making the best use of resources." Shan Song was not ashamed.
It takes time for a single company to restructure its industry, and the manpower available is limited. Naturally, Qi Changzhou will use whatever he can, and it's good to have him as a mascot to attract investment.
Tong Zhao looked at the two men from left to right, and four words flashed before his eyes—"colluding in evil."
She pursed her lips. No, that's not quite right. There's also herself, so it should be... birds of a feather?
After a short break at noon, Shan Song remembered his wife's offer to help him, so he assigned some work to Tong Zhao as well. The three of them sat around in the office, busy until after 8 p.m., before finally going out to get something to eat.
"I've made a reservation at the restaurant, let's go." Qi Changzhou stretched and felt his bones cracking. "No, it will take time to give up martial arts and pursue academics. I need to call my two sons over tomorrow too."
Shan Song gave him a strange look.
"how?"
Why do you think I only call you?
Qi Changzhou felt that his next sentence would definitely not be nice.
Sure enough, Shan Song put his hand on Tong Zhao's shoulder, shook his head as if to condemn, and said, "It's the New Year, and you, as the eldest brother, invite two young couples over. How immoral."
"???" You're not being rude if you call me that?
Qi Changzhou and Shan Song battled it out downstairs at the company. Tong Zhao watched them laughing and joking, and lowered her head to laugh as well. Just as she was about to open the car door and get in, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a dark figure rushing towards her from the side.
"Shansong!" Tong Zhao pulled Shansong with a sudden burst of strength, and the two of them crashed into the car door. Qi Changzhou, who had received many years of professional training, reacted much faster than the two of them. Before Tong Zhao could even speak, he noticed the commotion and stepped in front of them, ready to fight.
After Shan Song helped Tong Zhao regain her balance, when she looked over again, the person had already been subdued by Qi Changzhou. It was none other than Ruan Qiuju.
The other bodyguards quickly surrounded them. Qi Changzhou frowned when he saw a dagger and a bottle of unidentified liquid lying to the side. He handed the person over to the bodyguards and asked Shan Song, "How are you? Is your sister-in-law injured?"
Tong Zhao was thoroughly checked by Shan Song, but fortunately, she was wearing many layers of clothing for winter and didn't suffer any bumps or bruises.
"fine!"
Tong Zhao looked at the woman who was being pressed to the ground through the bodyguard.
After several months apart, Ruan Qiuju was no longer the glamorous woman she once was. Her eyes were fixed on them fiercely as she cursed, "Shan Song, give me back my son! Why don't you just die! You deserve to die a horrible death!"
"Your son is perfectly fine. You should go to the police to ask for his release. It's not like we locked him up," Qi Changzhou said coldly, arms crossed.
Ruan Qiuju was incoherent, struggling to lunge towards Shan Song: "It's all your fault! You lured Xinlin into this! How could you be so vicious! You're the one who should be arrested, you're the one who instigated it, otherwise Xinlin wouldn't have been arrested..."
Qi Changzhou found the absurdity increasingly ridiculous, rolled his eyes, and turned away, deciding to avoid seeing it and getting annoyed.
Shan Song had long since mastered the ability to ignore the Zhou family's words. He took a few steps forward, squatted down, and looked at Ruan Qiuju with pity. The face in front of him overlapped with the arrogant and provocative face he had seen years ago. After a moment, a mocking smile appeared on Shan Song's lips: "Have you found out where Zhou Muyuan is now?"
Ruan Qiuju's face stiffened.
"Don't worry, he's still alive. Legally speaking, we're still family."
“I should fulfill my duty of raising Zhou Muyuan, as well as you and Zhou Xinlin. If you lose your mobility or have mental problems like Zhou Muyuan in the future…” Shan Song emphasized the words meaningfully, and his smile became more sincere: “I will be your only guardian.”
With each sentence Shan Song spoke, Ruan Qiuju's face paled a little more, until Shan Song's last sentence landed: "I will definitely reunite your family of three."
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