Chapter 108 Cooperation Suspended
A few days later, in Song Youning's office.
Gao Jing stood in front of the large desk with a serious expression, holding a thin folder.
"Boss, I found some information about Ji Du..." Gao Jing's voice was cautious.
Song Youning was reviewing documents, and her fingers holding the expensive pen tightened slightly, revealing her uneasy heart.
Gao Jing's hesitation made her a little unhappy. She raised her head and looked sharp: "Speak."
Gao Jing took a deep breath and began to report, "Ji Du is indeed as you said, very outstanding. At the age of fourteen, he skipped a grade and was admitted to the best public high school in the local city, where he consistently ranked first in his grade. At the age of fifteen, he skipped a grade again, and by the age of sixteen, he was already in his third year of high school. He was originally a highly anticipated top student that year..."
When she said this, her tone paused, which made Song Youning suddenly feel a bad premonition.
The pen in his hand suddenly stopped, the tip of the pen spreading a small blob of ink on the document. Song Youning's voice was steady, yet with a subtle hint of tension: "And then?"
Gao Jing watched her boss's increasingly gloomy expression, and thought of what the young man in the investigative report might have endured. Her heart tightened. She gritted her teeth and continued, "He...didn't take the college entrance exam."
The air seemed to freeze for a moment.
"Why?" The three words seemed to be squeezed out from between Song Youning's teeth.
Gao Jing's voice lowered a little: "That year...his father...was released from prison."
Song Youning's heart sank suddenly, his face instantly became even uglier, and his jawline unconsciously tightened.
Gao Jing could almost feel the invisible low pressure as she struggled to recount the information she had found. "About a month before the Gaokao, Ji Du left school as usual and never showed up again. He had no other relatives, and it was the school that noticed something was amiss and called the police."
She paused for a moment, as if trying to put the brutal past into relatively gentle terms: "The police checked the surveillance footage and found that after he left school, he was blocked by his father at the entrance of an alley. The surveillance footage had no sound, only the visuals. The two of them had barely exchanged a few words when his father began to beat him..."
Gao Jing's description was restrained, but the imagery was remarkably clear: "Ji Du... was beaten so badly that he collapsed to the ground, and his father didn't stop, even trying to pick up a nearby stick to hit his hands."
"He sensed his father's intention, and in that situation, a burst of strength suddenly erupted from nowhere, and he pushed his father away and struggled to escape."
"Since then," Gao Jing's voice was almost inaudible, "there has been no further information about him."
She glanced at Song Youning. The suppressed anger in the other's eyes was almost materializing, but he still held it back and waited for her to finish.
"And his father," Gao Jing's expression turned indignant, "because Ji Du disappeared and the victim couldn't be found, the case was ultimately treated as domestic violence, and his father was only detained for a short period of time before being released."
Song Youning's nails nearly dug into her palms. She could almost imagine the scene—the paranoid, gloomy boy, just before a bright future, being dragged back into the abyss by his nightmare-like biological father.
Gao Jing looked at her boss's gloomy expression and added nervously, "Since Ji Du disappeared, there's been no further information about him. There's also no matching record for the other name you mentioned, 'Ji Siyun.'"
Although it was a bit cruel, she still asked tentatively, "Boss, is it possible that he... has already..."
"He's living well." Song Youning interrupted her, his voice cold and hard, with a complex certainty.
She rubbed her swollen temples and thought to herself: Not only is he alive and well, but he also has the ability to pull her into the world he has woven and accompany her in acting out a drama of love and hate with him!
At this thought, his brain, which had been completely muddled by the memories brought back by the real footage, suddenly came to his senses. The female researcher had sworn that the system was absolutely safe and stable, with no possibility of script deviation or interference. Therefore, the only person who could have tampered with her experience could be someone from YNING Company, and someone with extremely high authority!
She immediately looked up and glared at Gao Jing: "What's the name of the founder of YNING Company?"
Although Gao Jing was surprised by her boss's sudden question, she quickly replied, "Fang Li, the CEO. The information I gave you last week contains his detailed introduction."
Song Youning was stunned for a moment. The long experience in the real mirror made last week seem like several years ago to her. After trying hard to recall, she could barely remember it. She said "hmm" to cover up, "I don't remember it clearly."
Gao Jing was even more puzzled. Her boss was famous for his excellent memory. How could it be...
But she didn't dare ask any more questions and continued diligently, "YNING actually has two founders. Besides CEO Fang Li, who often appears in public, there's another person in charge of core technology research and development. He's said to be extremely introverted and never participates in public events. Even his name is unknown, making him very mysterious."
Introverted, never shows up, controls core technology...
Song Youning's brow furrowed. Just then, the internal phone on her desk rang. Gao Jing answered. After listening for a few words, she covered the receiver and turned to Song Youning, her expression a little subtle. "Boss, it's the chairman's office calling. The chairman wants you to return to the old house immediately."
At this time? Song Youning glanced out the window, and an ominous premonition passed through his heart.
In the back garden of the Song family's old house, there is a huge landscape pond with shimmering water and several precious koi swimming leisurely in it.
Song Zhenglan was wearing Chinese casual clothes and was slowly throwing bait into the pond with a relaxed expression and slightly narrowed eyes. Song Zhiyan was standing beside him, talking excitedly, with an unconcealable smug look on his face.
Song Zhenglan's response to his eldest son's enthusiastic report was not enthusiastic. Beneath his seemingly amiable exterior, he was actually strict and shrewd, with everything under control.
Song Youning walked along the stone path in high heels.
Even though she had been back to the old house only a few days ago, she felt as if she had been in another world.
Especially when she saw the familiar silhouette, her first reaction was the "Father Song" who loved her so much and treated her like a treasure after several years of living together in real life.
Song Youning was in a trance for a moment, as if he had not yet completely withdrawn from that virtual world. Almost subconsciously, with a hint of the habit of acting spoiled and relying on his father that he had developed there, he blurted out in a sweet and soft voice, "Dad!"
The call was clear and melodious, but it was like a stone thrown into a calm lake, instantly stunning the two men by the pool.
Song Zhiyan reacted quickly after being stunned. He stared at Song Youning with a look of disbelief and sarcasm in his eyes, sneering in his heart: What a pretentious guy! Knowing that the cooperation was not successful, he even resorted to this trick now?
He turned to look at Song Zhenglan with disdain, expecting to see his father's unmoved expression.
However, when Song Zhenglan turned around, a hint of surprise did flash across his face, but after the surprise, a barely perceptible softness actually appeared in those shrewd eyes.
Song Zhenglan knows his daughter too well.
Song Youning has been independent and strong-willed since childhood. Although she has always been well-behaved and sensible and has excellent grades, there is always an invisible distance between father and daughter, not to mention calling him "Dad" in such an intimate tone.
Now, this sudden call was like a very thin feather, gently scratching a soft place deep in his heart that he himself had not even noticed.
"Yeah." Song Zhenglan responded, his voice a little gentler than usual, and he even nodded slightly at her, "I'm coming."
Song Youning woke up the moment he shouted, realizing that he was in reality and facing an NPC that was not a real person. He felt a little embarrassed.
However, Song Zhenglan's unexpectedly mild reaction was a pleasant surprise. She quickly calmed down and thought to herself: I didn't expect the old man to fall for this?
She walked forward, her posture still elegant, but less businesslike than usual.
A gentle tone doesn't mean that Song Zhenglan has really become a "kind father" just because of her accidental affectionate address.
Song Zhenglan finished spreading the last of his bait, wiped his hands with the wet towel handed to him by the servant, and spoke casually, his eyes sweeping over her sharply: "I heard that you went to YNING, but left before the formal talks?"
Song Youning glanced at Song Zhiheng, who looked a little nervous, and replied calmly, "Yes, Dad."
She admitted it frankly. Song Zhenglan raised his eyelids and glanced at her, his tone unrecognizable: "Oh? Why?"
Song Youning met Song Zhenglan's gaze, his expression calm as he spoke clearly, "I believe that the technology currently being demonstrated by YNING carries risks that we cannot ignore, and we cannot rush into this partnership."
Song Zhiheng couldn't help but interrupt, his tone filled with anxiety and dissatisfaction: "Dad! Don't listen to her nonsense, she clearly doesn't have the ability to negotiate! Mr. Fang from YNING is very interested in the cooperation framework I proposed. We..."
Song Zhenglan raised his hand to stop Song Zhiheng from speaking, his eyes still fixed on Song Youning: "Tell me why you think so."
Song Youning didn't even glance at Song Zhiyan from beginning to end, as if he were just a piece of air. She lowered her head and thought for a moment before continuing, "They claim that their 'real mirror' system is absolutely safe, independent, and controllable. But in my personal experience, I found that this is not the case."
"Our group is seeking collaboration in the hope of applying this technology to medical rehabilitation. Any uncontrollable interference or deviation during its application would have devastating consequences for patients and a significant blow to our group's reputation. I believe it is prudent and necessary to suspend contact until the other party can provide absolutely reliable technical guarantees."
"Song Youning!" Song Zhiheng almost jumped up, "Don't make false accusations and slander me just because you can't handle it yourself!"
He wanted to continue speaking, but under Song Zhenglan's increasingly gloomy gaze, he closed his mouth in disappointment.
Song Zhenglan was silent for a moment, his fingers unconsciously stroking the jade ring.
He glanced at his younger daughter, who looked determined, and then at his older son, who was clearly exasperated. He had already made up his mind. Having experienced the ups and downs of the business world for decades, he knew better than anyone that sometimes, aggressiveness can lead to destruction, while seemingly conservative caution can often mitigate the greatest risks.
"Youning has thought it through thoroughly," Song Zhenglan finally said, finalizing the decision. "The cooperation with YNING will be put on hold for now. We'll also put Zhiyan on hold until they can produce a more convincing technical safety verification report."
Song Zhiyan glared at Song Youning fiercely, but he didn't dare to go against his father's decision. He could only grit his teeth and respond, "Yes, father."
After leaving the old house with a worried look on his face, Song Youning got into the car and rubbed his eyebrows tiredly.
The missing Ji Siyun and the possibilities hidden behind YNING are like a tangled mess in her heart, making her upset.
After returning to her normal life, she unexpectedly felt uncomfortable with the high-intensity work she had been doing for many years. Even when she finally had a break, all she could think of were the memories in reality.
Memories of Ji Siyun.
Needing to do something to divert his attention, Song Youning took out his cell phone and called his good friend Su He.
"Come out for a drink."
Su He on the other end of the phone was obviously stunned for a moment: "Don't mess with me, I've had enough of the lesson last time."
Song Youning looked at the rapidly receding street scene outside the window, and said with a hint of imperceptible annoyance in his voice: "I'm serious."
Su He could tell that she was in a bad mood, so he didn't ask any more questions and quickly told her the name of a members-only bar.
"Okay, see you later."
Song Youning hung up the phone, told the address to the driver, and the car merged into the night traffic. No one noticed that another black car was following behind them quietly.
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