Chapter 114 Where Have I Seen You Before?
After dealing with Ji Kai, Song Youning didn't rest for a moment and rushed to the airport to prepare for his return.
The car was on the way to the airport. She leaned back in the comfortable back seat and closed her eyes to rest.
She shouldn't have come here at this critical moment.
Song Zhenglan is still in the hospital. Although his condition has stabilized, he is old after all, and there is no guarantee that there will be any changes.
Both Song Zhiyan and she were on edge. On the one hand, they had to stay calm and not appear anxious; on the other hand, they had to show their filial piety to Song Zhenglan, perhaps touching his overly scattered heart.
Song Zhiyan would never miss any opportunity to strike her down, so she had to go back immediately. However, besides this reason, there was another...
After all, there is a sensitive, paranoid and difficult-to-coax puppy who is secretly grieving in some corner, waiting for her to comfort him.
When Song Youning thought of Ji Siyun's pitiful look with red eyes all the time and feeling that he was abandoned by her, she couldn't help but feel a headache.
What a hassle.
She sighed in her heart, that's why she was too lazy to get involved in something as time-consuming and laborious as love.
However, although she complained in her heart, what she actually did was completely opposite to her complaints - not only did she take the trouble to fly to L City in person, but she also violated her own cautious style and personally stood up for him to vent her anger, and then rushed back without stopping.
The non-stop running around had left a hint of fatigue between her delicate features that was difficult to conceal.
But the strange thing was, when she was silently complaining in her heart about how to raise this troublemaker in the future, a hint of helplessness and faint doting sweetness seeped out beneath the complaining thoughts, which she herself did not immediately notice.
She herself hadn't realized that even though Ji Siyun hadn't said anything, she had already taken him into consideration when planning for the future. Even when she was thinking about it, the corners of her already tired mouth were uncontrollably raised slightly.
Xu Shangyan, who was driving, glanced at the rearview mirror out of habit and happened to catch his boss's gentle smile, which was very inconsistent with her usual calm image.
He was so surprised that his expression changed. His eyes immediately drifted towards Gao Jing who was sitting in the passenger seat, and his eyes that were almost popping out conveyed the message: Is the boss okay?
Gao Jing also saw it from the rearview mirror, shrugged slightly, and gave Xu Shangyan a helpless look: Don’t ask me, I don’t know either.
The two exchanged silent glances, both surprised by their boss's rare display of emotion.
It was not until the car stopped steadily at the departure level of the airport that Song Youning suddenly realized that he had been laughing.
She quickly calmed down, returning to her usual calm and composed demeanor, as if the faint smile she had just had was just an illusion. She then straightened her clothes and gracefully exited the car.
As soon as I got off the bus, I met Meng Jiaxin, who had also finished work and was about to return.
When Meng Jiaxin saw her, his eyes lit up and he walked towards her very naturally.
They were childhood friends and knew each other well. In addition, they had been acting together recently, so he habitually put his arm around Song Youning's shoulders, and his movements were very natural.
To outsiders, they look like a couple in love, whispering sweetly.
Meng Jiaxin leaned forward slightly, his smile a little too brightly, and he lowered his voice in an exaggerated tone and said, "Oh, Miss Song, what a coincidence? Could it be that you are waiting for me here specially?
He put his hand on his chest and said, "Oh, I'm so touched!"
Song Youning's expression twitched slightly at his affected tone, and he subconsciously wanted to push away his hand on his shoulder. He frowned and whispered, "Meng Jiaxin, what nonsense are you talking about?"
Instead of letting go, Meng Jiaxin held her even tighter, leaning close to her ear and whispering a reminder with a smile, "Look at the news, my fiancée. The media reported that you traveled thousands of miles to pursue love and flew all the way here to see me."
He winked at Song Youning: "I'm so flattered."
Song Youning was stunned. Looking at her friend's slightly greasy expression, she felt disgusted and surprised. She took out her mobile phone and flipped through it. Sure enough, she saw the outrageous news with the photo of her leaving the airport.
She closed her eyes speechlessly, put down her phone, and rolled her eyes at Meng Jiaxin's exaggerated expression of watching a good show: "Get lost, stop disgusting me here."
"Take your hands off me, it's so heavy."
Meng Jiaxin didn't let go. Instead, he gently swayed her while holding her. He kept smiling, but said with his mouth raised, "Be careful of your influence in public places."
He warned, "If you treat your marriage partner like this and make them think we're not on good terms, and that gets to the ears of those old-fashioned shareholders of your company, wouldn't all our hard work be wasted?"
Song Youning paused.
She approached Meng Jiaxin to hype up the "marriage" rumors in order to force Ji Siyun to show up, but there were other benefits as well.
That is the powerful alliance between her and the prince of the Meng family. Even if it is just a rumor, it is enough to give Song Youning a huge bargaining chip in the fight for inheritance rights and effectively deter those wavering shareholders.
She did not tell Meng Jiaxin about the previous reason, so Meng Jiaxin just thought she was just fighting for the family property.
So at this moment, Meng Jiaxin's words reminded her.
She flew to L City temporarily this time to deal with Ji Kai. Her original plan was to come and go quietly, trying not to disturb Song Zhiyan.
But since it had been photographed, Song Zhiyan would definitely use it to make a fuss. If she acted too distant with Meng Jiaxin at this moment, it would arouse suspicion and make the previous foreshadowing go to waste.
Thinking of this, she suppressed the urge to push him away, forced a gentle smile on her face, and squeezed out a few words from between her teeth: "That's enough."
Seeing her compromise, Meng Jiaxin took advantage of the situation and took her in his arms as they walked towards the security checkpoint. The two of them looked like a loving couple. He kept his smile on his face, but he began to bargain: "Miss Song, our show has been going on for so many days. My appearance fee is quite high. The car you promised me before, it seems it's not enough now."
Song Youning maintained a smile on her face, but her hand quietly went behind him and pinched the soft flesh on his waist with precision.
She replied in a low voice with a forced smile: "Don't act so ungrateful when you get the advantage here."
Song Youning said this while secretly exerting force on his hands: "Before, you used me as a shield to avoid your difficult ex-girlfriend, causing me to be stuck in the restaurant for half an hour. I haven't asked you for mental damages yet."
Meng Jiaxin gasped as she pinched him, letting out a "ouch!" and forcing himself not to jump away. He managed to maintain a graceful smile and retorted, "Let's put things in perspective. That time you said you didn't want compensation, so there's no time to wait!"
Song Youning was too lazy to argue with him anymore. She rolled her eyes at him and let him hold her in his arms and continue walking forward.
The combination of handsome men and beautiful women is always pleasing to the eye, especially to outsiders, the interaction between them is like a couple flirting, so intimate that it is enviable.
Just as Song Youning and Meng Jiaxin were standing at the entrance of the airport hall, whispering to each other, no one noticed that at the exit of the arrival passage not far away, a figure was standing frozen in place as if under a spell.
With a sense of loneliness and almost self-destructive madness, Ji Siyun wanted to rush to Meng Jiaxin regardless of everything, even if it was in the most unbearable way, to declare his existence. He saw the whole scene.
All his determination and madness, at this moment, were like a balloon punctured by a needle, instantly deflated, leaving only endless coldness and despair.
He saw Meng Jiaxin naturally put his arm around Song Youning's shoulders in an intimate manner; he saw Meng Jiaxin lean over and whisper in her ear, with a relaxed and playful smile on his face that he had never shown in front of her before; he saw Song Youning secretly pinch his waist, but the corners of her mouth were raised, clearly an extremely familiar and indulgent interaction.
How could this be the distant performance of a business marriage? This was clearly... flirting.
He couldn't hear what they were saying exactly, but the harmonious atmosphere, which was so harmonious that no one else could interrupt, was like countless fine needles piercing his heart, making it so painful that he could hardly breathe.
All those crazy and persistent thoughts I had before coming here seemed so ridiculous, so despicable, and so...unrealistic at this moment.
They are a well-matched engaged couple, childhood sweethearts, and deeply in love. Who is he?
A toy that she picked up from the mud, played with occasionally when she was in a good mood, and then threw away after use.
He actually still had the delusion to try to challenge the status of the "first wife"?
The huge sense of shame and the inferiority complex that penetrated deep into his bones overwhelmed him like a tsunami.
Ji Siyun pinched his palms hard, the sharp pain barely suppressing the surging heat in his eyes, preventing the embarrassing tears from falling. He couldn't stay here any longer.
Looking at it for one more moment would be like torturing yourself.
Before Song Youning discovered him, Ji Siyun turned around abruptly, as if there was an evil ghost chasing him. He staggered and rushed in the opposite direction of the boarding gate as if he was escaping. He quickly disappeared in the bustling crowd of the airport, his back looking panicked and embarrassed.
Xu Shangyan, who had just sent Song Youning to the airport, was about to say goodbye when his eyes inadvertently swept through the crowd and caught sight of the figure suddenly turning and fleeing. He couldn't help but frown slightly, a hint of confusion on his face.
Gao Jing, who was following him, noticed his abnormality keenly. She followed his gaze, but only saw a blurry figure.
"What's wrong?" Gao Jing asked, "Do you know anyone?"
Xu Shangyan retracted his gaze and shook his head hesitantly, his tone somewhat uncertain: "Nothing, it's just... I felt that the back of that person just now looked a little familiar. Maybe I was seeing things."
He did feel that the back figure was somewhat familiar, but for a moment, he couldn't remember where he had seen it.
It was almost time, so Xu Shangyan escorted Song Youning and Gao Jing to the security checkpoint. Even as he watched them disappear at the end of the passage, the thoughtful look on his face remained.
As he turned and left, he was still muttering to himself: "Where have I seen this before..."
Song Zhiyan was distracted by the urgent calls from his mother Zheng Wenhui one after another, and had to temporarily put aside the work at hand and drive to her residence.
As soon as the car stopped, he saw his uncle Zheng Wencheng's car also arrived, and the two met at the door.
"Uncle?" Song Zhiyan was a little surprised. "Mom called you here too? What's the urgent matter?"
Zheng Wencheng frowned, clearly confused: "You'll find out once you get in."
The two walked into the living room one after the other, only to see that Zheng Wenhui had already dismissed all the servants and was pacing back and forth anxiously in the living room like an ant on hot pan.
As soon as she saw them come in, she seemed to have found her backbone and quickly walked up to them.
"Brother, Zhiyan, you're finally here!"
Zheng Wencheng looked at his sister's distraught look and scolded her angrily, "What a panic! What's wrong with you? What happened?"
Song Zhiyan couldn't help but complain: "Mom, why did you call me over so urgently? Dad is still in the hospital, and I'm busy..."
Zheng Wenhui ignored her son's complaints, quickly closed the living room door, lowered her voice, and said hurriedly, "Did you see the news? Song Youning went to L City."
When Song Zhiyan heard this, he showed a disapproving expression on his face: "Just for this? You know, I was just about to spread the word about how her biological father was still lying in the hospital, but she had the leisure to go to L City to date a man."
Zheng Wencheng snorted coldly upon hearing this, and looked at his sister with a hint of reproach: "This kind of groundless gossip is really worth making a fuss about, calling both of us here urgently?"
Seeing that they didn't take it seriously, Zheng Wenhui became even more anxious and waved her hands repeatedly, "You're so confused. Do you think Song Youning would disregard the overall situation for the sake of romance?"
"Women," Zheng Wencheng curled his lips in disdain, "once they fall in love, their minds get hot and they can do anything."
Song Zhiyan also nodded in agreement.
Seeing her brother and son looking down on her like this, Zheng Wenhui was furious and anxious. She stamped her feet fiercely, moved closer to them, and said in a voice barely audible, "The one with the surname Ji...that Ji Kai, he's also in L City!"
"Ji Kai?"
These two words were like a thunderclap, instantly shattering the contempt on Song Zhiyan's face and Zheng Wencheng's indifference. Their expressions froze at the same time, then turned extremely ugly.
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