Chapter 116 What's going on?
Song Zhenglan's expression did not change at all, and he was still focused on the report in his hand, as if the earth-shattering words he had just said were really just a casual word of concern.
But Song Youning knew that it was not.
She knew Song Zhenglan too well. He never made promises easily, let alone said meaningless nonsense.
This sentence was equivalent to an implicit statement - in the competition for heir, he favored her.
The huge impact even made her dazed for a moment.
However, the result that she had worked so hard for for many years was given so casually in the ward filled with the smell of disinfectant in such a gesture that seemed like alms. What rose in her heart was not ecstasy, but an indescribable chill.
He could have waited until the situation became clearer and made more prudent arrangements, or he could have announced it directly to everyone.
Instead of saying these words that could be considered a hint or nothing at this time, when he was still ill and undercurrents were surging inside and outside the group, in a place where only he, her, and Song Zhiyan were aware of the situation.
This was clearly intentional.
He deliberately let her and Song Zhiyan know his choice, and then watched them, no, forced them, to engage in a more intense and more ruthless fight.
Song Youning's mind uncontrollably flashed through the images of her "brothers and sisters" over the years.
Those who were capable were suppressed by her and Song Zhiyan in the early days and marginalized to the point of having no real power; those who posed some threat were found to have made mistakes and sent abroad, under the pretext of "experience"; the rest of them who were young and had no one to rely on had long learned to keep their heads down and did not even dare to think of fighting.
After all the fighting, in the huge Song family, only she and Song Zhiyan are left standing on the chessboard.
How can this be considered training an heir?
This is clearly raising a Gu. Let all the poisonous insects kill each other, and the last one to survive is the Gu King.
This realization chilled her to the core. Song Zhenglan was as sentimental and cold-blooded as ever. He didn't care how tragic the process was, or how many lives were sacrificed. He only cared about the final outcome: whether the strongest "gu" could lead the group to continued survival.
Song Youning took a deep breath and forced down the nausea and sadness that surged up in his heart.
Now that she is in the Gu vortex, the only thing she can do is to survive and win.
She took out her cell phone and dialed Gao Jing's number while walking steadily towards the elevator.
The metal staircase reflected her calm, even somewhat cold, face. Her tone returned to its usual sharpness and decisiveness: "Gao Jing, get ready. We need to immediately reassess and adjust our strategy for dealing with Hong Yuan. Act quickly."
She paused briefly, the elevator door opened, and she stepped into the empty cabin. Her voice, lowered in the confined space, was filled with undeniable alertness. "At the same time, keep a close eye on all movements from Song Zhiyan and the Zheng family. I have a feeling they might become desperate."
After a day of running around, it was already night when I came out of the hospital.
Song Youning got into the car. The neon lights outside the window could not dispel the fatigue between her brows. But what made her more irritated than her physical fatigue was Ji Siyun who left without saying goodbye this morning.
Although the dispute with Ji Siyun mainly came from the immersive experience that was replaced by him, she was a person who liked someone and there was nothing wrong with admitting it.
Now the culprit has become a deserter, but Song Youning doesn't like things to remain unresolved, especially between them.
Things cannot be delayed.
Song Youning subconsciously picked up the phone, but her fingertips paused above the screen - she then remembered that she didn't have Ji Siyun's contact information, and she didn't know where he lived.
Without any hesitation, she contacted Gao Jing and sent her Fang Li's private number. As soon as she got it, she dialed it directly.
The moment the call was connected, she omitted all pleasantries and her cold voice was transmitted through electricity to the other side: "Where is Ji Siyun?"
Fang Li on the other end of the phone had just received a call from Ji Siyun at the airport, who looked like he had left his soul.
He glanced through the rearview mirror at the young man in the passenger seat who was looking out the window, surrounded by a thick low pressure. His throat tightened a little, and he didn't know whether to say he was there or not.
Song Youning was very perceptive and immediately guessed from the brief hesitation that Ji Siyun was right next to him.
She said in a firm tone, "Give him the phone."
Fang Li himself found it strange; he wasn't her subordinate, so there was no need for him to follow her instructions. But the female voice on the other end of the line was gentle yet contained a certain unyielding tone. By the time he realized what was happening, the phone had already been handed to Ji Siyun.
He gritted his teeth and lowered his voice, "...Mr. Song is looking for you."
Ji Siyun still maintained the posture of looking out the window. The colorful city lights flickered in his dark eyes, but could not shine any light in.
He took the phone silently, the cold metal shell pressed against his ear, just like his mood at the moment, there was only a silent wasteland.
Song Youning listened to the breathing sounds coming from the other end of the phone and originally wanted to tell him that she went to see Ji Kai and vented his anger, and that man had never been an obstacle between them.
But when the words came to his lips, he swallowed them back.
Ji Siyun is very sensitive about his own background, so he probably... doesn't want to hear any news about that man from her, which might make him feel even more embarrassed.
So, the words on her lips changed direction. She subconsciously asked him in her usual condescending tone: "Why did you leave without saying a word this morning?"
This tone, sounding like someone coming to accuse someone of being offended, instantly ignited all the grievances, jealousy, and despair that had been pent up in Ji Siyun's heart.
The car sped past the streetlights, and the light and shadow on his face flickered alternately, half bright and half completely sunk in shadow.
Ji Siyun felt that he was ridiculous to the extreme. His eyes were filled with deep sorrow, but he tried hard to control his voice to be cold and steady: "What else?"
What else? Should I wait for you to tell me in person that you're in a hurry to fly to L City to see your fiancé?
What's more, she was the one who left first! Once again, she left him alone in the hotel, like a piece of trash.
The words rolled on the tip of his tongue, burning his mind, but he ultimately didn't have the courage to ask. He was afraid of hearing an answer that would completely break his heart, leaving him no room for self-deception.
Hearing his cold and distant tone, Song Youning frowned slightly, realizing something was wrong, but her pride didn't allow her to lower her head and ask, so she deliberately said, "Ji Siyun, you're not planning to... default on your debt, are you?"
Defaulting on debt?
Ji Siyun almost sneered.
Who is refusing to pay their debts? Who is playing with whose feelings?
He suppressed the heart-wrenching pain and surging anger, and deliberately used the words she had said to him in reality when she had lightly drawn a line between them, and threw them back fiercely: "It's a matter between adults and consensual. Mr. Song, don't say it... You seem to care so much."
Song Youning was so breathless at the familiar words that she was about to retort, but Ji Siyun didn't give her a chance.
He quickly continued in a pretentiously casual tone, "There was something wrong with that glass of wine last night. Everything that happened was an accident. But Mr. Song didn't do it on purpose, so I won't pursue it. Let's just leave it at that."
This was the second time Song Youning was made to laugh by him today.
She smiled and shook her head, pressing her fingers against her forehead. She felt that this man was both ridiculous and infuriatingly awkward. She gritted her teeth and said, "Really? Was it because of that glass of wine?"
Song Youning sneered, "I've never heard that adding vitamins to wine can have aphrodisiac effects."
Vitamins?
Ji Siyun's fingers holding the phone suddenly tightened, his knuckles turned white, and he subconsciously bit his lower lip.
On the other end of the phone, Song Youning's voice was filled with a kind of understanding that revealed everything, and even a little bit of pride: "I found the person. I went to the bar on purpose. Even the glass of spiked wine was placed in front of you on purpose."
She paused, lowered her voice, and said with a smile that felt like a feather scratching her heart, "Admit it, Ji Siyun, it was you who pretended to be drunk to seduce me last night."
Her light laughter completely broke down Ji Siyun's last psychological defense.
It turns out...she knows everything!
She knew clearly that there was no drug in the wine, and she knew clearly that he was pretending, but she still watched him show that ugly face in front of her.
Like a calm audience, standing below the stage, with an all-knowing look, he watched how this lousy actor performed his one-man show diligently and shamelessly.
All his carefully disguised fragility, all his little tricks to win sympathy, all the humble love that he dared to express under the guise of accidents and alcohol... In her eyes, it was simply a complete farce directed and performed by him!
She saw through everything, yet she still played along, watching him act like a clown, displaying his most shameful and undignified behavior in front of her. She watched him demand insatiably, watched him seduce her in a despicable way...
Was she secretly laughing at him? Did she find him cheap and ridiculous? Did she treat all his outpourings of genuine emotion as mere performances to be watched and commented upon?
The overwhelming sense of shame, like a tsunami, instantly overwhelmed him. It was more unbearable than any pain in his body, more unbearable than any insult from the outside world.
Ji Siyun felt as if she had been stripped of all her clothes and stood naked under the spotlight. The humility and desire in every pore were exposed for her cold scrutiny.
His eyes instantly turned red, and hot tears could no longer be suppressed and welled up, and his vision became blurred.
The intense humiliation and shameful despair made him roar into the phone, his voice hoarse and broken, with a heavy nasal tone and barely noticeable sobs: "Yes! Are you satisfied now?"
"I am such a lowly person! I have no shame! I humble myself to the dirt in front of you!"
"Are you happy?"
His sudden outburst made Song Youning's brain freeze instantly. He held the phone in his hand, not knowing how to respond for a moment.
And Ji Siyun seemed to have used up all his strength to shout these words. At this moment, he didn't want to hear any more of her voice, no matter if it was an explanation, ridicule, or even a trace of pity, which would make him feel even more unbearable.
Without waiting for her to react, Ji Siyun suddenly hung up the phone, and the world became quiet in an instant.
All that was left was the sound of the wind whistling past the car window, the buzzing in his ears, and the cold tear marks on his face.
Song Youning recovered from her shock when she heard the urgent busy tone coming from the receiver. She called back, but the call could no longer be connected.
Ji Siyun actually... blocked her?
This realization made Song Youning hold her phone in a daze for several seconds. Then, a ridiculous and intense anger rushed to her head. She was about to laugh again, and the corners of her mouth curled up into a cold arc. But before the smile reached her eyes, it was covered by a deeper confusion and a hint of grievance that she herself was unwilling to admit.
The man who had been so affectionate with her just last night left without a word this morning. Not only was she not angry, she even made a special trip to L City to vent his anger on him. When she came back, she still had to deal with that old fox. Now the place where her heel was rubbed was still aching.
She did so much without even catching her breath, thinking about the culprit who ran away after sleeping with her without even saying a word, and she took the initiative to lower herself to go find him, but what was the result?
Not only did he not appreciate it, he also acted as if she had done something unforgivable and yelled at her in that tone. Now he even dared to block her?
She is the one who should be angry and feel wronged, okay!
There was a feeling of stuffiness in my chest, neither going up nor down.
Song Youning was a little angry, but more confused. She couldn't understand where Ji Siyun's sudden anger came from.
Especially the accusations on the phone: "lowly", "shameless", "lowly as a scumbag"... What the hell is going on?
She stared at the phone for a long time, as if she wanted to punch a hole in it. Finally, with a rage that she had nowhere to vent, she threw the phone aside with force, making a dull sound.
Good, very good.
Ji Siyun, you have become more capable.
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