Chapter 118 Misunderstanding
The details of four years ago that Xu Shangyan chattered about on the other end of the phone made the scenes in Song Youning's memory gradually clearer.
After the shock, there was a wave of guilt and an unprecedented panic. She stood up suddenly from her chair, so violently that she knocked over the pen on the table, and the ink spread a dark color on the document.
Song Youning didn't even care about Gao Jing who was looking stunned in the office. He grabbed his cell phone and car keys and rushed out of the office like an arrow.
"Boss? Where are you going? I'll take you there!" Gao Jing called anxiously behind her, but the only response she got was the office door slamming shut.
The black luxury car was like a wild beast out of control in the night, and finally it braked suddenly and stopped at the brightly lit entrance of Su He's top private club.
As soon as the car stopped, the driver's door was pushed open.
Song Youning stepped out, his face looking unusually pale under the dazzling lights of the club. Four years ago, it was here...
The well-trained receptionist at the door just put on a professional smile and came forward to greet him, but before he could even say anything, a pair of car keys was stuffed straight into his hand.
"Help me park it."
Song Youning said this and walked quickly towards the inside of the club without stopping. Her high heels tapped on the ground, making a quick and clear sound.
She ignored all the glances along the way that tried to greet or inquire, and accurately found the private room where Su He usually stayed. Pushing open the heavy soundproof door, she saw the clinking of glasses and the noisy chatter inside.
Song Youning's eyes instantly locked onto Su He, who was surrounded by several friends. She walked straight through the crowd and grabbed her wrist in front of Su He's surprised gaze.
"Youning?" Su He was startled by her serious expression and almost dropped the wine glass in his hand. "Why are you here?"
"I have something to ask you." Song Youning's voice was not loud, and the heavy tone was clearly heard by Su He in the noisy box.
The smile on Su He's face disappeared instantly. He winked at his friends around him, indicating that they should play first, and followed Song Youning to a relatively quiet corner of the corridor outside the box.
"What's going on? What happened?" Su He asked with a frown.
Song Youning took a deep breath, looked Su He straight in the eyes, and said straight to the point: "Did you arrange that man in your club on the night of my birthday four years ago?"
Su He's expression froze instantly, his eyes flickered, and he pulled the corners of his mouth awkwardly: "Didn't we agree that that was over? Why are you suddenly..."
"Answer me!" Song Youning interrupted her and grabbed Su He's shoulders with both hands. The force was so great that Su He felt a little pain.
Song Youning's eyes were more serious and earnest than ever before, and even had a hint of panic that Su He had never seen before.
"Su He, just tell me, was that person four years ago arranged by you?"
Su He was frightened by her behavior, and at the same time, it brought back those unpleasant memories.
That night four years ago, Su He was indeed drunk. On a whim, thinking that Song Youning was too tense all day, she took the initiative to give her a "surprise"... But she really couldn't remember what happened afterwards because she was also drunk.
She only remembered being woken up by a call from her club manager the next day, who tremblingly told her that Mr. Song had requested that all surveillance footage of the relevant areas from last night be completely deleted.
Su He's heart skipped a beat and she quickly called Song Youning. However, it was her assistant Xu Shangyan who answered the phone. He told her politely but distantly, "Ms. Su, Mr. Song is very busy with official duties recently and may not be able to contact you."
Su He's eyes went dark, and he knew that he was in big trouble.
Sure enough, not long after, some of her "little hobbies" that were neither big nor small, but definitely forbidden by her father, were somehow revealed to her father.
Although it didn't cause any serious injuries, it really made her anxious and she had to live in fear for a long time, which made her feel very depressed.
There is no need to guess, it was definitely Song Youning who did it.
But she was in the wrong and felt guilty, so she not only endured it obediently, but also smiled several times and tried to show her goodwill in various ways. Only then was the matter barely put behind her.
Su He felt uneasy when the past was brought up again, and her voice became weaker. "I was drunk and fooling around at the time, but didn't I apologize to you later? You also retaliated against me. Youning, what happened? Is there something wrong with that person?"
Under Su He's doubtful gaze, Song Youning took a deep breath, clicked on Ji Siyun's old photo, and handed it to Su He. His voice trembled slightly, "Was it him... the one you arranged that night?"
Su He took a closer look at the photo, and immediately a look of being wronged appeared on his face: "Youning, although I like to play, I am a good citizen who abides by the law! The first glance at this photo shows that he is a minor. How could I arrange for him to do that!"
Song Youning suppressed his surging emotions and spoke again, his voice dry: "I only have photos of him at this time. Just look, is it him?"
Su He frowned, trying to recall, but finally shook his head: "I was also very drunk that night, and I really can't remember that face clearly."
She paused, then added, "Oh, Manager Zhang! He was responsible for arranging the personnel at that time, so he must remember it!"
Soon, Manager Zhang was called over.
Song Youning sat silently on the sofa chair in the dim corner, holding the glass in one hand, the dark wine swaying gently with her slight trembling.
Su He handed over the phone and asked, "Manager Zhang, take a closer look. Have you seen this person before?"
Manager Zhang took the phone respectfully, frowned, examined it carefully for a moment, then relaxed his brows and said with some certainty, "I've seen this kid before. I was the one who hired him myself."
In the dim light, Song Youning's expression could not be seen clearly, but her fingers holding the wine glass suddenly tightened, and her knuckles turned white.
Su He was stunned at first, then raised his voice: "What! How old was he when you recruited him?"
Manager Zhang was a little confused by the question: "Eighteen years old, an adult."
"Eighteen years old? He's an adult..." Su He widened his eyes and subconsciously glanced at Song Youning, whose air pressure was extremely low. He then turned to Manager Zhang and gritted his teeth in frustration. "You're only eighteen years old, and you have the heart to do that? Do you think my club is that kind of place..."
Manager Zhang finally realized that Su He had misunderstood and quickly explained, "Boss Su, what are you thinking? He's here to work and study as a waiter! He earns money with his own hands, clean and honest. What's wrong with that?"
Su He was startled, and instantly realized that he had misjudged her. He cleared his throat awkwardly and said, "Oh... so you want to be a waiter."
"Yes." Manager Zhang nodded, looking at the photo with a hint of sympathy on his face. "I remember him. He was a child with a very hard life."
"I heard he was admitted to a pretty good university through self-study. To raise tuition, he worked at a construction site carrying bricks and cement during the day, and came to our place to serve dishes at night. He's not afraid of hard work or fatigue. There aren't many young people like him these days."
Su He laughed dryly and agreed: "It is quite hard."
Manager Zhang continued to recall, "That's right. He was doing well, was down-to-earth, and didn't talk much. But suddenly one day..."
He sighed, carefully observed Su He's expression, and lowered his voice: "I don't know what happened later, but when that kid came to resign, his eyes were red."
"Mr. Su, you know that the guests who come to our club are either wealthy or noble. Some things... we can't get into too deeply. I felt really sorry for him, so I took it upon myself to give him an extra month's salary. Luckily, he didn't make a fuss or say he would call the police..." Manager Zhang sighed again and muttered softly, "I don't know which wicked person bullied a child who just came of age. It's really a sin..."
Su He was frightened when he heard this, and his eyes turned cautiously to Song Youning, who had been silent from the beginning.
Song Youning drank the spicy wine in the cup in one gulp, said nothing, and didn't even look at Su He. He walked straight out the door, his steps so fast that it seemed like he was almost running away.
Su He's surprised shout came from behind, but Song Youning's back did not stop at all, and soon disappeared around the corner of the corridor.
She couldn't stay there any longer. Every word of sympathy from Manager Zhang was like a loud slap in her face.
Because that wicked guy...is none other than herself.
Song Youning finally realized what a devastating blow her light-hearted words "clean it up" had been to the young man who was struggling in the mud but still striving to move forward.
The heartache and overwhelming guilt almost suffocated her.
On the top floor of the YNING Technology Building, the last overtime employee rubbed his aching neck and carefully knocked on Fang Li's office door. "Mr. Fang, I'm leaving first. You should go to bed early too."
Fang Li raised his head from a pile of documents and forced a smile: "Okay, be careful on the road." But he sighed deeply in his heart.
Go to bed early? How could he possibly rest when there was a living ancestor in the lab upstairs who didn't know day or night and was in a worrying state?
When the company was completely quiet and Fang Li finished the last report on hand, the takeaway phone rang at the right time.
The dinner he ordered arrived, just in time for the ancestor upstairs. Fang Li took the elevator downstairs, and just as he walked out of the revolving door in the lobby, he paused.
Under the dim street light, a slender but straight figure stood there quietly.
It’s Song Youning.
She tilted her head slightly, her gaze seemingly fixed on a lighted window on the top floor. Her profile appeared hazy in the light and shadow, with an indescribable loneliness and hesitation.
The night wind blew a few strands of her hair, adding a sense of fragility.
Fang Li thought of Ji Siyun upstairs who had become half-human, half-ghost because of the woman in front of him, and felt annoyed, but he couldn't help it and walked over.
"Mr. Song," he said, his tone not exactly warm, "Why are you here?"
Song Youning seemed to be awakened by his voice. He slowly retracted his gaze and turned to him. A shallow, even forced smile appeared on his face, and his voice was slightly hoarse. "I wanted to see someone, so I came here."
As she spoke, a faint smell of alcohol came over. Fang Li raised an eyebrow and asked knowingly, his tone tinged with sarcasm: "Oh? Mr. Meng is not here."
Song Youning heard the hidden meaning in his words, and a bitter arc appeared on her lips. She did not avoid it, but met Fang Li's gaze directly and said clearly: "I want to see Ji Siyun."
Fang Li's professional smile remained unchanged, but his tone was filled with a distant reminder: "Mr. Song, you are very familiar with yesterday's news. I don't think he wants to see you right now."
Song Youning pinched his palm with his fingertips, feeling a slight sting.
She knew that Fang Li was on Ji Siyun's side, and that he was giving her face by speaking to her in this tone at this moment.
She suppressed the bitterness and anxiety in her heart and tried to make her voice sound calm: "Regarding the news, there are some other things that I can explain."
Fang Li shook his head, his tone filled with helplessness: "Mr. Song, it's useless for you to explain to me."
He glanced meaningfully at the top floor and said, "The key is whether the person inside is willing to listen."
"Then let me explain to him in person." Song Youning immediately followed up with an earnest look in his eyes.
Fang Li looked at her and was silent for a moment.
The industry's assessment of the Song family's daughter was unanimous: shrewd, decisive, and profit-oriented, she perfectly inherited her father, Song Zhenglan's business acumen. How could such a woman, always calm and calculating, actually do something like this, drunk, late at night, and quietly wait downstairs at someone else's company?
This is totally inconsistent with her usual personality.
Thinking of Ji Siyun upstairs who was distraught because of the woman in front of him, Fang Li felt powerless.
Ever since he met Ji Siyun, he knew that this guy had an obsession in his heart, a person whom he treasured but was out of his reach.
It was only in the past two years that Fang Li found out that the white moonlight who made a genius like Ji Siyun humbled to the dust was actually Song Youning, a powerful figure in the business world.
He would repeatedly watch all the financial reports related to her and even the occasional gossip and candid photos, and secretly search for her public schedule. His room was covered with her photos, and the thing he locked in the safe was not a real key, but a small stack of yellowed letters that were still well preserved.
Song Youning, who prioritizes rationality, and Ji Siyun, who is crazy about love...
Perhaps, letting them talk it out face to face, no matter what the outcome, would be better than torturing each other like now, and making him suffer as well?
"Okay," Fang Li finally relented and took out his phone. "I'll ask him what he means."
He lowered his head and began to edit the message, while Song Youning waited nervously.
None of them noticed that in the shadow of the green belt in the distance, a hidden camera was silently aimed at them.
The person behind the camera carefully adjusted the focus and captured the scenes of Li and Song Youning having an intense conversation under the street light.
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