Chapter 74: Solo 74 Then I will be frank, I...
When Song Yu entered the house, Song's father had already returned and was sitting in the living room chatting with Song's mother.
"Ruru, are you back? Have you eaten?" Song's father turned around and asked.
Song Yu was changing his shoes and replied from across the entrance: "I've eaten."
Song's mother glared at Song's father: "You really are not asking seriously. The child came back so late, he must have eaten out."
Song Yu put on slippers, walked to Song's parents, and sat down on the sofa in front of them. "Mom and Dad, I have something to tell you."
She said it seriously, and Song's father and mother also put away their jokes and became serious: "What's the matter?"
She put her briefcase aside, tucked in her skirt, and then said, "I think there will be rumors about me and Zhou Ci circulating online tomorrow. You'd better be mentally prepared."
"What's the story about you and Zhou Ci?" Song's father asked. "What's the story about you and Zhou Ci?"
"It's probably something like me and Zhou Ci were photographed on a date, and we're suspected of being in a relationship, or Zhou Ci was cheating on the Song family's daughter and was caught by his current girlfriend."
Song's father opened his eyes wide, "You? Are you in love with Zhou Ci?" How come it was only one afternoon and he couldn't understand the trend.
It was Song's mother who got to the point: "Didn't you go to talk to Zhou Ci about company matters today? Did something happen between you and him?"
"We are indeed dating, but Zhou Ci is not cheating. He doesn't even have a girlfriend, so what's the point of cheating?"
"You're dating Zhou Ci? Ru Ru, can you say something that Daddy can understand?" When did this happen? He had never heard of this before!
Song Yu stood up and poured a glass of water for each of Song's parents. Then he spoke again, "Dad, Mom, I haven't had much contact with Zhou Ci in the past six years. You should be able to sense that, right?"
"I do feel that something is not right between you. He rarely comes home anymore." Song's mother echoed.
"That's because I broke up with him and I'm embarrassed to contact him again." Song Yu knew that if she wanted her parents to believe her, her words had to be mixed and there had to be some truth to them. If they were all lies, her parents, who were so smart, would easily see through them.
"We were drunk back then, and I pushed him straight onto the bed." Song Yu was embarrassed to say such lewd words in front of her parents, but she couldn't explain what she was about to say, so she could only bite the bullet and continue: "I regretted it the next morning when I sobered up. I've always considered him my younger brother since I was a child, and I had no other thoughts. After that, Zhou Ci said he liked me and wanted to marry me, which scared me. I was quite upset at that time and didn't know how to resolve the matter. Coincidentally, the company was always arguing about the Third World issue, so I applied for an overseas assignment. During the six years I was abroad, I directly cut off contact with Zhou Ci. I was the one who took the initiative. He sent me messages, but I ignored him."
Song Yu finished telling the whole story in one breath. Not only Song's father, but even Song's mother cast their eyes on her, waiting for her to continue.
Song Yu glanced at her parents' expressions and began to lay the groundwork for her sequel: "Actually, during these years abroad, I gradually realized that I did like him in my heart, and it wasn't just the kind of simple love a sister has for a brother. It's just that we spent so much time together as siblings that I didn't realize it until I thought I only treated him as a younger brother. After I spent a few years abroad, we lost contact and turned this corner. He's doing better, so it's even harder for me to be so shameless and take the initiative to get close to him."
Song's father and mother were stunned when they heard this. They knew that something must have happened to the two children back then, but they didn't think about it in that direction.
No one knows a daughter better than her mother. Song's mother was the first to react: "After all this preparation, what exactly do you want to say? Stop hiding it, just come clean!"
"Okay, then I'll be frank. I plan to marry Zhou Ci." Song Yu finally announced her big news.
Father Song was surprised. "Why so sudden?"
Song's mother thought of more, "Is Zhou Ci threatening you with the Song family?"
It is still the case that mothers understand their children better. Zhou Ci did not threaten, but he did take advantage of the Song family's crisis. He knew that Song Yu was eager to save the situation, so he forced and induced Song Yu to reach a cooperative relationship.
"No, Zhou Ci is not that kind of person." Song Yu denied it outright.
"After we met today, we actually talked about a lot of things in the past. Zhou Ci said that he had liked me for a long time, but he just didn't dare to tell me."
After a pause, she continued, "It was Zhou Ci who suggested the idea of marriage. Although I like him, I didn't want to get married right away. I wanted to start with a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship. Zhou Ci said that if we got married directly, it would be more beneficial to the Song family. I thought about it and felt that he made sense."
Song's parents didn't respond, so Song Yu continued, "The Song company is in crisis right now, and banks won't lend us money. If we can tie ourselves up with him, the Song company won't be unable to borrow money. With Zhou and Chu Zhuo's endorsements, the bank's loan conditions won't be so strict. We can work together to guide the company online and publicize our marriage, which will also be good for the Song company's recent reputation."
"Even so, the decision to get married right away is too hasty. I've never heard you mention this before." Song's father still disagreed.
Song Yu looked at Mother Song: "Mom, do you think so too?"
Song's mother nodded and said, "Your father is right. Marriage is not a joke. You should be cautious. No matter how important the Song family is, it is not as important as your happiness. Mom and Dad don't object to you and Zhou Ci dating, but you should wait a little longer before getting married. You two can get along better."
Song Yu was anxious: "But I think getting married right away is also a good idea. Zhou Ci and I have lived together for several years before, so there is no adjustment period. The most important thing is that he wants to marry me, and I like him. I am already 28 years old, so there is nothing wrong with getting married at this age."
After Song Yu said so much, she looked at her parents' still worried eyes and felt very glad that she listened to Zhou Ci and did not tell them the truth about their marriage. If she told them about the contract marriage, it would only make them more worried and even more dissatisfied.
Mother Song shook her head: "But it's still too fast."
"Ru Ru, your mother and I agree." Song's father also expressed his opinion.
In order to reassure his parents, Song Yu had no choice but to use his trump card: "Dad, Mom, you probably don't know, after what happened to Shen Zhiyan, I no longer believe in love or marriage."
Seeing his parents looking at him, Song Yu put on a moderately sad expression. "Marrying a man, getting married, and having children is something that takes courage for me. I originally thought that I would never find someone who wanted me to marry again in my life, but Zhou Ci made me believe again. This decision may be a bit impulsive and reckless, but isn't impulsiveness and courage what marriage requires most? I've been too cautious and afraid to enter into marriage. I don't want to regret it in the future, so I want to give it a try with him."
Song Yu's words were true and false, but judging from the expressions of Song's father and mother, they were probably convinced by her.
Song Yu's trump card was extremely powerful. His parents loved each other and hoped their children's marriages would be as happy as their own. Compared to never getting married and not believing in marriage, developing too quickly was not a problem at all.
Song's father and mother remained silent, and silence meant tacit consent.
Song Yu secretly breathed a sigh of relief. She had won the first battle. All she had to do next was wait for Zhou Ci to come over, and the matter would be clear in front of her parents.
She believed in Zhou Ci's ability, and as long as he came, he would definitely dispel her parents' last doubts.
Since the elders from both sides agreed, she and Zhou Ci could go to the Civil Affairs Bureau to get their certificate. As for the wedding, she had not thought about it and was not looking forward to it.
-
The Zhou family always went to bed early. At nine o'clock in the evening, Mr. Zhou had already gone to bed and was chatting with his wife when the housekeeper knocked on the door and said that Young Master Aci had arrived.
Old Mr. Zhou didn't expect Zhou Ci to come at this time. He and Old Mrs. Zhou each put on a nightgown, got up and left the room.
Mrs. Zhou was of course happy that her most promising grandson had arrived, and she invited him to stay overnight.
However, Old Man Zhou knew that this grandson would never come to visit unless there was something important. He came here so late at night, so he must not just come here to sleep, but must have something to say.
He stopped his wife from asking someone to make the bed, waved to Zhou Ci, "Come in with me!" and led him directly into the study.
Once the door was closed, it blocked anyone from observing what was happening inside, and no one knew what they were talking about.
As soon as he entered the door, Mr. Zhou asked, "Why are you here so late? What happened?"
Zhou Ci didn't waste any words and directly stated his purpose: "Grandpa, I plan to marry Song Yu. Please take some time to go to the Song family and talk to Uncle Song about the wedding."
"You're going to marry Song Yu?" Old Master Zhou's reaction was similar to Song's parents'. "I asked you a few days ago, but you kept mum. Why are you so sudden now?"
"After much searching, I can't think of a better candidate than her," Zhou Ci said. "Officially, our businesses are different from the Song family's, so we can complement each other in many ways. Personally, I lived with Song Yu for a few years when I was in college, and our personalities are very compatible, so we get along quite well. Grandpa wants me to find a wife-in-law who can help the Zhou family, and the Song family fits that bill perfectly. Our two families have known each other for so many years, and we know each other inside and out. This is something the Su family can't match, even if they have a Su Youyan."
Mr. Zhou has been in the business world for decades, but he won't be led around by Zhou Ci's words. "If that's the case, why didn't you say anything when I asked you a few days ago?"
"Grandpa, don't you understand me yet? I won't speak unless I'm absolutely sure." Since he has spoken, it must be 90% certain and will not change easily.
Mr. Zhou was still suspicious, "Have you been interested in her since a long time ago? Is that why you look down on Su Yuecheng? I heard from Brother Ling that he ran into Song Yu at the company today."
"I really don't dislike her, but I value the Song family behind her more." Zhou Ci knew exactly what Old Man Zhou wanted to hear, so he followed his words and said, "I originally planned that if Song Yu didn't agree to the marriage, I would release the Song family's financial report for this year. When the Song family was struggling and had to sell assets to pay off debts, we would take the opportunity to buy them at a lower price than the market price. But Song Yu agreed to the marriage, so from now on, Zhou and Song are one family. If the Song family is good, I will be better too. So I must help the Song family, at least to get through this crisis."
Mr. Zhou was a traditional man who valued profit. Although Zhou and Song were old friends, when it came to profit, that little bit of affection was nothing compared to the actual benefits. As long as he wasn't the one who brought down the Song family, he could enjoy the benefits of the Song family's downfall with a clear conscience.
In Mr. Zhou's words, whoever eats it will eat it. Even if he doesn't eat it, others will, so it's better to give it to him. As for whether to help someone in need, helping is a favor, not helping is a duty.
However, if the two families wanted to marry, the situation would be different. The Song family only had one daughter, so any future children, regardless of whether they were surnamed Zhou or Song, would have Zhou blood. Helping the Song family would mean helping his future grandson or granddaughter, making this a good deal.
Zhou Ci grasped Old Man Zhou's mentality and added fuel to the fire, speaking directly into Old Man Zhou's heart: "No one would push away the benefits they have gained. I will help the Song family this time, and everything in the Song family will belong to my children from now on."
This touched Mr. Zhou's heart, and he was moved. However, he still had some concerns: "But the Su family has just spoken out, and the heat hasn't even died down yet. If we rush to get engaged to someone else, what will the Su family think? I'm afraid it won't look good on Su Youyan."
"Grandpa, don't worry about this. Su Youyan will send Su Yuecheng away tomorrow at the latest. If publishing a statement in the newspaper is useful, he will definitely publish it to tell everyone that he has nothing to do with Su Yuecheng."
Mr. Zhou's gossipy spirit was ignited, his eyes bright, "What happened?"
Ever since he stopped caring about other things, he's become more and more like a child. He's more eager to get to know someone about gossip than anyone else, and he's been involved in all sorts of things that he didn't care about in previous decades. From small things like the nanny's daughter being abused and getting divorced to big things like how many puppies the family dog has had, including male and female puppies, he's always asking about everything. It's astonishing.
"It's not a big deal, but Su Youyan will probably have a headache for a few days. If Grandpa is interested, remember to go online tomorrow morning."
The more Zhou Ci said this, the more Old Man Zhou became greedy: "You little bastard, are you trying to make your grandfather anxious? Can't you just tell me now?"
Zhou Ci stood up: "Now that we've finished talking, I have to go back."
"You're not staying here? It's so late. Your grandma wants you to stay at home and is anxious to make your bed."
"No." Zhou Ci shook his head. "I have to meet with the PR department when I get home. I can't let tomorrow morning's news affect the stock prices of both Zhou and Song. I don't fight unprepared battles. I need to prepare in advance." Zhou Ci opened the door to the study. "Grandpa, I'm leaving. You and Grandma should go to bed early."
"Okay, you have things to do, so I won't keep you here." Old Master Zhou followed him out and asked, "How did you get here?"
"I drove here myself."
"It's so late, let Zhong Ming take you home."
"Okay, I'll go find Uncle Zhong. By the way—" Zhou Ci suddenly stopped, turned around and asked Old Man Zhou: "Grandpa, when are you planning to go to the Song family to discuss the marriage?"
Mr. Zhou glared at him: "Are you so anxious?"
Zhou Ci said calmly, "I'm not in a hurry, but I'm afraid the Song family can't wait any longer."
"I know, I know." Mr. Zhou waved his hand, "I'll go there in the next few days."
"Then grandpa will go the day after tomorrow! I'll go first tomorrow." Zhou Ci ignored Grandpa Zhou's few days and directly assigned him a date.
Mr. Zhou was annoyed with him again and drove him away directly: "Okay, okay, go away! Go away!"
After calling Mr. Zhou's driver Zhong Ming and making an appointment with him to wait at the gate of Zhou's house, Zhou Ci went downstairs.
Downstairs, Old Mrs. Zhou had someone prepare a midnight snack for Zhou Ci and was about to serve it to him, but Zhou Ci said he didn't have time, greeted Old Mrs. Zhou a few words, and left.
Mrs. Zhou returned to her room and lay back on the bed. She tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She couldn't help but say to Mr. Zhou, "I always feel that Ah Ci is not close enough to us."
"You just realized it?" Old Master Zhou snorted. "It's not his fault. We really neglected him when he was little, which led to him developing this aloof personality."
"It's all because of you. Not only did you anger his father, but you even ignored his grandson. If Ah Ci didn't look like his father and was not so capable, who knows what kind of life he would be living now." Old Mrs. Zhou sighed, "When Ah Ci's mother just passed away, I wanted to take him to raise him with me, but his father, who is so useless, listened to that woman's instigation. He was afraid that if Ah Ci grew up with us, we would pay too much attention to him and take away her son's love. At that time, she didn't even have a son."
"Let's not talk about the past. If you really feel sorry for him, give more of what you have to his wife. Oh, I forgot to tell you, this brat came to our house late at night and said he wanted to marry Ru Ru."
"Ruru? The little girl from the Song family?" Old Madam Zhou asked. "Really? That's great! She's beautiful, like a fairy, and she's a nice person too."
Mr. Zhou teased his wife: "Do you like that little girl so much?"
"Go out and ask around. Which family in City B doesn't like a son? I didn't expect ours would be the one. When are they planning to get married? We need to go to the Song family and bring up this matter."
"We really need to hurry. Your grandson has specifically asked us to go the day after tomorrow. The Song family has been having a hard time lately. If we let them have this happy event, they'll be able to relax."
"The day after tomorrow? Then I'll be busy tomorrow."
Old Mrs. Zhou turned over and stopped talking to Old Man Zhou. She was already thinking about what to buy tomorrow.
The grandson's biological mother is gone, and his biological father is like a stepfather. The stepmother wishes him to be as miserable as possible. If these two old people don't take care of things, the grandson will be too pitiful.
Old Mrs. Zhou was so lost in thought that she didn't even know when she fell asleep.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
