15 green plums
I grew up with Xiao Shisi.
Song Qinggui's live stream went viral on social media, with clips of the live stream being shared all over the internet.
However, the focus of public opinion is gradually shifting.
Initially, everyone's focus was on this medical dispute, with various influential commentators jumping in to analyze whether Jingtian Hospital bore any responsibility in the farce, and whether this ridiculous conflict could have been avoided if doctor-patient communication had been truly effective. Medical influencers from various regions followed suit, stepping forward to defend their colleagues…
The comments section was also divided, but fortunately, there were more people supporting Jingtian Hospital, and the incident did not cause any substantial damage to the hospital.
However, the heated debate lasted only a day before people stopped discussing the rights and wrongs of the doctor and patient and began to talk about Song Qinggui in the video.
The comments section was initially quite friendly, with comments like "Sister is both beautiful and cool" and "Sister is a true queen".
But soon, Song Qinggui's dating history was dug up, and rumors spread that he had only dated rich second-generation men since his student days.
The public relations department of Jingtian Group was speechless. They had prepared for a tough battle, but that preparation was for dealing with medical disputes. They never expected to have to handle the boss's wife's scandals, and the people involved were all prominent figures whom they couldn't afford to offend. This was far more difficult than dealing with public opinion surrounding medical disputes.
...
Danshan Road, the Xue family's old residence.
Xue Qielu was watching Song Qinggui's live stream on his tablet, and had been watching it over and over for more than twenty minutes.
Li Jinghe, the third wife, led Chen Sujuan, Xue Rao, and Zhuang Xiaomeng, whom she had invited to visit, into the living room and sat down on the sofa next to Old Master Xue.
Xue Rao glanced at the video in Xue Qielu's hand and said irritably, "Dad, look how many times you've warned her to keep a low profile, but look, not only did she not listen, she even went live and made such a big fuss. Her little secrets have all been dug up by netizens."
Li Jinghe then played the good cop: "They're still young and acted rashly. This matter could have been resolved privately. All that couple wanted was money; it's all negotiable. But they made such a fuss over this. However, Qinggui meant well."
Xue Qielu did indeed like the third wife, because among his women, Li Jinghe was closest to his ideal type—gentle, obedient, a little shrewd, not stupid, but not particularly clever either.
So even though Li Jinghe and Xue Rao, mother and daughter, were singing in unison, it did not change his opinion on the matter.
If Song Qinggui's unruly behavior at the last meal made him think more highly of his daughter-in-law, then this live broadcast completely changed his impression of her.
When Xue Lu said he wanted to marry Song Qinggui, Xue Qielu immediately investigated her. She came from a poor family, had excellent grades, and was confident in her beauty, hoping to use it to transcend social class.
Xue Qielu has seen many women like this: opportunistic, mercenary, and clever to the point of being outsmarted – these are the labels Xue Qielu would use to describe this type of woman.
But Song Qinggui in this live broadcast made Xue Qielu feel a kind of sharpness.
He was confident, decisive, and had an accurate assessment of the situation.
If it weren't for her background and romantic history, she could almost certainly have gained his approval as the head of the family.
Seeing that Xue Qielu remained silent, only staring at the video with a meaningful smile, Xue Rao wanted to continue whispering in her father's ear, but before she could even open her mouth, Li Jinghe gave her a wink.
Xue Qielu actually underestimated Li Jinghe a bit. After all, they had been husband and wife for many years, and Li Jinghe's understanding of Xue Qielu was probably far greater than he thought.
Just as everyone was at a loss for words, the nanny led in someone.
She was a strikingly beautiful young woman, dressed in Chanel, but the style was rather formal, giving her a professional look.
She greeted Xue Qielu as soon as she came in: "Uncle Xue!"
Upon hearing this, Xue Qielu's scrutinizing and calculating gaze vanished, replaced by eyes full of affection: "Yalin is here."
The arrival of this woman clearly displeased one person—Zhuang Xiaomeng.
She couldn't manage a smile; she just forced a stiff nod at the woman as a greeting.
The woman who came was named Su Yalin, and she had been classmates with Xue Lu and Zhuang Xiaomeng from elementary school to high school.
The reason why Su Yalin and Zhuang Xiaomeng have connections with the Xue family is the same. Su Yalin's father, Su Guangsen, and Zhuang Xiaomeng's father, Zhuang Zhong, were both confidants of Xue Qielu in their youth.
Su Guangsen was in charge of human resources at the Xue Group, while Zhuang Zhong was Xue Qielu's accountant.
When Xue Qielu was young, he was ambitious and greedy. He tried to evade taxes and was caught by his superiors. Zhuang Zhong took the blame for Xue Qielu and served several years in prison. After his release, Xue Qielu gave him one of the companies under the Xue family, and Zhuang Xiaomeng became a wealthy woman as a result.
Su Guangsen's situation was similar. In the human resources department, he offended many people on behalf of Xue Qielu, and he could no longer stay in the group. So Xue Qielu helped him out and let him go out and start his own business.
Logically speaking, given their similar family backgrounds and years of being classmates, Zhuang Xiaomeng and Su Yalin should have a deep friendship.
On the contrary, before Song Qinggui, Zhuang Xiaomeng hated Su Yalin the most.
Because there's an open secret in the industry that for many years, Xue Qielu had been determined to have Su Yalin as his daughter-in-law, and he had organized countless events to bring Su Yalin and Xue Lu together.
But everyone in the Xue family knew that Zhuang Xiaomeng had been in love with Xue Lu for many years. Moreover, her father had gone to jail for Old Master Xue, so the Zhuang family had done the Xue family a favor. Therefore, Zhuang Xiaomeng was resentful.
No matter how much resentment and hatred Zhuang Xiaomeng felt, she dared not show it in front of Old Master Xue.
Su Yalin was completely unaware of the turbulent emotions raging within Zhuang Xiaomeng's heart, and was only chatting with Xue Qielu.
Seeing Xue Qielu watching Song Qinggui's video, and remembering what Xue Qielu had mentioned to her a couple of days ago, she asked, "Uncle Xue, are you really going to do this?"
Xue Qielu looked at Su Yalin. He had asked this girl to come over because of the property agreement between Xue Lu and Song Qinggui.
Su Yalin is a partner at Tiancheng Law Firm, and Xue Qielu trusts her the most to handle this matter.
“Uncle Xue, you’ve watched me grow up since I was a child, so you know I’m straightforward.” Su Yalin glanced at the Pad in Xue Qielu’s hand and continued, “Not everyone is willing to take that slap and that punch. I watched the video, and with that force, if it’s not handled properly, internal organs could rupture, and it could be fatal. It’s rare that Miss Song can do this for Jingtian and for Xiao Shisi.”
Upon hearing this, Xue Qielu immediately acted like a child: "You silly girl, how can you side with outsiders and say that your Uncle Xue is wrong?"
Zhuang Xiaomeng, listening from the side, was seething with anger. Uncle Xue had never spoken to her in such a doting manner, as if he were a senior doting on a junior. Su Yalin was shameless too, calling Xue Lu "Little Fourteen" in front of the elders, as if it were some kind of intimate gesture.
Su Yalin smiled after hearing Xue Qielu's words: "Just telling the truth."
Seeing Su Yalin's attitude, Xue Qielu couldn't help but shake his head: "All the effort I put into bringing you and Xiao Shisi together was for nothing, and it turns out you two just don't click at all."
"Oh, you even know the word 'calling'? That's quite trendy," Su Yalin laughed.
"Don't interrupt." Xue Qielu pretended to be angry: "I know that Song Qinggui suffered a loss in this matter. So I will change the terms of the property agreement as compensation to her."
"Are you really determined to insist that Attorney Xue and Miss Song sign this agreement? Attorney Xue's temper..."
“No matter how stubborn he is, it won’t work!” Xue Qielu said firmly. “So many wealthy families have suffered at the hands of women. Song Qinggui is too smart, and Xue Lu may not be her match. I am his father, so naturally I have to make plans for him.”
Su Yalin nodded helplessly and explained her purpose for coming today: "Since you've made up your mind, I won't try to persuade you anymore. But I have to tell you, I won't get involved in this matter. I've found a law firm partner that I trust and that you can trust to help you handle this. Once Miss Song is discharged from the hospital, let's find some time to meet."
"What's wrong? You can't even get Uncle Xue to do something for you now?" Xue Qielu was a little disappointed. He still trusted Su Yalin the most.
Su Yalin shrugged: "You can afford to offend Xiao Shisi, but I can't. Besides, Uncle Xue, Xiao Shisi and I grew up together. If you have a conflict with him, I'll definitely side with him. If I side with you, that would be siding with outsiders."
"You have such a sharp tongue," Xue Qielu said, amused by Su Yalin.
Sometimes, the fates between people are hard to predict. Xue Qielu had always been fond of Su Yalin, but it was also Su Yalin who was the first to discover and support Xue Lu's relationship with Song Qinggui.
Two years ago, in the autumn, Su Yalin was driving along the coastal highway when she saw Xue Lu and Song Qinggui walking together on the naval boardwalk. This brought Song Qinggui's name to the attention of the Xue family. Later, Xue Lu secretly registered his marriage with Song Qinggui, causing a huge uproar in the Xue family. It was Su Yalin who acted as a mediator, easing the tension between father and son.
Xue Qielu sighed inwardly. Xue Lu and Ya Lin... these two children, you could say they were destined to be together, but they were just a little short of it. But even if their connection was shallow, they could still be described as being loyal and devoted to each other.
“Uncle Xue, I’m relieved to see that you’re not affected by those rumors online. I’ll be going now; I still need to go to the law firm later.” Su Ya stood up to say goodbye, then suddenly looked at Zhuang Xiaomeng: “Xiaomeng, shouldn’t you be going too? I happen to be going that way; I can give you a ride home.”
Zhuang Xiaomeng felt a little embarrassed. She had originally planned to have dinner here, but after being prompted by Su Yalin, she had no choice but to stand up and say goodbye to the Xue family.
Su Yalin drove, and Zhuang Xiaomeng sat in the passenger seat.
As the car started, Su Yalin's smile faded, and she said coldly, "Zhuang Xiaomeng, don't get too close to the Third Madam, lest you get burned. Also, don't try to get involved with Xue Lu anymore; even without Song Qinggui, you have no chance."
Su Yalin's words were too blunt, and Zhuang Xiaomeng lost face, retorting angrily, "If I have no chance, do you think you do?"
"Can you stop thinking about female rivalry all the time?" Su Yalin couldn't help but complain. "Whether I have a chance or not, whether others have a chance or not, you have no chance. Don't you know in your heart whether Xue Lu likes you or not, whether he has feelings for you or not, after all these years?"
“That’s because he’s never been in love; he doesn’t know what it’s like to be truly loved.” Zhuang Xiaomeng’s eyes reddened slightly. “If it weren’t for Song Qinggui, I definitely could have won him over. Besides, my father was kind to Uncle Xue… I…”
"Stop." Upon hearing this, Su Yalin stepped on the brakes, pulled the car over to the side of the road, and looked solemnly at Zhuang Xiaomeng: "Zhuang Xiaomeng, for the sake of our many years as classmates, I'm reminding you, don't try to take advantage of the Xue family. Your father went to jail for Uncle Xue, but he also gained wealth that he could never have had in his entire life. Go back and ask your father if time could be reversed, would he be willing to go to jail again? Do you believe he would be 100% willing?"
Zhuang Xiaomeng was speechless after Su Yalin's words. She wanted to refute Su Yalin, but she couldn't say anything to refute her.
The car started up again, and Su Yalin felt that she had made herself clear enough.
Zhuang Xiaomeng choked up and said, "I will wait for him. Xue Lu will see the true colors of a woman like Song Qinggui sooner or later."
Su Yalin freed one hand from the steering wheel and grabbed a handful of her hair: "If you're this bored, why don't you just find a job?!"
Zhuang Xiaomeng stopped talking, and Su Yalin was completely at a loss.
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