Chapter 76 The Sick President Song is a Bit Clingy
That evening, at the Tang family's house.
The electronic thermometer beeped softly, and a number appeared on the orange screen: 36.8.
Tang Ran's tense expression relaxed.
After the ordeal in the middle of the night, Song Zhixu's cold worsened, and by the afternoon she even developed a fever.
Tang Ran called her family doctor to come to her home for a check-up, gave her fever-reducing medicine, and she took a nap before her temperature came down.
"Don't go to the company for the next couple of days. Wait until you're better before returning to work," Tang Ran said to Song Zhixu solemnly, placing the electronic thermometer on the bedside table.
She should have advised Song Zhixu to rest properly a few days ago when Song Zhixu's throat was sore, otherwise it wouldn't have dragged on until now and developed into a severe cold.
Song Zhixu slightly tugged at the corner of her mouth and softly replied, "Okay."
His face was an unnatural red from illness, and his voice was incredibly hoarse.
She took Tang Ran's hand and said, "You should come up and rest too."
After discovering that she had a fever in the afternoon, Tang Ran had been busy taking care of her and hadn't had a proper rest.
Tang Ran followed her movements, lifted the covers, and got into bed.
After a long day, she didn't have the energy to scroll through her phone. She opened the curtains a little and then turned off the lights.
Song Zhixu put his arm around her from behind and kissed Tang Ran on the shoulder.
The heat from the breath made a small patch of goosebumps on her neck. Tang Ran nudged her head and said, "It's a little itchy."
"Let me hug you."
Song Zhixu rested his chin on Tang Ran's shoulder, pulling her completely into his arms.
Tang Ran leaned back, finding a comfortable position, and teased, "The sick CEO Song is a bit clingy~"
"Um."
Mr. Song readily agreed without any hesitation.
Moonlight streamed through the glass door, falling onto the floor, creating a serene and beautiful scene.
Tang Ran chuckled and took Song Zhixu's hand, which was resting on her waist. Her fingers slipped between Song Zhixu's fingers, interlocking with hers, and her thumb rubbed against the back of Song Zhixu's hand.
"Ranran," Song Zhixu called out to her.
"Hmm?" Tang Ran yawned.
Song Zhixu nuzzled her cheek and asked softly, "Why did you call me at that time?"
Tang Ran never had the habit of calling her in the middle of the night, and last night's call was very timely.
And Tang Ran's reaction after the call was connected was as if she had already guessed that she would encounter a fire.
And the fire-fighting methods that Tang Ran explained to her over the phone were so detailed and skillful that Song Zhixu had the illusion that Tang Ran herself had experienced a fire.
Song Zhixu had a good memory. She remembered that time when she was watching a movie at Tang Ran's house, Tang Ran's body trembled when she saw the female lead trapped in the fire.
And yesterday, when Tang Ran dropped her phone, it just so happened that she had filmed that fire-breathing performance.
Tang Ran seems to be very afraid of fire.
Hearing her words, Tang Ran paused in her finger movements, and said naturally, "I had a nightmare yesterday, and I was so scared that I woke up. Then I suddenly really wanted to call you."
Song Zhixu grasped her hand in return and asked, "Can you tell me what you dreamed about?"
“I dreamt that your room caught fire, not the old house, but Jingting.”
Tang Ran turned around and hugged Song Zhixu tightly, her voice very low, "I went to save you, but I was too late, you were seriously injured."
When she spoke, she wasn't referring to last night's nightmare, but rather to her real experiences from her previous life.
If she had discovered it earlier or understood more at that time, Song Zhixu wouldn't have suffered such a serious injury.
Even though those events happened in her previous life, Tang Ran still felt very sad and heartbroken when she thought about them.
"It's okay." Song Zhixu gently patted her back, comforting her tenderly, "It was all a dream. I wasn't hurt, and Ranran saved me too."
"Hmm," Tang Ran responded listlessly.
"Ranran is amazing. It's all thanks to the protective measures she taught me that I'm safe and sound here."
Song Zhixu kissed her forehead. "How does Ranran know so many emergency methods?"
Tang Ran's heart skipped a beat.
She deliberately researched fire emergency procedures after her rebirth, because in her previous life, she was burned to death.
The feeling of impending death washed over me again.
The scorching heat devoured every cell in Tang Ran's body, making her shudder violently.
Song Zhixu quickly patted her back to comfort her, "What's wrong?"
"N-nothing." Tang Ran came back to her senses.
She got out of Song Zhixu's arms, lay flat on her back, and pulled off the blanket covering her. "It's a little hot."
Song Zhixu stared intently at Tang Ran.
The room was a bit dark, and even though she could only vaguely make out Tang Ran's expression, she sensed something was off.
"I just watched a video about fire safety a while ago," Tang Ran explained casually.
She looked up and kissed Song Zhixu on the corner of his mouth. "Your voice is so hoarse, you should talk less."
Tang Ran didn't want to continue the conversation, afraid that the more she said, the more likely she would give herself away, and also afraid that she wouldn't be able to cover it up.
Rebirth is such an unbelievable thing that Tang Ran doesn't plan to tell Song Zhixu.
"Um."
Song Zhixu responded softly, hugged Tang Ran's waist, and leaned his head on her shoulder.
Tang Ran turned and hugged her back.
She hadn't slept since waking up in the middle of the night, but after a few minutes she fell into a deep sleep.
Noticing the even breathing of the person in his arms, Song Zhixu opened his eyes and gazed intently at Tang Ran.
After a long while, he lowered his eyes, gently kissed Tang Ran's forehead, and closed his eyes.
Feeling unwell, Song Zhixu slept lightly. In her hazy state, she felt Tang Ran in her arms suddenly tremble, followed by a low whimper.
Song Zhixu suddenly opened his eyes. Tang Ran in his arms was curled up tightly, her brows furrowed and her lips slightly parted, as if she was very nervous.
Just as she was about to raise her hand to comfort her, she was suddenly tugged at the chest. Tang Ran's hand gripped her pajamas tightly, trembling, "No... Auntie... Auntie..."
Her voice was low, as if it were being forced out from her throat.
After hearing Tang Ran's ramblings, Song Zhixu took a moment to realize that Tang Ran's "little aunt" might be referring to her.
Tang Ran has no aunt.
She had heard Tang Ran call her "little aunt" twice. Once was when she took off her mask at the bar and Tang Ran recognized her, calling her "little aunt" and then quickly changing her address to "sister".
Another time was by the pond in Jingting. Tang Ran was sad and angry, and calling her "little aunt" seemed more like a deliberate mockery.
Song Zhixu had no idea what Tang Ran was dreaming about that would make her call her that in her dream.
Tang Ran's two calls just now were spoken very quickly, and sounded more like anxious calls.
Tang Ran kicked her feet nervously under the covers, her breathing becoming rapid and labored.
Song Zhixu quickly reached out and patted her on the back. Unlike the last time she was comforted, Tang Ran woke up from her dream immediately.
Upon waking up, Tang Ran was momentarily stunned. When she saw Song Zhixu beside her, she made no attempt to hide her surprise. Then, she immediately reached out and wrapped her arms around Song Zhixu's waist, still feeling lingering fear.
Song Zhixu kept watching Tang Ran and took in all the changes in Tang Ran's expression.
He gently patted her back and asked in a low voice, "Did you have a nightmare?"
"Um."
Tang Ran snuggled closer to Song Zhixu, wrapping her arms around his waist.
He buried his face in her chest and took a deep breath. The familiar white tea filled his lungs, and only then did he truly feel at peace.
"Is it still the nightmare from last night?" Song Zhixu hugged Tang Ran and gently patted her back.
"Um."
It was the same as her dream last night, but also different. She had indeed had a nightmare last night, but the dream she just had was something that had actually happened in her previous life: the scene of her rescuing Song Zhixu from a fire.
Hearing Tang Ran's soft response, Song Zhixu's heart sank.
The two times Tang Ran heard "Little Aunt" in her dream were really her voice.
Whether it was Tang Ran's stunned reactions when she saw fire several times, or the sadness she could sense in Tang Ran, Song Zhixu felt that these were all Tang Ran's real experiences, not just a dream.
Such a conjecture is so absurd that Song Zhixu even doubts whether his memory is faulty and he has forgotten something.
After calming herself down, Tang Ran lifted her head from Song Zhixu's embrace. "Did I wake you up?"
Song Zhixu smiled softly, "I slept a lot this afternoon, so I didn't sleep much anyway."
"Would you like me to talk to you?" Tang Ran asked her.
"It's okay, go to sleep." Song Zhixu patted her arm.
"Um."
The next morning, just as dawn broke, Tang Ran woke up.
Song Zhixu was still asleep. Tang Ran took a closer look at her and saw that her complexion was normal and she didn't seem to have a fever.
Tang Ran quietly propped herself up and sat up, picking up her phone from the bedside table.
There were several unread messages on my Green Bubble app, sent by a private investigator.
Since Song Wuqi and Ye Xiaoyu's affair was exposed, Tang Ran has stopped having private investigators follow Song Wuqi.
But both of Song Zhixu's lives were plagued by fires, both times caused by children setting off firecrackers. Tang Ran found it too coincidental and too strange.
Tang Ran carefully considered the commonalities between the two fires. Besides the cause of the fire, the people who appeared in both fires were also present at the same time.
Of course, the most suspicious one is Song Wuqi.
If Song Zhixu gets into trouble, the biggest beneficiary will be Song Wuqi, just like in the previous life, when Song Zhixu was injured and needed to recuperate, the company's management affairs were gradually transferred to Song Wuqi.
Thinking about it this way, Tang Ran felt even more that the two fires were not accidents.
Having experienced her previous life, Tang Ran was not at all surprised that Song Wuqi would do something as heinous as deliberately setting fire to his own aunt.
However, in his previous life, when Song Zhixu was in a fire, Song Wuqi had successfully completed two major projects and was riding high, gaining the attention of Old Master Song.
Even if Song Zhixu is injured now, and Song Wuqi can take this opportunity to be transferred to the head office, he may not be able to take over the management of the group as smoothly as in his previous life.
Furthermore, Xiong Fangnian and his group of covetous shareholders would not allow Song Wuqi to easily take over.
unless.
Tang Ran suddenly thought of a possibility.
She immediately sent a message to the private investigator: "Investigate one more thing..."
After sending the text message, Tang Ran opened the photos sent by the private investigator.
The private investigator went yesterday. Song's village is not big and there are basically no outsiders.
Fearing suspicion, he didn't stay in the village for long and didn't take many photos.
Because it was a wooden structure, the fire spread very quickly after it started. By the time the firefighters extinguished the fire, the east wing where Song Zhixu lived had been burned down to just the frame.
Tang Ran was still shaken by the scene of the fire. She quickly flipped through the pages and paused for a moment when she saw one of the photos.
In the photo, Song Wuqi is talking to a man in his early thirties.
Tang Ran knew him; he was a cousin of the Song family. In her previous life, after Song Wuqi took over the Song family business, this man even served as Song Wuqi's assistant.
Upon seeing him, Tang Ran suddenly remembered that this person was also present during the fire in Jingting in her previous life.
When Song Zhixu woke up, the first thing she saw was Tang Ran leaning against the headboard, looking at her phone with a serious expression.
Her throat felt a little itchy, and she couldn't help but cough lightly, "Cough cough."
Upon hearing the sound, Tang Ran instinctively locked her phone.
She looked at Song Zhixu and asked with concern, "Is your throat sore?"
As Tang Ran spoke, she casually placed her phone face down on the bedside table and went to get a water glass.
Song Zhixu's gaze followed her movements, inadvertently glancing at her phone.
"Have some water first." Tang Ran sat on the bed with a cup in her hand.
Song Zhixu propped himself up on his arms and took a sip of water from Tang Ran's hand.
The cool water slid down my dry throat, and it made me feel much better.
"How are you feeling? Is there anything that's bothering you?"
As Tang Ran spoke, she raised her hand and touched Song Zhixu's head. The temperature was about the same as the temperature of her palm, so it should no longer be hot.
"Much better." Song Zhixu took her hand and gave her a reassuring smile.
"Let's take your temperature."
Tang Ran, unsure of her own touch, stepped over Song Zhixu to reach for the electronic thermometer on her bedside table.
Tang Ran removed the lid, knelt on either side of Song Zhixu's legs, and swept her hand across Song Zhixu's forehead.
36.5 degrees Celsius, normal body temperature.
"36.5, the fever is gone."
Tang Ran relaxed and put the thermometer back.
As she turned to go back to her side, she was suddenly pulled tightly around the waist and ended up sitting in Song Zhixu's lap.
She was all too familiar with this position. Tang Ran's face flushed, and she slapped Song Zhixu's shoulder in an annoyed tone, "You're still sick."
He was about to push her away and get off her.
Song Zhixu pulled her back, rested her head on Tang Ran's shoulder, hugged her tightly, and whispered soothingly, "Don't move, I just want to hug you."
Tang Ran kissed her cheek and looked at her amusedly, "Why have you become so clingy after getting sick?"
*
After staying at the Tang family's house for another day, Song Zhixu's cold improved before the two returned to the Shengming Mansion.
On the way back, Song Zhixu received a call from President Wang in Beijing.
Chip+ has signed a preliminary cooperation agreement with Blue Whale.
The price Blue Whale offered for the chip was much higher than what Song had negotiated with them.
In addition to offering a higher price, Blue Whale will continue to provide funding to enable Mr. Qi's team to collaborate with Jiachuang's top chip R&D company, focusing on chip R&D in the medical field.
The opportunity to collaborate with the world's top teams to develop chips is rare and more attractive than any price.
Without hesitation, Mr. Qi sold himself and his startup team to Blue Whale.
The cooperation that was about to be finalized was snatched away at the last minute, and Mr. Wang's already precarious hairline has receded even further in the past few days due to worry.
Compared to President Wang's worried expression, Song Zhixu had long expected this outcome.
"What did Gonghua Technology say?" Song Zhixu asked.
Compared to another candidate company, Fanglitong, Gonghua Technology's chip performance is similar to that of Chip+.
Upon hearing the name Gonghua Technology, Tang Ran felt it sounded familiar, but couldn't quite place where she had heard it before.
"We're still in talks, but they're not very keen on selling," Mr. Wang sighed. "I'll give it another try."
"Um."
Song Zhixu rubbed his temples and hung up the phone.
Tang Ran sat down next to her, took her hand, and asked, "That acquisition deal we talked about last time?"
She overheard the gist of the phone call and could guess that it was about the chip company acquisition project that Song Zhixu had mentioned to her that night.
“Yes, Core+ has partnered with Blue Whale.” Song Zhixu said solemnly.
When researching Blue Whale's business, Song Zhixu realized that Blue Whale intended to enter the market for medical wearable devices.
If they cannot acquire Gonghua Technology, the sensor chips developed by Chip+ will be at least one generation ahead of theirs in terms of architecture and computing power performance.
Song Zhixu believes that Blue Whale intends to use the acquisition of Chip+ to restrict and suppress the development of Song's SMD business.
Tang Ran pursed her lips, wanting to say something, but then changed her mind and said, "Don't worry too much, maybe there's another solution."
Hearing her words of comfort, Song Zhixu's expression softened.
Tang Ran took her arm and shook it while pouting, "You're not fully recovered yet, promise me you won't think so much. Let President Wang handle things first, okay?"
“Okay, I’ll listen to Ranran.” Song Zhixu agreed with a smile.
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