Chapter 38 Car Accident: How much does President Meng cherish this younger sister? ...
Song Qingqu grasped her shoulders to steady her, and once Lan Jia was standing still, he asked with concern, "How's your leg?"
It's about to break.
That was her first instinct.
I never expected to run so fast even though I was injured, as if a ferocious beast was chasing me.
That person's face... looked exactly like Meng Cenyun; in a daze, I thought I was seeing him in his middle age.
Adding to her suspicions, hearing his surname earlier had fueled her doubts. The Meng family, with its few prominent members in the Lijiang region, was the only truly influential and established clan. This man appeared to be of high status and bore a striking resemblance to her, making it difficult for her not to suspect his relationship with Meng Cenjun. However, Meng Cenjun had always been extremely secretive about his family background, and she had no idea how many uncles or relatives he had. If they were simply keeping to themselves, there was no need to pry. She had no interest in paying attention to those Meng Cenjun avoided.
Even though she was still uneasy, Lan Jia decided to put the little incident from her mind.
"I'm fine, but what about you? Why did you come so soon?" She took a few steps forward with difficulty, trying to prove that she didn't need to see a doctor. She was afraid of going back to the hospital.
Song Qingqu looked around and spotted a convenience store nearby. Supporting Lan Jia as they walked, he said, "There was a problem with the equipment, so the crew wrapped up early. How's Xinwen? Have you been able to contact her family?"
Lan Jia shook her head and said, "They're in surgery right now. They've left someone there; they'll let me know if anything happens. Since I can't help, I'll just have to come out now."
Hearing her increasingly dejected tone, Song Qingqu remained silent.
A bell rang at the door, and the two entered the shop. He first had Lan Jia sit on a high stool and asked, "What would you like to eat?"
Lan Jia crossed her arms, looked at the darkening sky outside the French windows, and said, "Whatever." Her stomach was empty, but she really had no appetite.
Song Qingqu picked and chose from the shelves, taking two bento boxes with a mix of meat and vegetables. He also picked out some meatball skewers from the oden grill and poured hot, rich broth over them.
"Have a couple of bites first." He handed over the peeled wooden chopsticks, along with a triangular piece of cheesecake.
Lan Jia thanked him, but even the sweets she usually longed for but could not have seemed unappetizing.
Song Qingqu lifted the lid, took away the egg that Lan Jia didn't like, and naturally replaced it with a piece of honey-glazed char siu. Over the years they had spent together, he had already figured out her preferences.
The two sat side by side by the window, eating in silence.
"Why are you unhappy?" he asked.
Lan Jia rested her chin on her hand, chewing dryly, "I just feel like I'm stupid, I can't do anything right, and I always need others to clean up my messes."
"We're only twenty years old, the age when everything we do is terrible."
"I'm an adult now, I can't rely on my family forever." She was frustrated by her own lack of ability.
"You always need to give yourself time to grow. If you're too hasty, you'll achieve nothing."
Lan Jia buried her head in her rice, her mind in turmoil, unable to express her unspeakable suffering.
In less than a day, her carefully composed emotions were once again thrown into disarray. Meng Cenjun had left, and at this time no less. She couldn't help but feel that he was plotting something, afraid that he wouldn't come back. Every spare moment she had was spent pondering their relationship. Was it because of inequality, incompatibility? Was that why he was secretly considering rejecting her, abandoning her?
If she could become completely independent and stand on her own, would their status be more equal? Would the gap between them be smaller? But ten years is too far behind; it's a distance she can't catch up with no matter how hard she tries.
How could she not be anxious? How could she not be worried?
Song Qingqu could probably understand what she cared about, but knowing he wasn't that person, he knew there was no point in trying to persuade her, so he simply kept quiet.
He glanced up and saw a black sedan silently gliding towards him on the street outside the convenience store. He recognized the license plate and knew it belonged to her bodyguard. Protector, and also watcher.
If someone insists on not letting go, how can she possibly have the opportunity to grow?
What's the point of a life where you constantly avoid risks for her and clean up her messes, never encountering any setbacks?
Once she developed self-awareness, she fell into self-doubt, worrying constantly that she wasn't doing well enough. Little did she know that it was because someone was interfering too much, constantly comparing herself to her, and controlling her, causing her to become depressed, self-critical, and increasingly dependent on him.
What a cruel desire for control.
Upon realizing this, Song Qingqu couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy.
He removed the transparent plastic shell from the cake and pushed it in front of Lan Jia, saying, "Eat some sweets to release dopamine."
Lan Jia smiled, appreciating his kindness, and went to find the spoon. However, she accidentally knocked it over with her elbow.
"I'll do it."
Concerned about her leg injury, Song Qingqu bent down to pick it up, and in that moment of bending over, his spine below the nape of his neck was exposed. Lan Jia glanced at him and happened to catch a glimpse of the scar hidden beneath the collar of his black T-shirt.
The scar was horrifyingly old, probably nearly ten years old, like a doll whose stitches had been removed and then sewn back up with messy, rough stitches. Because of the clothing, it had long since disappeared into the background. Lan Jia examined it carefully and realized it seemed to be some kind of burn, where the skin and flesh had been scalded and curled up before slowly healing.
Having only glimpsed the tip of the iceberg, a phantom pain of shared perception arises.
Lan Jia couldn't fathom what circumstances would lead to such severe injuries to a child.
In just a few seconds, Song Qingqu looked up and handed her the unopened spoon.
"You can eat now."
She didn't answer.
Only then did he notice her stunned expression.
"how?"
I see your scars.
She had no intention of revealing it, but she just blurted it out anyway.
Song Qingqu's hand holding the spoon tightened subtly, and he smiled, but there was an inexplicable sense of concealment in his expression.
"I had this when I was a child, and it still hurts occasionally. But when I went to the hospital, they couldn't find anything wrong. I always thought it was nerve pain."
“It could also be psychological,” Lan Jia added.
She heard that some people experience trauma and the pain they feel at the time can stay with them for the rest of their lives.
Observe his expression; he remains silent.
"I'm sorry..." She still shouldn't have brought it up.
Song Qingqu lowered her eyes, tore open the paper packaging of the small spoon, and placed it on the cake. "Actually, you're right. I do have psychological problems."
“The real me is completely different from who I am now,” he said, turning his eyes around. “Aren’t you scared?”
Lan Jia thought, who in this world is sunny and radiant inside and out? She certainly had never seen one.
"Do you want me to be scared?" she asked with a smile.
"Actually, I really want to be friends with you." He smiled, but there was a hint of melancholy in his eyes.
"Then don't do anything that scares me. I'm timid and will run away as fast as I can."
He looked at her very carefully and said, "Lan Jia, I won't hurt you."
After a two-second eye contact, she gave a muffled "hmm".
After finishing their simple meal, Song Qingqu began cleaning up the trash on the table. Lan Jia's gaze kept drifting to the back of his neck, where there was such a large scar. She wondered if there were any other injuries.
She thought, "He must have suffered a lot."
Still worried about Xu Xinwen, the two of them rushed to the hospital together.
The operating room lights were still on; no news was actually the best news.
Having watched too many movies, Lan Jia was terrified. The doctor walked out with a heavy expression.
Lu Yan and Qin Ke were still there. After nodding to her, they both turned their scrutinizing gazes to Song Qingqu.
"Brother Yan, Lawyer Qin, it's getting late. Why don't you go eat first?" Lan Jia subtly blocked their view.
“Miss, we ate at the company first and then came here,” Qin Lu said with a smile.
"I'm really sorry to have kept you all waiting." It's a huge waste of talent to have two elites handle her trivial matters while you're just sitting here like idiots.
"President Meng instructed that you have complete control over our time today," Qin Lu said with a smile, his gaze then drifting to Song Qingqu across from him.
Lawyers naturally have a gossipy nature and a sharp eye, and they were eager to find out the relationship between these two people.
Lu Yan glanced at Qin Ke sideways, thinking to himself that he had calculated things well, as he could get money just by sitting here without even looking at the files.
Qin Lu received the disdain from the person next to him, but he smiled without taking offense. He thought to himself that Lu Yan was really inflexible. No wonder he was not as promoted as Zhou Qin, who was so young when he became the assistant to the general manager.
Anyone with a little more awareness of interpersonal relationships would know how much President Meng cherishes this younger sister.
He didn't come for the money; he came for his future!
Upon hearing that it was a mission from the young lady, he accepted without hesitation; none of his colleagues could beat him to it. The young lady was easygoing and fun-loving, always getting into minor troubles, which he easily resolved, and it also gave him an advantage. Even if she didn't interfere in company affairs, she was still the nominal heir to PIONE in the future. By appeasing her, he indirectly curried favor with another person, someone who held real power.
From his strategic perspective, PIONE's future shareholding structure will not change significantly, and most responsibilities and powers will remain firmly in the hands of the brother and sister. With this two-pronged approach, they are sure to rise to higher positions in the future.
Lan Jia was unaware of their inner thoughts, and seeing that neither of them intended to leave, she had no choice but to let them go. Actually, she was also worried that if anything unexpected happened, she and Song Qingqu might not be able to handle it, and this would be a good opportunity to lend a hand.
At this moment, Lan Jia abandoned the idea of going it alone. In life, you always need someone to lend a hand. As long as the problem can be solved smoothly, that's enough. If there's anything she doesn't understand, she can learn it slowly later.
There were so many people outside the operating room out of nowhere. I wonder what Sister Xinwen will think when she comes out.
I really hope she's safe.
Lan Jia sat for a moment, then got up and said to Song Qingqu, "I'll be leaving for a while. Contact me if you need anything."
Seeing that he agreed, she avoided the crowd and went to a quiet stairwell, where she sat on the top step.
It's really unusual that I haven't heard from him all day. In the past, when Meng Cenjun was on a business trip, he would call to check up on me right on time.
I wonder which city he's in? Did he arrive safely?
Today, Lan Jia got involved in a thrilling event, and instinctively took out her phone to share it with him.
She dialed, but after a long busy signal, no one answered. Lan Jia felt a pang of unease. Was he still busy?
Night falls on Tanshan Road.
A secret conversation is taking place in a private booth.
The carved wooden windows were all closed, and upon entering, one was greeted by a lacquered screen adorned with dark green five-needle pines, the patterns dense and intricate, the whole room heavy with unspoken worries.
Behind the screen, Meng Cenjun was sitting in a small rosewood armchair when she noticed the incoming call.
Those two words kept appearing on the screen, unsettling his mind.
He quietly put the phone on silent and turned it upside down.
The person opposite handed over a thick, leather-bound document and said:
"Mr. Meng, this is the case file of the car accident from back then."
Author's note: I'm not on a business trip; I'm still on the Li River. [laughing and crying emoji]
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