"Why would you quit when you were doing so well? How will you pay for your mother's medical treatment without an income?" Mengqi asked. "You didn't have to resign. You could have hired someone to take care of your mother."
"Miss, you don't need to worry. I have savings for my mother's treatment," Song Jiaping said in a deep voice. "My mother doesn't have much time left, and I want to spend as much time with her as possible."
"Is it a terminal illness?" Huangfu Mengqi hadn't expected his mother's condition to be so serious. She said, "I'm sorry, I didn't know..."
"It's alright. That's why I've stopped working and plan to spend time with her." Song Jiaping had actually considered contacting Mengqi; he had a letter he wanted Mengqi to deliver to Mengyao.
But since Mengqi was married now, he felt it would be inconvenient to approach her, so he was still hesitant about it.
"Since you've made up your mind, I have nothing more to say..."
"Wait, are you free tonight?" Song Jiaping interrupted her. "There's something I want to discuss with you."
"What is it? Can't you say it over the phone?" Mengqi felt a flicker of anticipation for a private meeting with him, but she didn't show it.
Song Jiaping said, "It's not convenient to discuss over the phone. It's better if we meet. I need your help with something."
"Alright, where are you?" Mengqi asked.
Song Jiaping told her the name of a restaurant and sent her the location.
Mengqi put away her phone, thinking that they had always been open with each other.
Even though she was married, meeting and chatting with a male friend was perfectly normal. What was there to worry about?
The restaurant Song Jiaping mentioned was near the oncology hospital. He arrived earlier than her and found a relatively quiet corner table so they could talk easily when she arrived.
However, he didn't realize that ever since Huangfu Shaohua's funeral, someone had been watching his every move.
The person watching him was a private investigator hired by Hong Jiaxi.
While waiting for Mengqi, Song Jiaping ordered two drinks and started sipping them.
Although he was saddened by his mother's severe illness, his mood was no longer as conflicted, and he felt a sense of release.
On the way, Mengqi wondered if he wanted to borrow money from her, or if there was any other important matter that couldn't be discussed over the phone.
Song Jiaping didn't have to wait long; Mengqi arrived soon after.
They sat in a less conspicuous corner, but the private investigator who had been watching Song Jiaping had already found a good angle for his camera and sent photos of the two of them to Hong Jiaxi.
The Hong family was always lively and bustling. The entire family was gathered around the dining table, eating dinner and exchanging gossip and veiled remarks.
Hong Jiaxi only ate his food and never spoke casually.
His aunts and uncles would go to any lengths to curry favor with the Hong family patriarch.
He had long since learned to greet any remarks directed at him with a faint smile. After all, his grandfather had always valued his father the most.
He had no interest in family affairs. He was content managing his own pharmaceutical company and had no need to get involved in their disputes.
As an aunt was asking him why he didn't have a girlfriend yet, his phone vibrated several times.
He smiled perfunctorily and said, "I'm done eating. I'll head back to my room. Grandpa, please enjoy your meal."
With that, he left his room without regard for the expressions of his relatives.
Back in his room, he immediately unlocked his phone screen to check the messages. He let out a "Yes!" at last, realizing that the effort he had put in was not in vain.
He forwarded these photos to Mengyao, along with a message: "When I was eating at this restaurant, I saw Song Jiaping and your sister. It's after work hours, why are they still having dinner alone together? Should I go say hello to them?"
Less than a minute after sending this message, Mengyao replied, "Did they see you? Don't say hello to them. Don't disturb them."
"Okay, they didn't see me." Hong Jiaxi replied to the message.
Mengyao's call came through. Hong Jiaxi feared he might be exposed, but he couldn't refuse the call.
He gripped his phone, rehearsed his words, took a deep breath, and answered. Whether Mengyao would change her mind depended on this.
If Song Jiaping could use his methods to break them up, why couldn't he use some tactics to win Mengyao back!
"Jiaxi, which restaurant are you at? I want to see for myself. Send me your location," Mengyao asked, her heart bleeding.
Song Jiaping hummed and checked the restaurant address sent by the private investigator. He said, "I'll send you the location now, but I'm afraid they might have finished eating by the time you get here..."
"It's alright, just send it to me."
"Okay," Hong Jiaxi said, sending her the location. "I've sent it. Did you receive it?"
Mengyao didn't answer him and hung up.
He dared not delay. He quickly changed his clothes and rushed out, needing to get to the restaurant before Mengyao.
...
As soon as Song Jiaping saw Mengqi, he exchanged pleasantries. Knowing she hadn't had dinner yet, he ordered two or three dishes based on her usual preferences.
Seeing that he still remembered what she liked to eat, Mengqi's mood improved greatly. She asked, "What exactly did you want to meet and talk about? Is your mother ill and needs help?"
Song Jiaping shook his head and said, "We probably won't have the chance to work together in the future. Thank you for taking care of me when I was at the company."
"Are you just thanking me?" Mengqi found him strange today, completely different from his usual aloof demeanor.
"Of course, it's not just for that," Song Jiaping's expression turned serious again. "Regarding your brother Shaohua's death, I want to apologize. I shouldn't have listened to him and helped him escape those bodyguards just because he was my superior. If I hadn't helped him, he wouldn't have met with this accident..."
"I know best about what happened between my brother and Daisy," Mengqi's mood turned somber. "You can't blame yourself. Even if you hadn't helped Shaohua, he would have found other ways. Even though he had divorced Daisy, he still hadn't let go."
"Thank you for not blaming me, but I still feel guilty about it." Song Jiaping was still very sad and remorseful about Huangfu Shaohua's death. Unlike his mother, he didn't feel any satisfaction from revenge; his heart ached.
Therefore, he had come to terms with certain things. He couldn't bring himself to harm the Huangfu family, let alone seek revenge.
When his family suffered misfortune, and his father and grandfather died, he was too young to understand anything.
His mother had constantly instilled hatred in him later on. In fact, he had passively accepted it, and even later, he didn't want to hear his mother talk about it. For him, it was like an invisible shackle.
If he couldn't even get past his guilt for not intending to harm Huangfu Shaohua, he couldn't even imagine truly harming someone in the future.
Daisy reached out and held his hand on the table, tears welling up as she said sadly, "Our whole family grieved for Shaohua for a long time. We are all trying to adjust and slowly move on from the pain. The deceased are gone, and the living must face their future lives. Please don't blame yourself anymore."
It was the first time Song Jiaping had seen her cry so openly. He took a napkin and gently wiped the tears from her face.