When Song Jingwu saw the hesitation in Zhong Ruanxing's eyes, he knew he had gambled right.
After exchanging bodies, Zhong Ruanxing had also interacted with the Song family many times at family banquets. Each time, she observed all the old and young of the Song family. She wanted to figure out what kind of personalities they had, their likes and dislikes, whether they were crafty old schemers or reckless and impulsive. She was silently studying them.
Each time she went back to the old house to visit Grandpa and Grandma Song, when chatting with Grandma, it wasn’t just simple chatting. By listening to the old lady reminisce about the past, she could find out a lot about what had happened before. How was the relationship between the three young masters of the Song family? What was the relationship between Song JinXing's parents like back then? What a harmonious scene it was between brothers back then.
Through these memories of times gone by, she could understand many things that even Song JinXing didn't know about.
Zhong Ruanxing remembered very clearly one thing Grandma Song had mentioned from back then. Grandma said that when Song JinXing’s father was in high school, he participated in a national mathematics competition and won first place. Song Jingwu had run to the company holding his younger brother's trophy and showed it off in every department.
If he had truly loved this younger brother wholeheartedly, he wouldn't have loathed the only son his third brother left in this world so bitterly.
There must be a way to touch a chord deep in his heart.
And at this moment, it seemed she had succeeded.
Zhong Ruanxing said at last, "Uncle, we are one family."
Sincerity was always the killer move.
There was panic in Song Jingwu's eyes. He avoided her sincere gaze, somewhat at a loss for what to do. But he had always cared about face, so he still said with a stern face, "This is not about money!"
Zhong Ruanxing smiled, "Uncle, do you want this position?"
Song Jingwu hadn't expected her to be so direct. He looked at her in surprise and anger.
Zhong Ruanxing slowly said, "I can give you this position, Uncle. But are you really daring enough to take it?"
She placed the financial reports of the few branch companies Song Jingwu had run over the past few years in front of him: "These are the accounts of the branch companies you ran over the past few years. I won't say, you should know too, breakeven, neither successes nor failures. In prosperous times, you could be called Emperor Huan of Han, a stabilizing ruler. But in troubled times, you're Emperor Xian of Shu Han, you're Emperor Li Yu of Southern Tang, you can't protect this empire."
"You rascal!" Song Jingwu flared up. "Implying I'm useless?"
Under Zhong Ruanxing's smiling gaze, he sat back down dispiritedly.
Because he knew she was right.
He was not cut out to manage a company by nature. Even if he had smoothly taken over the company from his father, he could only ensure everything continued to operate in an orderly fashion as before.
But for a society undergoing daily innovation and change, for a company as enormous as the Song family's, staying in place was retrogression. In ten or twenty years, before he could even hand over the company to the next generation, the Song family would have declined amidst the tides of the times.
He absolutely could not achieve what Song JinXing had, raising the overall efficiency of the previously stagnant Song family by another fold in just one year.
Over this past year, he had grown increasingly irritable, seeming to compete with Song JinXing in ability, but wasn't he really just angry at his own incompetence?
Zhong Ruanxing took the chance while he was sulking to brew another cup of tea and bring it over: "Uncle, I know you don't like coffee. Try this Da Hong Pao? I'll send another can to your home if you like it."
Song Jingwu was finally won over by a combination of carrot and stick. It really was hard to resist when someone who had always been cold and heartless to you suddenly revealed such a kind and sincere side!
Song Jingwu accepted the tea she offered. He sat there holding the teacup with a dark face for a while before slowly opening his mouth, "Fine, I will terminate cooperation with Chunfeng Charity and will not interact with them anymore in the future."
After saying this, he glared fiercely at Zhong Ruanxing again, "But don't think you can control me like this!"
Zhong Ruanxing smiled, "What do you mean control you, Uncle? You're my second uncle, my dad's elder brother. He would have hoped to see us nephew and uncle get along harmoniously."
Mentioning Song Zhiyuan who had passed away early, Song Jingwu's eyes revealed some grief and longing.
If third brother knew he was opposing his son like this, he would definitely be very disappointed, right? But he still wouldn't blame me, because he was the kind of person who would always first look for fault in himself whenever anything happened, never imposing difficulties on others.
Song Jingwu took a fierce gulp of the tea his nephew had personally brewed, then stood up with a humph, "Then that's it. Contact me again if anything comes up."
Zhong Ruanxing smiled as she saw him to the door of the office, "Uncle, have a safe trip."
Song Jingwu gave her a complicated look, "You..." He paused, then after all said nothing. His face stern, he strode away with large steps.
He had come over vigorously, prepared to fight it out, but hadn't expected this to be the result. Sitting in the car, Song Jingwu felt very conflicted. The driver was his trusted subordinate. Observing the boss's expression, he tentatively said, "Boss, if he really blocks our way, we might as well go all out..."
Song Jingwu angrily interrupted him, "Shut up! Home!"
The driver hurriedly closed his mouth and drove him home.
The whole trip, Song Jingwu's mood rose and fell, at times elated, at times dejected, at times regretful, at times nostalgic. But rarely was there anger at Song JinXing, it was more frustration at keeping up appearances and suffering as a result.
The car drove into the manor. Getting out of the car, Song Jingwu saw the butler leading a line of people dressed in fine uniforms walking towards the house. These people were all luxury brand store staff, carrying new exclusive items in their arms to be delivered to the house for Song Lecheng to select.
This wasn't the first time Song Jingwu had seen these people. He didn't think much of it before, believing his son deserved this kind of treatment.
But now seeing that unfilial son made him unhappy no matter how he looked. Striding into the house with a black face, he saw Song Lecheng sitting on the sofa in the living room, even holding a glass of red wine. The few staff who had just come in stood in a line before him, displaying the new goods they had brought for him to see.
Song Jingwu swept his eyes over them. They were all women's handbags.
If not for considering he had to maintain the Song family's image in front of outsiders, he really wanted to smash his worthless son's head open with the ashtray, to see what kind of trash was inside!
Perhaps sensing his father's angry mood, Song Lecheng didn't dare dally. He chose quickly, keeping five handbags in total, then waved his hand for these people to hurry and leave.
Sure enough, as soon as the outsiders left and the door closed, Song Jingwu came over swinging his golf club.
Song Lecheng hugged his head and ran all around the room, "Dad! What's with you? Did you get provoked outside and came back to take it out on me?"
Song Jingwu yelled angrily, "You useless thing! All you know is eating, drinking, and keeping women! Which woman are you trying to curry favor with by buying these bags? I see you dying from playing with women sooner or later! I was hoping to rely on you in my old age, I might as well rely on Song JinXing!"
Song Lecheng exclaimed, "Wronged! Dad, these bags, I bought them to give to third brother's girlfriend! Really, if you don't believe me look at my chat history with Little Ling. I already told her to help pass these bags to third brother's girlfriend!"
Song Jingwu: "?" He was even more furious, "You shameless thing, even your own sibling you can't let off?"
Song Lecheng despaired, forcibly taking a whack from his dad's club: "What's that got to do with anything? How can you think that way about your son? I'm trying to get on third brother's good side! I had some minor misunderstandings with his girlfriend before, I wanted to express apology with gifts!"
Song Jingwu felt a twinge in his heart, half relieved and half deeply pained: "How spineless can you be!"
Song Lecheng righteously said, "What's the use of spine? I've realized, just lie flat every day, sleep till I naturally wake up, lie in bed collecting dividends into my account, I won't have enough of such days in my whole life. As long as I hug third brother's thigh tightly, I won't have to work hard yet eat and drink without worry my whole life. I'm determined to lie flat! Dad, I advise you to realize it early too, retire as soon as possible to live out your remaining years in leisure. Then the two of us father and son can eat, drink, go fishing, play golf, and travel the world, won't that be awesome!"
Song Jingwu: "......!!!"
On one hand hating his son's uselessness, on the other hand unable to resist the life he described, he really was too conflicted!
