The moment these words were spoken, Song Qiao was stunned in embarrassment.
For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.
Even if he were a fool, he understood Xia Xueqing's meaning behind such blatant teasing.
While he had harbored such feelings for a long time, he had always deliberately avoided them.
Now, with Xia Xueqing practically laying the matter bare, it put him in a difficult position.
Song Qiao regretted his decision immensely, wishing he hadn't let Xia Xueqing ask the question in the first place.
"What? Brother-in-law, why aren't you speaking?"
She closed her eyes, gently caressing Song Qiao's chest, not urging him.
Song Qiao felt as if he were being roasted alive, his forehead breaking out in a sweat.
"You, of course you're beautiful."
"The people at the television station all said you look like a movie star."
After a moment of hesitation, Song Qiao stammered his reply.
At this moment, he was a far cry from the commanding business magnate he usually was.
"Why are you stammering? Are you not telling the truth?"
Xia Xueqing was clearly not satisfied with the answer.
"No, I'm speaking from the heart."
Song Qiao quickly clarified.
"Then tell me, who is more beautiful, me or my sister?"
This question was even more torturous than the last, causing Song Qiao to freeze with a grave expression.
He recalled his wife's frequent anger and disappointment.
For some reason, he now felt that Xia Xueqing, who had always supported him, seemed more endearing.
This girl dared to love and hate, her personality much stronger than his wife's.
"You, you are both very beautiful."
Song Qiao opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't voice the words he wanted to say.
"Hmph, smooth talker."
Xia Xueqing snorted, but didn't continue to tease.
She was a smart woman and knew when to stop.
If she pushed too much, she might provoke her brother-in-law's dislike.
After all, Song Qiao was remarkably conservative in this regard.
She lingered in Song Qiao's embrace affectionately for a while longer before they returned to normal.
Song Qiao finally breathed a sigh of relief.
However, his gaze towards Xia Xueqing now held a hint of something different.
...
The next morning, Song Qiao arrived at the Xiang Piaopiao processing plant, intending to hide there for the day and avoid Provincial Governor Zheng Shan.
"What? You're telling me Wu Meng has overseas trading businesses?"
She glanced casually at the documents Qin Ya handed her, her brow furrowing.
After the other woman applied for a position at Xinkai, Song Qiao had meticulously investigated her background.
After all, she was going to be his secretary, and he needed to know her thoroughly.
Even if she was his wife's best friend.
"Yes, boss. However, it's said that the profits are poor, with several businesses operating at a loss."
Qin Ya reported respectfully.
"Good, I understand. Contact this trading company later and offer some discreet assistance. At the very least, help them stop incurring losses."
Song Qiao instructed, then closed his eyes, falling into thought.
Seeing this, Qin Ya dared not disturb him. She quietly left the office, closing the door behind her.
...
As soon as she left, Song Qiao's phone rang.
It was Wu Meng.
This made him somewhat puzzled. Shouldn't she be preparing to host the Provincial Governor? Why was she calling him?
As soon as the call connected, an angry voice came through.
"Song Qiao, come to Tianhong immediately. The inspectors are here to seal our company. This is all your doing!"
Wu Meng hung up after speaking.
Song Qiao's expression immediately darkened.
The Provincial Governor was coming, inspectors were about to seal his company, and it was related to him.
This was likely another enemy seeking trouble.
"Simply courting death."
Song Qiao put away his phone and drove directly to the Tianhong office building.
Before he even entered, he heard an angry roar from a middle-aged man.
"You can't even manage fire safety properly. What are you all doing? Seal it up immediately!"
"When the Provincial Governor arrives, let's see how you explain yourselves."
Hearing this voice, Song Qiao's brow furrowed.
It was an official causing trouble.
He recognized the man, Chen Pengyuan.
He had even given Chen Pengyuan a red envelope during the safety inspection.
Moreover, Tianhong's fire safety had always been excellent. His arrival at this particular moment was clearly a deliberate attempt to pick a fight.
"Officer Chen, what is the meaning of this? What have I done to offend you?"
Upon entering, Song Qiao maintained a polite tone.
"What meaning? Your safety measures are inadequate, and the company must be shut down immediately."
Chen Pengyuan adopted a strictly official stance, completely ignoring Song Qiao's attempt to get close.
As he spoke, he ordered his subordinate to take out seals from a briefcase.
"It's all because you offended the Provincial Governor's son. Now he's retaliating, and I want to see how you'll handle this."
Wu Meng said indignantly from the side.
The other man had inadvertently let slip something, and she now understood the reason behind all this.
She had shifted her anger to Song Qiao.
This Song Qiao was useless at everything but causing trouble.
He dared to hit the Provincial Governor's son, no wonder they were coming to cause trouble.
This was a disaster. The Provincial Governor's visit was likely to cause trouble.
Hearing Wu Meng's words, Song Qiao's expression turned grim.
He asked Chen Pengyuan coldly,
"Did Zheng Kehao send you?"
"It seems this brat still hasn't learned his lesson."
"How dare you speak to Young Master Zheng like that! Do you want to die?"
"To tell you the truth, it's precisely because you beat up Young Master Zheng that your damn company is going to be shut down."
With that, he completely dropped all pretense of civility with Song Qiao.
"It's indeed this brat."
Song Qiao gritted his teeth, wishing he could drag Zheng Kehao out and beat him again.
"Brother-in-law, so it's the brat whose teeth you knocked out that day causing trouble."
"What? Did he find his teeth now?"
"If he found them, why is he sending a mad dog to bite everyone?"
Xia Xueqing, never one to back down, immediately defended Song Qiao.
With a single remark, she insulted both of them, turning Chen Pengyuan's face purple.
"Hmph, stop with the nonsense. Guards, apply the seals."
"I'd like to see who dares to obstruct official business today."
As soon as he finished speaking, his subordinates moved to act.
"Wait!"
"Chen Pengyuan, there are absolutely no safety issues here. If you dare to apply the seals, just try me!"