Fatal Desire

Chapter 150 They had been mingling together for a long time

She couldn't quite describe the feeling; Song Yunyu found it hard to believe. Her fingertips traced the screen, but she couldn't unlock it; the lock screen required a password.

"Madam?" the maid asked cautiously when she saw that she didn't move. "Should we send someone to deliver it?"

Song Yunyu took a deep breath, thought for a moment, and instructed, "Put it in the study. They should come back to get it later."

After the maid left, Song Yunyu paced slowly in the living room, feeling an unprecedented unease. After a moment of worry, she finally went to Song Xi's bedroom.

The room was decorated in a light luxury style, with a fresh and pleasant fragrance. The curtains of the floor-to-ceiling windows were half open, and Song Yunyu looked around but did not find anything unusual.

She opened the bedside table, which was mostly filled with jewelry and small items. Just as she relaxed, she suddenly noticed an open box of condoms.

I took them out and counted them; two were missing.

Song Yunyu's mind went blank for a moment, her teeth ached, and she gripped the edge of the bed, swaying precariously.

If it wasn't less, that's fine.

It's normal for girls to buy family planning supplies when they grow up, but there are just too few... and they're at home.

As certain details from the past resurfaced in her mind, Song Yunyu felt increasingly uneasy.

Zhao Yansen's lips, broken repeatedly; the faint, ambiguous red marks on Song Xi's neck; the way he looked at her...

The man, who rarely went home, started returning more and more frequently after his niece went back to China.

Song Yunyu clutched her chest, her vision blurred, and for a moment she didn't know how to react.

She stared at Song Xi's photo in the frame, not even daring to look her niece in the eye.

She knew she wasn't a good aunt, since no aunt would feel comfortable entrusting her little niece to someone else's care, especially in a dependent environment. All she could do was try to win over Zhao Yansen and solidify her position in the Zhao family.

Song Yunyu tried her best to calm down.

Didn't Xixi agree to contact Gu Beixiao?

If they had been entangled for a long time, Zhao Yansen, with his desire for control, would never have allowed it.

The condoms were probably brought back by Xixi from outside, not used at home.

It was probably Xixi who asked Zhao Yansen to change his phone's screen saver. When Xixi was little, she also set her aunt's photo as her phone's screen saver.

Song Yunyu kept comforting herself.

If you haven't seen it with your own eyes, then it's not real.

Song Yunyu took a few deep breaths to compose herself and sent a message to Song Xi.

"Xixi, since you and Beixiao are having such a pleasant conversation, why not take advantage of your less busy work schedule to spend more time together?"

Song Xi was in a meeting at the company when she received the message from her aunt.

Today she wore a well-tailored suit with a silk white shirt underneath, looking both elegant and capable.

Shang Shixu leaned back in his chair and spoke in a clear, gentle voice: "The latest clinical trial data for the company's innovative drug 'Q-7' is out. The Phase III data shows an efficacy rate 11.8% higher than expected, and the approval process is also two months ahead of schedule."

He paused abruptly, pressing the small remote control in his hand, and brought up the next set of data: "However, the production cost is still too high."

Song Xi sat in the main seat, lightly tapped her phone screen with her fingertip, lifted her eyelids, and said unhurriedly:
"Optimizing drug manufacturing processes takes time, and cutting costs in the short term will affect the stability of the drug."

Shang Shixu turned to look at her: "President Song, we are doing business, not academic research."

“President Shang,” Song Xi looked at him as well, “medicine is for saving lives, not for speculating on stock prices.”

The two bosses disagreed, and the atmosphere in the meeting room became subtly tense. After a few seconds of silence, Cheng Nian, who was to Song Xi's left, handed over a document and said, "President Song, the marketing department has done a cost comparison analysis. If we adjust the raw material procurement channels, we can reduce the cost by about 7% without affecting the quality."

Song Xi remained expressionless and gestured for her to give Shang Shixu the information.

Shang Shixu quickly browsed through the documents and then said, "This plan is feasible, but the supplier's qualifications need to be reviewed again."

He looked up and said to the supply chain manager, "Director Li, you're in charge of this matter. Give me a report within three days."

Director Li's forehead was slightly sweaty, and he nodded in agreement: "Understood, President Shang."

With the supply chain issues resolved, Song Xi turned her attention precisely to the R&D manager, saying, "I've reviewed the toxicity test report for Q-7, and the data is quite good."

"Thank you, President Song." Tang Qiming looked up, pushed up his glasses, and said thank you, but his eyes were stubborn, clearly showing that he was not satisfied with her evaluation.

The data isn't just good, it's absolutely phenomenal!
Unexpectedly, Song Xi changed the subject: "Kuntai's similar drug will enter the clinical trial application process next week."

Tang Qiming's expression changed slightly, and he subconsciously retorted, "Impossible. Their molecular structure patents cannot bypass our core barriers."

Song Xi said, "But they changed their approach and developed a modified sustained-release agent." As soon as she finished speaking, Cheng Nian placed a document in front of Tang Qiming.

"This is a fallacy of misrepresentation." Tang Qiming lowered his head, examining the documents, his brows furrowed.

Song Xi showed little reaction, speaking calmly: "The market doesn't care about these things. They went public first, and we are just 'latecomers'."

Tang Qiming's expression turned serious, and he abruptly closed the file: "President Song, give me two days."

"Oh?" Song Xi raised an eyebrow.

Tang Qiming said, "The data for the rapid-acting formulation of Q-7 has actually been completed, but its stability still needs to be rigorously verified."

Inside the high-level meeting room, the air was heavy, and the managers were on tenterhooks. The two bosses were increasingly difficult to deal with; each meeting ended as if they had just gone through a brainstorming session, leaving them utterly exhausted.

At first, Cheng Nian was worried that Song Xi and Shang Shixu would disagree and cause trouble for their subordinates. But after working together for a while, she found that although they had very different styles, they were surprisingly in sync and never ambiguous about official matters.

During afternoon tea time, the break room was buzzing with activity. Employees, holding Michelin-level desserts, whispered among themselves, "Has the company recently landed a huge order? This is outrageous!"

"It's not from the company." Someone lowered their voice mysteriously. "It's President Song's birthday today. These were all sent by a mysterious suitor."

"Who is it? Making such a big donation?"

"It's said to be a young master with a very powerful background in Beijing's elite circles. His name can't be found, but he's no ordinary person."

……

In the office, Song Xi tapped her fingertips lightly on the table, her gaze falling on the bouquet of blooming Ecuadorian roses.

She took a sip of her red bean latte and glanced down at her phone screen. Her aunt's message lay there quietly.

After a moment's thought, she opened Gu Beixiao's chat window and tapped lightly with her fingertip:

"Mr. Gu, I appreciate your kind intentions, but I cannot accept your proposal. I will personally explain to your elders. I wish you find your perfect match soon."

She then replied to Song Yunyu:
"Auntie, I'll tell you (Rose) in person when we get home tonight."

After sending the message, the invisible pressure in her chest finally dissipated somewhat. She let out a long sigh and leaned back in her chair.

Inside the courtyard, Song Yunyu's bad premonition grew stronger and stronger. Looking at Song Xi's reply, she was filled with unease.

"Madam?" Zhang Ma called softly, "Madam?"

Song Yunyu suddenly snapped back to her senses, and the moment she looked up, she unexpectedly met Zhao Yansen's deep black eyes.

She forced a smile, trying to remain calm: "Yansen...why did you suddenly come back?"