DF Chapter 99

Chapter 99 Song Ji’an sat in the moving car, a hint of a smile in her eyes.

Song Ji’an didn’t refuse Sheng Jia’s candy.

She paused slightly as she looked at the candy wrapper. It was a candy she used to eat often five years ago. At that time, Sheng Jia didn’t eat breakfast every day, and Song Ji’an would occasionally stuff a few candies into her palm. Now, the situation was reversed.

The sweet taste of the candy spread in her mouth. Song Ji’an buried her face in her knees and paused. Only after the dizziness in front of her eyes passed did she say, “What day is the plane ticket booked for?”

Her voice was muffled.

“Four days later,” Sheng Jia replied, “However, Meng Yeran and Dong Zhen may also be traveling with us this time.”

This was also what Sheng Jia specially came to tell her this time.

“If you don’t want to see Meng Yeran, we can take a separate flight.”

“No need.” Song Ji’an said in a light voice, “If I really don’t want to see someone, the person I least want to see should be you, right?”

But she could already sit down with Sheng Jia and talk calmly like this now, so what reason did she have not to want to see Meng Yeran?

Sheng Jia smiled softly when she heard this, “You’re right.”

With that, she stood up, grabbed Song Ji’an’s arm, and pulled her up from the ground.

“Did you tell Sheng Huaiying about this?”

Song Ji’an got up with her hand, only feeling that her legs were a little weak. Her blood sugar was probably low. This little bit of glucose and candy couldn’t make up for the deficit in her body at all, and her eyes went black again.

“I told her, but I didn’t mention the specifics, just said I was going out with you,” she supported the wall with her right hand and paused again, “She…was quite happy, didn’t ask anything, just told us to be careful and have fun.”

What Sheng Huaiying thought was that Sheng Jia and Song Ji’an had made up and agreed to go on a trip together, which was indeed extremely pleasantly surprised, only hoping that the two could get along well.

“Can you stand still?” Sheng Jia asked.

“Yes,” Song Ji’an waved her hand. The dizziness in front of her eyes had ended, and she could barely walk on her own.

The two walked out of the operating room side by side. The temperature outside was much higher than inside, and Song Ji’an’s stiff body gradually softened.

“I remember your physical fitness used to be very good,” Sheng Jia glanced at the warm sun outside the window.

“You also said ‘used to’,” Song Ji’an said, “Anyone with too much work intensity will be like this, but that doesn’t mean my physical fitness is not good now.”

The two returned to the reception room. The fruit bowl here hadn’t been removed yet, and Sheng Jia pushed it in front of Song Ji’an.

“Have some,” she said, taking out a document from her backpack and handing it to her, “This is the specific situation of the natural gas field in Northern Europe. Recently, Hilda is in charge of the domestic market and was temporarily transferred abroad.”

“Why?” Song Ji’an quickly flipped through the heavy document.

“Because the person who was originally going to discuss this business with us was her sister, Valma. Valma is inflexible, ruthless, unwilling to compromise for profit, and very arrogant. It’s probably impossible to communicate normally with her about business.” Sheng Jia said, “So the three companies sent me to be the first round of negotiators. Opter urgently called Hilda back when they heard that I was going.”

A hint of understanding flashed in Song Ji’an’s eyes.

She was a smart person. She vaguely guessed about Sheng Jia’s matter at the Opter auction. It was absolutely impossible for Sheng Jia to precisely control the chandelier on her own, and Meng Yeran could never melt the chandelier in her own auction house. Even if she dared, her legs would be broken if Old Madam Meng found out. After the follow-up investigation of this matter, the Meng family’s accusation against the Opter family had already confirmed her guess.

After Sheng Jia finished speaking, Song Ji’an raised her eyes and looked at her, “So Valma was the one who tampered with the Opter auction five years ago?”

“Yes,” Sheng Jia nodded, “Opter and the Song family agreed that Valma would never be allowed to enter the country again, not to participate in any domestic projects, and banish her to Northern Europe.”

“Hilda understands how to distinguish interests better than Valma. As long as she can make a profit, then the cooperation is likely to be achieved. The Opter family’s infighting in this generation is estimated to end after this time.” Sheng Jia continued, “The Opter family’s status has declined a lot since the depletion of oil and gas resources eight years ago. Her cooperation ranking can only be fringe in many oil, electricity and mobile base stations. This time, if they successfully cooperate with us, then restoring the past glory is not impossible, so we are anxious, and they are more anxious than us. For Hilda, as long as this deal is concluded, her succession to the position of her grandmother is basically a foregone conclusion.”

“So you want to reach an agreement with Hilda alone first?” Song Ji’an’s eyes flickered slightly, “Are you sure she has so much say?”

“I don’t need her to have much say, but as long as she is willing to fight for it, she can always convince the family internally.” Sheng Jia replied in a light voice.

It would be troublesome for them to openly argue with Opter, it was far better to co-opt important members of their family and make them their own weapons as quickly as possible. Of course, a ship would sink faster if both inside and outside exerted force together.

“Sheng Jia, do you think that I, who have been away from the Song family for so long, can really help you with anything in this matter?” Song Ji’an asked, her eyes looking straight at Sheng Jia, without the slightest intention of moving.

“This has never been the Song family’s main business,” Sheng Jia returned her gaze, her attitude very serious, “But there will never be another person, I only need to say a few words, and they can understand what I want to do. A tacit partner may be able to surpass an experienced negotiating team.”

What’s more, they weren’t going to negotiate. The real negotiations would definitely require the negotiating teams cultivated by the three companies. What they had to do was to infinitely weaken the difficulty of the negotiations.

Song Ji’an was slightly stunned. She turned her face away, her fingertips curling uncontrollably, and she gripped the documents in her hand even tighter.

“Okay,” she said softly, “I hope what you said is really useful.”

The sunlight outside the window was fragmented by the leaves and sprinkled on the faces of the two, and no one could see what the other was thinking in their eyes.

Very abruptly, the environment quieted down, and neither of them spoke.

The next sound was Sheng Jia’s farewell, “Then I’ll go first, I’ll pick you up in four days.”

Song Ji’an nodded.

Sheng Jia quickly left the room. She lowered her head and flipped through the documents in her palm again, but this time she was a little distracted.

At that moment just now, Sheng Jia gave her a very, very wrong feeling, as if she wanted to say something but stopped, but what unfinished words made her so hesitant to say it?

In that silence, there might have been another conversation that should have happened, but the two suppressed it together, one did not ask, and the other would not say. Song Ji’an felt that Sheng Jia might want to explain something, but in the end, she didn’t say it.

She turned back and looked out the window. Sheng Jia had already walked out of the small building, walking through the green shade, her back still straight, until she gradually disappeared from sight, and Song Ji’an withdrew her gaze.

–

Four days passed in a flash. During these few days, Song Ji’an handled a lot of things. The upgrade and renovation of the funeral home required finding a reliable decoration team, and the material quotations had to be recalculated according to the market price, as well as labor costs. By the time everything was arranged, it was already the afternoon of the next day. She went home and fell asleep, sleeping soundly until she woke up on the afternoon of the third day.

This sleep felt like her whole soul had returned.

Although there would definitely be many problems to be solved during the upgrade process, with Cheng Fangyang around, she basically didn’t need to consider anything else and could go to Northern Europe with peace of mind.

She specially went home for a meal before going out.

She had rarely taken the initiative to go home in recent years. When she first returned, Sheng Huaiying was playing cards downstairs. When she saw her, she didn’t play cards anymore, clamoring to go back and stew chicken for her. The card players clamored that she was unethical to leave after winning money. In the end, Song Ji’an was smilingly pressed down to take her place.

For five years, her card skills had not improved at all. She was defeated by several old ladies. When Sheng Huaiying came to the card room to fish her out after buying groceries, she had already lost eight or nine hands. A group of old ladies smiled so hard that they couldn’t find their eyes and waved their hands under the money pressed on their phones, signaling to let her go.

But this time it was still a little different. Song Ji’an’s mood was no longer uneasy, and she wasn’t so guilty about losing. At most, she felt a little embarrassed when Sheng Huaiying’s gaze swept over.

“I lost a little too much this time,” she actively admitted, “Mom, the money you won in the afternoon has all been lost by me, sorry.”

“What’s so embarrassing about this?” Sheng Huaiying waved her hand at her, smiling, “These little old ladies are like this, they’ve been holding their breath in their hearts after being won over by me for an afternoon. It’s good that you’re here, won’t you just bully you young people? We let them, you can’t count cards, they are all old Jianghu people who use this as a profession, it’s normal to not be able to beat them. Sheng Jia couldn’t beat them either, I know, I’m not afraid of losing if I let you go.”

This was the first time Sheng Huaiying explained the allusion to Song Ji’an. Song Ji’an felt a little novel when she heard it, and the guilt in her heart dissipated a lot under her words.

In fact, Sheng Huaiying should have told Song Ji’an about this long ago, but the last time she encountered this situation was when their mother and daughter had just met. Sheng Huaiying didn’t know how to face Song Ji’an, and was afraid that these small common people’s household chores would make Song Ji’an dislike it, so she remained silent.

But as Song Ji’an called home more often during this short period of time, and she became a bit more popular, Sheng Huaiying’s attitude towards her also changed a bit—becoming more casual when chatting.

Song Ji’an felt a trace of ease in this talking atmosphere.

This was a virtuous cycle. Perhaps after some more time, Song Ji’an could completely find a way to get along with Sheng Huaiying.

Sheng Huaiying thought that they were going out for a long trip. The simple and unpretentious mother was afraid that they would not be used to eating abroad, so she specially made some small snacks that could be preserved for a long time and gave them to Song Ji’an, including what Sheng Jia liked to eat and what Song Ji’an liked to eat, packing the backpack full.

Song Ji’an was embarrassed to say that they were only going for about half a month, and they might not be able to finish eating these, so she just accepted them with a smile.

That night, Song Ji’an slept directly here. The aroma of breakfast in the living room woke her up the next morning. This was the second time she had fallen asleep without using alcohol when her mind and body were not exhausted, and it was unexpectedly sweet.

She didn’t know if this was because the mountain that had imprisoned her heart for a long time had loosened, or because she finally had the idea of living a good life and making changes, but Sheng Jia had one sentence that was not wrong—her matter had nothing to do with external forces, it was she herself that imprisoned her.

Even if she had a little bit of intention to let herself go, the change in her state would be particularly obvious.

Just like at this moment, the aroma outside the room, the sunlight and birdsong outside the window, and the leaves that she could see when she opened her eyes, all made her feel a trace of peace for the first time.

Until Sheng Huaiying’s voice came, “Ji’an, come out for breakfast.”

Song Ji’an responded, and when she walked out of the room in her pajamas, she met Sheng Jia, who was sitting at the dining table eating fried dough sticks.

She was slightly stunned, “Why are you here?”

“We’re leaving in the afternoon, Mom said you were here, so I came directly,” Sheng Jia replied.

Song Ji’an didn’t ask anything else, she turned and went to the bathroom to wash up.

Sheng Jia’s increased frequency of appearing in her life these days made her strangely used to it. The original resistance had begun to dissipate, and Sheng Jia’s influence on her emotions was not as extreme as when they met again, which also made her a little easier.

“Sheng Jia bought breakfast, the most authentic steamed buns and fried dough sticks downstairs,” Sheng Huaiying brought her the pork and preserved egg congee that she had heated up, “Are you leaving in a while?”

“Yes, our plane is at ten in the morning.” Song Ji’an replied lazily.

There were no direct flights from Jingjiang to Norway, and they needed to transfer. Their flight time was as high as eighteen hours.

After the two had breakfast, they immediately rushed to the airport. Sheng Jia’s car was parked in the airport parking lot, and they checked in just in time to board the plane.

This time, Sheng Jia bought first class, and her seat and Song Ji’an’s were side by side, separated by a distance, which also made the flight particularly quiet. They almost never took the initiative to talk.

Song Ji’an turned her head to look out the window, the snow-white clouds in her eyes, the familiar city was getting farther and farther away from her, which always made people feel a little uneasy.

Perhaps it was because she hadn’t done anything adventurous for too long. Her life had been as calm as a pool of stagnant water for the past five years. Except for the funeral home, there was nothing new. It almost made her forget that she used to be a person whose mind would be attracted by thrills and excitement, wishing that life wouldn’t be so calm.

“Song Ji’an,” before landing in Norway, Sheng Jia suddenly opened her mouth and said the first sentence of their flight, “After we arrive in Norway, we have to transfer to a car. Before that, it’s just the two of us, but once we arrive in the northern islands, Meng Yeran and Dong Zhen will arrive within the next two days.”

She knew that what Song Ji’an said was actually correct, she could even face Sheng Jia more calmly now, so how could she not want to face Meng Yeran and them?

But the truth was like this, but people’s thoughts were not necessarily like this.

The contradiction between Sheng Jia and Song Ji’an was that there was a natural conflict between them. What Sheng Jia did was actually acceptable to Song Ji’an, and it was also what she had to repay Sheng Jia in her heart. But even if Song Ji’an knew this, she would still have a fierce quarrel on the day she met Sheng Jia again, because understanding was one thing, and whether her mood could be adjusted was another.

As a complete outsider, Meng Yeran had known Song Ji’an for so many years. From the moment she chose to participate in this matter and help Sheng Jia, the contradiction between her and Song Ji’an would actually be more difficult to reconcile than Sheng Jia’s with her. Song Ji’an had every right not to forgive Meng Yeran.

But with Song Ji’an’s character, she was willing to admit defeat. She couldn’t hate Meng Yeran, but she might not want to see Meng Yeran.

If it were before, Sheng Jia might not have thought of this. Now she was a little different. After entering the company, she had seen more people and understood more about human nature, which made her look at things more comprehensively and considerately.

Of course, the biggest source of this analysis was her understanding of Song Ji’an herself.

Neither she nor Song Ji’an were perfect people. They had their own complex emotions. When Song Ji’an said that sentence with a mocking tone that day, it just happened to represent that she didn’t want to see Meng Yeran, otherwise she would just say calmly, so what?

This time, going to Norway was she was forcing herself to face the old people of the past, facing the heart-wrenching separation five years ago.

“So?” Song Ji’an tilted her head and asked slowly, “Are you trying to say that if I don’t want to face Meng Yeran, I can still leave now?”

Song Ji’an saw through Sheng Jia’s thoughts, just as Sheng Jia saw that she was not so calm.

Sheng Jia met her gaze, and the worry in her heart suddenly dissipated. She just smiled, “You’ve already boarded my pirate ship, do you still want to leave? Am I that kind of kind person?”

“What I mean is, if you feel uncomfortable in your heart when you meet Meng Yeran, or if Meng Yeran takes the initiative to go crazy, as a cooperative partner, I have the obligation to help the other party solve these unpleasant things,” she explained.

Song Ji’an blinked when she heard this. She didn’t respond to this sentence immediately, but pointed to the rapidly falling scenery outside the window. While the two were talking, they had already fallen from the clouds, and the airport tarmac appeared in front of them.

“Really? Then I’ll thank you in advance.”

This was a very straightforward sentence, without any mocking emotions.

According to Meng Yeran’s character, she would only pretend that the previous things had not happened. Sheng Jia’s taking Song Ji’an on this trip represented Sheng Jia’s attitude. In recent days, Song Ji’an had gone to understand the Meng family’s situation, and could only say that Meng Yeran had lived a pretty difficult life in recent years. She would not easily disobey Sheng Jia’s intentions. At least she would give Song Ji’an respect on the surface, and she would probably not say anything that would make Song Ji’an uncomfortable. The only thing that needed to be adjusted was Song Ji’an’s own state of mind.

If they were all people with complex emotions, then Meng Yeran’s cooperation with Sheng Jia, only for the sake of having fun and without any other reason, just to see Song Ji’an make a fool of herself and wait for Sheng Jia to stir up the Song family, Meng Yeran might be the one who perfectly matched all conventional emotions.

She would not have any extra emotions because of success or failure. Song Ji’an didn’t know if she would admit defeat, after all, Meng Yeran had never lost much. Even the complaints about Song Ji’an, the child of another family, that she said were pretended. She actually didn’t have any dissatisfied emotions towards Song Ji’an, and even admired Song Ji’an’s excellence to some extent; but if she won, she would definitely think that the other party had nothing to complain about, just inferior skills.

This was a great truth that everyone could say, and Meng Yeran would not have too many emotional fluctuations about the results of these things. Originally, she was just watching the fun and getting some benefits along the way.

But Song Ji’an had been calculated by her, she admitted that she would have a surge of anger when she thought about seeing Meng Yeran, but this anger made her feel that she was one step closer to becoming an emotionally normal person. In the past five years, she was actually indifferent whenever she thought of Sheng Jia or Meng Yeran, at most with a bit of self-deprecation. That was her heart forcing herself not to look back at the wound, stay away from the pain, seal herself off, and not think about it so she wouldn’t get hurt again.

But now she would have anger, this was the emotion that belonged to a normal person. There was no reason, what success or failure, what willingness to gamble and admit defeat, after she experienced all this, wasn’t it normal for her to have dislike and opinions towards Meng Yeran?

She stroked her powerfully beating heart, not planning to let this anger accumulate for too long. In fact, when she boarded the plane to Norway, she had already thought about how to deal with the matter between herself and Meng Yeran.

——Beat her up first while she’s not prepared.

If she still didn’t feel relieved after punching her, then punch her hard again. Since Sheng Jia said that she had the obligation to help the cooperative partner solve these unpleasant emotions, then that would be even better, then let Sheng Jia hold Meng Yeran down for her.

When they landed at Oslo International Airport, it was already early morning. In the quiet lights, there was a special person to take them there.

Song Ji’an sat in the moving car, a hint of a smile in her eyes.