The Person I Love Who Has Been Missing For Three Years - Chapter 44

Chapter 44: You can be a child in front of me…

Although Song Xiangwan was not hospitalized, the hospital room was kept reserved.

Cheng Cheng arrived early and stayed with Song Xiangwan. They spent time scrolling through short videos of cute kittens and laughing, passing the time.

“So a Ragdoll really gets that flat when it lies down completely,” Song Xiangwan couldn’t help but laugh at the kitten pattern on Cheng Cheng’s phone.

“Yeah, yeah, my Ragdoll is exactly like that,” Cheng Cheng pulled up photos from her phone gallery to show Song Xiangwan.

A round, Ragdoll “cat cake” was sprawled on a dark green fabric sofa. Sunlight poured in, and the kitten, eyes squinted, was sleeping soundly.

“Such a good cat,” Song Xiangwan’s heart was instantly captivated.

She had often seen Cheng Cheng scroll through and share cat videos, but she didn’t know she actually owned cats.

“If you like them, come over to my place next time,” Cheng Cheng said, scrolling through photos on her phone for Song Xiangwan to see.

“This is the boss, a Ragdoll named Ka Ka, because I rescued her when she was stuck in a wall crack.”

“This is the second one, a Tabby named Mi Mi. Because she was a tough fighter when she was stray, she’s called ‘Fierce Beast’ outside, but Mi Mi at home.”

“This is the third one, a blue-and-white cat named Pao Pao (Bubble). This name was given by her previous owner, who abandoned her, and I took her in.”

Song Xiangwan was stunned. Someone actually kept a whole group of cats—a total of nine, encompassing various breeds and colors.

“That’s a lot of work,” Song Xiangwan couldn’t help but admire. “A mother of nine.”

“Absolutely. I’ve rescued sixty or seventy cats in total. The most I’ve cared for at one time was sixteen.”

“I just can’t help but take them home when I see them looking so pitiful.”

When talking about this, Cheng Cheng smiled brightly, her face beaming. No dating, no marriage; cat raising was her only hobby.

Song Xiangwan had never owned a cat. She was just curious: “Is having a cat really that fun?”

“They provide great emotional value…” Cheng Cheng had an affectionate, ‘auntie smile’ as she looked at the kittens on her phone. “Every night when I get home, they rub against me and meow, roll around my legs, and even drill into my arms to sleep.”

“Even though work is tiring, thinking about being able to buy them canned food fills me with motivation.”

“Sister Wan, do you want one? I can give you one with a good temperament and appearance, and I can teach you how to take care of it…”

“No need.” Song Xiangwan waved her hand, declining. She couldn’t even take care of herself properly, how could she raise a cat?

Besides, Ming Jin didn’t seem like the type of person who would like having a cat.

Cheng Cheng wasn’t disheartened by the rejection: “Okay. I have plenty, though. If you like, you can always come to my house to play.”

“I’m going to the restroom,” Cheng Cheng stood up, peeled a banana, handed it to Song Xiangwan, and then quietly opened the door and left.

Song Xiangwan had just taken a bite of the banana when her phone rang on the bedside table. She fumbled for a long time before managing to set the banana down.

She answered the call and heard Lin Rong’s slightly anxious voice.

Lin Rong couldn’t stop the ‘Fighting Buddha’ (Ming Jin), so she thought of finding the ‘Fighting Buddha’s’ nemesis.

She briefly explained the situation to Song Xiangwan, saying that Ming Jin probably hadn’t arrived at the company yet, so there was still time to stop her.

Lin Rong’s hope was that if Ming Jin could be stopped and made to rest, that would be best.

However, after her anxious explanation, all she heard was Song Xiangwan’s calm voice on the other end: “Okay, I understand.”

“You’re not going to stop her? Her physical condition…” Lin Rong continued.

She felt a headache coming on. Xu Zhiyan had entrusted Ming Jin to her before she left.

If Ming Jin collapsed, Xu Zhiyan would surely fly back from abroad overnight and scratch her eyes out.

“Dr. Lin, no one can stop what she wants to do,” Song Xiangwan’s tone was calm. “Even if you stop her today, can you stop her in the future?”

“You and Ah-Yan are very concerned about her health and treat her like a patient, but what does she want?”

This single sentence made Lin Rong pause: “What do you mean?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll go to Ming Corporation at noon,” Song Xiangwan reassured Lin Rong, then hung up the phone.

Looking at the darkened phone screen, she sighed softly. She seemed to understand why Ming Jin’s will to live was no longer obvious.

Ming Jin of Ming Corporation took charge of the group at the age of twenty-one, managing the corporation while completing her studies.

Many people waited to see a young girl crash and burn in the workplace.

Indeed, she stumbled a few times, but after each fall, she grew incredibly fast. Her resolute and ruthless style of action completely subdued the entire Ming Corporation.

In just three or four years, she had gained complete practical control over the entire Ming Corporation.

From then on, she was the one who controlled everything, standing at the pinnacle of power in Haicheng.

But now?

Xu Zhiyan, concerned about her health, made her stay away from company affairs, treating her like a delicate crystal Buddha to be worshipped.

It seemed worry-free, but that feeling of losing control was enough to completely engulf Ming Jin.

She was someone who was accustomed to standing out front, sheltering others from the storm.

She could never be content to hide behind others and be carefully cared for.

After finishing her IV drip, Song Xiangwan headed straight for Ming Corporation. When she arrived, it was 11:00 AM, still working hours, so not many people were around.

Song Xiangwan came alone. She swiped her access card in the elevator and pressed the button for the top floor.

“Sister, it’s you again,” the person in the elevator sounded surprised. “Are you going to the top floor again?”

Song Xiangwan was also slightly surprised that the female employee recognized her despite the mask.

However, the employee probably didn’t follow the entertainment industry and recognized her but didn’t know she was Song Xiangwan.

“Yes, what a coincidence,” Song Xiangwan nodded, acknowledging the greeting.

“Which team are you on? Why are you always the one getting scolded?” The female employee couldn’t help but feel a little pity for Song Xiangwan.

“I wouldn’t call it getting scolded exactly…” Song Xiangwan vaguely replied.

Then she asked: “What happened today? Did something big occur?”

This employee was talkative—a hub for Ming Corporation gossip. Since she ran into her, Song Xiangwan decided to probe for information.

“CEO Xu isn’t here, so today’s meeting was led by CEO Ming. There’s been an earthquake…” She glanced around, seemingly wary of the security camera.

She leaned in close to Song Xiangwan and lowered her voice: “I’ll tell you, but only you. Don’t spread it.”

“Director Liu of the Marketing Department was directly announced across the entire company after the first meeting this morning: demoted and immediately fired for serious dereliction of duty.”

“I have a friend who’s a secretary near the board of directors, and she said it was about embezzling company assets, and a case might be filed later.”

“Of course, just one Director Liu is a small matter.”

“I heard that in the meeting, Director Liu implicated Director Lü, saying everything he did was ordered by Director Lü.”

“Director Lü has been a veteran official at the company for over thirty years…”

“But CEO Ming didn’t show any respect. She immediately suspended him with pay for investigation.”

“And that’s just one thing. I hear the meeting isn’t over yet. Who knows how many more people will be drawn out.”

“I expect these disciplinary notices will be sent out this afternoon. Tsk, tsk, it’s going to be a massive earthquake.”

“Is that so…” Song Xiangwan wasn’t interested in any of these directors or executives.

She was just worried about Ming Jin. She had a heart condition. What if she got angry during the meeting and harmed her body?

When the employee got close, she could smell the faint floral scent on Song Xiangwan. It wasn’t overpowering, just a delicate floral and herbal scent, as if it had been thoroughly sun-dried.

There was no need to hide this, so Song Xiangwan casually mentioned the brand and the specific fragrance.

The elevator chimed, stopping at the employee’s floor.

“Thanks, Sister,” she waved, but didn’t forget to caution: “Be careful when you go up later. Don’t get scolded again.”

“Got it, thank you.” Song Xiangwan waved back, saying goodbye to this ‘information point NPC’ that refreshed every time she came to Ming Corporation.

After delivering the documents, the female employee lowered her head and walked back to her desk. As she walked, she searched for the brand Song Xiangwan had mentioned.

Hmm, I haven’t heard of it… An intern wouldn’t use a knock-off brand…

Hiss…

She stopped in her tracks.

There was no official Taobao store for this brand. Only a few overseas purchasing agents were selling it—an Italian niche high-end perfume, five figures.

Seriously? She immediately felt defeated. Are interns this rich these days?

Does she have a mine at home, and only comes to work for fun?

Before coming up, Song Xiangwan had contacted Xu Zhiyan’s secretary, who was already waiting by the elevator: “Miss Song.”

“Has the meeting not finished yet?” Song Xiangwan checked her watch. Only two meetings all morning. The break time must be very short. Sitting there for so long, she wondered if Ming Jin could endure it.

But knowing CEO Ming’s character, even if she couldn’t endure it, she would force herself to.

“Miss Song, the office is this way…” Seeing Song Xiangwan walking in the wrong direction, the secretary quickly reminded her.

“I’ll take a look outside the meeting room. Which meeting room is it?” Song Xiangwan asked.

The meeting rooms were all on one side. She wasn’t wrong about the direction.

The secretary replied: “Mountain Water.”

“Okay.” Song Xiangwan walked past the meeting rooms with extreme familiarity.

The secretary, who was supposed to lead the way, found that she didn’t need to guide Song Xiangwan at all. Miss Song seemed to be… walking into her own backyard.

The Mountain Water room was at the end of the top floor. Right now, the atmosphere inside the meeting room felt like a heavy, dark cloud had settled over it.

“I’ve read Director Zhang’s report submitted last week,” Ming Jin said, lifting her eyes. The assistant beside her quickly pulled out a file and rushed it to Director Zhang.

“I also listened to Director Zhang’s report just now,” Ming Jin said flatly. “I don’t think it’s necessary to continue listening.”

“Director Zhang, please open the file in front of you and take a look.”

The man’s face turned slightly pale, and his hands trembled. The atmosphere today was suppressed to the extreme.

It was like the King of Hell calling roll.

“I haven’t been able to come to the company these past few days, and I never expected you all to engage in these behaviors.”

Ming Jin’s tone was very calm, devoid of even anger. Her steady and deep voice, however, felt like a heavy hammer, pounding on everyone’s hearts.

“CEO Ming, please let me explain…” Director Zhang’s face was ashen. “This was not my intention.”

“Director Zhang, aren’t you going to open the file in front of you?” Ming Jin asked.

He still hadn’t opened it, but his heart had already plunged into a domain of ice. The moment he flipped it open, a cold sweat broke out on his back.

The file folder was empty. It didn’t contain the report he submitted two days ago at all.

But his words had already been spoken. He had practically condemned himself.

“So you really do have something to hide,” Ming Jin’s pen landed on the table with a click. She looked up, her eyes deep and unfathomable.

She hadn’t seen anything in that file before.

This Director Zhang was someone she had personally promoted since she joined the company. Now, she hadn’t expected even him to harbor ill intent behind her back.

In total, nearly a third of the executives sitting here were involved in shady dealings.

She had mentally prepared herself before coming, but it still greatly exceeded her expectations. The number of people implicated and the number of people who revealed themselves today were beyond what she had anticipated.

If she were to adhere to her principle of decisive action from her vibrant past, she wouldn’t keep any of these people.

She wouldn’t have cared if tearing down a load-bearing wall would cause temporary instability, because she alone was capable of supporting Ming Corporation.

But now, the words were stuck in her throat. The anger pressed in her heart was momentarily difficult to release.

I shouldn’t be angry. She tried to forcefully suppress her slightly erratic heart, closed her eyes slightly, and fought the mild dizziness in her head.

Her heart rate was fast, and her breathing was slightly constricted. Her fingertips dug deeply into her palms. The slight sting was completely useless.

The people in the room didn’t dare to look directly at her. They kept their heads down, nervously clenching and rotating the pens or documents in their hands.

With their heads bowed, no one noticed her, except for Ming Jin, who smelled the faint perfume scent on her.

Ming Jin looked up and saw those quick, clever phoenix eyes blink gently. As Song Xiangwan poured water, she seemed to deliberately graze Ming Jin’s arm with her fingertips.

Song Xiangwan: I’m here for a handout. Hospital patient meals are too awful to eat.

Song Xiangwan: I’m hungry. Isn’t it time to eat yet? (Little rabbit yearning emoji)

A fresh emoji, just stolen from Zhou Xintong.

The little rabbit had long, droopy ears, and its bright eyes sparkled like stars, looking soft and full of a desire to please.

Ming Jin’s eyes softened slightly. She gently put down her phone.

“We will continue this afternoon. Take a break for lunch,” Ming Jin said plainly, giving her assistant a look. The assistant quickly came up and wheeled her out.

The people present breathed a collective sigh of relief, as if they had been granted a reprieve.

“CEO Ming’s actions are softer than before.”

“It seems she’s giving us a chance to confess our mistakes.”

“We should hurry back during these two or three hours at noon, re-prepare our documents, and clarify the issues.”

“Maybe there’s still a chance.”

“…” People walked out in groups, whispering among themselves.

The meeting hadn’t ended, meaning that aside from Director Liu of the Marketing Department, no one else’s disciplinary results had been announced yet, and no official notice had been issued. Nothing was set in stone.

But no one knew that Ming Jin was simply afraid her cat was hungry. She was still sick these two days and mustn’t go hungry.

The dishes sent over by the Ming family were all light fare. Ming Jin carefully looked over the food and moved the stir-fried celery with beef away from Song Xiangwan.

Song Xiangwan didn’t notice and reached out with her chopsticks, but Ming Jin blocked her.

“Celery is high in crude fiber, which isn’t good for your gastric mucosa,” Ming Jin pointed to the stir-fried loofah in front of her. “It’s fine to eat a lot of that.”

“Okay.” Song Xiangwan nodded obediently, smiling at Ming Jin. “You’ve done a lot of research.”

“No,” Ming Jin said flatly. “Eat. Don’t think so much.”

“Can I stay here for a nap at noon?” Song Xiangwan looked at her with eager anticipation.

There was a bed here, which would be more comfortable to sleep on.

Going home and then returning to the Central Dance Academy would be out of the way, and the back-and-forth would cut into her sleep time.

Unexpectedly, she didn’t need any of these excuses. Ming Jin said: “Alright, as you wish.”

After finishing the meal, Song Xiangwan entered the resting room, rolled around a few times, but finally got up, put on her shoes, and scurried out.

Inside the office, there was the sound of heavy, suppressed coughing. Pale fingers pressed against her lips, trying to stifle the noise, not wanting to disturb Song Xiangwan’s rest.

But she couldn’t. Instead, the coughing became chaotic, and her vision was clouded by black spots.

An arm gently circled her shoulder, a gentle pressure patting her. Song Xiangwan was anxious but kept her voice calm: “Don’t rush. Take your time.”

She reached out to take the file from Ming Jin’s hand but met a slight resistance.

Ming Jin’s light brown eyes lifted, appearing slightly moist and fragile, but the light in them was resolute: “Go rest. I still need to be busy for a while.”

“I can’t rest easy if you’re like this,” Song Xiangwan tried to use more force, but failed to pull the file from her hand.

She stopped trying, settling down on the floor next to Ming Jin, like a cat, lying on Ming Jin’s lap, her phoenix eyes bright as she watched her.

She wasn’t pressing down heavily, merely maintaining an obedient posture.

“Then I’ll stay here with you,” she whispered, looking up at Ming Jin.

Her hair, slightly dishevelled from rolling around, fell away, revealing her fair neck and delicate collarbone, which rose and fell subtly as she spoke.

Ming Jin lowered her eyelashes and said slowly: “You have to practice dancing this afternoon. Be good.”

“You have a meeting all afternoon, too…” Song Xiangwan immediately pursed her lips, her phoenix eyes filled with displeasure.

“Fine, I’ll lie down with you for a bit,” Ming Jin closed the file in her hand and placed it on the desk.

Song Xiangwan happily stood up, wheeled Ming Jin into the resting room, and before Ming Jin could move herself, she leaned down, one arm around her waist, the other under her knees.

It was clear she intended to lift her.

“I can do it myself…” Ming Jin resisted, but it was useless because Song Xiangwan had already lifted her without regard for her protests.

She placed her steadily on the bed, then hopped onto the bed from the other side, gently moved next to Ming Jin, hugged her arm, and rubbed against it lightly.

“Okay, okay, time to sleep,” she said, trying to muddle her way through, obviously trying to gloss over her earlier presumptuous action.

Ming Jin was somewhat helpless and let her get away with it: “What did the doctor say this morning?”

“She said I’m very good, healthier than an ox, and recovering quickly. Just two more days of the IV drip and I’ll be fine,” Song Xiangwan said with slight exaggeration.

“If…” Song Xiangwan drew out the word, then rubbed against Ming Jin’s arm, a hint of coaxing in her voice, “If someone accompanied me for a nap every day, I’m sure I’d recover even faster.”

“Hand,” Ming Jin’s voice was flat, with a slight warning tone.

Song Xiangwan’s hand was already resting on her lower back. She paused, then immediately stretched it over, pressing close, almost embracing Ming Jin entirely.

The base of her palm pressed down, feeling the familiar stiff, cold touch.

This person had been sitting there all morning, without changing her expression, as if she wasn’t in any pain at all.

“Can I give you a massage?” Song Xiangwan didn’t dare to make any sudden moves. She just whispered, “You’ll be able to sleep better if you’re comfortable.”

“No need. It doesn’t hurt,” Ming Jin’s voice was emotionless, giving away no sign of discomfort.

However, the moment Song Xiangwan applied a fraction of force, she felt the person in her arms tense slightly, and her breathing paused for a second.

“Stop… stop messing around…” Her lips were slightly pale, and the sound of her voice was no longer calm, breaking into fragmented notes.

“Okay, okay, I won’t mess around. I’ll take it slow,” Song Xiangwan quickly eased the pressure, pulling Ming Jin closer into her embrace.

Their bodies pressed tightly together, allowing them to feel each other’s warmth.

In the dim rest room, their breaths and scents intertwined.

“I said I don’t need it,” Ming Jin frowned, raising her hand to stop the restless hand.

The movement instantly triggered the old injury in her lower back. Her lips went white, and her eyelashes fluttered violently.

Song Xiangwan felt her heart seize. She dared not force it anymore and simply whispered: “Don’t worry, I won’t use much force.”

“We tried it before, didn’t we? Just bear with it. You’ll feel better this afternoon.”

“You have to sit through the meeting all afternoon. How will you manage like this?”

The resistance eased, but Song Xiangwan couldn’t feel happy, because she knew that Ming Jin was only concerned about making it through the afternoon meeting, not about her own body.

This person, at times like this, always made one want to get angry.

But Song Xiangwan also knew she had no right to be angry. Ming Jin pushed herself to protect those around her, and Song Xiangwan was one of them.

She had received all the benefits, and yet she was the one who was stressing Ming Jin out. Where did she get the right to be angry at her?

She was just heartbroken, so heartbroken she could barely breathe, so heartbroken that she wished she could just hold this person in her arms forever.

The eyes struggling with pain and the tiny beads of sweat on her forehead, reflecting her pale skin, made her look fragile, like delicate glass.

Song Xiangwan finally couldn’t resist. She leaned closer, her lips gently falling on Ming Jin’s forehead, her voice as soft as if she were哄 coaxing a child.

“It will be over soon, my good girl. Relax, just leave it to me.”

Ming Jin’s eyes opened instantly, revealing a slight ripple of emotion, and a touch of dissatisfaction: “Song Xiangwan… you… are you treating me like a child?”

Her chest slightly rose and fell, creating a slightly uneven breathing sound. She had broken out in a light sweat, making her usually cool eyes look like a deity descended to earth, stained with a subtle blush, so beautiful that one couldn’t look away.

“Ah-Jin, I’m just worried about you…” Song Xiangwan leaned in, pressing her forehead against Ming Jin’s lips.

The warm touch, wrapped in Ming Jin’s heavy breath, pressed against her forehead, setting Song Xiangwan’s heart racing.

But she didn’t make any improper moves. She only pressed her palm onto the muscles of Ming Jin’s lower back, gently rubbing away the stiffness, with a tender and soothing, protective posture.

Ming Jin was somewhat stunned. It wasn’t until this forced kiss on her forehead ended that she came to her senses. She slightly turned her head: “I’m not a child. I don’t need this.”

“Okay, CEO Ming is not a child. CEO Ming is a great and honorable adult,” Song Xiangwan didn’t contradict her, gently kissing her on the forehead. “Do you feel better now? Shall we sleep for a bit?”

The stiffness in her lower back turned into a comforting softness. The steady pressure provided support, and the sour pain dissolved in the tender warmth.

Song Xiangwan had truly put a lot of effort into secretly learning massage techniques.

Ming Jin gently closed her eyes, shifted back slightly, increasing the distance between herself and Song Xiangwan: “Sleep. There’s not much time left.”

She couldn’t sleep. Her mind was in turmoil.

Just then, she heard Song Xiangwan’s voice: “Outside, Ah-Jin will always be the great and honorable CEO Ming.”

“But… you can be a child in front of me…”

“Why can’t you drop the pretense in front of the person you love?”

Pretense… Ming Jin’s eyelashes trembled, but she ultimately didn’t respond to the statement.