The Venomous Wife Let Me Go - Chapter 23

When Bai Jun woke up, Lin Song had already left for the day.

Despite having taken her medicine after her breakdown, Bai Jun found that she was no longer in that state of stagnant indifference where nothing could pique her interest. Perhaps it was because of Lin Song’s repeated “I’m here,” or perhaps because she had truly taken Lin Song’s words to heart: she was only twenty-seven, not even halfway through her life, and there was still a long road ahead.

She needed to love herself a little more.

On her way downstairs, she ran into the cleaning lady. The woman placed a USB drive on the console table in the foyer. “Miss Bai, this was taken from your coat pocket last time. The dry cleaners sent it back.”

Bai Jun thanked her. It took a moment for her to remember that this was the drive her father’s messenger had given her at the dessert shop, containing what he called Lin Song’s “black material.”

Bai Jun had no intention of opening it. Instead, she went to another floor and entered Lin Song’s study.

The board meeting was the following day. Although Lin Song had reassured her that she didn’t need to be nervous and could just sit there in silence, claiming not to be nervous would be a lie. She planned to find some books on business theory; in case the directors who loved to say “let me test you” decided to make things difficult, she could at least bluff her way through.

Lin Song’s study contained an unexpectedly large collection of books covering various fields: acting techniques, finance, computer science, and even psychology. What amazed Bai Jun was that Lin Song appeared to have read almost every single one. Most of the books were filled with her elegant handwriting, and some even had dates indicating they had been finished within the last few years.

During that time, Lin Song had been like a sponge, desperately absorbing knowledge as if she were afraid of running out of time.

How did she have such terrifyingly high energy?

Marvelling at this, Bai Jun selected a few finance books. As she pulled one out, an old notebook fell from the shelf without warning. It was an outdated style popular over a decade ago, with a small lock on the side. However, the lock had clearly been forced open, and several pages at the beginning seemed to have been torn out.

Bai Jun originally intended to tuck it back, but a quick glance at the contents made it impossible for her to look away.

Lin Song’s diary was a mosaic of vague, short entries.

She said I’m quite introverted and have trouble saying things out loud, so she told me to write them in a notebook and lock them away. Then she gave me this beautiful notebook.

But when I came back from the restroom during evening self-study, the notebook she sent had already been ruined like this. If she saw it, she would definitely be very angry and insist on getting justice for me.

The current me cannot protect my things. I only hope that one day I can fulfill my wish and protect her properly.

She is so cute; I dreamed of her again.

I wore the clothes she left at my house. I’m like a pervert, I can’t help but smell the scent on the clothes, though they aren’t as fragrant as she is.

I ranked first in my grade again. Will I really be able to escape all this in the future and live in the same city as her?

She encouraged me again. Actually, I’ve always known what I’m doing and don’t need encouragement, but she is different. Even a random word from her gets me excited for a long time!

How can she be so good? I really miss her.

Perhaps fearing that others might peek and cause unnecessary trouble, Lin Song consistently used “she” to describe a girl. In Lin Song’s descriptions, this girl was kind and beautiful, seemingly the best person in the world, always helping Lin Song when needed. Lin Song’s words were filled with intense admiration and devotion.

Bai Jun pressed her lips together.

The notebook looked very old, likely written during Lin Song’s junior high or high school years. But Bai Jun had been abroad during that time, and her relationship with Lin Song back then was merely one of a benefactor and a recipient. They shouldn’t have had the chance to spend time together.

She was likely not the person in Lin Song’s diary.

After reading a few pages, Bai Jun abruptly closed the notebook. It was perfectly normal for Lin Song to have had a crush when she was young. Bai Jun knew she shouldn’t mind; Lin Song was married to her now and loved her deeply. The person in the diary was ancient history.

Yet, Bai Jun still felt an overwhelming sense of bitterness, unable to stop herself from drowning in a vat of old jealousy. In the years she didn’t know about, Lin Song had once loved someone so carefully. With such intense and sincere emotions, could Lin Song truly have forgotten that person after marrying her?

Bai Jun was startled by her own sudden, fierce possessiveness. Feeling guilty for snooping through the diary, she didn’t have the nerve to ask Lin Song about it. After returning the notebook to its place, she tried to distract herself with other books.

But the agitation remained. She even dreamed of it when she slept; in her dream, Lin Song was with a woman whose face was blurred, walking away from her hand-in-hand.

In her haze, a voice in her subconscious echoed like a curse. “You don’t deserve happiness. Everyone will leave you.”

Bai Jun knew she was dreaming, yet she felt as if she were sinking into deep mud, completely unable to escape.

Bai Jun was awakened by the sound of a car engine. Lin Song had come to pick her up for the board meeting.

Lin Song had clearly not rested all night. After getting into the car, she curled up against Bai Jun’s shoulder to catch up on sleep. She was like a clingy kitten.

Bai Jun’s heart softened. She stroked Lin Song’s hair and instinctively straightened her back. She was the one who had married Lin Song; she was the closest person, the “wife” Lin Song could lean on when exhausted!

But a moment later, guilt washed over her again. If Lin Song had chosen to be with her “white moonlight,” she probably wouldn’t be living such an exhausting life.

Amidst these complex thoughts, the car soon entered the company grounds. Bai Jun wanted Lin Song to rest more, so she held her while she slept for a bit longer, only waking her when it was nearly time for the meeting.

They entered the office just in time. Most of the shareholders were already present, gathered in the conference room. Bai Jun noticed two empty seats opposite her. Xu Tu said those seats were reserved for her aunt and her father, but they hadn’t arrived due to some issues.

The seats remained empty, but no one seemed to care. As soon as the time came, the meeting was called to order.

The theme of the meeting was addressing the recent decline in product sales. The shareholders urgently needed Bai Jun to appear to prove she was fine, primarily because they sensed a crisis. After all, the old chairman had been dead for less than six months and new product sales were abysmal. If something happened to Bai Jun, it would be a devastating blow to the company.

Most of the shareholders at the meeting were urging Bai Jun to retake control of the production line and formulate a new perfume as soon as possible. Perhaps because it could no longer be hidden, Lin Song showed Bai Jun the recent performance of the stores.

The production line had been handed over to Bai Huayi three months ago. Bai Huayi’s takeover had been high-profile, involving a large group of celebrities and influencers to build hype for the new product. However, no matter how good the gimmick is, the product itself is what matters. The more hype they generated then, the greater the backlash was now.

During the years Bai Jun managed the production line, the customers’ tastes had been elevated. They didn’t buy into the mediocre products released afterward, and sales had hit a new low in the past month.

Watching the directors shouting in the conference room, Bai Jun’s nervousness began to fade. There was nothing to be afraid of. Age is merely a process of gaining experience. However, having experience does not necessarily mean one becomes formidable.

She just hadn’t realized that her past self was also one of these shouting people. That sense of weary disgust rose from her heart once more. She keenly perceived that because of her talent for perfumery, even though everyone seemed dissatisfied, they were still tolerating her.

But Bai Jun couldn’t give them a concrete answer. She had gathered some information: she hadn’t formulated a new perfume for a year, and the directors had pressured her into giving the production line to her aunt. Although she had recently developed a few scents and was confident they were better than what was in the stores, she still didn’t want to clash directly with her aunt, and she wasn’t entirely satisfied with those fragrance profiles yet.

Bai Jun remained silent. She didn’t feel much pressure because whenever someone tried to force her into a decision, Lin Song would brush them off with a few words.

“When President Bai was caring for the late Chairman Bai, you all held a private board meeting to force her to hand over the production line. President Bai respected your wishes.”

“What, now that Ms. Bai Huayi isn’t here, you want to try the same trick again?”

“But Ms. Bai Huayi isn’t as easy to talk to as President Bai.”

Lin Song had discarded her gentle, submissive demeanor from home, leaving the opposition red-faced with anger. But when one of them attacked Lin Song, saying, “What do you think you are? A trophy wife who climbed up using her looks! This is the Bai family board meeting; there’s no room for you to speak!” Bai Jun could no longer sit still.

“Enough!”

“I will not be taking back the production line for the time being.”

“Lin Song is my wife. Her word is my word!”

Lin Song had been working day and night for her during this time, and she wanted to stand up for Lin Song in front of everyone.

Seemingly sensing Bai Jun’s hardened stance, one of the directors spoke up with a forced smile to mediate, suggesting that everyone take a break after such a long session and resume the meeting in half an hour.

Bai Jun breathed a sigh of relief. Conveniently, someone came looking for Lin Song, so she used the break as an excuse to go to her mother’s former office.

Even after all these years, the layout of the office had not changed. Many documents were still piled on the desk, though they were now signed with Bai Jun’s own name.

Had she now completely replaced her mother’s role in the company?

Bai Jun frowned, opened the safe, and began rapidly searching through the files inside. At the very top were the Group’s financial reports.

She took a deep breath and opened the folder. After seeing the contents, she froze in place, nearly unable to believe her eyes.

The Bai Group was spending more than it earned, facing consecutive years of deficits!

How was that possible?

With trembling hands, she quickly shuffled through the papers, looking for more data. The financial reports were not an error. Overall, the Bai Group was generating revenue. However, after years of development, every department was controlled by members of the Bai family. While it claimed to be a century-old Group, it was internally bloated with redundant departments. Bai Jun remembered that when her mother first took office, she wanted to trim some of these departments, but the family elders had pressured her until she was forced to give up.

The organization had become too large to manage, gradually dragging the Bai Group down. Especially with the poor economic climate in recent years, the company’s debts had reached a terrifying figure. Most of the villas under her name had even been mortgaged to something called “Song’s Film and Television,” a company that seemed to have appeared out of nowhere.

Did the others know about this?

It wasn’t until Xu Tu knocked on the door to announce the resumption of the meeting that Bai Jun hurriedly locked everything back into the safe and returned to the conference room.

Her mind was in disarray as she forced herself to listen to the directors’ resolutions. Clearly, the directors had been discussing their strategy during the half-hour break. They announced their decision: both sides would take a step back. Bai Huayi would manage the production line for six months; if there were still no results by then, Bai Jun would take it back.

Listening to their self-righteous speeches, Bai Jun’s head throbbed. She felt only irony. Having been parasites for so long, they had forgotten that the great tree was at risk of collapsing. In six months, the Bai Group might not even exist anymore.

What exactly was it that her grandfather and mother had pursued so diligently?

Everyone looked at Bai Jun, waiting for her conclusion, when the doors to the conference room suddenly swung open.

Bai Huayi, who had been absent, walked in hurriedly with a stack of documents. She first glanced at Bai Jun, her eyes flashing with complex emotions, but she eventually lowered her head and placed the documents on the table.

“This is evidence of the medication Bai Jun has been taking and her visits to the hospital’s psychiatric department over the last few years,” Bai Huayi said, her voice hoarse, as if she had reached a final resolution.

“You all think I, Bai Huayi, am incompetent, but do you think Bai Jun can do it?”

“A patient with severe depression, someone who already relies on medication to regulate her mental state—can she really shoulder the burden of the Bai Group?”

A roar erupted in her ears, like something exploding.

Bai Jun turned her head in disbelief. Beside her, for the first time, Lin Song lost her composure. She gripped Bai Jun’s hand tightly, her eyes filled with tension.

The expressions of those around her varied wildly, and waves of discussion surged toward her. She heard Lin Song calling her name in a strained voice.

“Jun Jun!”

“Yes,” she answered softly, closing her eyes. Her heart was unexpectedly calm.

Perhaps, deep down, she had sensed it all along.

The sudden feeling of unreality after waking up, the frequent bouts of anxiety and insecurity, the pain and nightmares that haunted her every night, everything seemed to have an answer at this moment.

There was only one thing she couldn’t understand.

How did a perfectly healthy, happy person like her turn into someone with depression twelve years later?

What on earth had happened during those years?

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