Song Yuzhang: Chapter 113 - Not a Fish
Chapter 113: Not a Fish
Nie Qingyun only now realized how vast and complicated her family’s business really was.
Nie Yinbing didn’t want her to get involved in managing affairs—he wanted her to continue being the carefree young lady she had always been.
Even after Nie Qingyun repeatedly asked to help, Nie Yinbing still refused. Instead, he tossed the family’s account books to her, telling her to figure out for herself that it was beyond her.
After poring over the accounts until she was dizzy, Nie Qingyun discovered a loan of thirty million US dollars.
At once, her dizziness was compounded by anger.
Thirty million US dollars was by no means a small sum.
Without thinking, she immediately sent Nie Mao to collect the debt.
Nie Mao, the loyal old butler, tried to dissuade her at once. “Third Miss, this loan was personally made by the Eldest Master.”
“If my eldest brother lent it, and he’s gone, can’t I take it back?” Nie Qingyun retorted stubbornly.
After thinking for a moment, Nie Mao gave another example. “When Fifth Master had his birthday, the Eldest Master personally carved him a seal.”
Hearing this, Nie Qingyun’s grief and indignation deepened.
Her elder brother had set his sights on Song Yuzhang so early!
Nie Qingyun felt waves of weary despair. The deeper Nie Xueping’s feelings for Song Yuzhang were, the harder it was for her to let go. In her view, the proper thing would have been for Song Yuzhang to follow Nie Xueping into death out of devotion.
“You go collect the debt…” Nie Qingyun pointed outside, her lips trembling. “If you won’t go, I’ll go myself.”
With no other choice, Nie Mao went.
That evening, Song Yuzhang returned to the Nie residence in Nie Yinbing’s car. At the door, Nie Mao greeted them warmly, “Second Master, Fifth Young Master, back from your meeting? It’s cold—how about some hot supper?”
Nie Yinbing said, “Not hungry.”
Song Yuzhang said, “Sure.”
So Nie Mao went to prepare the food.
“I’m going to check in on Sister Qingyun,” Song Yuzhang said.
“Be careful,” Nie Yinbing warned again.
Song Yuzhang smiled. “Sister Qingyun would never do anything to me.”
“She won’t hit you,” Nie Yinbing said, stepping forward, “but she will make you feel bad.”
At a fork in the path, Song Yuzhang watched Nie Yinbing’s departing back and realized that, in truth, Nie Yinbing had always meant well toward him—both in the past and now.
Nie Qingyun was burning the midnight oil, buried in the account books, her head spinning and stomach empty. Just as she was about to call for a late-night snack, she caught a whiff of something fragrant. Looking up, she saw Song Yuzhang entering with a tray.
“Sister Qingyun, have some supper?”
He set a small bowl of wonton noodles on the table.
“Who gave you permission to come in?” Nie Qingyun said coldly.
Leisurely sitting on her sofa, Song Yuzhang smiled faintly. “I’ve even been inside the Nie family’s ancestral tombs.”
“You—”
Nie Qingyun shot to her feet, furious, ready to lash out, but her voice was hoarse; after the one word “You” she started coughing. She hastily drank some water, her momentum gone. Seeing Song Yuzhang’s amused look, she fumed, “Don’t be smug. You owe money—repay it! Nothing you say today will change that!”
“Then I’ll have to speak at length,” Song Yuzhang said. “If you don’t want to listen, you might as well plug your ears.”
Unable to outtalk him, Nie Qingyun decided not to waste her breath and buried herself back in the accounts, ignoring him completely.
“Thirty million US dollars—I can pay it back right now,” Song Yuzhang said. “But then the railway would be completely controlled by the Meng family.”
This made Nie Qingyun sit up. “Don’t bluff me. Who the railway belongs to isn’t for you to decide.”
“I’ve already convinced Director Liao and the Chamber of Commerce chairman to let me issue railway bonds. Once the bonds are issued, I won’t be short of money. But if the Meng family buys up a large amount of them, then which section gets built first, and how it gets built, will all be up to them. Whether your mineral transport problem can be solved—and when—would be uncertain.”
Nie Qingyun was no fool. Grinding her teeth, she said, “Despicable!”
“That’s business,” Song Yuzhang said coldly. “That thirty million wasn’t lent for nothing. I promised not just interest, but also control of the railway and the next term’s Chamber of Commerce chairmanship.”
“My relationship with Xueping isn’t just emotional—it’s also business cooperation. This isn’t some simple personal loan. I’ll keep my word, and I expect the Nie family to do the same.”
Hearing this, Nie Qingyun’s cheeks flushed slightly. She had been a pampered beauty since childhood, protected by her elder brother from any real hardship. Even when trouble arose, he smoothed it over. Still, she was well-read and had always believed that, even without her brother’s shelter, she could be a capable talent. She had a certain pride and was unwilling to easily admit fault.
Song Yuzhang saw her expression and knew she was already a bit ashamed and angry. He waited in silence for her temper to cool before suddenly saying, “Second Brother is dead.”
Caught mid-embarrassment, Nie Qingyun nearly tore the account book in her hands. “What did you say?!”
“Second Brother is dead,” Song Yuzhang said calmly. “Hanged himself. Died this afternoon.”
Nie Qingyun was stunned, her face going completely blank. Her eyes were wide, her lips slightly parted—she looked as if she had been frozen in place.
“Sister Qingyun, now that my brother is dead, tell me—what should I do?”
She just stared at him, stupefied.
Song Yuzhang’s eyes were cold, shooting out a piercing light.
Nie Qingyun suddenly trembled. She slumped into her chair, leaning back, one hand touching her lips—lips gone cold. She murmured, “No… no… this can’t be… he—he wasn’t that fragile…”
“You didn’t think Second Brother would really kill himself over you?”
Her eyes fixed blankly on the desk lamp, her mind like a bomb had gone off—roaring, with a white, blinding aftershock.
She hadn’t expected it. Of course she hadn’t. How could she possibly have expected it?
Slowly, she came back to her senses—only to realize the situation she was in. She now bore the weight of a human life.
Propping herself up on the chair, she stood. “I—I have to see him…”
After taking just one step forward, her legs went weak again, and she sat back down in the chair. Just as she was about to cry in helpless panic, Song Yuzhang said, “I lied to you — Second Brother didn’t hang himself.”
Nie Qingyun immediately looked over. When she saw the faint smile on Song Yuzhang’s face, she couldn’t hold back anymore. She grabbed something at hand — she didn’t even know what — and hurled it at him.
Song Yuzhang tilted his head slightly to dodge, glanced at the floor, and said, “Ink stains are hard to clean.”
“You lunatic! You maniac!”
Nie Qingyun wanted nothing more than to rush over and hit him twice. She gripped the armrest of the chair, panting, and said, “Get out!”
Song Yuzhang crossed one leg over the other, picked up the bowl of wonton noodles from the table, and slowly took a sip of the broth.
The wonton noodles, having sat for a while, were now just the right temperature — not too hot.
“I didn’t kill Boren, yet Boren died because of me(he is responsible for the death of others and feels guilty in his heart),” Song Yuzhang blew on a wonton before eating it. “That feeling… Sister Qingyun, you must have experienced it just now.”
“I feel deep guilt over Xueping’s death. If you want to place the blame on me, I have nothing to say. But, Sister Qingyun, do you truly intend to treat me — and the entire Song family — as your enemies?”
Song Yuzhang looked at Nie Qingyun. “If Second Brother really had hanged himself, should I hate you for it?”
Nie Qingyun’s palms tightened on the armrest, her eyes slightly red.
Lowering his head, Song Yuzhang finished the small bowl of wonton noodles. He put the bowl down, took out a handkerchief, and wiped his mouth. “If you must vent your anger, I hope you can at least keep public and private matters separate.”
“Song Yekang wouldn’t hang himself for me. But my eldest brother… he really would take a bullet for you.”
Just as Song Yuzhang was about to leave, Nie Qingyun’s words stopped him in his tracks.
“They’re different.”
“If Song Yekang truly felt that way about me, I would never let him down.”
“All I want is for you to respond to my eldest brother’s true feelings for you. Is that too much to ask?”
Song Yuzhang turned around. “Respond? What, do you mean I should die for him?” He smiled faintly. “Sister Qingyun, ask yourself honestly — was there even one moment just now when you wanted to follow Second Brother in death?”
“I’m not asking you to die for him. I just want you to—”
Nie Qingyun suddenly realized how feudal her own thoughts sounded — words that should never come from the mouth of a foreign-educated young woman.
Chastity in widowhood, fidelity unto death — such notions had always seemed laughable to her.
Yet, when the person involved was the person her eldest brother loved, she suddenly felt they were perfectly reasonable.
She abruptly became aware of her hypocrisy, and could not go on speaking.
So deep down, she was not as civilized or progressive as she liked to think; it was as if all the books she had read had vanished from her mind.
Had she been a pampered young lady for too long?
A trace of confusion came over Nie Qingyun’s face. She looked blankly at Song Yuzhang, who, in contrast, wore a gentle expression. “Xueping’s gone. I’m sad too. But life goes on — I won’t live for him, only for myself. You should be the same. Life is long. Move forward sooner, and live for yourself.”
Leaving Nie Qingyun’s room, Song Yuzhang immediately encountered Nie Yinbing in the dark corridor. He knew Nie Yinbing was not the type to eavesdrop, so he simply nodded without saying anything.
Nie Yinbing watched him walk into the darkness, his figure blurring into the night. For a moment, it felt as if he was seeing Zhao Jianfang again.
Within two days, news of the Song Bank’s joint issuance of bank bonds and railway bonds with several other banks spread throughout Haizhou. The banks were soon overflowing with customers, delighting the bank presidents. The Chamber of Commerce chairman, having resolved the subscription of treasury bonds, was equally pleased. Liao Tiandong also took the chance to report this success to his superiors, and for a while, everyone was in high spirits.
Song Yuzhang had no time to share in the joy — early one morning, he went to meet the chief engineer in charge of railway construction.
The chief engineer had been Meng Tingjing’s senior at Cambridge. After graduating, he went to study at the Technical University of Munich in Germany, and later in Moscow. He already had railway construction experience abroad. Upon returning to China, Meng Tingjing recruited him, and he also contributed to the renovation of the Chen Textile Factory’s machinery.
For such a top-tier talent, Song Yuzhang held great respect — mixed with a touch of intimidation. When they finally met, he was surprised to find that the man was tall, well-built, and carried no scholarly air despite not wearing glasses. He looked more like an athlete than an engineer.
“Hello, President Song. I’m Yu Feiyu.”
“Hello, Mr. Yu. I’m Song Yuzhang.”
The two shook hands. Yu Feiyu grinned, “I’ve long admired your name.”
“I hope it’s for good reasons.”
“Haha,” Yu Feiyu laughed heartily. “President Song, you’re one of the top figures in Haizhou these days. How could you have a bad reputation?”
“I wouldn’t dare. It’s your resume, Mr. Yu, that truly commands my admiration.”
Hands clasped behind his back, Yu Feiyu smiled. “President Song, the weather’s cold. How about we go inside to continue… complimenting each other?”
Song Yuzhang chuckled and waved his hand. “Going inside is fine, but let’s stop the flattery — the wind is strong.”
Yu Feiyu burst into hearty laughter — the kind that seemed to resonate from his chest and infect everyone around him until they couldn’t help but join in.
Song Yuzhang had thought that someone like Yu Feiyu would be difficult to converse with. He harbored a bias against highly educated people, assuming they would be “bookish” and dull. But Yu Feiyu was articulate and lively, explaining the railway construction plan in a way that was clear even to a complete layman like Song Yuzhang — leaving him both impressed and reassured.
“With this railway in your hands, Mr. Yu, I don’t think there’s much to worry about.”
“There’s still one thing — I’m afraid the money might run short.”
“That, you needn’t worry about. Money won’t be a problem.”
“Glad to hear it,” Yu Feiyu said cheerfully. “You and Xiao Meng are both seriously wealthy.”
“Xiao Meng?”
Yu Feiyu grinned. “That’s Boss Meng, of course. Don’t tell him I call him that behind his back. He’s three years younger than me, so as his senior, I have every right to call him ‘Xiao Meng.’ But since he’s paying me, I have to call him Boss Meng.”
Finding Yu Feiyu amusing, Song Yuzhang smiled faintly and looked down at the blueprints on the table. He flipped through a couple of pages, then glanced sideways to see Yu Feiyu staring at him. “What is it, Mr. Yu?”
“Nothing,” Yu Feiyu said openly. “Just thinking you look really good.”
Song Yuzhang’s lips parted slightly in surprise.
Yu Feiyu seemed surprised too. “No one’s ever told you you’re good-looking?”
Song Yuzhang lowered his eyes. “Not as directly as you just did.”
“Oh. Then I was rude. I apologize.”
“No need. I’m not offended.”
“Thank you. You’re very generous.”
After reviewing the plans, Song Yuzhang was about to leave when Yu Feiyu asked if he had anything scheduled for the afternoon.
Looking out the door at the wind tossing the dried leaves, Song Yuzhang turned back to see Yu Feiyu’s bright eyes and cheerful presence. “Do you have something in mind, Mr. Yu?”
“I want to invite you to a movie.”
“Invite me to a movie?”
“Yes,” Yu Feiyu said. “If you don’t want to, just refuse outright.”
“Alright then,” Song Yuzhang replied plainly. “I refuse.”
Yu Feiyu didn’t look the least bit disappointed, and happily saw him to his car. Leaning against the window, he said in English, “Your eyes are as bright and clear as a winter sky.”
Song Yuzhang understood, smiled faintly, and replied in English, “But you are summer.”
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