110: Chapter 110 The Richest Man's Achilles' Heel
On the other side, Song Zhiwei walked into the lounge with her father, the door clicking shut behind them and sealing out the noise of the banquet hall.
The veneer of gentleness Richest Man Song had worn to handle the crowd instantly vanished. His brows knitted, and his tone grew as cold as ice: "That boy from the Pei family—have you truly made a clean break with him? Are you holding onto any lingering thoughts?"
Song Zhiwei clenched her skirt, her fingertips digging into the silk fabric, her tone devoid of hesitation: "A clean break. I had Butler Wang ask him and his mother to leave the villa the day before yesterday. I even had Butler Wang pack up the things they had secretly kept that I used to give them. I'll have the lawyers follow up to retrieve them—not because I need those things, but because I don't want to leave them a single reason to cling to me. Dad, I promise, I will never have any involvement with the Pei family again."
"Retrieve them? Why bother with that junk?" Richest Man Song scoffed. He sat down on the sofa, his knuckles drumming a fast, heavy "tap-tap-tap" against the armrest, filled with irrepressible rage. "What are those trinkets and bags worth? Does the Song family lack that little bit of money to pay for your lesson? I'm angry about something else—Butler Wang told me the whole story. That Pei Yunxiao is just the son of a former servant and driver hired by our family. He ate the Song family's food, used the Song family's resources, and even dared to subject you to psychological control, treating my, Song Mingyuan's, daughter like a fool?"
In the past, when Song Zhiwei was infatuated with Pei Yunxiao and would threaten him with hunger strikes or suicide at the drop of a hat, he might have had objections, but he had no choice but to compromise.
In his view, the Pei family was a small-time, petty household that, at most, was after the Song family's money. As long as his daughter was happy, spending a little money was nothing.
But when Butler Wang informed him one by one of how the Pei family mother and son had PUA'd Song Zhiwei, how they had tried to control her life, and even how they had condoned the hooligan hurting Zhang Fan, he became thoroughly enraged.
He, Song Mingyuan, had clawed his way up from the bottom and had indeed been involved with the "underworld" in his early years. What he hated most was people scheming against his family. The Pei family daring to touch his daughter was stepping on his Achilles' heel.
He grew angrier as he spoke, slamming his palm onto the sofa armrest so hard that the glass on the coffee table rattled. "Who does he think he is? By using the supplementary card you gave him to buy a few sweet words, he thinks he can manipulate the daughter of the Song family? And he dared to condone outsiders hurting someone you care about—does the Pei family really think they have nine lives? Are they tired of living?"
"Dad, please don't be angry, it's all in the past now." Fearing her father might act rashly, Song Zhiwei quickly persuaded him, "Besides, Zhang Fan helped me a lot. If it weren't for him, I might not have woken up."
Mentioning Zhang Fan, Richest Man Song's expression softened slightly. He took a document out of his pocket and placed it on the table: "This is the information on Zhang Fan that I had people investigate. From his elementary school days to graduation, to founding Singularity Technology, and then developing 'star path', every step has been solid. There are no bad records, and his character is quite upright."
He paused, his eyes complex: "I came this time, first, to support you, to let the people in Jiangcheng know that although I, Song Mingyuan, am not in Jiangcheng every day, my daughter is not someone everyone can bully. Second, it was to see this Zhang Fan—I cannot let you drive away a wolf only to invite a tiger. The facts prove that this boy is quite excellent, at least a hundred times better than that Pei Yunxiao."
Song Zhiwei picked up the document, looking at the dense records on it, feeling a warmth in her heart—she knew that although her father looked stern, he had always loved her, and he had specially rushed back from abroad this time for her sake.
"Dad, Zhang Fan is not that kind of person. He... he is just a friend to me." Song Zhiwei explained softly, her cheeks burning slightly.
Richest Man Song glanced at her, a subtle smile tugging at the corner of his mouth: "Whether you are friends or not, we'll see later. However, Singularity Technology's banquet this time was indeed well-organized. Just by me coming here, the Jiangcheng circles will know that the Song family sincerely supports Singularity, and no one will dare to easily provoke you in the future."
Just then, Song Mingyuan's voice suddenly dropped, carrying an unmistakable depth: "As for those people in the Pei family, how do you want to handle them? Do you want to send them to prison for the rest of their lives? Or make them disappear directly?" He looked up at his daughter, his gaze probing—he wanted to see if, after experiencing these things, Song Zhiwei had really learned her lesson.
"Handle it however you see fit; I have no objections." Song Zhiwei's tone was calm, without a shred of hesitation. She was no longer the silly girl who would soften her heart for Pei Yunxiao. What those people owed her and the Song family, they should pay the price for.
Hearing this, the sharpness in Song Mingyuan's eyes truly softened. He raised his hand and gently patted his daughter's shoulder, his voice becoming gentle: "You have grown up and should learn to make your own decisions. Although our Song family has wealth, there is never eternal stability in the business world; it is always like walking on thin ice—I can protect you for a while, but I cannot protect you for a lifetime. The road ahead must ultimately be walked by yourself."
"I understand, Dad." Song Zhiwei looked up at the grey hair at her father's temples, her eyes feeling a bit hot. "In the future, I will learn to protect myself and manage my own affairs, so you won't have to worry about me anymore."
Song Mingyuan looked at the determination in his daughter's eyes and nodded gently. He knew that after this incident with the Pei family, Song Zhiwei had truly awakened and was no longer the little girl who would be blinded by love.
He stood up and adjusted his suit: "Let's go, let's go out and see the signing ceremony; don't keep them waiting too long. By the way, when I talk to Zhang Fan alone later, don't be present; I want to have a good talk with him."
Song Zhiwei nodded: "Okay."
The lounge door was pushed open, and the father and daughter returned to the banquet hall. By this time, the signing table had already been set up, and the representative of the overseas partner was standing by waiting. Many media reporters had also raised their cameras, ready to record this moment.
Zhang Fan sat in his wheelchair and was pushed to the signing table by Gu Jingshen. The moment he and the overseas representative signed their names on the contract, thunderous applause erupted in the banquet hall, and camera flashes flickered incessantly.
Richest Man Song stood in the crowd, watching the calm and composed Zhang Fan on the stage, and nodded gently—this young man not only had ability but also composure; perhaps he could really bring his daughter a different kind of life. But he hadn't completely let his guard down; after all, people's hearts are hard to read, and he still needed to observe further.
Meanwhile, Song Zhiwei stood beside her father, watching Zhang Fan on the stage, her mouth curling up involuntarily. She knew that the success of this banquet was just the beginning; the future of Singularity Technology would only get better, and her own future had finally escaped the shadow of the Pei family and was heading toward a bright direction.
It was just that she didn't notice, in the corner of the banquet hall, a man in a black suit was holding a mobile phone, taking pictures in the direction of Richest Man Song and Zhang Fan, his eyes sinister. He was Pei Yunxiao's distant cousin and the only person in the Pei family who could reach the upper circles of Jiangcheng—after Pei Yunxiao was kicked out of the villa, he was unwilling to give up and had asked his cousin to come to the banquet to scout for information, wanting to find an opportunity to take revenge on Zhang Fan and win back Song Zhiwei.
A seemingly perfect banquet, but the undercurrents were just beginning.