Chapter 247 - 247′. Chapter 245: It’s time for this old man, Ji Baijian, to find happiness! (Part 2)

Translator: 549690339

The words Song Zhidao said in Song Shan’s study left everyone in a bout of silence.

For a long time.

Eventually, Song Shan broke the silence, “Zhizhi, what do you think?”

“My opinion aligns with Zhidao’s.” Song Zhizhi responded, “Dad, we firmly believe that Ye Taiting favors our family and that every single one of his decisions is aimed at creating opportunities for us. But, Dad, have you ever noticed that not all the sweet pies he has thrown our way can be caught?” Song Shan’s expression weighed with seriousness.

Song Zhizhi continued, “He gave you a project in the S country. Not to mention all the chaos that happened midway, but even from the beginning, the project was near impossible to complete. Yet he indicated that as long as it was finished, there would be an excuse for you to become the successor. But, Dad, are we capable of accomplishing such a thing? Rather than giving us an opportunity, it feels like he gave us a tough hurdle. One that could prompt doubts about your ability!”

With this sharp analysis, Song Shan’s face had an even harder time hiding his dismay.

Song Zhidao, by the side, was nodding non-stop, clearly agreeing with her analysis.

“And now, leaving the project issue aside. Ye Taiting asked you to compete with Qin Wenguo at this critical moment. Dad, have you ever thought about this: You two, as top chiefs, have evenly-matched influences in Commercial Management. Can you ensure your victory if you compete against him? Do you think that Ye Taiting is asking you to do this to eliminate a competitor, or he’S just watching you two damage each other so he can benefit?” Song Zhizhi refuted.

Why did they not see through these when they occurred? She vented as she refuted her father.

“What is Ye Taitings intent in doing all of this?” Song Shan looked at his daughter, “Is he using me as a stepping stone for the next successor?”

“Yes.” Song Zhizhi confirmed, “Exactly. This way, Ye Taiting made us believe that we could be his successor. The truth is, he has been using you to pave the way for the one he’s chosen.”

“It must be Chu Zhaotian!” Song Shan was certain, “Besides Qin Wenguo and me, only Chu Zhaotian remains!”

Song Zhizhi shook her head.

No, it isn’t.

But she didn’t Imow how to explain it to her father at the moment.

Actually, she didn’t need to explain in detail, just making him aware of Ye Taiting’s malicious intentions so that he would guard himself against being manipulated would suffice.

“So what should we do now? I am certain that, at this point, there are only two paths available for our family!” Song Shan analyzed, his face scorched in angry hues, “First, being utilized by Ye Taiting to fight a deadly battle against Qin Wenguo. Second, defy Ye Taiting’s arrangement and face his oppression. In both scenarios, we, the Song Family, will end up being cast out by the successor from

Commercial Management!”

“Dad, you’re looking at the two extremes, while I’ve thought of a better solution.” Song Zhizhi said.

“Let’s hear it.” Song Shan was somewhat excited.

He was desperate for someone to devise a strategy for him at this moment.

Taking a deep breath, Song Zhizhi calmly stated, “Dad, first of all, I need to confirm something. You agree that Ye Taiting does not really plan to make you his successor and hand over Commercial

Management to you, right?”

Song Shan hesitated for a bit.

Song Zhizhi knew then that her father still held a sliver of hope for Ye Taiting.

Quickly, Song Zhidao stepped in, somewhat agitated, “I completely agree, and I support my sister’s viewpoint. Dad, Ye Taiting is exploiting you to achieve his goals! If you keep following his every word, you’ll end up being a sacrificial pawn.”

“Zhidao.” Song Zhizhi called her brother’s name, “Choose your words carefully.”

Song Zhidao pouted.

He was merely telling the truth.

Song Shan said, “Hmm, I agree with both of you now.”

“Good. Our objective is clear now – we cannot follow Ye Taiting’s arrangements. So, we need to choose the second method. As Dad pointed out correctly about the second method, as soon as we break free from Ye Taiting’s control, we’ll undoubtedly face his attacks. Hence, we need to form an alliance for self-protection.”

“What do you mean?” Song Shan was taken aback, “You want me to form an alliance with Chu Zhaotian?”

“No, not with Chu Zhaotian. With Qin Wenguo.”

“Qin Wenguo is fiercely opposed to me right now. Even though we appear friendly on the surface, we are actually in a deep-seated conflict, irreconcilable, really. This project failure, think about it, who caused us to fail?! Now, asking me to form an alliance with Qin Wenguo, isn’t that like shooting myself in the foot?”

“If Qin Wenguo also detects Ye Taiting’s ill intentions, and that he’s provoking us chiefs to fight among ourselves, do you think he would help us?!” Song Zhizhi asked.

“Qin Wenguo won’t believe me. Even if I try to show him goodwill now, he may agree to it on the surface, but deep down, he will definitely suspect my actual intentions and he will not sincerely assist me. It would end up being more trouble than it’s worth.” Song Shan strongly opposed forming an alliance with the Qin family.

Song Zhizhi could understand her father’s perspective. During these crucial times, one cannot easily decide on anything, or else it may lead to an irrevocable situation.

“What if we pull Qin Jingxiang to our side, wouldn’t that have an impact on Qin Wenguo?” Song Zhizhi asked.

Song Shan was stunned, “You mean, to approach from his daughter’s side?”

“If I’m not mistaken, Qin Wenguo highly trusts and takes pride in his daughter’s intelligence. If decisions were made by his daughter, wouldn’t Qin Wenguo collaborate with our family?”

Song Shan was hit with a sudden realization. Up until that moment, none of this had occurred to him.

He admitted, “Zhizhi, you certainly think more thoroughly than your dad. But is Qin Jingxiang so easy to win over?”

“I can’t help Dad with persuading Qin Wenguo because as a junior I am not in a position to interfere in matters of the seniors and Qin Wenguo will probably not even see me. However, I can try to work something out with Qin Jingxiang. Our conflict runs deep, but she isn’t stupid. And besides…” She still had an ace up her sleeve, didn’t she?

At that moment, Ji Baijian, who was sleeping in her bed, suddenly sneezed.

Indeed, he had worked too hard abroad and was slightly under the weather.

He wrapped himself tighter under the blankets, preserving his energy.

“Zhizhi.” Song Shan called for his daughter, “Do you believe that forming an alliance with Qin Wenguo is the best strategy under the present circumstances?”

“It is the only one.” Song Zhizhi confirmed.

“But I never saw that Ye Taiting would promote Chu Zhaotian. Over the years, it’s been clear to me whom Ye Taiting has favored. It’S not just a recent action. Chu Zhaotian’s competitiveness should be the lowest, so he’s been interacting deeper with Qin Wenguo probably because he sees Qin Wenguo as a strong competitor and wants to make his stance clear.”

“Why must it be Chu Zhaotian, I also think Chu Zhaotian’s odds of winning are low.” Song Zhizhi affirmed her father’s suspicions.

Song Shan furrowed his brows, speaking slowly, “Then it must be Qian Guanshu.”

Song Zhizhi was taken aback.

She hadn’t anticipated her father considering Qian Guanshu.

She was still wondering how to explain it to him.

There were many things that she didn’t want her father to know for now, for fear that he would scare off the snake in the grass should he learn of Yi Wenhan’s involvement. The last thing Ji Baijian needed now was to be exposed. He still needed time to plan many things, and she wouldn’t be the stumbling block on Ji Baijian’s road to success. She would help Ji Baijian, establish his stronghold, starting from this moment!

“Think about it, Ye Taiting has always clearly favored Qian Guanshu. The Ye Family and Qian Guanshu have always had a good relationship, so it’S not surprising that Ye Taiting treats Qian Guanshu well. Qian Guanshu was practically raised by Ye Taiting, who is old enough to be his father, treating him like a son isn’t unbelievable. Now that the Ye Family has no heir, isn’t it reasonable for Ye Taiting to pass the inheritance to the Qian Family, who have always protected the Ye family?” Song Shan suddenly seemed to understand this logic, as if he was wondering why he hadn’t come to this conclusion sooner. He smacked the desk with a firmness that further emphasized his epiphany.

Song Zhizhi fell silent.

That may very well be the case.

Anyway, since Qian Guanshu is on Ye Taiting’s side and with the Qian Family having been bought over by Ye Taiting’s father, they must be dealt with regardless.

“These years, we’ve really been led around by the nose by that old Ye.” Song Shan expressed his understanding with extreme contempt. “After showing him nothing but loyalty for all these years, I didn’t expect to be part of his scheme! Ye Taiting must be afraid that us three prime chiefs will not accept Qian Guanshu’s ascendancy. After all, Qian Guanshu handled only family affairs for the Ye Family and didn’t achieve much within the commercial management organization, so Ye Taiting let us prime chiefs fight each other to near ruins, only for them to reap the benefits after!”

The situation seems to be much like that.

But the object was not Qian Guanshu.

“I must let Qin Wenguo and Chu Zhaotian know about this. We three prime chiefs must unite!” Song Shan was so angry that he rose from his chair, “That Ye Taiting, he’s crafty and cunning, we were never a match for him!”

“Dad, don’t get too heated just yet, and don’t be too hasty either. For Qin Wenguo, I’ll try to approach it from Qin Jingxiang?s side to avoid alarming Ye Taiting and exposing our purpose, which would be counterproductive.”

“You can now please Ye Taiting by doing as he wishes. On the surface, you should still appear at odds with Qin Wenguo to lower Ye Taiting’s guard. In reality, we will have already formed alliances with several other chief positions beforehand to respond together to any decisions he might want to make. Although the Ye Family controls commercial management, if many chiefs question his decisions, it would surely complicate matters for him.”

“You’re right. Now, the existence of commercial management is hanging by a thread. If it can serve the public and gain people’s hearts, it can still hold a footing in our country. However, if there is internal disagreement, this will give the government pretext to mediate and even potentially take over its control. Ye Taiting certainly wouldn’t want that, so he definitely won’t go it alone!” Song Shan considered the future and became excited again, “Fortunately, we saw through Ye Taiting’s conspiracy, otherwise, he would have gotten his way! ”

“Yet, in doing so…” Song Zhizhi looked at her father, “The position of the commercial management heir is likely not ours anymore.”

Song Shan looked at his daughter.

“What I mean is, now that we have chosen to form alliances with the Qin Family and perhaps even the Chu Family in future, we need to be forthright. There absolutely cannot be secret agendas in this alliance; otherwise, Ye Taiting may turn it back against us. As leaders, we have to show our commitment to this. I don’t want you to get a reputation for being unfair and unrighteous.” Song Zhizhi deliberately revealed these concerns, softly probing her father’s ambition.

“Of course I know that. If I form alliances with Qin Wenguo and Chu Zhaotian, I wouldn’t manipulate them. Zhizhi, your father is not a fool. If you want to win over the Qin Family and Chu Family, you need to first establish a fair environment that is acceptable to them. I’ve already thought this through. Eventually, when Ye Taiting really passes, we will let the public vote and compete fairly. Whoever performs best will win, and nobody can complain. This way, he’ll have to grudgingly accept the situation.” Song Shan stated his viewpoint.

Song Zhizhi let out a sigh of relief and commended him, “Dad, you’ve given this a lot of thought.”

“Zhizhi, I told you a long time ago, while it is definitely better to have power, I don’t have to insist on having it. After what happened to Nie Wenzhi, I realized the importance of family over anything else. Our family should live a good life! There’s no need to risk our family’s wellbeing for some nominal possessions. I wouldn’t want to see that!”

‘Yes. As long as our family is safe and sound, that’s all that matters.” Song Zhizhi nodded heavily.

She knew then that her father wasn’t solely after the position of the heir.

After Ye Taiting is pushed off the historical stage, she could explain Ji Baijian’s existence to her father. She believed that her father would certainly support Ji Baijian, who had suffered silently for many years and certainly had the ability and the right to claim the heir’s position.

She didn’t need to worry about how Ji Baijian would validate his position. She just needed to help Ji Baijian take revenge on Ye Taiting and Yi Wenhan, reclaim what was rightfully his, and ensure their family’s safety without letting the tragedy of the past life replay.

This was probably the most satisfying moment since her rebirth. Besides being able to save her family, she could also lend Ji Baijian a helping hand!

Ji Baijian, no no no, that old man Ye Shengheng, who has silently endured his entire life, deserves his happiness by now!

At the moment, the old man had a good night’s sleep.

Since their wedding night, he hadn’t been in good health. He went to the hospital for a simple diagnosis but didn’t have time to rest, and then secretly went to S Country. With his physical condition at the time, Ye Taiting could never imagine that he would go to S Country, so there was no reason for concern. However, Dr. Yan told him that he should be most worried about his own health. His heart had developed slight cracks and if he didn’t rest, it would become a big problem later, and not even an immortal could save him.

Fortunately, Dr. Yan told him that his body was unlike ordinary people, and he might not die easily for a while.

However, the constant rushing around really exhausted him, and after Song Zhizhi left, he fell asleep on the bed.

So he didn’t notice at all that Song Zhizhi had returned.

Perhaps it was because he let his guard down here, there was no need to be on constant high alert.

Song Zhizhi sat gently on the edge of his bed.

Surprisingly, Ji Baijian didn’t wake up.

She had always felt that Ji Baijian would wake up easily.

It was unprecedented that he could sleep so soundly even when she was this close to him.

Was it because he was truly too tired, he had been working too hard for her these few days, his body was too weak, or was it because he had complete trust in her, that he allowed himself to relax completely?

Whichever it was, she felt a deep ache in her heart.

Why couldn’t she trust him from the very beginning?

She held his hand.

Whether it’s Ji Baijian or Ye Shengheng.

In this life, she had set her heart on him!

There was a hint of redness in Song Zhizhi’s eyes, her heart felt inexplicably heavy, she leaned closer to his face, seeing that his complexion was rather pale.

She didn’t know how serious his injuries were, or where exactly he was injured, all she knew was that at this moment, she really wanted to protect him, ensuring that he would never get hurt again, physically or emotionally.

She leaned down, her lips kissed Ji Baijian’s lips.

At this moment.

Ji Baijian opened his eyes.

Their eyes met, Song Zhizhi’s face turned beet red, at that moment, she was somewhat ashamed.

She didn’t even know why she took the initiative.

So, at that moment, she stood up and wanted to leave.

Ji Baijian quickly grabbed her.

“Is the lady thinking of running away again?” Ji Baijian asked her with a lazy voice as he just woke up.

Who said she wanted to run!

In this life, she would cling to Ji Baijian and never let go, even if it meant death!