She seemed to recall something. They would all eventually return to their original lives.
It wouldn't be a bad thing if she still loved Hong Jiaxi. He didn't want to involve her in what he was about to do.
...
Huangfu Mengyao's mother was surprised by Song Jiaping's efficiency. She learned that Yao Yao would be back that morning.
She also woke up early, arranging for the servants to clean Mengyao's room and prepare her favorite desserts.
Although Mengyao's eldest sister and second brother were not at home waiting for her, they had prepared welcome gifts for her in her room.
Song Jiaping drove her to the gate of the Huangfu residence. Through a gate as grand as a palace, she saw a rectangular fountain in the center of the mansion, adorned with statues of various Greek mythological figures.
One had to go around this long fountain to reach the main building.
The gate opened automatically. He didn't drive the car forward but stopped, took out Mengyao's luggage, and let Mengyao get out of the car, pushing the suitcase directly to her.
Mengyao asked him reluctantly, "Is this my parents' house? Aren't you taking me in?"
"Yes, they should be waiting. You can go in by yourself," Song Jiaping said, giving her one last look. "I'm leaving then."
"You'll come back to pick me up, right?" Mengyao immediately asked loudly.
Song Jiaping didn't dare to look into her eyes. He hummed and drove away resolutely.
Mengyao stood still, his car gradually disappearing from her blurry vision.
At that moment, the butler walked out from inside the gate, took the suitcase from her hand, and pushed it for her, saying, "Miss Mengyao, you're finally back. Madam has been waiting for you."
Mengyao looked at this stranger and this unfamiliar mansion, which resembled a castle, and felt a little nervous.
Was this her former home?
...
Two days later, Huangfu Sisong listened to his subordinate's report and learned that the glass factory acquired by Aoxiang Group had signed a major contract with an international automotive industry company. He was both surprised and jealous.
The glass factory, which had been losing money, had actually been revitalized by Qin Tianyi. Not only were the invested funds preserved, but there were also considerable profits.
It turned out that the international market for high-quality glass was not saturated and was in fact in short supply.
He couldn't help but ask his subordinate, "Can any of our existing factories be converted into a glass factory similar to Aoxiang's?"
A senior executive responsible for factory production replied, "There are no suitable factories for conversion at the moment. If we want to build a glass factory, we have to start from scratch."
Huangfu Sisong then asked, "How long will it take, and how much capital will be invested?"
"It will take at least two to three years to complete. As for the investment budget, the finance department will need to calculate it," the executive replied.
Huangfu Sisong said indignantly, "Aoxiang only took one or two months, why does it take us so long?"
"They had everything ready: the factory, the workers, the production line... They only needed to overcome technical difficulties to officially start production. We have nothing yet, so it will take longer."
"Useless! Who told you to build from scratch? Go acquire an existing glass factory!" Huangfu Sisong threw all the factory and production profit reports for the quarter that the executive had submitted onto the ground. "Look at yourselves. Even with five or six of our factories operating simultaneously, the profits from the single large order signed by their glass factory are higher!"
The executive quickly and carefully picked up the documents from the ground, not daring to make another sound.
"What are you all still standing here for? Go and acquire a glass factory for me!" Huangfu Sisong roared.
Everyone in the conference room quickly and sheepishly retreated.
Huangfu Sisong calmed down slightly, sitting alone in the large conference room, unconsciously bringing his right fingers together and tapping on the table.
He had originally wanted to see Qin Tianyi make a fool of himself, to see how he would repay the bank loans after losing money.
He never expected that Qin Tianyi's seemingly foolish decision would allow Aoxiang Group to open up a new high-end market with immeasurable prospects.
Now it seemed that Aoxiang Group would sooner or later surpass Huangfu Group and become even stronger.
At this moment, a manager from the Human Resources Department hovered outside the conference room for a while before gritting her teeth and entering. She said respectfully and cautiously, "General Manager Huang, someone named Song Jiaping has come to the group to report, saying you told him to come to work. How should we arrange for him?"
Huangfu Sisong regained his usual composure. Yao Yao had indeed gone home yesterday, and he had forgotten about Song Jiaping's condition.
He didn't want to keep Song Jiaping in the group; he just wanted him to give up. He said, "Casually arrange some odd-job work for him. Treat him as a temporary worker for now."
The HR manager didn't dare to ask further and left, thinking that this person reported for work under the name of the big boss. What was their relationship with the big boss? Most likely a relative.
Did the big boss want this person to start from the bottom and train? It seemed this person should not be offended.
The HR manager had an inspiration and thought of a suitable odd-job position.
Song Jiaping had also expected that Huangfu Sisong would not welcome him after he joined Huangfu Group.
His adherence to his principles in front of Huangfu Sisong had always displeased Huangfu Sisong.
However, he was surprised that the job assigned to him by the HR department was to be Huangfu Shaohua's driver.
Huangfu Shaohua was Mengyao's second brother and also the vice president in charge of financial information services at the group. He was a very low-key person and rarely appeared in the news or public view.
Song Jiaping had heard of him but had never seen him.
He could only obey the HR department's arrangement, knowing that it was Huangfu Sisong's intention, and guessed that he intended to humiliate him through Huangfu Shaohua.
Song Jiaping reported to the group's Financial Information Department. The secretary who received him sized him up from head to toe, then looked at his resume and asked with some disbelief, "You are the new driver for the second young master?"
"Yes, I got my driver's license in college and have over ten years of driving experience," Song Jiaping replied.
The secretary said "oh," took out a car key, and said, "This is a champagne-colored Bentley that the second young master parks downstairs. It's his exclusive car for commuting and official business. You can get acquainted with the car first."
"Okay." Song Jiaping took the car key and wanted to ask where the car was specifically located.
Before he could speak, the secretary added, "You must be careful when you drive. This car is very expensive. Also, leave a contact number that is easy to reach. When the second young master needs the car, I will notify you at any time. By the way, this phone must be switched on twenty-four hours a day, ready to be dispatched, understand?"
Song Jiaping replied that he understood and wrote down his phone number.
"That's fine. When there's nothing for you to do, you don't need to stay in the department..."
"Then where should I stay during working hours?" Song Jiaping felt that this secretary was deliberately belittling him.
The secretary smiled and said, "You can stay anywhere you like, wait in the car, or there are benches by the flower beds outside the group... You can even stay at home, as long as you can be reached at any time."