Tianyi also felt a chill run down his spine. "After you say that, I feel like the Huangfu family members will all be killed by her."
"That's not impossible," An Jing replied with his usual flippant attitude. "If she can really wipe out the entire Huangfu family, we just need to prepare to take back the Financial Building. It'll save us a lot of trouble."
Tianyi shot him a glare. "Stop being superstitious. These are just coincidences, there's no such good thing. But there are indeed many strange occurrences surrounding Wu Xiufang. I want to get to the bottom of it. If I can find something, I can use it as leverage to make her release Daisy."
An Jing understood his intentions. "What you're doing isn't just about making the Huangfu family let Daisy go, is it? It's about ensuring they won't bother Daisy and her child's lives in the future. That way, Daisy can truly escape Wu Xiufang's control."
Tianyi felt he was truly his confidant, articulating exactly what he was thinking.
"If we can successfully get Wu Xiufang to release Daisy, I plan to arrange for her and her family to go abroad. To a distant and unfamiliar place, so Daisy can heal her emotional wounds and start a new life."
An Jing had no objections. "Do as you see fit. It's just that Wu Xiufang's life experiences are so bizarre, could she also bring misfortune to you? Be careful yourself."
Tianyi had never believed in fortune-telling or destiny. He scoffed with a dismissive smile. "What 'bringing misfortune'? I believe people can conquer fate. There are likely many man-made factors involved, and people are probably behind it."
"Alright, take care of yourself. If you need any help, just say the word."
"When have I ever been polite with you?" Tianyi adopted a business-like demeanor. "Stop chatting here and get back to work."
"Got it, got it." An Jing couldn't stand him acting like a capitalist and got up to leave his office.
Tianyi immediately sent people to the countryside where Wu Xiufang had lived to conduct a discreet investigation.
...
Song Jiaping transferred his mother from the sanatorium to a specialized oncology hospital.
After a comprehensive examination by the doctors there, they discovered that his mother not only had late-stage lung cancer but that the cancer cells had also spread to her vital organs, making treatment largely futile.
The doctors at the oncology hospital advised him to let Zhu Qin enjoy her remaining days, focusing on palliative care and pain relief.
Song Jiaping, being a doctor himself, understood the oncologists' advice and accepted their recommendation for conservative treatment combined with pain management.
Previously, he had always thought there was ample time. His mother wanted him to seek revenge, and he, caught in a dilemma, slowly planned to fulfill her wish one day.
Now, with his mother having only two to three months left, he realized he could no longer achieve her desire. He felt immense guilt.
He wanted to spend his mother's final days by her side, no longer willing to work at Huangfu Group in a subservient position.
After settling his mother into the hospital, Song Jiaping submitted his resignation to the HR department of Huangfu Group.
The supervisor of their department had changed again. Mengqi, upon her return from abroad, had been promoted to Vice President of the group and would no longer manage departmental affairs.
After submitting his resignation, he stopped going to work and stayed at the hospital with his mother.
Upon receiving his resignation, the HR department hesitated to approve it directly, as his initial entry into the group had been with the Chairman's consent.
The head of HR had no choice but to take his resignation letter to Huangfu Sisong's office.
Standing at the entrance of the Chairman's office, the head of HR, holding Song Jiaping's resignation letter, was still uncertain whether to bother the Chairman for an ordinary employee's departure.
However, the head of HR was unaware of any private relationship between Song Jiaping and the Chairman and feared being blamed by the HR department if the Chairman found out later.
As the head of HR hesitated at the Chairman's office door, Huangfu Mengqi approached.
She was on her way to discuss some official business with her father. As soon as she exited the elevator, she saw the head of HR and asked, "Manager Zhang, what is it you need to see the Chairman about, standing here at the door? Is the Chairman busy inside?"
"No, no," said Manager Zhang of HR. "An employee submitted a resignation letter and stopped coming to work without waiting for our approval. I was just going to seek the Chairman's instructions."
Huangfu Mengqi found it strange that an employee's resignation required her father's approval.
Moreover, Manager Zhang of HR had been in the HR department for a long time and shouldn't have such a basic issue.
"Your HR department can handle this yourselves. The group has proper procedures and systems; there's no need to consult the Chairman."
"Miss, I know that. But this employee is different from others. When he joined the group, he was introduced by the Chairman..."
"Who is this employee?" Huangfu Mengqi asked.
The head of HR handed her the resignation letter for her to see.
Huangfu Mengqi took the resignation form and, upon seeing the name, immediately understood. "There's no need to consult the Chairman about this. If he wants to resign, process it directly according to the normal departure procedures."
"Alright, I understand." Manager Zhang of HR thought that not having to consult the Chairman would resolve the issue, which would be for the best.
Huangfu Mengqi returned the resignation form to Manager Zhang of HR. After he left, she stood by the door, lost in thought.
At that moment, Huangfu Sisong's secretary reminded her, "Ms. Qi, the Chairman is waiting for you."
"Okay." Mengqi snapped back to attention, composed herself, and entered the office.
After work, she was still at the group when Yao Feili called to ask when she would be home.
She simply said she had to work overtime and would be back very late.
In reality, she was sitting in her office with nothing to do, contemplating whether to call Song Jiaping and ask why he resigned, if it was truly because of his mother's illness.
But she was married now. Although she didn't love Yao Feili deeply, they got along well.
Yao Feili was attentive and considerate of her in every aspect.
She didn't want to live abroad permanently, so Yao Feili bought her a villa in Lancheng in her name.
She wanted to continue working at Huangfu Group to prove her capabilities to her father, and Yao Feili was doing his best to help her.
By all accounts, her married life was quite happy, and she had no complaints. Yet, whenever Song Jiaping was involved, she couldn't help but want to care about him.
She wanted to restrain herself, but after learning of Song Jiaping's resignation, she couldn't stop thinking about it. She couldn't control herself.
Mengqi couldn't resist dialing Song Jiaping's number. He answered quickly.
"Song Jiaping, I just heard you're resigning. Is your mother ill?" she asked before he could speak.
Song Jiaping grunted, surprised that Mengqi would contact him proactively.