In the villa living room, Song Qiao's eyes held a playful gleam.
"You want to pry information from me?"
"Miss Mo, you're too naive. I'm not an idiot."
Mo Ling's eyes widened with anger at his mocking expression.
"You're too arrogant, completely disrespectful!"
Stomping her foot in frustration, she knew her goal for the day was unattainable.
"Song Qiao, I warn you, don't think you're in the clear. This matter isn't over yet. Sooner or later, I will win."
With that, she angrily turned and left.
The villa door slammed shut.
Song Qiao shook his head slightly, feeling a bit speechless. Mo Ling was truly stubborn, but it didn't matter.
After tidying up the dishes, he headed to Xin Kai Group.
Before long, Wu Meng rushed into the office.
"Song Qiao, Song Qiao, hurry and get ready! Gao Yuan is here."
Song Qiao raised an eyebrow.
"Him?"
Gao Yuan, as the city leader, was always swamped with work. Today, he had personally come to Xin Kai Capital.
"Did he say why he's here?"
"I don't know. He's already in the reception room waiting."
Wu Meng shook her head.
This made Song Qiao stroke his chin and ponder. Logically, Gao Yuan supported Mo Ling's side.
At this juncture, he shouldn't be here.
"Alright, I understand. Arrange it, I'll go see him now."
Gao Yuan had chosen to support Mo Ling and hadn't been optimistic about him. What was he doing here now?
With a sense of confusion, Song Qiao finally met Gao Yuan in the reception room.
"Little Song, it's been a while since we last met."
As soon as they met, Gao Yuan immediately stood up to shake hands.
His enthusiastic attitude surprised Song Qiao.
Wu Meng quickly brought over two cups of tea.
"Here, Secretary Gao, please try this excellent new tea."
Without getting straight to the point, Song Qiao gestured for them to drink tea.
"Haha, this tea is indeed good. It's new tea from this year, quite expensive, isn't it?"
Gao Yuan, seeing Song Qiao's continued good attitude towards him, was very pleased and slowly put down his teacup.
"Of course. When Secretary Gao comes, we naturally use the best tea."
After some pleasantries, they chatted about recent economic development and the international situation, as if Gao Yuan had only come for a casual chat.
"Speaking of economic issues, my judgment can indeed be flawed."
Gao Yuan's casual remark held a hint of regret.
"Not at all, Secretary Gao's judgment has always been excellent."
Song Qiao did not bring up the matter of Hui Huang Group.
This statement caused Gao Yuan to shake his head, appearing somewhat helpless.
"Little Song, you are too modest. Xin Kai Capital and Lan Hai Industrial are flourishing. Anyone else would have mocked my past decision by now."
The current development undeniably proved that the Gao family's support for Hui Huang Group had been a mistake.
"I truly regret not listening to your suggestion back then. I made the wrong move, placed the wrong piece."
He then looked at Song Qiao with some confusion.
"What I don't understand is, why is Ye Shi now so wealthy that they can contend with Mo Ling and them?"
In his estimation, Ye Shi should not have been able to compete with Hui Huang Group, nor could they stand against Mo Ling.
But the situation had completely defied his expectations.
Hearing this, Song Qiao didn't rush to answer. He picked up his teacup and took another sip.
"This money, of course, I provided it. I support Ye Zhiwei."
He stated the matter directly and clearly. In reality, Gao Yuan had no enmity with Lan Hai Industrial, so there was no reason not to clarify.
Gao Yuan nodded slightly, showing no surprise.
In fact, before coming, he had a rough idea. The reason Ye Shi had been so successful recently was that someone was helping them from behind the scenes. Apart from Song Qiao, it couldn't have been anyone else.
He had only asked to confirm his suspicions further.
"Little Song, your capabilities are truly astonishing. It seems that we, the older generation, have indeed fallen behind in our vision."
With a sigh, Gao Yuan indeed felt a sense of disappointment.
"It's nothing, Secretary Gao. It's just some business matters. Winning and losing are normal."
Song Qiao was humble and showed no sign of pride.
After taking a sip of tea, Gao Yuan changed the subject.
"By the way, I didn't come today just for Little Song to listen to my laments."
"I came to remind you that Li Bingqing, who had previously returned to the capital to raise funds, is now back. She has brought a large amount of capital with her this time, and perhaps some other assistance as well."
He said this deliberately, looking at Song Qiao, hoping to see panic on his face, but there was none.
"In any case, Little Song, you'd best be careful. I think Li Bingqing is quite confident."
Song Qiao grinned, understanding Gao Yuan's motive for coming. It seemed he was trying to ingratiate himself.
Such figures never put all their eggs in one basket. By maintaining ties with both sides, Gao Yuan would not be in an awkward position, regardless of who won or lost.
"Don't worry, Secretary Gao. No matter how much Li Bingqing struggles, it will be useless. She cannot contend with Ye Shi. I am very confident."
"I held this opinion then, and I still hold it now."
Gao Yuan nodded slightly.
"Good. Since that's the case, I won't say more. Perhaps we will have opportunities to cooperate in the future."
After the formal conversation concluded, they exchanged pleasantries again, and then Gao Yuan departed.
In the reception room, Wu Meng had also overheard their conversation and was now looking very tense.
"Song Qiao, I don't think we should be complacent. Since Li Bingqing has returned from the capital this time, she must have found a solution, which is why she's back."
"People like her don't hold back when they act. We need to guard against her."
Wu Meng currently had a very good impression of Song Qiao and was afraid that Li Bingqing's increased stake might lead to the failure of Xin Kai Capital.
She knew Song Qiao had been under immense pressure all along.
"Don't worry, there will always be a solution."
Song Qiao was very confident. Even if Li Bingqing was formidable, she couldn't escape the limitations of this era.
But he could.
Therefore, since Li Bingqing had lost to him once, she would lose a second time. He already had a plan in mind.
As they were talking, the telephone on the reception room table suddenly rang.
"Mr. Song, someone is downstairs asking to see you. They say they are your friend."