"Haha, no problem, I'll look forward to your work then."
Song Qiao let out a hearty laugh and then filled Yuan Jianan's wine glass with red wine.
"Then, here's to our successful collaboration."
Yuan Jianan's mind was clearly back on the brand design, and she didn't notice Song Qiao pouring her wine. She reached out and knocked over the wine glass in front of her onto the table.
"Oh no!"
Yuan Jianan cried out in surprise and quickly stood up.
But it was too late. The red wine spilled on the table eventually splattered onto her pristine white dress.
Seeing this, Song Qiao, with quick hands, immediately picked up a napkin from the table and began to help Yuan Jianan clean it.
"Song Qiao, what are you doing?"
Just as the two were flustered, an angry voice suddenly came from behind Song Qiao. It was Xia Yuqing.
"Wife? What are you doing here?"
Song Qiao hadn't quite registered what was happening. He turned around and asked in confusion.
Before he could even react, Xia Yuqing rushed forward and pulled her husband away from Yuan Jianan.
"You scoundrel, how dare you do this behind my back."
Song Qiao hadn't expected such a dramatic turn of events and stood frozen, unsure of what to do.
He wanted to explain, but he didn't know where to begin.
After all, what had just happened certainly looked like it could lead to some unpleasant misunderstandings.
Seeing Song Qiao remain silent for so long, Xia Yuqing's expression grew even more displeased.
She let out a cold snort, gave her husband a fierce glare, and turned to leave.
"Wife, please let me explain."
Song Qiao panicked and quickly chased after her.
"Mrs. Song, I think you might have misunderstood. Song Qiao was just helping me clean my dress."
Yuan Jianan also hurried after them, panting as she explained.
"Yes, wife. Jianan is my junior high classmate. I've mentioned her to you before."
"She's a designer now, and we were just discussing the company's trademark design."
Song Qiao held onto Xia Yuqing's wrist, desperately trying to explain.
"Really?"
Hearing their explanations, Xia Yuqing had calmed down somewhat, but she still harbored some doubt.
"Absolutely true. If I'm lying even a little bit, I'll let a car hit me the moment I step outside..."
Song Qiao raised his hand, about to swear an oath.
"Enough, stop talking." Xia Yuqing stamped her foot and rushed forward, covering Song Qiao's mouth.
After all, she couldn't bear to make her husband swear such a heavy oath.
Besides, if Song Qiao were truly involved with Yuan Jianan, he wouldn't have chosen such a public place, nor would he have rushed to explain the moment he was discovered.
"It seems I truly misunderstood."
Xia Yuqing shook her head and gave Yuan Jianan an embarrassed look, apologizing, "I'm sorry, Ms. Yuan. I misunderstood just now. I hope you don't mind."
As she spoke, she extended her right hand.
Yuan Jianan smiled faintly and politely shook Xia Yuqing's hand.
"Ms. Xia, you're too kind. If I were in your shoes, I might have misunderstood Song Qiao too."
Seeing the misunderstanding resolved, Song Qiao couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He then asked with some curiosity, "Wife, why are you suddenly here today?"
"Don't we have an advertising and investment pitch? I arranged to meet the person in charge here today."
Xia Yuqing rolled her eyes at Song Qiao and explained.
As she spoke, she glanced at her watch. Then, with an apologetic look at Yuan Jianan, she excused herself.
"Ms. Yuan, I have business to discuss, so I'll take my leave for now. You and Song Qiao can continue your conversation."
"That's perfectly fine, please go ahead with your business."
Yuan Jianan smiled charmingly and said indifferently.
Seeing this, Xia Yuqing glanced at Song Qiao again. Noticing that he didn't seem to have any objections, she turned and entered a private room on the second floor.
"Song Qiao, I never expected your wife to be so beautiful."
As soon as Xia Yuqing left, Yuan Jianan couldn't help but praise.
"Haha, that just shows I have good taste." Song Qiao laughed heartily, a hint of pride on his face.
For any man, having his wife complimented on her beauty was a matter of great pride, and even Song Qiao, as a reborn individual, couldn't escape this sentiment.
This unexpected interlude didn't create distance between them; instead, it made their interaction more open.
The two then discussed the details of their collaboration further. After temporarily drafting a contract, Yuan Jianan proposed to leave.
"Song Qiao, I'll see you at your company tomorrow or the day after. You'll need to give me some feedback on my initial drafts then."
"No problem, I believe you'll create a design that everyone will admire."
Song Qiao said as he politely escorted Yuan Jianan to the restaurant entrance.
However, he didn't choose to leave immediately. Since his wife was here to discuss business with clients, he decided to wait a while longer and then head home together.
With this thought, Song Qiao, to pass the time, began to stroll around the exterior of the Xinyuan Restaurant.
As he passed by a private room window, he suddenly stopped.
Inside the room, a middle-aged man in his forties or fifties was being intimate with his wife!
In an instant, an unnamable rage surged within him.
He took a few deep breaths, unable to suppress his inner anger any longer.
He then stormed into the restaurant at top speed and kicked open the private room door.
"Scoundrel, how dare you bully my wife!"
Song Qiao roared at the middle-aged man and, without a word, grabbed his wife's wrist.
"Come home with me. We're not doing this business."
His voice was ice-cold, devoid of any emotion, which momentarily stunned Xia Yuqing.
"Who do you think you are, you lunatic?"
Manager Zhao, sitting opposite Xia Yuqing, was utterly bewildered by Song Qiao's outburst and asked, suppressing his anger.
"It doesn't matter who I am. From today on, Xiang Piaopiao will have absolutely no further cooperation with you."
Song Qiao snorted and then ignored him, directly pulling Xia Yuqing away.
As soon as they exited the restaurant, Xia Yuqing couldn't hold back any longer.
"Song Qiao, are you insane? I was about to finalize this deal with Manager Zhao, and you barge in here to disrupt it."
Song Qiao stared at his wife in disbelief, his eyes bloodshot with rage.
"That guy surnamed Zhao was clearly being inappropriate with you. Even if I, Song Qiao, starve to death, I will never sacrifice my wife for my company's business."
With that, he again grabbed Xia Yuqing's wrist without further ado.
"Come home with me. I'll settle accounts with this Manager Zhao later. I will absolutely not let him get away with this."