Watching the middle-aged woman leave with the chubby boy, a sneer appeared on Guo Jun's face.
"Hmph, scum like you, daring to be so presumptuous in front of me."
His voice was filled with intense disdain, as if he completely disregarded the woman's background.
Song Qiao, who was currently comforting his daughter and Guo Jun's son, meticulously checking if either of them was injured, didn't chime in.
"Son, well done!"
As Guo Jun turned around, the aggressive aura instantly vanished completely. He gave the boy a thumbs-up, praising him.
"Dad, does this count as what you call a hero saving the beauty?"
Hearing his father's praise, Guo Xiaohai's initially downcast mood brightened. He said somewhat cheekily.
"Of course, it does. Your classmate is so pretty, she's clearly a future beauty."
Guo Jun said this as he cast his gaze towards Song Qiao, extending his right hand.
"Hello, Guo Jun, this is my son."
Song Qiao also smiled slightly and shook Guo Jun's hand.
"Song Qiao, Xixi's father."
"Thank you, Brother Guo, for what happened just now."
Guo Jun waved his hand dismissively, "It's a small matter, and that brat also hit my son."
Song Qiao nodded slightly, saying with some indignation, "The child's current predicament is all due to her mother's poor upbringing."
"The woman herself is a domineering shrew, what kind of child do you expect her to raise?"
Guo Jun's words were even sharper.
As the saying goes, children often reflect their parents. The child just now, who was arrogant to an extreme before Song Qiao arrived, had directly hidden behind his mother when facing danger.
The saying "you can tell how a person will be when they are three years old" holds true; a child with such a personality will definitely not achieve much in life.
In contrast, Guo Xiaohai, who was brave and righteous, clearly received good upbringing, and his future achievements were limitless.
Thinking of this, Song Qiao realized he seemed to have forgotten something.
He quickly called his daughter to his side and crouched down to speak to Guo Xiaohai.
"Classmate Guo Xiaohai, you are very brave. Uncle thanks you for helping Xixi today. You are welcome to visit our home on the weekend."
Guo Xiaohai felt a bit embarrassed when praised, but still asked with his large, blinking eyes, "Will there be braised chicken legs?"
"Of course, we'll make whatever you like to eat."
Song Qiao stroked his head, secretly marveling at how witty the boy was for his age.
By this time, most of the parents picking up their children had already left, and the previously crowded school gate had become less congested.
Guo Jun raised his hand and checked his watch, apologetically bidding farewell to Song Qiao, "Brother Song, I have some things to attend to today. We'll stop here for now and chat another day."
Seeing that it was getting late, Song Qiao immediately responded and left the school with his daughter.
"Guo Jun."
"Why does this name sound so familiar, as if I've heard it somewhere before?"
On the way back, Song Qiao recalled the name, feeling an indescribable sense of familiarity, yet he couldn't recall where he had heard it.
He eventually had to put the matter aside for the time being.
"Right, Xixi, why did that chubby boy intentionally push you down?"
Song Qiao asked his daughter nonchalantly while driving.
If there were any conflicts between them, he needed to understand them as soon as possible, to prevent his daughter from being bullied at school again.
"That annoying guy is my new deskmate. This afternoon, he took my pencil without my permission."
"I was so angry that we argued."
Song Qiao nodded slightly as he looked at the aggrieved Xixi, and continued to comfort his daughter's emotions.
He couldn't help but secretly plan to report the matter to the child's teacher and get Xixi a new seat.
...
By the time they returned home, it was nearly seven o'clock in the evening. Xia Yuqing had already returned and was helping her mother-in-law prepare dinner.
"Why are you back so late?"
Seeing them enter the house, Xia Yuqing asked with some confusion.
"I met a friend on the way and chatted for a bit longer."
Song Qiao made up an excuse, not wanting to worry his wife by telling her the truth.
"How is Mom? Is her back still hurting?"
To prevent his wife from probing further, Song Qiao deliberately changed the subject.
Upon hearing this topic, Xia Yuqing couldn't help but frown, her face etched with worry. "Not very well. Although the doctor treated her injury, Mom is old after all, and there are bound to be some lingering effects."
"She's always thinking about returning to her hometown now, saying it's not as comfortable or leisurely there as here."
Song Qiao nodded slightly, indicating that he understood the situation.
"Don't worry, wife. Within a week, I'll definitely have the money for repairing the house for Mom."
Xia Yuqing didn't say anything more and continued to look down, asking, "How is your investment going? I still suggest..."
Song Qiao naturally understood his wife's meaning and replied with a slight smile, "I've already asked Ah Wei to investigate the situation and I'm considering withdrawing from this investment."
Hearing that Song Qiao hadn't rejected her, Xia Yuqing was slightly taken aback, her work stopping as she said in disbelief, "Really? You were so firm yesterday, no matter how I persuaded you, you wouldn't listen. How did you suddenly change your mind today?"
"Of course, it's true. If the partner in this investment is unreliable, I will definitely listen to my dear wife's suggestion."
Song Qiao said with a light chuckle, his words smooth and glib.
"Shameless."
Seeing that Song Qiao was finally willing to listen to her suggestion, Xia Yuqing's mood improved significantly.
"Why are you working overtime today?" Song Qiao seemed to remember something.
"Alas, our factory's performance hasn't been good recently. We're working overtime today to deal with some materials that are about to expire."
Xia Yuqing sighed and shook her head helplessly, continuing, "I feel like our factory is on the verge of collapse."
"If we don't want it to go bankrupt, we have to cut some processes. If that happens, my job will be in danger."
"The process our team is responsible for has an almost one hundred percent chance of being eliminated."
Song Qiao was somewhat surprised by his wife's answer. Although he knew Wang Fugui's factory had encountered some crises recently, he hadn't expected the problem to be so severe.
In this era of economic boom, even slightly backward factories would be immediately eliminated by the market.
This matter also served as a wake-up call for Song Qiao, reminding him to constantly avoid becoming complacent with minor achievements and to accelerate expansion and innovation to ensure Xiang Piaopiao was not eliminated by the market.