Disobedience To Control chapter 12
Red-eye Flight
Li Ke had booked five rooms, one for each person, lined up along the corridor coming out of the elevator. Song Siheng’s room was at the end of the corridor, followed by Li Ke’s, with Song Qin’s room in the middle. The rooms of the two directors were closest to the elevator.
After dinner, Song Qin wanted to go back to his room to rest. Li Ke had to arrange a car to take him back first.
“So early?” Song Siheng raised an eyebrow.
“I’m used to it,” Song Qin glanced at his wrist, exactly ten o’clock at night, “biological clock.”
Song Siheng didn’t stop him, watching him walk out alone.
As a gesture of goodwill, Song Siheng’s group brought samples from their own company. The R&D director carried a black box with him. If tomorrow’s meeting went smoothly, they could immediately negotiate further cooperation with the other party.
The meeting with the executives of the other company was scheduled for the next morning. The weather in the north was dry, and Song Siheng hadn’t slept well all night. He still felt unwell when he woke up the next day.
Li Ke was already waiting for them in the breakfast restaurant on the rooftop. Song Siheng happened to meet Song Qin, who was also leaving at the same time.
Song Qin had changed into a light gray cashmere coat, and he was wearing a pair of matching cashmere gloves.
“Wearing gloves indoors?” Song Siheng passed by him and asked casually.
Song Qin didn’t look up. “The temperature in the lab is always low, I’m used to it.”
Song Siheng smiled and strode forward.
The morning meeting didn’t go as smoothly as expected. The executives of the company in North City had previously worked in a multinational corporation and naturally knew that their products were highly sought after in the future market. Therefore, they didn’t show much humility towards Song Siheng’s group.
However, Song Qin had academic interactions with them twice in the past two years, and out of face, they made all the superficial efforts.
Song Siheng tried to step forward, and they pushed back. By the end of the conversation, Song Siheng’s patience was wearing thin. Fortunately, they didn’t outright refuse, so Song Siheng judged that there was still room for negotiation.
Since it was rare to visit North City, after Song Siheng finished this negotiation, he planned to stay in North City for two more days to have a meeting with the middle and senior management of the northern branch.
Unlike the rest of Song Siheng’s group, Song Qin didn’t have much time for outings. After the morning meeting, he had already booked his flight back to Jiangcheng in the early hours of the next day.
He didn’t stay with the rest of the group but sat alone in a corner of the hotel lobby, reading articles on his laptop.
Li Ke happened to be downstairs and saw Song Qin sitting in the corner. He went over to greet him.
Upon learning that Song Qin was leaving soon, Li Ke asked, “Won’t you stay for another day? There’s a direct flight tomorrow afternoon.”
“No, I have two major classes tomorrow,” Song Qin smiled slightly, “and it’s complicated to arrange for leave.”
Li Ke nodded in understanding.
As soon as Li Ke left, Song Siheng came out of the elevator on the other side. He spotted Li Ke sitting on the sofa in the lobby.
“Why are you sitting here alone?” Song Siheng walked over and sat down.
“Your brother was here,” Li Ke replied.
“Where is he?”
“He went upstairs to pack, he said he’s flying back on his own in the early hours.”
Song Siheng clicked his tongue. “Always a loner.”
Li Ke chuckled. “You’ve said the same about others too.”
Song Siheng raised an eyebrow. “Otherwise, how do you think we used to hang out together when we were in school? Whenever I came home, it was as quiet as a morgue, no difference.”
Li Ke didn’t respond, remembering something, he opened his phone and glanced at it. “Forget about that. Jin Shuming wants to meet you tonight.”
“I know. He just messaged me.”
Jin Shuming, the general manager of the Sicheng Northern Branch, was Song Siheng’s former classmate from university. He had also grown up with the label of a genius since childhood, but unlike Song Siheng, after graduating from his undergraduate studies, he didn’t go abroad but went to a northern university for postgraduate studies.
Unlike Song Siheng, Jin Shuming majored in mechanical engineering during his postgraduate studies. Later, when Song Siheng started his own business and shifted the focus of his career from software development to smart hardware devices, he needed someone to oversee hardware design and development, so he paid a high price to poach Jin Shuming over.
Li Ke reminded, “He’s probably going to talk to you about next year’s R&D budget.”
“Besides asking for money, he doesn’t bother me with anything else.”
Jin Shuming’s temperament was about sixty to seventy percent similar to Song Siheng’s, but he wasn’t a businessman; he was dedicated to researching technology. He often asked for a lion’s share from Song Siheng because he wanted to experiment with some cutting-edge technology.
In addition, Jin Shuming had one major characteristic: he loved alcohol.
Every time Song Siheng met him, he ended up getting completely drunk.
Unlike the gatherings Song Siheng used to attend, Jin Shuming never went to bars; he started drinking at restaurants. Whether it was a Michelin-starred restaurant or a street stall, he could drink from red wine to white wine, and then from white wine to beer.
At nine o’clock in the evening, when Song Siheng came out of the restaurant, he was already feeling a bit tipsy.
Using the excuse of needing to drive, Li Ke managed to escape and only drank two glasses of lemon water.
Song Siheng’s eyes were somewhat unfocused as he sat silently in the passenger seat.
“Shall I ask the hotel to make you some hangover soup and send it to your room?” Li Ke glanced at him through the rearview mirror.
Song Siheng shook his head and leaned back in the seat, closing his eyes.
Li Ke lowered the volume of the car stereo, turned up the warm air conditioning, and then stepped on the accelerator towards the hotel.
Twenty minutes later, Song Siheng returned to his hotel room. He was still wearing the suit and coat he had worn when he went out during the day.
As soon as the door of the room closed, Song Siheng felt the heat. He took off his coat and suit, leaving only a light-colored shirt on his body. Even so, he still felt the collar of his shirt was a bit tight, so he unbuttoned the top two buttons. Perhaps affected by alcohol, the skin around his throat was slightly flushed.
Song Siheng’s phone fell out of his pocket onto the carpet. In less than half a minute, it vibrated twice.
He picked up his phone and saw that it was indeed a message from Jin Shuming. Annoying.
The content was very clear too: he hoped to increase the budget by 30% next year and establish his own new R&D team. Song Siheng didn’t reply and simply threw his phone onto the bedside table.
He lay back, sinking into the off-white mattress. The indoor air in the north was dry and hot. After groping for a moment, he opened the electric curtains. The dazzling night view of the entire city shimmered beneath him.
Meanwhile, over a thousand kilometers away in Jiangcheng, Yang Xiaobei’s phone began to vibrate violently.
After seeing who was calling, Yang Xiaobei immediately pressed the answer button.
There was no greeting on the other end. “I’ve booked you a flight at eleven thirty. Go to the airport now, and you’ll still make it in time to board.”
Yang Xiaobei was stunned. “What flight? Where am I going?”
But there was no answer from Song Siheng’s end.
“Hello? Hello!” Yang Xiaobei tried to ask again, but all he heard was the sound of the call being hung up.
Thirty seconds later, Yang Xiaobei received a text message with a series of flight information. Destination: North City.
The red-eye flight took off on time, its wings flashing with silver-white lights, silently flying through the endless night. It was the first time Yang Xiaobei had ever flown business class, but he hadn’t even had time to change his clothes.
As the night in the north deepened, most of the neon lights went out, and the traffic on the roads gradually thinned. Occasionally, only taxis passing by on the elevated roads emitted brief bursts of engine roar.
“Ding dong—”
At three thirty in the morning, Yang Xiaobei pressed the doorbell at the end of the corridor.
Half a minute later, with a click, a slender hand reached out from behind the door and abruptly pulled him into the room.
There was no light in the room, only a blurry figure in front of him. But Yang Xiaobei could smell the familiar scent and smiled, “Didn’t we agree to meet on the weekend? Will you pay me overtime?”
The person in front reached out and pulled at his collar, the warm palm touching Yang Xiaobei’s cool face, then his neck, collarbone, and shoulders.
“Just come when I ask you to come. Why so many words?”