Disobedience To Control chapter 63
No Time Limit
Song Siheng’s palm pressed against his chest, but he didn’t expect him to suddenly say this.
The two remained silent for more than ten seconds. Song Siheng suddenly sat up from the bed, and Yang Xiaobei also stood up accordingly.
“How about this proposal?” This time, Yang Xiaobei stood up, as if he had the upper hand in this game.
“What’s the benefit of being in a relationship with you?” Song Siheng didn’t avoid his gaze.
“I’m young, good-looking, and if you don’t like this scar, I can get a laser surgery to remove it.” Yang Xiaobei’s eyes flickered. “Rest assured, if anyone asks later, I’ll say I’m the bottom. I promise not to let out a word about you.”
Song Siheng chuckled but didn’t respond.
Seeing that he didn’t answer, Yang Xiaobei added eagerly, “And when you’re old, I can push your wheelchair for you!”
Song Siheng gave him a nudge with his elbow. “Stop cursing me!”
“So, what do you think?” Yang Xiaobei pressed again.
After a moment of contemplation, Song Siheng looked up and asked him, “Do you think I’m the kind of person who casually enters into a relationship with anyone?”
“It depends on who it is,” Yang Xiaobei, still brimming with confidence, crossed his arms. “You’re not afraid, are you? Feeling timid?”
He imitated the tone Song Siheng had used when speaking under the streetlamp by the Nanjiang River.
Song Siheng just stood up and reached out to touch his shoulder. “I just don’t have that plan.”
“What plan?”
“I don’t plan to be in a relationship.” Song Siheng spoke the truth.
“Damn, will i be your first?” Yang Xiaobei had an extraordinary way of thinking and understanding.
Song Siheng ignored his nonsensical guess. “Give me some time, I need to sort out the potential problems between us.”
Yang Xiaobei was tongue-tied. Song Siheng was still himself, undeterred by any obstacles.
“Am I your product?” he asked.
Song Siheng glanced at his watch. “You can think whatever you want.”
“How long do you need to think?” he continued to ask.
“It’s hard to say.” Song Siheng smiled at him, the meaning unclear.
At half past nine on Sunday night, the two left the island and returned to the airport they had come from, preparing to board the flight back to Jiangcheng.
In the airport lounge, Song Siheng had been wearing headphones the whole time, seemingly discussing work matters with someone. Yang Xiaobei sat beside him, unable to get a word in.
According to the initial plan, their flight was supposed to depart at midnight. However, due to the unpredictable weather of the rainy season on the island, thunderstorms suddenly started near the airport, delaying the departure time.
Until one-thirty in the morning, there was still no sign of the plane taking off.
Yang Xiaobei couldn’t sit still, pacing back and forth in the waiting lounge. The flight delay and the unresolved confession made him restless.
But Song Siheng continued to wear his headphones, talking on the phone as if nothing had happened. Yang Xiaobei heard him mention something about a press conference and a new production line.
It wasn’t until four in the morning that the thunderstorm finally stopped completely. The airline staff finally notified that all passengers could board.
Song Siheng finally stood up from his seat, packed up his laptop, and turned to see that Yang Xiaobei had fallen asleep on the chair next to him at some point.
Song Siheng kicked his calf with his foot. Yang Xiaobei groggily opened his eyes. “Huh?”
“We’re boarding,” Song Siheng said in a flat tone.
Yang Xiaobei jumped up from the chair, slinging the backpack he had left aside on his back.
Fortunately, Song Siheng had booked first-class seats, so the two could spend the remaining eight-plus hours of the flight lying down.
After a night of phone conferences, Song Siheng finally relaxed. Once they boarded the plane and it entered a stable flight, he fell asleep with his head on a pillow.
But Yang Xiaobei, sitting beside him, had no trace of sleepiness.
The plane flew through the dark night sky, the clouds becoming thinner, but the stars and moon were still not visible.
He looked at Song Siheng’s sleeping face, from his forehead to his eyebrows, to his nose, to his lips.
“What are you really thinking?” Yang Xiaobei muttered softly to himself.
Song Siheng frowned in his sleep and then changed his sleeping position. Yang Xiaobei immediately fell silent, startled.
The plane landed in Jiangcheng bathed in the afternoon sun. Due to the time difference, it was already past three in the afternoon in Jiangcheng.
Song Siheng had a good sleep, and the two picked up their luggage and headed towards the arrival gate. Song Siheng’s car was parked in the parking lot next to the arrivals area.
Just as Yang Xiaobei was about to get in the car with him, Song Siheng turned around and stopped him.
“You can take a taxi yourself.”
“Huh?!” Yang Xiaobei didn’t understand. This trip was over, why was his right to sit in the passenger seat revoked?
Seeing his puzzled expression, Song Siheng probably knew he had misunderstood again.
“I’m going straight to the company, it’s not in the same direction.” He glanced at his watch. “In about a dozen hours, I have a press conference to attend.”
Yang Xiaobei’s throat rolled, then nodded.
Song Siheng walked a few steps with his suitcase, then Yang Xiaobei suddenly called out to him.
“Where is the press conference you mentioned?”
Song Siheng lowered his head, opened his phone, and typed a string of characters.
“Check your phone!” With that, he pushed the suitcase and walked away alone, leaving behind a gradually diminishing black figure.
Yang Xiaobei took out his phone from his pocket and glanced at it. Song Siheng had sent him an address.
According to Song Siheng’s plan, he would have landed in Jiangcheng early Monday morning. This would have given him the whole day on Monday to communicate with Jin Shuming about the final details of the press conference.
But unexpectedly, they encountered extreme weather, and the flight was delayed by four hours, cutting his time short by half a day.
He first returned to Sicheng, communicated with Li Ke and other executives about the important matters of the week, and then quickly went with Li Ke to the rehearsal site of the press conference.
The exhibition director was already coordinating the lighting and venue arrangements, and the press conference was about to start in 20 hours.
This press conference, in addition to helping Jin Shuming’s company launch its flagship product, was even more important because Song Siheng would appear on stage for the first time as Jin Shuming’s behind-the-scenes boss.
And this grand event naturally invited his ideal audience, Xu Lang.
“Do you think he’ll be angry when he sees you on stage?” Li Ke adjusted the steering wheel, heading towards the right lane.
“He’d better still be able to smile.” Song Siheng flipped through the documents in his hand and smiled.
This time, Jin Shuming’s new product launch had surpassed all the configuration parameters of Xu Lang’s EM flagship product. More importantly, the launch date was more than a month ahead of the competitor’s. Song Siheng had already stirred up momentum in the major industry media. Apart from the investment from Master Lin, there were also many venture capital firms itching to make a move.
Once the press conference was over, EM’s products would instantly lose market anticipation, becoming dull and lifeless.
This battle was finally coming to a phased conclusion, and Song Siheng felt more excited than nervous.
But besides that, he also had a big announcement to make at the press conference.
Twenty hours later, the lights in the venue gradually lit up. Several characters flickered on the gray screen.
“Departments, get ready.” The voice of the exhibition director came through the microphone.
Snap! A powerful spotlight lit up in the center of the stage.
At this moment, in the last row of the audience seats, sat a boy wearing a duckbill cap.
In the first half of the press conference, Jin Shuming introduced the flagship product that was about to be released. As soon as the product parameters appeared on the big screen, bursts of applause erupted from the audience.
Meanwhile, Xu Lang, sitting in the front row, looked increasingly gloomy.
Twenty minutes later, the new product was launched. Jin Shuming handed the microphone back to the host.
“Now, we would like to invite the behind-the-scenes product director of this new product to the stage.”
The audience and the media below began to whisper and question, puzzled by this unexpected addition to the agenda.
Soon, a man walked out from the side of the stage, wearing a perfectly fitting navy blue suit and a tall and straight figure.
Yang Xiaobei sat in the last row, watching the man on stage.
Less than 48 hours ago, this person was fooling around with him on the deserted island. Now he stood under the spotlight, full of vigor, like a god.
With a bang, the audience below started murmuring for several minutes, and countless flashes from the media cameras began to flicker. Yang Xiaobei saw someone in the front row suddenly stand up and leave, and the figure looked very much like the Xu Lang he had seen before.
Song Siheng ignored these interruptions and walked to the center of the stage.
“Today, in addition to the products we’ve already introduced, there’s another mysterious product I want to share with you all.” Song Siheng went straight to the point.
A new slideshow appeared on the screen behind him.
“We will collaborate with the top cardiac rehabilitation institutions in the country to launch a full range of portable rehabilitation devices for cardiovascular disease patients. These devices combine daily monitoring, exercise testing, and medical counseling into one. This series of products will lead major rehabilitation institutions in the country from a single rehabilitation center model to a new model of home-based rehabilitation.”
The audience was instantly in an uproar. Compared to previous products, this was completely niche and unprofitable. How much purchasing power could there be for just a few rehabilitation centers in a year? It could be considered a charitable endeavor.
For a new company to go public, investing such a large sum of money in a project that was difficult to profit from would inevitably delay its IPO. It wasn’t good news for the decision-makers and investors.
Song Siheng smiled. “I know many of you have doubts about this product. But this is a project I insisted on doing myself, and in the future, it will be funded with my own money, which won’t affect any of you investors.”
The audience quieted down a bit.
He looked towards the farthest corner of the audience seating, then quickly retracted his gaze. “The inspiration for this product actually came from a very important friend of mine. If he were here today, I would like to say one thing to him.”
The audience suddenly quieted down, and the sound waves from the microphone reached the farthest reaches of the venue.
“You made me realize that there are many things in life that are worth the cost.”
Song Siheng paused for a second, then continued to look in that direction. “Your ideals will definitely have an echo, and I will wait with you for that day.”
With that, Song Siheng nodded and concluded his speech, then turned and walked down the stage.
Someone in the last row of the venue suddenly stood up and ran out from the side.
The segment of the press conference was not over yet, and both on and off the stage, the atmosphere remained lively.
Meanwhile, Song Siheng stood alone in a quiet corner backstage, where a staff member came over and removed the microphone he had attached to his waist.
Suddenly, the side door backstage was pushed open, and Song Siheng turned to see Li Ke.
“Siheng, I just met him outside. He said he wanted to come and find you.” Li Ke stepped aside, and a familiar figure appeared in front of him.
Song Siheng had just taken off his suit and removed the microphone, his slim waist wrapped in a shirt.
People came and went around him, bustling with activity and noise.
Yang Xiaobei stood by the door, just watching him.
Before Yang Xiaobei could speak, Song Siheng smiled at him. “I’ve made up my mind.”
“What have you decided?” Yang Xiaobei took a half step forward, the two of them getting closer.
“Forty-nine seconds.” Song Siheng said, “You said last time that you could swim the 49-second national qualifying time.”
“So?”
“I’ll wait for the day you swim that 49 seconds.”
As if someone was calling for him, Song Siheng turned to prepare to walk inside, and the distance between the two gradually widened.
“If I swim 49 seconds, will you agree?” Yang Xiaobei shouted after his retreating figure.
Song Siheng looked back at him one last time. “Yes!”
“Is there a deadline?” Yang Xiaobei continued to shout.
“No!” Song Siheng waved his hand without turning back.
📢Author’s Note
The first rule of Manager Song’s management code: Set reasonable and challenging short-term goals to stimulate employees’ subjective initiative.