Chapter 724 Do As You Say
For a moment, Tang Jing was stunned. “Did you just say your mother?” Isn’t Ouyang Qi’s mother the widow of Ouyang Duo, the boss of Sunshine Corporation? Why is she moving into my condominium? Even if the Ouyang family isn’t doing as well as before, they are, by and large, still an influential family. How has Mrs. Ouyang ended up in such a sorry state?
Thinking that Tang Jing was unhappy, Ouyang Qi hastily replied, “I know it isn’t convenient to have my mother at your place. However, she refuses to stay at a hotel, so I have no choice but to put her up here for the time being. I’ll move her out once I’ve found suitable accommodation.”
“No, no. There’s no hurry. I don’t have a problem with that. I’m just a little embarrassed by the size of my house. What if she’s not used to it? Of course, if she doesn’t mind the size, she can stay as long as she likes,” Tang Jing remarked. “I’m curious, though. What happened? Why doesn’t she have a place to live in?”
The other end of the line fell silent for a few seconds, and when Ouyang Qi finally spoke up, his voice was tinged with sadness.
“My sister fired me and dragged my mother into the whole mess. She wants me to accompany Mom back to Pearl City and stop interfering with company affairs. Sorry… I know I’ve let you down. I’m not even allowed to chauffeur my sister around now.”
“What? She won’t even let you drive the car?” Tang Jing exclaimed.
Oh, my goodness. Ouyang Li is pure evil! Who knew she’d be even more ruthless than Ouyang Qing and pull such a stunt?
“Yes. My sister told me to get lost immediately. Her reason was that I had planted a listening device on her and leaked her secrets to the Nan family. I’m clueless about what happened, but she must’ve fabricated that excuse to get me out of the company.”
Needless to say, Tang Jing could tell how despondent Ouyang Qi was.
“It’s okay. Take a couple of days off and look after Mrs. Ouyang,” she gently comforted. “Now that your father isn’t around, it’s all the more reason for you to protect your mother and spend time with her.”
Upon hearing that, Ouyang Qi felt all warm and fuzzy again. My gosh. She really is the best woman I’ve ever met!
“Thank you, Tang Jing. I’m sorry to have disappointed you and given you so much trouble. That said, please rest assured that I won’t give up. I’ll work hard to better myself and become a capable, successful person,” Ouyang Qi said, albeit with a twinge of shame.
“You’ve always been a capable person. I have faith in you,” Tang Jing replied sweetly. “Anyway, you’re still drinking, aren’t you? You should call it a night and rest early. Come on, pull yourself together! You got this!”
With Tang Jing being so gentle and soft-spoken, it was no wonder Ouyang Qi felt so comfortable around her, as though she was part of his family.
“Very well, then. You should rest early too. I won’t bother you anymore.”
“Sure. Goodnight!”
As soon as she hung up the phone, Tang Jing spaced out for a while before a smile slowly crept across her face.
Haha. I thought it was impressive enough to snag Ouyang Qi, but now, thanks to him, I have Mrs. Ouyang on my side too! So what if she’s been chased out by Ouyang Li and deemed useless? To me, she’s like a mountain of gold. With her around, I’m sure to succeed!
Sure enough, Ouyang Qi had felt miserable and downed so much wine that he slept till the cows came home.
Meanwhile, Feng Jialing was still struggling with her new accommodation. Having enjoyed the high life for many years, the only places she lived in were luxury homes and mansions. She couldn’t even get used to staying in hotels, let alone an ordinary condominium.
Of course, given Tang Jing’s celebrity status, her house was considered high-end when compared to other folks’.
To Feng Jialing, however, a condominium was still too small for her liking, and there was a lot she couldn’t get accustomed to.
One example was that she never had the habit of cooking for herself. As the wife of a wealthy man, she kept herself busy by attending events with her husband and other socialites, so there was barely a need to step into the kitchen.
As a result, it was already afternoon, yet Feng Jialing hadn’t even had breakfast. Then again, she didn’t have much of an appetite either.
When Ouyang Qi finally woke up, he found his mother spacing out on the balcony, looking very lonely and haggard.
It was only then that he remembered the latter never cooked, so he assumed she must be starving.
Alas, Ouyang Qi wasn’t much of a cook, so he had no choice but to order takeout.
Once their food arrived, mother and son sat facing each other and quietly tucked into their meals.
Sadly, Feng Jialing couldn’t eat more than two mouthfuls of it. On the one hand, her appetite was still poor, and on the other, the takeout food was anything but tasty.
Ouyang Qi, too, shared the same sentiments and sighed heavily. “Why don’t I head out to buy us something else? Food from better restaurants should be tastier.”
“No, it’s okay. Sit down. Let’s chat,” Feng Jialing suggested.
Ouyang Qi did as instructed, looking shamefaced as he met his mother’s gaze. “It’s all my fault. I couldn’t do anything, and now you have to suffer with me.”
Feng Jialing shook her head. “No. You’re not to blame. We’ve all made mistakes, including your father. He was too arrogant and thought he had everything under control. He wanted to dominate the region’s business arena, but the truth was that he wasn’t capable enough. His wild ambition was what brought him down. That said, I’m also to blame. I knew he had an inflated ego, yet I didn’t try to talk some sense into him. To make matters worse, I even went against my morality to help him. I guess what goes around comes around, and I’m paying for my sins now.”
After hearing his mother’s words, Ouyang Qi felt even more upset.
“Mom, don’t say that. Even though I’m against how you and Dad had handled things in the past, I know you only did it for the sake of our family. Besides, that’s all in the past now. What’s the point in dredging it up?” Ouyang Qi replied. “I’m not mad that Li has taken over the company, but she has become even more ambitious and ruthless than Dad. Dad always took care of the family and only dealt with outsiders. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy so many years of being indolent and a womanizer. Li, however, is downright scary. She can even chase us out, for goodness’ sake. One can only imagine what else she’d be capable of. I’m worried about the consequences if we let this go on. Instead of revitalizing the Ouyang family, she might jeopardize us to the point where we have to withdraw from Sunshine Corporation.”
Feng Jialing bobbed her head repeatedly. “Yes, you’re right. Those are my thoughts too, and I can’t help but worry about her current state. She always kept a low profile in the past and did her work diligently, making me think she was a dependable person. Alas, who knew her true colors would be so terrifying? I admit that your father and I used to dote on Qing more, but even then, we’ve never done anything to hurt Li. It hurts me to see the way she’s treating us now. Therefore, we have to think of a solution as soon as possible. We can’t let her go on like this.”
As luck would have it, that was also what Ouyang Qi had in mind.
“What should we do now, then?” he asked.
“Since she wants to relocate Sunshine Corporation’s headquarters to Flower City while insisting I return to Pearl City, that must mean she doesn’t want me to affect her control of the company. However, Sunshine Corporation is your father’s sweat and blood. There’s no way I’d let her do anything reckless. Your father has already paid for his mistakes, so how can I let her go down that same road? In any case, we have to exert control. The only question is how.”
“All right. I’ll do as you say, Mom,” Ouyang Qi said with a nod.
