---

Chapter 15 – Breaking Up!

Lin Shiyu furrowed her brows, her face full of concern as she asked, “Auntie, what’s wrong?”

Xu Qin’s face turned bright red as she slumped into her chair. Her breathing grew increasingly labored. Clutching her chest in pain, she said with a pained expression, “I don’t know what’s happening, but my stomach suddenly hurts terribly.”

Despite her own discomfort, Song Qiao walked over to Xu Qin’s side and quickly noticed a large rash spreading over Xu Qin’s face and neck. She instantly realized Xu Qin was having an allergic reaction. Just as she was about to speak, Xu Qin fainted.

Song Qiao reacted quickly and caught her, then turned to Lin Shiyu and instructed, “Call 120 and get an ambulance, quickly.”

Lin Shiyu, flustered, nodded and immediately dialed 120 on her phone.

Twenty minutes later, the ambulance arrived. Song Qiao and Lin Shiyu accompanied Xu Qin to Huaji Hospital. After a brief emergency treatment by the doctors, Xu Qin soon regained consciousness.

After the doctor gave them some instructions, a nurse came to administer an IV drip to Xu Qin. Because hospital beds at Huaji Hospital were scarce, Xu Qin was temporarily set up in the emergency room hall for the IV. While Xu Qin was complaining about the arrangement, a familiar voice suddenly came from behind Song Qiao.

“Qiao Qiao!”

Song Qiao turned around and saw a man in a white coat. He was tall and slender, slightly thin, wearing a blue surgical cap and a medical mask. There were bloodstains on his coat — clearly, he had just come out of surgery. Although the mask covered much of his face, it couldn’t hide his good looks.

Of course, Song Qiao recognized him. His name was Lu Chen — they had been university classmates. He was also the son of Lu Hankuan, the director of Huaji Hospital.

After graduation, Song Qiao had interacted with him several times. He was a cardiothoracic surgeon. A few years ago, Bai Shuyu often had angina, and when Song Qiao accompanied her to the hospital, it happened to be Lu Chen’s clinic. Later, it was also Lu Chen who performed Bai Shuyu’s minimally invasive coronary bypass surgery, which was very successful. Bai Shuyu had been symptom-free for the past two years.

Song Qiao turned and gave him a polite smile. “Did you just get out of surgery?”

Lu Chen glanced at Xu Qin, who was receiving the IV, then stepped closer and said, “It’s so noisy here in the emergency room with people coming and going. Auntie might not be comfortable getting an IV here. Although beds at Huaji Hospital are tight, it’s not hard for me to arrange a private room for her. That way, Auntie can rest more comfortably. Qiao Qiao, I’ll make the arrangements now—”

Song Qiao curled her fingers slightly and unconsciously took a few steps back, cutting him off. “Thank you, Lu Chen, but there’s no need. Once the IV is finished, we’ll just go home.”

Lu Chen’s eyes darkened slightly. After a pause, he forced a smile. “Alright, Qiao Qiao, I’ll go then. Goodbye.”

“Goodbye.”

After Lu Chen left, Xu Qin exploded at Song Qiao. “Song Qiao, who said we’re leaving right after the IV? I plan to stay in the hospital for a few more days. Are you expecting me to sit here forever? He’s a doctor, and he said he could get us a private room — why didn’t you take the offer? Are you afraid it’s expensive, or do you just hate to see me comfortable?”

Song Qiao knew that if she didn’t speak now, Xu Qin would keep harping on it. She looked at Xu Qin and said in a controlled tone, “If I didn’t care about your well-being, I wouldn’t have brought you to the hospital right away. I even advised you not to drink that bowl of soup at the restaurant, but you wouldn’t listen and were full of hostility towards me. If I had been the one who served you that soup, would you have thought I was trying to poison you on purpose?”

These words rendered Xu Qin speechless.

After a brief pause, Song Qiao added, “Auntie, I know you’re biased against me. No matter what I do, you’re never satisfied. Since that’s the case, let’s minimize our contact from now on.”

Xu Qin pursed her lips, her expression still dark, but she said nothing further.

Lin Shiyu’s eyes trembled slightly. After hearing Song Qiao’s words, she felt uneasy. Holding onto Xu Qin’s arm awkwardly, she murmured, “Auntie, I honestly didn’t know your allergy was this severe. Otherwise, even if someone tried to kill me, I wouldn’t have served you those bowls of soup.”

Xu Qin’s gaze flickered. She patted Lin Shiyu’s hand and gently responded, “Shiyu, I know you didn’t mean it.”

Song Qiao had no interest in sticking around to watch them put on a show of family affection. Dragging her hungry and aching body, she headed to the first-floor payment counter to pay Xu Qin’s fees. During this time, Chen Yang also rushed over from his office.

Since Huaji Hospital was the best private hospital in Beijing, it was always crowded, and the payment counter was especially packed.

Seeing the situation, Song Qiao initially wanted to eat first but, after hesitating, decided to complete Xu Qin’s hospital admission procedures first so she could go home and rest afterward.

By the time she finished, an hour had passed. Holding the completed admission documents, she dragged her exhausted body back to the emergency room, only to find Xu Qin’s hospital bed empty — both Xu Qin and Lin Shiyu were gone.

Song Qiao froze for a moment and was about to ask a nurse when Chen Yang’s call came through.

“Qiao Qiao, my mom is now in Room 306 in the inpatient department. Where are you?”

Song Qiao realized Chen Yang must have gone to Lu Chen for help. A surge of anger rose in her chest, coursing through her body.

Clutching the admission papers tightly, she coldly said, “I’m in the emergency department. Come here and find me.”

After hanging up, it didn’t take long before Chen Yang arrived.

When he saw Song Qiao sitting on a bench in the corridor with a stern expression, he knew exactly why she was upset. He sat down beside her slowly.

After some thought, he looked at her and gently said, “Qiao Qiao, you know how my mom is. She kept nagging, and I couldn’t take it anymore, so I asked Lu Chen for help. Can you just let it go for the sake of her illness?”

Song Qiao looked at him, her voice laced with sarcasm. “Chen Yang, if your mom keeps nagging you to marry Lin Shiyu, would you eventually agree? And when that time comes, will you tell me you ‘had no choice’ and ask me not to be mad?”

Chen Yang grabbed Song Qiao’s hand and smiled apologetically. “Qiao Qiao, what are you saying? We’re about to get married. How could that happen? Even if she really did say something like that, I wouldn’t agree, because the person I love is you. Shiyu is just a fellow townsman, so we simply interact more. Qiao Qiao, please don’t misunderstand our relationship.”

Song Qiao was completely disillusioned with him — or perhaps she had simply seen through him. At this point, she had no energy left to argue.

She placed the admission documents in his hand, then weakly stood up, her voice ice cold. “Chen Yang, since you’re here now, I’m leaving.”

She hadn’t taken many steps before Chen Yang grabbed her hand and pleaded, “Qiao Qiao, my mom just fainted and is still on the IV. Could you wait until she finishes before leaving?”

Song Qiao forced down her simmering rage. “Chen Yang, I worked all morning and didn’t even have time to eat lunch before you called me to accompany your mom. Before I could eat, we rushed her to the hospital. Now I’m exhausted and starving. I’m going home.”

Chen Yang still wouldn’t let go, staring at her accusingly. “Qiao Qiao, I remember telling you my mom is allergic to seafood. Why didn’t you stop her when she wanted the seafood soup? I know she treats you badly and you don’t like her, but this is a matter of life and death. How could you be so indifferent?”

Song Qiao’s anger exploded completely in that moment. Despite that, her exhaustion and Chen Yang’s lack of understanding left her feeling like there was no point in explaining anymore.

She stared at him and enunciated clearly, “Chen Yang, if you think I’m that cold-hearted, why are you still with me? Let go of my hand. We’re breaking up.”

“Qiao Qiao, can you not say things out of anger?” Chen Yang frowned, looking helpless.

“Chen Yang, I said let go of me. Did you hear me? If you don’t, I’ll shout for help.”

The atmosphere instantly grew tense. Chen Yang knew Song Qiao’s personality well and, not wanting to provoke her further, reluctantly let go of her hand.

Song Qiao turned around and strode away, enduring her pain. Although she felt dizzy and weak, she didn’t want Chen Yang to see her in such a pathetic state.

As soon as she stepped outside the emergency room doors, her vision went black and she collapsed — but instead of hitting the ground as expected, she was caught steadily by someone.

A minute later, when she reopened her eyes, she saw Xie Yanli’s handsome face.

---