Chapter 17: What Happened Before the Accident?

Xie Yanli froze for a moment. He stopped insisting and gently let her down from his lap.

Song Qiao had only placed a spare sanitary napkin in her bag earlier, which she had already used. In the afternoon, she had been busy with Xu Qin’s matter and hadn’t had time to buy more.

She was about to have an infusion, so she thought she’d quickly go to the bathroom to use a tissue as a temporary solution.

Before heading to the bathroom, she realized Xie Yanli was still there. She turned to him and smiled politely. “Xie Yanli, thank you for bringing me to the hospital room. You must be busy, right? I’m fine now. You can leave if you need to.”

Before she could finish speaking, Xie Yanli interrupted, “I’ll tell the nurse to come help you with the infusion later. I’m going to buy it for you now.”

Song Qiao stared at him, wide-eyed in disbelief. She couldn’t believe that Xie Yanli was willing to go buy such a personal item for her. Her ears immediately flushed with embarrassment.

Her eyes avoided his gaze, and she stammered, “No… no need. I’ll call a friend later to help me, or ask the nurses…”

Before she could finish, Xie Yanli had already turned and left.

Song Qiao watched his retreating back, suddenly feeling more confused about Xie Yanli’s intentions than ever.

As a man, when she had menstrual cramps before, she had asked Chen Yang to buy sanitary napkins at a nearby convenience store, and he had been visibly uncomfortable.

But Xie Yanli, who was known for being ruthless and distant, had actually volunteered to help buy this kind of thing for his ex-girlfriend.

She thought, if anyone in their circle found out about this, they would be completely stunned.

At this moment, Shen Yao called, and Song Qiao told her everything that had happened today, including Xie Yanli’s surprising gesture.

After hearing this, Shen Yao was almost as shocked. “Qiao Qiao, did Xie Yanli really go and buy sanitary napkins for you? Oh my god! This is just unbelievable.”

Song Qiao frowned, still at a loss. With a serious expression, she asked, “Yao Yao, do you think Xie Yanli might be schizophrenic? Otherwise, why would he help me like this when he clearly dislikes me so much? He even called me a heartless woman and said some hurtful things earlier. Doesn’t that seem strange?”

After a few moments of silence, Shen Yao spoke up. “Qiao Qiao, when you were unconscious after the accident, the doctor said that the injury might cause temporary memory loss. Do you think you might have lost some memories, like the ones related to Xie Yanli?”

Song Qiao shook her head calmly. “Yao Yao, when I woke up, Chen Yang talked to me for a long time. He asked me many questions, and I really didn’t forget anything.”

Shen Yao sighed and reminded her gently, “Qiao Qiao, you had the accident late at night after going to a bar, and you drank a lot. You usually don’t go to such places. Do you remember why you went there? Were you and Chen Yang arguing?”

Song Qiao was stunned by her question. She had asked Chen Yang the same thing before, and he had said they had argued because of his mother, and that’s why she had gone to the bar out of frustration. However, she couldn’t remember any of it.

She tried to recall the argument, but her mind went blank. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t remember, and the more she tried, the worse her headache got.

Seeing that she wasn’t responding, Shen Yao spoke again. “Qiao Qiao, let’s not talk about Xie Yanli for now. I still feel that Chen Yang isn’t right for you, especially with his difficult mother. Have you thought about it more?”

Song Qiao’s lips twitched, but before she could respond, Xie Yanli returned. He was holding a large bag of items.

Song Qiao didn’t want to discuss her relationship with Chen Yang in front of Xie Yanli, so she quickly ended the call with Shen Yao.

Xie Yanli placed the bag on the coffee table near the entrance, his face cold as he said, “I don’t really understand women’s stuff, but I bought some things. I also passed by a women’s clothing store and picked out an outfit for you. Go change quickly, and the nurse will come by soon to help with the infusion.”

Song Qiao was about to thank him, but he had already closed the door and left.

Song Qiao limped over to the table and checked the bag. Inside were several different brands of sanitary napkins, probably dozens of packs. She couldn’t believe how extravagant Xie Yanli was.

She quickly found some brown sugar and a hand warmer in the bag. Did Xie Yanli really understand these things?

While touched, she couldn’t help but think that he must have learned this kind of attentiveness from another woman. The thought made her feel a strange emotion stir in her chest.

Turning to another bag, she saw a casual knit outfit that she liked. It looked like it would fit well.

The brand was Loropiana, and the price tag had clearly been torn off. Though she didn’t know the exact price, she could tell it was high quality.

She didn’t have time to think about anything else as she hurried to the bathroom. After changing into the clothes, she checked herself in the mirror. Xie Yanli really did have good taste—the outfit fit her perfectly.

She considered paying him back and scanned the brand’s tag with her phone. After reading some information online, she discovered that the brand was a high-end Italian label known as the “Patek Philippe of fabrics.”

She quickly opened the brand’s official website and found the price of the outfit—28,000 yuan.

She couldn’t help but sigh. As expected of a boss, everything he did was grand. Even when he casually gave someone a gift, it was worth so much.

Thinking of the way Fu Yue flaunted her big Chanel logo all the time, she realized this was the difference between a wealthy old-money CEO and a nouveau riche.

When she thought about having to pay for this outfit, she felt a pang of pain, but she didn’t want to owe Xie Yanli anything. She had to repay him.

Not long after, the nurse arrived. After Song Qiao lay down on the bed, she placed the hand warmer on her stomach, and the nurse quickly set up the IV.

After a while, Song Qiao felt a little better and called her assistant to inform her that she was sick and needed to stay in the hospital for a few days. She asked her to handle the work progress and not delay any client deliveries.

After hanging up, she called Bai Shuyu to avoid them worrying. She lied, saying she was out of town on a business trip to purchase materials. Bai Shuyu gave her some advice before hanging up.

Soon after, Song Qiao felt very tired, but she couldn’t sleep yet. She hadn’t paid Xie Yanli back.

She waited for a while but didn’t see him come back. She thought she might still have Shen Huaichuan’s phone number from a few years ago. Just as she was about to try calling him, Chen Yang’s call came in.

Without hesitation, Song Qiao hung up, but Chen Yang called back. She was about to blacklist him when his message arrived.

[Qiao Qiao, I was too hasty and didn’t consider your feelings. After you left, I thought it through, and I realize I was wrong. I shouldn’t have said that to you. Qiao Qiao, can you forgive me?]

Song Qiao closed her phone, ignoring him, but his calls kept coming.

After a few more calls, his message came again.

[Qiao Qiao, please pick up. I went to your studio to find you, and your assistant said you’re in the hospital. What floor are you on? Don’t make me worry, please. I’m asking you, pick up the phone. Should I call Aunt Bai?]

Song Qiao didn’t want her family to know she was in the hospital, so she texted Chen Yang back.

[I’m in the hospital, Building 3, Room 406. My parents don’t know, so please don’t tell my mom.]

[Got it, Qiao Qiao. I’m coming over now.]

Song Qiao felt it was time to talk to Chen Yang, especially about why she had gone to the bar the night of the accident.

Chen Yang acted fast. Twenty minutes later, he was at her hospital room.

He rushed in and quickly walked up to her, his face serious. “Qiao Qiao, what happened? You were fine earlier. How did you end up in the hospital?”

Song Qiao’s brow furrowed slightly. Perhaps Chen Yang had never truly cared about her, as he didn’t seem to notice how much pain she had been in.

She pursed her lips, staring at him seriously. “Chen Yang, you know I never go to places like bars. What were we arguing about before the accident that made me go there in the middle of the night to drink away my troubles?”