Chapter 36: Is the Baby in Her Belly Xie Yanli’s?

Just as he was about to reach for the medical bag, Song Qiao swiftly turned around and grabbed it, placing it on the front passenger seat.

Xie Yanli silently observed Song Qiao. When she had snatched the bag away, her face showed obvious nervousness—clearly afraid he’d see what was inside. A flicker of suspicion flashed in his eyes.

Even though she took the bag, it would be child’s play for him to find out what illness she had.

The two of them remained tacitly silent throughout the drive. Halfway home, Song Qiao received a call from the phone repair shop; her phone was ready to be picked up.

Conveniently, the shop was on the way home, so she pulled over and went inside to collect her phone. To avoid Xie Yanli seeing the ultrasound report in the medical bag, she deliberately placed it in the trunk before getting out.

Xie Yanli noticed this detail. He hadn’t expected Song Qiao to be so guarded against him, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.

Once Song Qiao was gone, he coldly called Ye Han and instructed him to send someone to Huaji Hospital to find out what was really wrong with her.

When Song Qiao returned to the car, she glanced at Xie Yanli in the backseat out of the corner of her eye. His face was frosty. She pouted slightly, then merged the car back into traffic.

Although they soon arrived home, the drive felt long and drawn out—perhaps due to Xie Yanli’s chilling aura.

She got out, and Xie Yanli followed close behind. Her eyes flickered; no matter what, he had come home with her to reassure Aunt Bai. Even if she disliked him, she figured she should express some thanks.

Forcing a polite smile, she said, “Xie Yanli, thank you for coming home with me.”

He glanced sideways at her and replied indifferently, “I did it for Aunt Bai, not for you. No need to thank me.”

Song Qiao knew he meant she didn’t have the standing to deserve his help. She rolled her eyes but held back from retorting.

But Xie Yanli pressed on relentlessly: “Aunt Bai didn’t believe you and specifically asked me to supervise you coming home. Looks like you really are someone who doesn’t keep promises.”

His last sentence was especially biting and dripping with sarcasm.

Song Qiao had originally intended to invite him in out of courtesy, but after his barbed words, she immediately dropped the idea.

“We don’t have anything to do with each other. What kind of person I am is none of your concern. I’m going in now—see yourself out.”

With that, Song Qiao stormed toward the house. But after just a few steps, she hesitated. Xie Yanli had followed her car here, and this area was difficult to catch a cab in. If he wanted to get one, he’d have to walk a long way out of the villa district.

Still, her concern for him quickly vanished. What did his way back home have to do with her? He was a cold, sharp-tongued man—why should she waste a thought on him? With that, she picked up her pace and didn’t look back.

Xie Yanli stood where he was, staring at her retreating figure. Only when she entered the house did a trace of loneliness appear in his eyes.

While he was lost in thought, a Rolls-Royce quietly pulled up beside him.

Ye Han quickly got out, bowed, and opened the rear door for him. Once Xie Yanli was seated, Ye Han jogged back to the driver’s seat and drove off.

All of this was seen by Song Qiao through the window. So he had a car trailing them the whole time. Smart of him.

But she quickly realized—if he had a car following, why did he insist on riding with her in the first place? They didn’t get along. Why put them both through that discomfort?

Propping her chin with her hand, she pouted again. Xie Yanli never followed the usual script anyway. Glancing at the medical bag, she remembered she had more pressing worries and couldn’t be bothered to figure him out.

Opening the hospital bag, she looked at the medication inside and sighed, then headed upstairs without taking the bag with her.

She lay on the bed, holding her phone, waiting for a call from Chen Yang, but it never came. Today’s events were too bizarre—no matter how she tried to make sense of them, she couldn’t. She finally decided to call Shen Yao for her opinion.

Shen Yao picked up immediately, obviously slacking off at work again. But this time, Song Qiao had no energy to tease her. She went straight to the point and explained everything that had happened.

Shen Yao was stunned, unable to digest what she had just heard. After a long pause, she widened her eyes and asked, “Qiao Qiao, did you just say you’re pregnant? And you don’t know who the father is?”

Song Qiao wasn’t surprised by her reaction. By now she’d recovered from the shock. Calmly, she said, “If it’s not Chen Yang’s, who else could it be? But honestly, I really don’t remember us ever sleeping together. Yao Yao, I’m thinking maybe I forgot because of the car accident.”

Shen Yao frowned, biting her lip nervously. “Qiao Qiao, the doctor did say you might forget bad memories as a defense mechanism, but how could you forget something like that? It was your first time. And didn’t you say Chen Yang insisted on no sex before marriage? Have you considered the possibility that… maybe the baby isn’t his?”

Shen Yao’s suggestion was so bold that Song Qiao immediately snapped, “Not his? Are you saying I cheated? That’s impossible!”

“But you told me before that Chen Yang—”

Before Shen Yao could finish, Song Qiao’s phone started vibrating. It was a call from Chen Yang. She quickly said, “Yao Yao, Chen Yang’s calling. I’ll ask him now. I’ll get back to you later.”

Before she could hang up, Shen Yao practically screeched like a prairie dog:
“Qiao Qiao, listen to me! You must not answer that call!”

Startled by her urgency, Song Qiao asked, “Why not?”

Shen Yao explained patiently:
“Qiao Qiao, better safe than sorry. What if the baby isn’t his? If you answer now, it’s like you’re admitting to cheating. I never approved of you marrying him in the first place, but the wedding is coming up and everyone knows. If something goes wrong now, it’ll be a disaster. Trust me—don’t say anything until you’ve figured out the truth.”

Song Qiao pouted in disagreement:
“Yao Yao, you’re overthinking. Of course the baby is his.”

“Qiao Qiao, remember I told you your memory might’ve been affected by the accident and you didn’t believe me? But haven’t I always been right about these things? Please, listen to me this time too.”

Song Qiao had known Shen Yao for years and knew how smart and sharp she was. But the idea that the baby wasn’t Chen Yang’s? She couldn’t believe that even for a second.

Just as she was about to refute Shen Yao, her friend dropped another bombshell:

“Qiao Qiao, do you think there’s any chance… that the baby is Xie Yanli’s?”