Song Qinian had gone mad, jumping into the lotus pond in the middle of the night to prove her love for Shen Chi Yan.
Shen Chi Yan had also gone mad, from the bathroom to the hanging chair on the balcony, and then to the bed, not giving Song Qinian a moment to catch her breath.
For a moment, Song Qinian felt as if she saw an angel.
When Song Qinian woke up again, Shen Chi Yan was gone. She was alone in the large room, which was in disarray.
When she dragged her tired, sore, and weak body back to Xiangshan Yue, she saw Zhang Qiaoqiao looking as if she had something to say but didn't.
"Young Madam... are you... alright?"
"I'm fine, what's wrong?"
"That... it's just..."
Zhang Qiaoqiao stammered, unsure of what to do!
"If you have something to say, just say it."
Seeing Song Qinian's sign language, Zhang Qiaoqiao knew she couldn't avoid it and quickly said, "Young Master said since you like cooking so much, you should cook meals every day and send them to Miss Lin, as atonement for your father's sins."
Looking at Song Qinian's pale and sickly face, Zhang Qiaoqiao felt a pang of sympathy. "Young Madam, don't be too sad. This is not a big deal. When the time comes, I'll cook the meal, and you can pretend you made it yourself and send it to Miss Lin."
Of course, she was sad.
Last night, she had even jumped into the lotus pond to prove how much she loved him.
She thought he would at least consider their intimacy, but he was just like before, forgetting her as soon as he was done.
However, she was just looking for an opportunity to get close to Lin Qiutong and find out something about the past from her. Shen Chi Yan had now given her this chance.
"No need, I'll cook it myself. If Shen Chi Yan finds out you cooked it for me, we'll both be in trouble."
"But your cooking..."
Thinking of that taste, Zhang Qiaoqiao felt like running to the restroom to vomit.
Song Qinian smiled and gestured, "Don't worry, Miss Lin might be afraid I'll poison her and won't dare to eat my cooking."
If Shen Chi Yan asked Song Qinian to deliver food and she refused, Shen Chi Yan would definitely not let her off the hook.
She would deliver the food. Whether Lin Qiutong ate it was another matter.
So, Song Qinian personally cooked and delivered the meal to the hospital.
Before she could even see Lin Qiutong, she ran into Shen Yushu, whom she hadn't seen in a long time.
Shen Yushu looked haggard, but he was wearing designer clothes.
Shen Yushu clearly saw Song Qinian as well. He walked towards her, and it was impossible for Song Qinian to pretend she hadn't seen him.
"Nian Nian, why are you at the hospital?"
Seeing the insulated lunchbox in Song Qinian's hand, he asked, "Is a family member hospitalized?"
Song Qinian didn't know how to face Shen Yushu. When she first joined Ding Sheng Group, Shen Yushu had helped her a lot. She had once considered him a good friend, never expecting him to stab her in the back.
Song Qinian shook her head. She was holding the insulated lunchbox, so she didn't sign language.
Shen Yushu thought Song Qinian was still angry with him. He gave a wry smile, "Nian Nian, can you spare me a few minutes? I want to talk to you."
Song Qinian originally wanted to say there was nothing left to talk about between them, but she didn't understand why Shen Yushu wanted to talk about those things, so she nodded.
They found a quiet and cool bench in the hospital. Shen Yushu politely wiped the dust off the chair before letting Song Qinian sit down.
People came and went in the hospital, with births and deaths every day.
Shen Yushu looked at the inpatient building, then after a moment of silence, he said, "Nian Nian, my grandmother is gone."
Song Qinian was stunned and suddenly looked at Shen Yushu.
Didn't her grandmother only have a slight fracture and soft tissue injuries? How could she...
"After my grandmother was hospitalized, I had the doctors give her a full body check-up. She had a malignant tumor in her lungs. Despite all the money I spent, I couldn't save her life."
Song Qinian thought of the kind old lady who had held her hand, and her heart ached.
Thinking about it carefully, it was no wonder Shen Yushu had been so preoccupied and haggard during that time. It must have been because of his grandmother's illness.
"Money is a damn thing. To cure my grandmother's illness, I collaborated with Lin Lanxing. In the end, I didn't get to keep my grandmother, and I lost you as a friend."
Shen Yushu's tone was full of self-deprecation and sadness. His voice choked up, as if he were confessing or accusing fate of injustice.
Through his words, Song Qinian finally understood everything.
She had always wondered why Shen Yushu, with whom she had no enmity, would harm her. So, that was the reason.
But what was wrong with money?
People used money for transactions and then cursed it as a scoundrel. Ha... how ironic.
If Song Qinian had held onto any lingering feelings before, she completely let them go after hearing Shen Yushu's words.
She put down the insulated lunchbox and gestured twice to Shen Yushu, "My condolences."
Then, she picked up the insulated lunchbox and was about to leave when Shen Yushu, in a moment of urgency, grabbed her.
"Nian Nian, it was only later that I found out you and President Shen were husband and wife. I've heard a lot about your affairs, and I'm worried about you..."
He paused and gave a wry smile, "I know you won't believe me when I say this, especially since I've hurt you before. But I sincerely hope you can be well and not get hurt again."
Song Qinian believed Shen Yushu was genuinely concerned about her, but what was done was done. If Guan Mingxu hadn't saved her that day, and if Shen Chi Yan hadn't found her, she didn't know what would have happened. Therefore, she would not forgive Shen Yushu.
Song Qinian nodded gently, "Thank you for your concern. I know what I'm doing."
Shen Yushu slowly let go of Song Qinian and asked stubbornly, "Nian Nian, can we... still be friends?"
Song Qinian shook her head, "Our fate is over. Take care of yourself."
Shen Yushu looked somewhat dejected, but Song Qinian's reaction was within his expectations.
She usually appeared gentle and easygoing, seeming easy to talk to, but in reality, she was more ruthless than anyone.
Or rather... if it was someone she didn't care about, she could just let go.
He was the one who had wronged her first, so he couldn't blame her.
...
Because of the delay caused by Shen Yushu, it was already half an hour later when Song Qinian arrived at Lin Qiutong's ward.
Besides her, there was also a maid in Lin Qiutong's ward.
The maid had seen Song Qinian at Lin Xing'an's birthday banquet. Upon seeing Song Qinian, she immediately stood up, wary, and angrily asked, "What are you doing here?"
Song Qinian glanced at Lin Qiutong and raised the insulated lunchbox in her hand.
Song Qinian thought that since Shen Chi Yan had asked her to deliver food, he must have already informed Lin Qiutong.
Lin Qiutong was quite surprised when she saw Song Qinian. Shen Chi Yan had told her that someone would bring her food today, but she hadn't expected it to be Song Qinian...