Su Yao has always kept a respectful distance from hospitals. Every time Dain asks him to have a physical examination, he tries to avoid it as much as possible. Once, he even threw away all the items that could connect him with the outside world and went to a remote small town alone. Unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived, Dain followed him, just like he had a tracker installed on him.
But now Dain is relaxed, with Ye Shu Ya around, he is not afraid that Su Yao will not comply.
Therefore, during the examination for Su Yao, he always maintained a smile, while Su Yao was in a bad mood with a gloomy face. It was not until Ye Shu Ya came in that he slightly restrained himself.
She asked Dain, "How is the result of the examination?"
"I am very pleased, you have taken good care of Su."
Ye Shu Ya felt delighted in her heart. Su Yao took her hand and walked silently towards the door. Dain did not mind, and Ye Shu Ya hurriedly thanked him before leaving with Su Yao.
"Hey, Su Yao, slow down."
Su Yao did not turn his head, but he did slow down until Ye Shu Ya caught up with him, and then he squeezed her hand hard.
Ye Shu Ya was both amused and annoyed, "Su Yao, how old are you? You're not acting like a child, are you? Coming to the hospital for a check-up is for your own good. Only children are afraid of coming to the hospital."
Su Yao's face turned even darker.
When they walked to the hospital entrance, Ye Shu Ya suddenly let go of Su Yao's hand and walked to the grass by the door with small steps. She bent down and picked up the little girl who was crying bitterly, "Little sister, don't cry. What's wrong? Where is your family?"
The little girl was crying so hard that Su Yao's eyebrows were furrowed. Hospitals, he keeps a respectful distance, and so do children. But seeing Ye Shu Ya's distressed look, he patiently said, "She is wearing the hospital's patient clothes, she is a patient here. Let's find a nurse and ask."
As soon as he finished speaking, a middle-aged woman came in a hurry, her face full of anxiety, "Xiao Che!"
The little girl who was just crying like a drenched pear suddenly stopped crying and struggled to get down, "Mommy, mommy, mommy..."
Ye Shu Ya put her down, and the little girl ran to the middle-aged woman's arms, "Xiao Che, you scared mommy to death, why did you run outside?"
The little girl sobbed a few times and did not speak. The middle-aged woman did not blame her much and came over to thank Ye Shu Ya.
After they left, Ye Shu Ya turned her head and looked at Su Yao.
"Do you not like children?"
Su Yao neither nodded nor shook his head, "It's okay."
Ye Shu Ya took his arm, "Let's have a little girl in the future, okay?"
"Let's talk about it later." Su Yao called the driver, "I remember you still have a class, I'll take you there."
Seeing that he was evading the question again, Ye Shu Ya felt a bit unhappy in her heart. She lowered her head and got into the back seat of the car. Su Yao said softly, "Ya Ya, let's talk about this issue later, okay?"
She responded casually, and her heart became more gloomy.
The atmosphere in the office was not quite right. Tang Dan felt something was strange when she came back to the office to pack up after her last class of the day. The always cold Ye Shu Ya had an even worse face today, and her desk seemed to be frozen. And the usually talkative and lively Song Xiao was also very abnormal today, looking very haggard, with a sallow complexion and particularly serious dark circles under her eyes. As the older woman in this office, she felt it was necessary to express her condolences.
"Xiao Song, you don't look good today. If you're not feeling well physically, you should take a leave and go back. Work is important, but health is more important."
Song Xiao responded weakly with an "um" and continued to bury her head listlessly, seemingly writing something.
Tang Dan felt rebuffed and awkwardly packed up and went home.
When Ye Shu Ya came back after her class, Song Xiao was still in a low mood. She took a look and vaguely guessed what was going on. However, she didn't want to get involved. She couldn't even handle her own affairs, let alone those of others.
As she was about to leave the office, Song Xiao suddenly stopped her.
"... Shu Ya."
She turned her head.
"Has Dain contacted you recently?"
Ye Shu Ya thought of the young girl she saw last night, "Yes."
"Is he... doing well?" Song Xiao looked uneasy, as if expecting something.
Ye Shu Ya answered truthfully, "Song Xiao, he is doing very well."
Song Xiao looked as if she had been electrocuted, her eyes red and her voice bitter, "I knew the luck in romance novels wouldn't happen to me. He is so good, so handsome, so considerate, how could he possibly only have me..." She wiped away her tears with her hand, her voice low as if muttering, "A few days ago, I saw him with a beautiful girl. He kissed her face, took her to an upscale restaurant, and gave her expensive jewelry, just like... before with me. I thought I would be his last one, but in the end, it was just my wishful thinking..."
Ye Shu Ya did not leave; she stood at the door listening the whole time. Although Song Xiao's voice was low, she heard it clearly. Regarding the romance between Dain and Song Xiao, she had never been optimistic about it. From the beginning, she had anticipated such an ending. The two individuals had too great a disparity in status, a mismatched alliance... Suddenly, she thought of herself.
Su Yao's background is likely even more prominent than Dain's, and compared to Song Xiao, she is on the same level. The disparity in status between her and Su Yao is equally vast...
With this thought, she immediately categorized Song Xiao as a fellow wanderer in this world, and her heart filled with more compassion. She spoke words of comfort: "There is no shortage of opportunities for love. Dain is not the right person for you."
Upon hearing this, Song Xiao's tears flowed even more fiercely.
She handed her a tissue.
Song Xiao took it and silently wiped away her tears.
The next day, Song Xiao did not come to work. Nor did she show up on the third day, or the fourth. After inquiring with the head of the academic affairs office, Tang Dan found out that Song Xiao had taken leave due to family matters. Upon hearing this, Lin Yu wanted to call Song Xiao to show concern, but her phone was turned off.
Ye Shu Ya was aware of the real reason behind Song Xiao's leave. As fellow women, the pain of a broken heart is never easy to bear. She too had once taken a week off, and the reason was...
She furrowed her brows, suddenly realizing that her memory wasn't as good as it used to be. Many past events were becoming blurry, while the image of Su Yao became increasingly clear. Thinking of Song Xiao's current situation, she couldn't help but empathize more with her. After hesitating for a moment, she sent a comforting message.
On Saturday, Ye Shu Ya finally received a reply.
In her message, Song Xiao said: "Shu Ya, can you accompany me to a place? I am currently at the Felicità restaurant on Puxi Road."
Coincidentally, Su Yao was not around that night, and Ye Shu Ya was feeling restless. She glanced outside, grabbed her car keys, and left the house. Half an hour later, she arrived at the Felicità restaurant and found Song Xiao in a corner. She looked very dispirited; her once plump face had become gaunt within just a week, and despite the heavy makeup, her complexion looked very poor.
"You're here," Song Xiao said as she stood up. It was then that Ye Shu Ya noticed she was wearing an apricot-yellow dress. Surprised, she asked, "Where are you going?"
With a forced smile, Song Xiao replied, "To a place where I can forget my worries."
Ye Shu Ya did not inquire further and followed Song Xiao. In times of heartbreak, the person in pain has the final say. Since she had agreed to come out, she decided to go along with whatever Song Xiao wished.
As the night deepened, despite it being May, the evening was still somewhat chilly. Song Xiao, with her shoulders bare, appeared very fragile in the night breeze. Ye Shu Ya followed behind her, feeling quite moved. It wasn't until Song Xiao turned into the red-light district that she stopped in her tracks, "Song Xiao, you..."
Song Xiao didn't hear her and continued walking straight ahead. After hesitating for a moment, Ye Shu Ya still followed. Eventually, Song Xiao stopped in front of a building with very luxurious decoration.
"He gave me a generous breakup fee. I'm going to spend it all here. I've heard that Night Temptation has many men—handsome, considerate, gentle, and romantic. As long as you can pay, you can have any type of man. I don't believe I can't find someone better than Dain here."
Ye Shu Ya was surprised that after a week of healing from her emotional wounds, Song Xiao came up with this idea. She looked at Song Xiao's expression; her lips were pursed tightly, and her expression was unusually resolute.
She said, "Alright, I'll go in with you." She could only hope that Su Yao wouldn't find out.