Seeing that she looked a little dazed, Li Yao asked in confusion, “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing.” Qiao Yimian shook her head.
She had brought her ID card. Everything was connected through the nationwide system nowadays, so even if they ran into traffic police checking vehicles, there probably wouldn’t be any major problem.
“I’ll get out first, then. Thank you for bringing me here.”
Li Yao could tell that something was bothering her, but she clearly didn’t want to tell him about it, so he didn’t press her. He simply nodded.
Qiao Yimian opened the door, got out, and walked into the 4S dealership. She presented her ID card.
After verifying her information, a staff member asked, “You’re here to pick up the car on the owner’s behalf, correct? Where’s the written authorization signed and stamped by the owner?”
Qiao Yimian belatedly let out an awkward “Uh.”
“Can’t I pick it up without an authorization letter?”
The staff member smiled. “This is a legitimate 4S dealership. If the owner can’t come in person, they have to provide an authorization letter for the person picking up the vehicle.”
Qiao Yimian looked troubled.
“The car is registered under my father’s name. Something happened to him, so he really can’t come in person. And asking him to provide an authorization letter would be even more impossible…”
After hearing her explanation, the staff member couldn’t help feeling sorry for the young woman and nodded.
“In that case, you can provide both of your household registration booklets instead. As long as they can prove your relationship.”
“Okay. Then I won’t pick up the car today. I’ll bring the household registration booklet next time.”
Qiao Yimian left the service office and stood outside, slowly letting out a breath. Her mood was considerably heavier than when she had arrived.
She took out her phone and was about to call a ride when she looked up and saw that the black Hongqi was still parked outside.
Li Yao had already gotten out of the car and was standing beside the door, looking toward her.
Their eyes met, and he gestured for her to come over.
“What happened? You couldn’t get it done?”
“Yeah. I’m missing some documents.”
Qiao Yimian didn’t go into detail. She glanced at the black sedan and vaguely realized that the governor had been waiting for her.
Zhou Heng had gotten out halfway here, so there were only Li Yao and the driver in the car now.
Could it be that he really had something he wanted to say to her?
Something he didn’t want anyone else to hear?
These thoughts flashed through her mind, and then she found the idea ridiculous.
The governor was a busy man. Even if he had time to chat with someone, it certainly wouldn’t be with a nobody like her.
Yet, contrary to her expectations, he did exactly the opposite.
He personally opened the car door for her.
“Come on. I’ll take you back.”
Qiao Yimian stared at Li Yao in astonishment. After two seconds of silence, she didn’t even think about refusing this time and obediently got into the car.
Her mind was a little muddled. All she could come up with was:
*The governor cares about the people and is dedicated to serving the public…*
On the way back, Li Yao could tell that Qiao Yimian was in low spirits, completely different from how cheerful she had been on the way there.
But he wasn’t good with words, and he had no experience dealing with a young woman he liked. If he asked her directly, she clearly wasn’t willing to answer.
After a long silence, the governor carefully considered his words before extending an invitation.
“Is there anything good to eat near where you live? Shall we have dinner together?”
Qiao Yimian was surprised, but only for a moment before she politely declined.
“I’m sorry, Governor, but I already have plans.”
She really had arranged to have dinner with Song Nanxing that evening. She wasn’t lying.
Besides, if she hadn’t known Li Yao’s identity, after all the times he’d helped her, she would have insisted on treating him to a meal as thanks.
But he was a man of such high standing, and the difference between them was simply too great. Even when he was the one inviting her, she didn’t want to sit at the same table and eat with him…
The pressure was too much. She was afraid she’d get indigestion.
Li Yao pressed his lips together slightly, the light in his eyes dimming a little. Still, he didn’t make things difficult for her.
“All right. Maybe next time.”
The atmosphere inside the car grew slightly awkward. Qiao Yimian felt uncomfortable, so she pretended to take out her phone and check her WeChat messages.
Just then, Song Nanxing happened to ask whether she’d picked up the car, so she replied to him briefly.
When they arrived at the hotel, Qiao Yimian thanked Li Yao once again before saying goodbye.
“Take care, Governor. Goodbye.”
Li Yao nodded, but he couldn’t help feeling that hearing her call him “Governor” over and over sounded both distant and awkward.
Through the car window, he watched Qiao Yimian walk into the hotel.
He was just about to look away when he caught sight of a flashy sports car parked outside the hotel.
A yellow Maserati—so conspicuous and eye-catching that it was impossible to miss.
His gaze slid to the license plate.
Sure enough, it was her boyfriend’s car.
Li Yao’s brows drew together slightly. His breathing became somewhat labored, as though something were pulling thin strands from his chest, weaving them tightly together into a suffocating knot.
So the person she had plans with was her boyfriend.
It looked like the two of them had made up.
His gaze moved away from the car, the warmth that had been there moments earlier completely gone. His voice was cold and hard.
“Drive.”
Ever since Qiao Yimian had arranged for someone to drive Shi Yan’s car to the hotel entrance, she hadn’t paid it any further attention.
The keys were with the front desk, after all, and the parking area was under twenty-four-hour surveillance. It was perfectly safe there. Whether he wanted to come get it was up to him.
Back in her room, she first called her aunt and asked her to mail over the household registration booklet.
“I sent my car to the 4S dealership. I need to provide the household registration booklet when I pick it up to prove my relationship with the owner.”
Her aunt immediately agreed.
“Sure. I’ll mail it to you tomorrow.”
After a pause, her aunt cautiously asked, “Mianmian, did you have a fight with Shi Yan? He came to our house looking for you a few days ago. He seemed pretty anxious. Did you not tell him you were going on this business trip?”
“We broke up.”
Qiao Yimian didn’t want to hide it. The reason she hadn’t mentioned it before was because she didn’t want them to worry.
There was a brief silence on the other end of the phone before her aunt sighed.
“Shi Yan is actually a pretty good kid. Good-looking, good-natured, and he’s always treated you well. It’s just that there’s such a big difference between our two families…”
Qiao Yimian didn’t want to talk about it anymore, so she simply changed the subject.
“Auntie, how’s Dad?”
Knowing that she didn’t want to say more, her aunt didn’t continue.
“Same as always. His vital signs are stable. Your uncle wiped his face for him the other day, and his eyes moved again. But that was only once… Mianmian, don’t worry about things at home. Your dad has me and your uncle taking care of him. Just focus on your work and don’t worry, okay?”
After hanging up, Qiao Yimian opened her phone’s photo album and looked at a picture of herself with her father from several years ago. Her eyes slowly grew sore.
After finishing the college entrance examination, she secretly changed her university preferences despite her father’s objections and applied to a journalism school.
The day she received her admission letter, her father flew into a rage. It was the first time in his life that he’d ever lost his temper with her.
The two of them had a huge argument. Her father left home in a fit of anger and was unfortunately involved in a car accident.
He never woke up again.
During the time her father lay in the intensive care unit, she sat in the hallway from morning until night, so consumed by guilt that she could barely eat.
Grief and regret gnawed constantly at her nerves, and within just a few days, she had lost a tremendous amount of weight.
During those days, she kept thinking that if she hadn’t stubbornly changed her university choices, her father wouldn’t have left home in anger, and the accident would never have happened.
It was all because of her.
She was the culprit.
The person lying in the hospital bed should have been her.
Clinging to that thought, she dragged herself through each day in a daze.
By the time her aunt heard the news and rushed over, Qiao Yimian had already developed such a high fever that she was barely conscious. Yet she still sat curled up on a bench in the hallway, repeatedly whispering, “I’m sorry.”
Later, it was her aunt and her family who pulled her out of the abyss of self-blame.
After Qiao Yimian finally regained consciousness, her aunt held her and cried.
“Mianmian, there was nothing wrong with your choice, and there was nothing wrong with your dad. No one was wrong. He was just afraid. He didn’t want to see you end up like your mother. He had already… he just couldn’t bear to suffer another blow.”
Her aunt’s sobs seemed to echo in Qiao Yimian’s ears even now.
Qiao Yimian sniffed, widened her eyes, and fought back the tears welling up in them.