"Knock, knock, knock."
Yuan Jianan first gently knocked on the door, then asked politely, "Excuse me, is this Miss Xia Yuqing's hospital room?"
Song Qiao was currently with his back to the door. Upon hearing Yuan Jianan's voice, he turned around in surprise and asked, "Jianan? Why are you here?"
Yuan Jianan smiled gently, first waved to Xia Yuqing, and then said,
"I heard from someone at the company that Miss Xia was injured yesterday, so I came to visit specifically."
As she spoke, she placed the fruit basket and flowers on a cabinet nearby.
"Thank you, Miss Yuan. You've gone to such expense."
Xia Yuqing smiled at Yuan Jianan and struggled to sit up to speak with her.
"Don't move, lie down quickly. Yuqing, please don't be so formal."
Seeing this, Yuan Jianan quickly waved her hands and rushed to Xia Yuqing's side in a few steps, signaling her not to get up.
"Miss Yuan, please sit down. Thank you for coming all this way to see me."
Xia Yuqing couldn't refuse and had no choice but to lie down in bed obediently, saying gratefully to Yuan Jianan.
"Oh, Song Qiao's company isn't far from here, just a few minutes' walk."
Yuan Jianan shook her head, casually picked an apple from the fruit basket, and chatted with Xia Yuqing while peeling it.
Her mother-in-law watched completely bewildered, not knowing what relationship this woman who was chatting happily with her daughter had.
"Xiao Song? Who is this?"
"Mom, Jianan is my junior high school classmate, and now she's a collaborating designer at my company."
Song Qiao smiled and began to explain to his mother-in-law.
"Hello, Auntie, I'm Yuan Jianan."
As soon as Song Qiao finished introducing her, Yuan Jianan politely stood up and greeted her.
Her mother-in-law suddenly understood, and a trace of unnaturalness flashed across her face.
"Hello, please sit down. It's a bit stuffy in here. I'll go take a walk outside."
Her mother-in-law was not unreasonable. Although she was a little displeased with Yuan Jianan, she still didn't show it. After a polite greeting, she turned and left the room.
"Yuqing, I really envy your good fortune. Just looking at Song Qiao's face, he must not have slept all night for you."
Yuan Jianan handed the apple to Xia Yuqing, turned to look at Song Qiao, and said with a half-smile.
"Hey, this is my wife, of course, I should take care of her when she's injured."
Song Qiao scratched his head beside them, looking a little embarrassed.
Yuan Jianan probably didn't know yet that her wife was secretly blaming herself in her heart for not saving her in time last night.
Xia Yuqing seemed to be very mindful of Song Qiao's reputation in front of outsiders. She didn't expose him in public, merely nodded slightly in agreement with Yuan Jianan's words.
Yuan Jianan, who often negotiated business with clients, was clearly more talkative than Xia Yuqing. The two chatted happily, like two old friends who hadn't seen each other for a long time.
Only Song Qiao sat awkwardly to the side, looking for an excuse to leave quickly.
Fortunately, not long after, Yuan Jianan had to leave due to work. She reluctantly bid farewell to Xia Yuqing, and they exchanged contact information before leaving.
This made Song Qiao, who was watching from the side, break out in a cold sweat. How could these two women become friends so quickly? His wife should be angry at Yuan Jianan right now, but how did they become best friends in such a short time?
"Xiao Song, were you with her last night?"
As soon as Yuan Jianan left, her mother-in-law rushed in from outside the door and questioned Song Qiao head-on.
"Yes, Mom. We went to a dinner party together."
Song Qiao cautiously glanced at his mother-in-law and answered truthfully.
"Hmph, just as I expected."
Upon hearing Song Qiao admit it, her mother-in-law's face darkened. She then continued to lecture her son-in-law:
"You are a married man now. How can you forget about Yuqing, your wife, as soon as you have money? Do you want to find another one outside?"
By the end of her speech, her voice trembled with anger.
"Mom, you're misunderstanding. It wasn't just the two of us last night. Many local bosses were present."
Hearing his mother-in-law's scolding, Song Qiao's face turned red with embarrassment. He realized that his mother-in-law had misunderstood him and quickly explained.
As he spoke, he kept glancing at his wife lying on the bed, afraid that his wife would also have the same misunderstanding as her mother.
"Alright, Song Qiao, I don't want to hear about this now. Don't say any more."
Unexpectedly, Xia Yuqing's expression also turned cold, and her attitude towards Song Qiao became somewhat distant.
"No, wife, listen to me explain..."
Song Qiao was anxious and about to explain when he saw his wife's somewhat weary eyes and didn't know how to continue.
Xia Yuqing clearly wasn't listening to his explanation now. The more he spoke, the more unhappy she would become.
"Xiao Song, you go ahead and do your work. I'll take care of things here."
"Remember, if you dare to do anything that betrays Yuqing, I will never forgive you."
Her mother-in-law glanced at the stunned Song Qiao and said indifferently.
Song Qiao had no choice but to nod and temporarily leave, planning to find an opportunity to explain when his wife's anger subsided.
Upon returning to the company, Song Qiao's first action was to convene a meeting of the employees in Xia Yuqing's department.
His wife had been plotted against, and he had to find the culprit for her no matter what.
"Boss, what do you need us for? Why isn't Minister Xia here today? I'm busy with my work."
Xue Mei yawned and asked somewhat carelessly.
Song Qiao remained silent and scrutinized her carefully. He immediately noticed that her eyes were constantly darting away, avoiding his gaze.
Song Qiao smiled slightly, already understanding what was going on in his mind.
This Xue Mei had been the most vocal when Xia Yuqing joined the company, even insisting on resigning.
"I've called everyone here today to promote unity and mutual understanding within the company this week. I've decided to have everyone rotate jobs with other departments, so you can experience the work in different departments."
After Song Qiao finished speaking, he began to assign tasks to all the employees without waiting for their opinions.
He knew very well that most employees would remain in their positions, and even if they transferred to another department, their treatment would essentially be the same.
"Xue Mei, you'll swap with our company's cleaning aunt."
When it was Xue Mei's turn, Song Qiao deliberately paused, a hint of malice in his eyes.
If this person dared to plot against his wife, she had to be prepared to face difficulties from him.
"What?"
Xue Mei had been smugly relishing her masterpiece from last night. Upon hearing the boss's arrangement, her expression changed drastically.
"Boss, I disagree. As a university graduate, I absolutely will not be a cleaner."
"I am the boss now. If you don't want to do it, you can leave!"
Song Qiao was not going to indulge her and immediately showed a stern face.