"That's true, my husband thinks of me in everything and treats me well," Zhu Qin said sweetly, sitting beside her.
Meng Yao was also happy for her, knowing that although she was widowed later, she had lived an affectionate life with her husband after marriage.
In a flash, Zhu Qin's expression turned very sad. She held Meng Yao's hand and said, "Ah Xing, my husband, he's gone... Leaving us orphans and widows, what should we do?"
Meng Yao understood that she was referring to Song Jiaping's father having passed away. She tried to comfort her, saying, "Ah Qin, you don't need to worry. You still have me. We are best sisters, and I will take care of you and your son."
Zhu Qin flung her hand away, her eyes suddenly filled with hatred. She said loudly and mournfully, "The thing I regret most in this life is not trusting you and going to Lancheng with you for those days! Why did you harm me, harm my man, and bring ruin to our family!"
Meng Yao didn't know what she had said wrong, but Zhu Qin mistook her for a good sister.
Zhu Qin's husband had passed away. Shouldn't sisters comfort each other like this?
Meng Yao was so scared that she quickly stood up and explained, "Auntie, I..."
Zhu Qin then went mad, her eyes bloodshot as she stared at Meng Yao and lunged at her, grabbing for her hair. "You wicked, black-hearted woman! Why did you conspire with that beast to ruin everything I had? I'm going to kill you... kill you both!"
Meng Yao felt a terrible pain in her scalp and struggled hard to break free.
At this moment, caregivers and staff outside the room heard the commotion and rushed in, seizing the frenzied Zhu Qin.
A caregiver tried to wake her, saying, "Auntie Zhu, what are you doing? If you continue like this, you won't be able to stay here. We'll have to notify your son and send you to a place that specializes in your condition."
"My son?" Zhu Qin stopped her outburst and said blankly, "Yes, I still have a son. He's successful now and can help me get revenge."
Meng Yao stood there foolishly, unable to believe that besides her physical ailments, Zhu Qin's mind was also seriously ill, speaking incoherently, and losing control of her emotions to the point of hurting others.
It was imaginable how much pressure Song Jiaping must have endured with such a mother. This was the root of his inferiority complex in front of her, and the reason he had previously said he didn't want to be a doctor and wanted to join Huangfu Group to earn a lot of money.
In a flash, she seemed to understand everything. She wondered how she could help him.
The caregiver helped Zhu Qin sit down and said it was time for her to take her medicine.
She muttered to herself, "When is my son coming? I'll call him first."
Saying this, she looked for her phone but couldn't find it.
Meng Yao helped pour a glass of water and handed it over. The caregiver coaxed Zhu Qin, "Auntie, take your medicine first, then call your son." She brought the medicine to her lips.
After taking the medicine, she became much clearer and should be able to distinguish reality from memories. She asked the caregiver to find her phone.
But when she saw Meng Yao again, she stared at her with hatred and said, "Ah Xing, why are you here? Get out, I never want to see you again!"
Meng Yao explained again, "Auntie, I'm not the Ah Xing you're talking about. I'm Song Jiaping's friend, and I came specifically to visit you."
Zhu Qin's emotions became agitated again, and she pointed at Meng Yao, saying, "If you still want to harm my son! I'm not done with you..."
Before she could finish, she grabbed the phone the caregiver had just handed her and was about to throw it at Meng Yao, but was thankfully stopped by the caregiver next to her.
The caregiver quickly signaled Meng Yao to leave quickly and not stay in the room any longer.
Meng Yao had no choice but to leave the room, not understanding why Zhu Qin reacted abnormally as soon as she saw her.
She had originally intended to visit and care for Zhu Qin on Song Jiaping's behalf, but now it seemed she couldn't. Was it her appearance that caused Zhu Qin to lose control?
She couldn't figure it out and waited outside the door until the caregiver came out.
"Is Auntie Zhu alright?"
"She's asleep." The caregiver looked at Meng Yao and asked, "Are you a friend of Auntie Zhu's son?"
Meng Yao nodded quickly and said, "What's going on with her? Why did she mistake me for someone else? And she even tried to attack me just now."
"She often mistakes people and thinks she's a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl. It's related to her illness, but she's never attacked anyone before. This is the first time. We had a doctor see her earlier, and they said she's in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease, and this disease doesn't cause such rage. It was really strange just now." The caregiver explained.
This made Meng Yao even more uneasy, wondering if it was because of her.
The caregiver then said to her, "Since you are Auntie Zhu's son's friend, please tell her son to come and take Auntie Zhu for another check-up at a proper large hospital to see if her condition has worsened."
"Okay." Meng Yao saw that Zhu Qin was fine now and left the nursing home.
But how should she deliver the message the caregiver wanted her to pass to Song Jiaping?
She had come here today without Song Jiaping's knowledge. If he found out about all this, would he feel even more inferior and even less willing to see her?
On the way, she received a call from a medical research institution, and they scheduled an interview time for her.
After finishing the call, she had unconsciously driven to the entrance of Huangfu Group. It wouldn't do to just go up and find Song Jiaping like this.
Not knowing what to do for a moment, she drove the car to the underground parking lot and waited for him to get off work.
She sat in the car preparing her materials for the interview in two days. Looking up, she inadvertently saw two people emerge from the parking lot elevator.
As she clearly saw their figures, she realized it was her eldest sister, Meng Qi, and Song Jiaping.
They were walking towards Meng Qi's car. Midway, Meng Qi suddenly stopped and said something to Song Jiaping.
Meng Qi then reached out and adjusted Song Jiaping's tie. Song Jiaping did not refuse. After Meng Qi finished adjusting his tie, they got into the car together.
Meng Yao froze completely, watching the car slowly drive away from a distance.
In her memory, it was rare to see her eldest sister display such a girlish demeanor. Suddenly, she had a vague feeling that her eldest sister was not just showing concern for a subordinate.
Seeing that they were dressed formally and both carried briefcases, they likely had important business matters to attend to. She didn't need to wait here anymore. Feeling a lump in her heart, she drove home.
If Song Jiaping wanted to make a name for himself in the business world, he indeed needed her eldest sister's help. And she, for Song Jiaping, was probably useless and couldn't help him with anything.
Meng Yao didn't know what else she could do. Now she couldn't even find an excuse to see him, so she could only stop thinking about it.
...
Song Jiaping had completed the market research report for the exclusive women's health check-up center project that Mrs. Lu was interested in.
After he submitted the report to Huangfu Mengqi, Meng Qi arranged another meeting with Mrs. Lu.
The meeting was scheduled for this afternoon at Mrs. Lu's group for further discussion. Since he had written the research report, he had to accompany Meng Qi.