Li Yao saw she was a bit dazed and asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"
"Oh, nothing." Qiao Yimian shook her head.
She brought her ID card. Everything was connected to the internet now, so even if she encountered a traffic cop, it shouldn't be a big problem.
"Then I'll get out of the car first. Thank you for driving me here."
Li Yao sensed that she had something on her mind but didn't want to talk about it, so he didn't press the matter and nodded.
Qiao Yimian opened the door and got out of the car, walking into the 4S Store and showing her ID card.
After the staff member verified the information, they asked her, "Are you picking it up on behalf of someone? Where's the written authorization from the car owner?"
Qiao Yimian belatedly uttered, "Uh... Can't I pick up the car without authorization?"
The staff member smiled, "We are a legitimate 4S Store. If the owner can't come in person, the authorized person must present an authorization letter to pick up the car."
Qiao Yimian looked a little troubled, "This car is under my father's name. Something happened to him, and he really can't come. It's even more impossible for him to provide an authorization letter..."
After hearing her explanation, the staff member couldn't help but sympathize with the young woman and nodded, "In that case, you can also present both of your household registration books to prove your relationship."
"Okay, then I won't pick up the car today. I'll bring the household registration book next time."
Qiao Yimian left the office, stood at the door, and slowly exhaled, her mood much gloomier than before.
She took out her phone, intending to call for a car. But when she looked up, she saw that the black Hongqi was still parked in front of the door.
Li Yao had already gotten out of the car and was standing by the car door, looking at her.
Their eyes met, and he gestured for her to come over.
"What's wrong? Didn't get it done?"
"Yeah, missing some documents."
Qiao Yimian didn't elaborate, glancing at the black car. She vaguely guessed the big boss was waiting for her.
Zhou Heng had gotten out of the car halfway, so now there were only him and the driver inside.
Could he really have something to say to her?
Something he didn't want others to hear?
These thoughts flashed through Qiao Yimian's mind, and then she felt her own idea was ridiculous.
The Governor was busy with affairs of state; even if he had time to chat with others, it certainly wouldn't be with someone like her, a nobody.
But unexpectedly, he did the opposite, opening the car door for her personally.
"Let's go, I'll take you home."
Qiao Yimian looked at Li Yao in surprise. After a moment of silence, she didn't even think about resisting this time, and obediently got into the car.
Her mind was a bit of a mess. She could only understand it as: the Governor cared about the people and served them...
On the way back, Li Yao could tell that Qiao Yimian's mood wasn't high, completely different from her cheerful expression on the way there.
But he wasn't good with words, and he had no experience interacting with young girls. If he asked her directly, she wouldn't answer.
After a long silence, the Governor cautiously extended an invitation:
"Are there any good restaurants near where you live? Want to grab a bite?"
Qiao Yimian was surprised, but only for a moment. She immediately declined, "Sorry, Governor, I have plans."
She really had arranged to eat dinner with Song Nanxing that evening; she wasn't lying.
Besides, if she didn't know Li Yao's identity, she would have invited him to dinner to express her gratitude for his help.
But his position was too high, and the gap between them was too vast. Even if he invited her, she didn't want to eat at the same table as him…
The pressure was too great; she'd probably get indigestion.
Li Yao pursed his lips slightly, the light in his eyes dimming a bit, but he didn't make things difficult for her.
"Alright, maybe next time."
The atmosphere in the car was a little awkward. Qiao Yimian felt uneasy and pretended to take out her phone to check her WeChat messages. It just so happened that Song Nanxing asked her if she had picked up her car yet, so she replied with a few sentences.
The car arrived in front of the hotel. Qiao Yimian thanked Li Yao again and said goodbye.
"Goodbye, Leader. See you later."
Li Yao nodded, feeling that the repeated "Leader" sounded both distant and awkward.
He watched Qiao Yimian walk into the hotel entrance through the car window.
He was just about to look away when he caught sight of a flashy sports car parked in front of the hotel.
A yellow Maserati, ostentatious and dazzling, impossible to miss.
His gaze slid to the license plate, and it was indeed her boyfriend's car.
Li Yao frowned slightly, his breathing a little labored, as if something was drawing fine threads from his chest, densely entangled, knotted into a net.
It turned out that the person she had arranged to meet was her boyfriend.
It looked like they had made up.
His gaze moved away from the car, devoid of the gentleness it had held moments before, and his voice was also cold and hard.
"Drive."
Qiao Yimian hadn't bothered with Shi Yan's car since she had her client drive it to the hotel downstairs.
Anyway, the key was kept at the front desk, and the parking space was monitored 24 hours a day, so it was safe there, whether he took it or not.
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 Store. I need the household registration booklet to prove my relationship with the car owner when I pick it up."
Her Aunt immediately agreed, "Alright, I'll mail it to you tomorrow." After a pause, her Aunt cautiously asked,
"Yimian, did you and Shi Yan have a fight? He came to our house looking for you a few days ago, he seemed quite worried. Didn't you tell him about this business trip?"
"We broke up." Qiao Yimian didn't want to hide it. She hadn't said anything before because she didn't want them to worry.
On the other end of the phone, her Aunt was silent for a moment, then sighed, "Shi Yan is actually a pretty good kid. He's handsome, has a good personality, and is really good to you, it's just that our two families are so different..."
Qiao Yimian didn't want to talk about these things anymore, so she changed the subject and asked, "Aunt, how is my Dad?"
Her Aunt knew she didn't want to talk more about it, so she didn't press the matter, "He's still the same, his vital signs are normal. Your Uncle wiped his face the other day, and his eyes moved a little, but it was only that once... Yimian, don't worry about home. Your Dad has me and your Uncle taking care of him. Just focus on your work, okay?"
After hanging up the phone, Qiao Yimian opened her phone's photo album and looked at the photos with her father from a few years ago, her eyes slowly starting to sting.
After the college entrance examination, she secretly changed her application, ignoring her father's objections, and applied to Journalism School.
The day she received the admission letter, her father was furious and lost his temper with her for the first time in his life.
They had a big fight. Her father stormed out of the house in a huff, and unfortunately, he was in a car accident and never woke up.
During the time her father was in the intensive care unit, she sat in the hallway from morning until night, blaming herself to the point where she couldn't eat.
Sorrow and regret eroded her nerves constantly, causing her to lose a lot of weight in just a few days.
Those days, she kept thinking that if she hadn't been so stubborn and changed her application, her father wouldn't have stormed out, and the accident wouldn't have happened.
It was all because of her. She was the one to blame. The person lying in the hospital bed should have been her.
She clung to this thought, enduring one day after another, living in a daze.
When Aunt rushed over upon hearing the news, Qiao Yimian was already running a high fever and was delirious. Yet, she was still sitting on the corridor bench, hugging her arms and murmuring "I'm sorry" over and over.
Later, it was Aunt's family who pulled her out of the abyss of self-blame. After she regained consciousness, Aunt held her and wept.
"Yimian, your choice was right, your dad was also right, no one was wrong. He was just scared, he didn't want to see you end up like your mother. He... couldn't bear another blow."
The sound of Aunt's weeping seemed to still echo in her ears. Qiao Yimian sniffled, opened her eyes wide, and forced back the tears welling up in her eyes.