Song of Blood and Tears

Chapter 1

My boyfriend, Liam’s, girlfriend, Summer, was in a serious car accident in a remote area, and I recommended treating her locally.

She died of blood loss.

Liam didn’t blame me afterward; he threw himself into his work.

Three years later, I had a difficult labor and hemorrhaged. He stopped the rescue, resulting in my death and the loss of our child. “Sarah,” he hissed, “how does it feel to bleed to death?”

He hated me because of that girl.

In this second chance at life, when news of Summer’s accident reached the corporation, I decided to do nothing.

I calmly watched Liam dispatch his private jet, forcing 5,000 company employees to donate blood, hundreds of luxury cars paving the way, initiating a deeply touching, extreme rescue operation.

1

“We have to get Summer back to New York City for surgery!”

“The O’Connell family has money! Even Death himself will have to step aside! You’re all a bunch of good-for-nothing idiots, figure something out, if anything happens to Summer you’re all fired!”

Liam was frantic, furious in the office upon receiving news of Summer’s accident.

Everyone looked at me with complicated expressions. “Sarah…”

As head of O’Connell Corp’s crisis PR department, it was my turn to speak.

“Involving a life, aside from the injured person’s closest kin, no one has the right to give suggestions. I respect Mr. O’Connell’s decision, and I will absolutely obey and cooperate.”

Liam stared, stunned.

“This is ridiculous!” Vice President Chen couldn’t take it anymore. He slammed his fist on the table and pointed at me. “Sarah! You’re being incredibly irresponsible! A 2,000-mile rescue? It’s incredibly difficult, time-sensitive and you know how many resources that will drain!

If this affects our IPO, can you take responsibility for that?!”

I smiled faintly. “Mr. Chen, don’t shift the blame, the decision is ultimately Mr. O’Connell’s.”

I silently stepped back.

Without me mediating, others’ opposition only fueled Liam’s rebellion.

“Do it! I’ll take full responsibility!” he declared.

Ultimately, he ignored everyone, unleashing the corporation’s resources, connections, and money, doing whatever it took to ensure Summer’s safety.

Watching Liam leave with a triumphant air, I lowered my head, concealing the sarcastic gleam in my eyes.

In my past life, after fully understanding Summer’s injuries, I consulted experts and objectively analyzed the pros and cons of local versus New York treatment for Liam.

He gritted his teeth and asked, “Sarah, what would you do?”

The company was undergoing its IPO evaluation at the time.

A New York rescue would require massive investment, and more importantly, there was a risk of complications during transport. I suggested Summer receive treatment locally.

My calm, objective analysis left Liam speechless.

He stared at me for a full minute, his expression complex, before finally saying, “Okay, I’ll trust you this once.”

To honor that trust, I immediately arranged for two expert teams to rush to the site.

But I hadn’t accounted for Summer being Rh-negative; the local blood bank was critically low, and Summer died on the operating table.

Overwhelmed with guilt, I wanted to resign, but Liam grabbed my neck. “Trying to run away? No way!”

Then, he suddenly kissed me. “Sarah, don’t leave, don’t leave me alone.”

I hugged him, crying, apologizing.

Liam changed afterward, becoming calm and reserved, dedicating himself to his work.

A year later, O’Connell Corp successfully went public, and Liam proposed.

Until I hemorrhaged during childbirth, and he cruelly refused to allow a rescue. That’s when I realized the marriage was a sham, a conspiracy!

In the operating room, he wept, begging me to be strong, to hold on.

But as I lost consciousness, he whispered into my ear, distorted and triumphant, “Sarah, now you can understand Summer’s despair as she bled to death on that operating table?

If it wasn’t for you, I would’ve done everything to save Summer!

Using the IPO to pressure me? Heh, for Summer, I’d gladly become penniless!”

He never forgot Summer’s death, enduring everything, harboring deep resentment.

2

Summer was critical, and Liam issued order after order within ten minutes.

His private medical jet, carrying a team of twenty professors and emergency specialists, took off.

To ensure Summer reached the hospital immediately after landing, Liam secured hundreds of luxury cars from business partners and friends.

The resulting motorcade would create a powerful, awe-inspiring life corridor.

It would be a remarkable story.

When Liam’s mother learned of Liam’s reckless actions, news of Summer’s Rh-negative blood type and the need for nearly ten thousand milliliters of blood arrived at the company.

I was urgently called to the CEO’s office.

As soon as I entered, Liam’s mother blamed me for disregarding the company’s interests and failing to fulfill my duties.

She completely ignored that it was Liam’s unilateral decision.

This was typical of the O’Connell family; she was blaming me to avoid conflict with her spoiled son.

Liam’s father was furious, sharply ordering me, “Forget the plane, get those cars back! This is absurd!”

I glanced at Liam.

After being scolded by his parents, his face was grim, his brows still furrowed with discontent and defiance.

“Sarah, what do you think?” he raised his eyelids, the pen spinning carelessly between his fingers.

Hah, trying to shift the blame again?

I continued to do nothing, with a resigned look. “Mr. O’Connell, don’t worry, as long as you give the order, I’ll go through fire and water.”

As head of PR, as long as I avoid responsibility, I can say anything.

I won’t be that stupid again.

“You—you—” Liam’s mother’s eyes rolled back in anger.

Her assistant hurriedly gave her nitroglycerin.

“I raised a viper…” Liam’s mother angrily pointed at me.

How ridiculous!

For repayment of kindness, I abandoned my dream of becoming a surgeon and helped Liam manage the company, for what?

After Liam clearly refused to save me.

I used all my strength to hold onto her, pleading for her to save my life.

But she broke my fingers one by one, hypocritically urging me, “Sarah, deal with your marital problems yourselves. Liam wouldn’t harm you.”

I remember that when Summer had her accident, I immediately reported it to her: “Mrs. O’Connell, you should come to the company, I’m worried about Liam…”

She encouraged me, smiling sweetly, “Sarah, I trust you. You must help Aunt look after Liam and stop him from acting rashly.”

A call came in.

Liam’s face changed after he answered, and he stood up abruptly. “Enough! The top priority is collecting a large amount of Rh-negative blood. Quickly gather people to go to the hospital; the nurses there are waiting!”

I pursed my lips. “Mr. O’Connell, such a large amount of rare blood type…it won’t be easy…”

Liam was agitated. “I knew it, you never truly wanted to save Summer! If she—”

“Mr. O’Connell!” I raised my voice, interrupting his accusation.

I presented a document I’d prepared. “I understand your concerns; to avoid affecting Ms. Summer’s treatment, I voluntarily resign.”

Then I gave Mrs. O’Connell a ledger, speaking distantly, “This is a list of your financial support since I was twelve, I’ve adjusted it for inflation, multiplied by five, and it’s all paid back.”

Mrs. O’Connell’s eyes widened, and I added, “Oh, of course, interest is included.”

The ledger that I used to commemorate her kindness in my past life has now become a weapon to sever ties with O’Connell Corp.

This time, they won’t bind me with their kindness again.

Liam, furious, shoved me aside and stormed out. “Trying to provoke me? I’ll show you if I have the ability to save Summer!

If you want to leave, get out!”

I quickly left.

Back in the office, the company was in an uproar.

The HR manager had just informed all employees to go downstairs to donate blood.

No one was allowed to leave the company before blood types were determined.

A storm was brewing, everything was heading toward the worst possible scenario.

Going downstairs, I saw several pregnant women discussing how to avoid donating blood in the hallway.

“What’s the company doing? I’m Rh-negative, I’m so scared.”

I paused, then turned and left.

My past life taught me that I need to let go of my desire to help others, respect other people’s fates, and not bear the consequences of their actions.

3

At home, I collapsed into the bathtub, feeling surreal.

I drifted off to sleep and woke up suddenly from a nightmare.

The city lights were twinkling when a coworker called, saying Summer was successfully admitted and undergoing surgery and that they were still working late.

She complained, “Manager, the road from the airport to the hospital was blocked by hundreds of luxury cars. So many people posted videos speculating which big shot it was. So arrogant!

Several departments were taking down those videos; our hands are about to fall off. Sigh, no sleep tonight.”

After hanging up, I looked at my phone for a while, but didn’t see any related news.

Liam was now by Summer’s side, his father was running the company, and they must have spent a fortune to suppress the story.

I stood up and walked to my desk, looking at Summer’s investigation report in my drawer, a cold smile on my lips.

In my past life, I suggested local surgery because of the company’s image and the fact that Summer wasn’t as simple and hardworking as she presented herself.

She went to that remote area to seek thrills with a photographer.

That photographer was notorious, not only dating models, but also a well-known matchmaker.

Because he won international awards, he had extensive connections, attracting countless aspiring women.

After the accident, he suffered minor injuries and ran away when he saw Summer’s condition.

Between a devoted young CEO and a notorious womanizer, Summer chose the latter, proving her ambition; she wanted fame, she wanted more.

In my past life, her death ended everything; I didn’t need to bother with a dead person, and Liam recovered soon after.

I didn’t mention anything and secretly destroyed the report.

Before I died, I regretted that I struggled to escape poverty and yet ended up sacrificing myself for a vain, deceitful woman, becoming a pawn in their sordid affair.

I hated him, like Liam, a coward who used my blood to ease his conscience, why did he achieve success?!

A WeChat notification interrupted my thoughts.

I took a deep breath, opened the screen. It was a message from Liam.

“Summer woke up, the lead surgeon called it a miracle! No one else could have survived!

This is truly an achievement! Sarah, see this, this is the power of O’Connell Corp!”

In the audio, he laughed triumphantly, arrogant and self-aggrandizing.

A domineering phrase suddenly popped into my mind: I order you, don’t die, understand?

A passionate CEO, visualized.

[“Congratulations, Mr. O’Connell, Ms. Summer will certainly be very moved by your deep love.”] I replied with a smiling message.

Good, a medical miracle.

It’s a miracle, it certainly can’t disappear into thin air.

Three days later, Summer woke up.

Having survived, she was eager to show off Liam’s efforts on her social media accounts.

The pictures were shocking.

Examples include: Famous medical professors and experts being rushed off the operating table and onto a plane.

A mighty motorcade cutting a path called “Summer” through city-wide traffic jams.

Thousands of company employees donating blood overnight, no one dared to miss it.

Unity, great love.

Under the nine-square-grid picture, a short sentence: [“Darling, you’re amazing!”]

To showcase her miraculous survival, Summer thoughtfully attached a medical report.

It detailed the severity of her accident, significant damage to her liver, spleen, and kidneys. A normal person would have died a thousand times over.

[“You wouldn’t believe it, the doctor said I used over 7,000 ml of blood, which is like a full blood transfusion twice, woohoo, I’m so touched.”]

The source herself was the one sharing the information. The event immediately went viral, a shock wave.

Summer was instantly dubbed “Blood Cow Sister,” topping the hot search list, overshadowing all the celebrities.

Various big Vs and marketing accounts commented.

Summer became famous, but it was infamy.

Netizens were furious, providing clues to find out who “Crazy Guy” was.

When Liam realized what was happening and called on the entire company to help in reporting the matter, it was too late.

4

Three days later, Mrs. O’Connell came with expensive gifts.

“Sarah, dear, you’re still angry with Aunt.” Her tone was reproachful, as she took my hand affectionately.

It seemed the current public attacks didn’t affect her.

But she didn’t know that the unease in her eyes, the weariness in her expression, and the gray hairs were hard to hide.

I withdrew my hand, smiling faintly. “Mrs. O’Connell, just say it, I suppose you don’t have time for pleasantries.”

Mrs. O’Connell’s eyes flashed with displeasure, but she suppressed it, shedding tears. “Sarah, that woman is malicious, she is trying to ruin us, Liam is naive and has been deceived by her.”

As the president of a soon-to-be public company, being completely unable to foresee the devastation this rescue would cause to the company’s image and credibility certainly shows naivety.

After criticizing Summer, she softened her voice, hinting that if I helped, she would accept me as her daughter-in-law.

I refused resolutely.

Mrs. O’Connell had no choice but to settle for second best. “Then you must return to the company to deal with the aftermath, even if you resign, you must work for another month so we can find someone!”

She used company regulations; I had nothing to say.

Besides, I didn’t say I wouldn’t go back.

O’Connell Corp was in crisis, and if I, the PR head, simply left, no one would ever hire me again.

And I wanted to see what happened to Liam this time.

…

Back at the company, the office was filled with complaints; the situation was worse than I imagined.

It was a disaster.

O’Connell Corp had been summoned by the relevant departments and needed to quell the online storm and minimize the negative impact.

Friendly companies distanced themselves.

Friends who lent out cars were on the hot searches and were scolded by their families. They wanted to chop Liam into pieces.

Internally, led by Mr. Chen, minority shareholders saw the IPO failing and wanted to oust Liam and have the O’Connell family compensate them.

But under these circumstances, Liam had disappeared, staying at the hospital to be with his girlfriend.

The company’s accounts were in shambles; to save Summer, all resources, connections, and money were exhausted.

Now the shareholders were unwilling to invest another cent.

It was impossible. Mrs. O’Connell really thought highly of me.

However, in this position, I had to do my job. Without money, there are still solutions.

I thought that containment was worse than relief. It’s better to respond to public doubts with sincerity.

So I suggested to Mr. O’Connell and the shareholders to hold a press conference and disclose the true situation of the rescue to the public, avoiding being manipulated by those with ulterior motives online.

“The rescue was indeed excessive, especially affecting public transportation and using excessive medical resources.”

I said seriously, “But in the face of life, it is understandable. As long as Mr. O’Connell is sincere, reflects, and apologizes, it is possible to salvage the company’s image.”

Finally, the company agreed to the plan.

After the meeting, I went to the hospital.

Summer’s social media accounts still displayed the celebratory pictures and text, with views and shares still increasing.

Everyone in the company knew she was Liam’s sweetheart; no one dared to attack her.

Only I could negotiate.

Just outside the ward, I heard Summer’s suppressed roar:

“Chad, you bastard, you almost killed me, do you know?!”

The man chuckled lecherously. “If I hadn’t run, would your boyfriend have tried so hard to save you? You should thank me.”

Chad? That sleazy photographer was there?

I stopped, standing silently by the ward door.

“I can’t do anything to you, but our collaboration is over!”

“Summer, you’re a big star now, but the O’Connells are barely surviving, are you really willing to settle for this? My resources can make you even bigger.”

Summer hesitated. “But Liam told me that as long as I delete those posts, things will be quickly suppressed and won’t affect O’Connell Corp.”

Chad smiled knowingly. “The bigger the storm, the more valuable the fish. Deleting them is cutting off your own path. Think about it, without this rescue, who would know who you are.”

In the end, Chad swaggered out, a smirk of triumph on his face.

I shook my head, giving up on negotiating with Summer.

I wondered if Liam’s love would make her give up her ambition.

As I walked downstairs, my phone rang urgently.

My heart skipped a beat, an inexplicable unease washing over me.

“Manager, come back quickly! A female employee from the marketing department miscarried from excessive blood donation!”