Song Sisi adjusted the hemostatic cloth and felt much more comfortable.

She returned to the consultation room and resumed filling prescriptions, keeping busy.

Time passed quickly.

The two of them were busy for over an hour until they had finally seen all the patients in the clinic.

A little after four in the afternoon, the consultation room was warm and cozy after a full day of sunshine.

Song Sisi let out a sigh of relief and wiped the sweat from her forehead.

Li Xu also stretched, standing up to work out the stiffness in his body.

"Sisi, I’ll go buy you some sanitary pads..."

Li Xu had just started to speak.

Song Sisi cut him off with a smile. "No need, Boss. I think this hemostatic cloth is quite comfortable. It’ll do for the afternoon. I have some at home, so I’ll change when I get back."

Li Xu didn’t want to go buy feminine products anyway, so he readily agreed.

The afternoon passed quickly.

When Song Sisi got home, she washed up and then habitually opened her phone to scroll through videos.

Suddenly, a trending video caught her eye: "Major Quality Scandal Rocks Sanitary Pad Industry! Top brands like Sophie, Mian Mima, and Ziyou Dian implicated. Products found with live insects, carcinogens; made with unsterilized, stained pulp in deplorable conditions..."

Song Sisi quickly watched it, horrified by the contents.

The report revealed that several well-known sanitary pad brands used unsterilized, unpurified, stained pulp in their production process. This resulted in products containing large amounts of bacteria, mold, and even live insect eggs and carcinogens visible to the naked eye.

The production environment in the factories was deplorable, workers followed improper procedures, and the hygienic quality of the products was deeply concerning.

The photos and videos showed filthy production lines, mountains of trash, and nauseating raw materials—it was unbearable to watch.

After watching the news, Song Sisi was completely stunned.

A wave of nausea washed over her. To think the brands she had always used had such serious problems.

She felt both furious and terrified.

"Oh my god, I don’t know what kind of pads I can even use anymore," Song Sisi muttered to herself.

Suddenly, she thought about the pad she was supposed to change into that evening.

She rushed to the bathroom, clinging to a sliver of hope.

The hemostatic cloth she had been using since the afternoon was so comfortable that she had completely forgotten to change into one of her regular pads when she got home.

Her usual brand of sanitary pads was sitting in the bathroom.

They were Sophie brand.

She checked the manufacturer and production date.

When she saw the information on the package, she nearly fainted. It was the exact same factory that had been exposed in the news report.

A wave of revulsion hit Song Sisi, and she threw the package of Sophie pads into the trash in disgust.

’So much for changing into a fresh pad.’

’Guess I won’t be changing now.’

’I’ll just stick with the hemostatic cloth.’

She decided to check it, though.

She needed to see if it was time for a fresh one.

To her surprise, the absorbency of the hemostatic cloth was even better than that of the brand-name pads.

And most importantly, there was no odor whatsoever!

Although she was perfectly healthy, menstrual blood always had a slight metallic odor that even the best sanitary pads couldn’t completely eliminate.

Yet, after hours of use, this hemostatic cloth had no bad odor at all—only the faint, fresh scent of medicinal herbs.

This left her utterly shocked.

Song Sisi was amazed.

’Li Xu’s hemostatic cloth isn’t just incredibly comfortable and super absorbent, it also completely neutralizes odor. This is a godsend for women! It looks like this one will last through the night. I don’t have any others at home, so I’ll just change it at the clinic tomorrow.’

Back on the living room sofa, she picked up her phone and saw that her friend group chat was blowing up.

Yang Qing and Lin Xiaoyu were discussing the sanitary pad issue. They had clearly seen the news too.

Yang Qing: "OMG, did you guys see the news? There’s a huge scandal with sanitary pads! The Mian Mima brand I use is on the list! I’m so pissed. I’ve used that brand for years, and it’s actually unsafe."

Lin Xiaoyu: "I saw it. The Ziyou Dian brand I use was named too. Live insects, carcinogens... it’s just too disgusting. I don’t know what I’m supposed to use now. I feel gross just thinking about it."

Song Sisi joined the discussion, sending a message: "Waaaah, the Sophie brand I use is also on the list. And the worst part is, my period just started today..."

Yang Qing immediately replied, "Sisi, what are you going to do? What brand are we even supposed to buy? I feel like I can’t trust any of them now."

Song Sisi replied, "I’ve just been making do with the hemostatic cloth Li Xu developed. It actually feels pretty great. If you don’t have any safe pads, you could use it as a substitute. It should be fine in a pinch."

Yang Qing was curious. "Hemostatic cloth? What’s that?"

Song Sisi explained with a laugh, "It’s the hemostatic cloth developed by Li Xu, the one Ding’s Pharmaceutical Factory just started producing. Xiao Yu knows about it. It’s the one made from Yang Xiu."

Lin Xiaoyu replied instantly, "That’s right! Surgeons at all the major hospitals are raving about it. Sisi, you’re a genius for thinking of using it as a pad. It’s definitely sterile and safe."

Yang Qing was suddenly interested. "Doctor Li developed it? Then it must be good! Where can I buy some? I want to get a few packs to keep on hand."

Song Sisi: "It’s mainly supplied to hospitals, so you probably can’t buy it in pharmacies. But we have a few boxes of samples at the clinic. Come over tomorrow, and I’ll give you some."

"That’s great! Sisi, you’re a lifesaver," Yang Qing said immediately.

Lin Xiaoyu sent a happy emoji. "I’ll definitely be there tomorrow. Thanks, Sisi!"

...

「Late at night, all was quiet.」

Mayor Lin returned home, wearily rubbing his temples.

He had barely sat down, however, when his phone rang.

It was his secretary.

"Mayor Lin, there’s a problem."

Secretary Wang’s voice was urgent. "CCTV News just broke a story about a national sanitary pad safety scandal. One of the companies involved is from Feng City—Xixi Paper Products Co., Ltd."

Mayor Lin’s expression darkened at the news. "Xixi Paper Industry?"

He knew the company. They were a contract manufacturer for several well-known sanitary pad brands.

’I can’t believe they were exposed by CCTV.’

Secretary Wang continued his report. "According to an undercover investigation, the company is suspected of illegally repurposing defective materials from sanitary pads and diapers for products they manufacture for several well-known brands. Public opinion online is already in an uproar..."

Mayor Lin felt a headache coming on. These troublesome companies always managed to cause a crisis at the worst possible moment.

He shot to his feet and said to Secretary Wang, "I’m returning to City Hall immediately. You notify the heads of all relevant departments—Market Supervision, Public Security, Environmental Protection, Industry and Commerce, Justice, and Propaganda. Tell them to get to the conference room for an emergency meeting right away."

「Twenty minutes later.」

The City Hall conference room was brightly lit. The heads of the relevant departments had all gathered, and the atmosphere was incredibly tense.