She had never imagined she would one day use it on a person.
Which meant…
When formulating it, she hadn’t exactly been careful about the dosage.
She had extracted a little from nearly every poisonous edible mushroom she could find on the market—jian shou qing, termite mushrooms, chanterelles, and many others.
A cocktail of toxic fungi.
With great anticipation, she watched Mrs. Zhong, eager to see the results.
Mrs. Zhong did not disappoint.
The moment the spray hit her nose twice—
She lasted barely two seconds before her strength vanished.
“Da Gang!”
With a sudden shout, Mrs. Zhong dropped to her knees and wrapped her arms around Zhong Shuwen’s leg.
Everyone present was stunned.
“Mom?”
“Mom, are you hurt?”
The Zhong siblings instinctively stepped back.
At this point, they had completely forgotten about attacking Lin Yuqing.
Instead, they stared at Mrs. Zhong in horror.
Mrs. Zhong didn’t respond.
It was as though she couldn’t hear them.
Still kneeling, she suddenly burst into tears.
Then she cried out again.
“Da Gang…”
This time, even Father Zhong, who had been smoking nearby, heard clearly and walked over.
Under everyone’s gaze, Mrs. Zhong’s eyes turned red.
She seemed unable to see anyone else in the room.
Staring directly at Zhong Shuwen, she lovingly took his hands and said,
“Da Gang, I was wrong!”
“I never should’ve looked down on you for being poor. If I’d come to my senses sooner, we’d have children by now!”
“And I never would’ve ended up with that toad spirit!”
The so-called “toad spirit,” pipe still hanging from his mouth, turned green with rage.
Furious, Father Zhong kicked her squarely in the shoulder.
Mrs. Zhong lost her balance.
Bang!
Her forehead slammed into the concrete floor so hard it sounded like bone might have cracked.
Zhong Shuwen’s face instantly turned pale.
“Mom!”
He rushed forward to help her up.
The younger siblings hurried over as well.
“…I’m fine.”
Still sprawled on the floor, Mrs. Zhong took several seconds to recover before shakily getting to her feet.
Her vacant eyes wandered around the room.
Then she looked at her youngest son.
Terror immediately flooded her face.
“AHHH! Why is there a crocodile here?!”
She pointed directly at him.
Blood trickled from her forehead as she screamed and stumbled backward into her daughter’s arms.
Then she blinked.
“Why is there a frog too?!”
“I CAN’T SWIM!”
After shouting that, she dropped to the floor and began performing a frantic breaststroke across the ground.
The scene was so absurd that even Zhong Shuwen felt like he was losing his mind.
Unable to control his mother by himself, he shouted,
“Dad! Help me!”
It was morning rush hour.
The apartment corridor was already bustling with activity.
Hearing the commotion, neighbors began knocking on the door.
Concerned about saving face, Father Zhong finally slammed his pipe onto the table.
“Enough!”
Grabbing Mrs. Zhong’s clothes, he hauled her violently to her feet.
“What kind of crazy act are you putting on?!”
But Mrs. Zhong seemed incapable of understanding him.
She only pointed at him and screamed,
“Toad spirit!”
Father Zhong’s face turned an alarming shade of green.
Among the seven people in the room, only Lin Yuqing was smiling.
She hadn’t expected the little spray to work so well.
Clearing her throat, she offered a “helpful suggestion.”
“This situation seems pretty serious.”
“Maybe you should take her to the hospital?”
The moment Mrs. Zhong heard the word hospital, she suddenly stopped struggling.
Straightening up, she walked over to Zhong Shuwen and gave him a hug.
“Sorry, Da Gang. I haven’t taken good care of you.”
“Wait for me at home. I’m going out for a while.”
Needless to say, wedding discussions were no longer possible.
By the time Zhong Shuwen finished dealing with his mother, he was completely exhausted.
And when he finally remembered Lin Yuqing—
She was long gone.
She was busy.
Lin Yuqing hurried back to the Su family apartment.
The police still hadn’t arrived.
Inside, none of the neighbors had left.
That was one of the advantages of living in a workers’ apartment building.
There was always excitement.
Whether good news or bad, every neighbor wanted a piece of the action.
“Where are the police?”
As soon as Su Yong saw Lin Yuqing return, he glanced behind her.
“Hurry up. In a little while, Xiao Zhong will be here to pick you up.”
Even now, he was still thinking about her wedding.
Lin Yuqing snorted and glanced at the wall clock.
“No rush.”
“I’m leaving soon.”
“Don’t you have anything you’d like to say to me before I go?”
Say what?
The moment Su Yong heard she was leaving, he was secretly overjoyed.
“Take care on the road,” he said casually.
Yang Lan stepped forward as well, putting on a fake expression of concern.
“Make sure you take good care of yourself while you’re away.”
Preferably die somewhere far from here.
Then her precious Jinjin’s position would finally be secure.
Taking Lin Yuqing’s hand, Yang Lan put on a tearful face.
“Aunt Yang will miss you so much…”
“I’ll miss you too, Aunt Yang.”
Lin Yuqing suddenly grabbed Yang Lan’s wrist.
Earlier, she had noticed the jade bracelet Yang Lan was wearing.
One glance was enough to recognize it as part of Lin Yinyin’s dowry.
Without hesitation—
She yanked it off.
“Ow!”
Yang Lan hadn’t even processed what happened.
One moment the bracelet was on her wrist.
The next—
It was in Lin Yuqing’s hand.
“Aunt Yang, I’ll keep this bracelet as a memento.”
“That way, I can look at it whenever I miss you.”
The moment she finished speaking, she moved like the wind.
In a flash, she appeared in front of Su Yong.
Three quick motions later—
His Shanghai-brand wristwatch was gone.
So was the Hero fountain pen from his pocket.
“Dad too.”
“A little keepsake.”
“Every time I check the time, I’ll think of you.”
Was she getting married or robbing the family blind?
Su Yong stared at her as though he had swallowed a fly.
But Lin Yuqing had already shifted her attention to Su Jinjin.
Anything valuable Su Jinjin owned had been looted the previous day.
Lin Yuqing looked her up and down.
Nothing caught her interest.
Clicking her tongue in disappointment, she said,
“As for little sister… forget it.”
“Keep your money and buy yourself a pig’s brain.”
“I believe one day you’ll meet a man who isn’t shallow.”
What did that mean?
Was she indirectly calling her ugly and stupid?
Su Jinjin’s eyes instantly turned red with anger.
Her chest rose and fell violently.
Normally, she had a delicate, pitiful sort of beauty.
But standing beside a dazzling beauty like Lin Yuqing, she looked utterly forgettable.
The neighbors, delighted by the drama, began whispering among themselves.
“Aren’t they supposed to be twins? They don’t look alike at all.”
“You don’t know? They’ve never looked alike since they were kids.”
“No wonder Technician Lin only took the older sister when she left.”
Inside and outside the apartment, gossip exploded.
They were practically calling Su Jinjin ugly without saying the word outright.
Grinding her teeth, Su Jinjin forced herself to endure it.
“Sis… you should get going.”
“Mm.”
Lin Yuqing answered lazily.
Every few seconds, her gaze drifted toward the stairwell.
Then—
At last—
She heard footsteps climbing the stairs.
The police had arrived.
Putting down her bag, Lin Yuqing smiled and smoothed her skirt.
“Oh? The police are here.”
“In that case, I’ll stay a little longer.”
Yang Lan was so furious her eyes nearly popped out.
Only the recovered five thousand yuan was keeping her from collapsing on the spot.
The officers entered.
By now, the footprints in the living room had been thoroughly trampled by curious neighbors.
The police examined the scene before moving deeper into the apartment.
The master bedroom was untouched.
Lin Yuqing’s room was untouched as well.
One officer frowned.
“You reported stolen money, but from the evidence it looks like only the living room was searched.”
“What, did you keep all your money in the living room?”
Su Yong shot Yang Lan an annoyed look.
See?
This was what happened when she insisted on trashing the living room too.
Now they’d attracted trouble.
Yang Lan was baffled by the glare.
Before she could speak—
Lin Yuqing smiled and said,
“Officer, you haven’t checked the study yet, have you?”