Gu Mian was on the verge of tears.
Just as Li Tingshen was about to take her completely, the bedroom door suddenly rattled with urgent knocking. “Young Master, are you there?” called an anxious voice from outside.
Gu Mian felt like she’d been granted a reprieve—it was one of the servants!
Li Tingshen, interrupted at the most critical moment, visibly darkened with displeasure. “What is it?” he demanded coldly.
“Young Master, it’s terrible! Miss Yin and Second Young Master have been poisoned!”
Both occupants of the bed froze in shock.
“Have they been taken to the hospital?” Li Tingshen asked as he rose.
“They were sent immediately. Madam Li has already gone there and asked me to inform you.”
“Understood.” Li Tingshen strode directly into the bathroom.
Gu Mian sat up, hearing the sound of running water from the bathroom. She gave a weak, bitter smile.
She had known all along—when it came to Yin Luoxue, no matter how overwhelmed Li Tingshen was by desire, he would always regain his composure and rush to her side.
Her clothes had been torn by Li Tingshen, so Gu Mian went to the walk-in closet to find something to wear. Just as she was about to leave, Li Tingshen emerged from the bathroom.
The man had just showered, wearing only a white towel around his waist. Water droplets traced paths down his abdominal muscles and along the lines of his torso, exuding a lethally sensual aura. Yet the look he gave Gu Mian was exceptionally grim.
Gu Mian frowned slightly. “What’s wrong?” she asked instinctively.
“Xingze said they were poisoned after eating the cake you made.”
Gu Mian’s fingers trembled. “How is that possible? I didn’t put any poison in it!”
“Come with me to the hospital first. We’ll discuss it there.”
…
Half an hour later, they arrived at the hospital.
Madam Li was already waiting on a bench outside the emergency room.
“Grandma, how are they?” Gu Mian hurried forward to ask.
Madam Li patted her hand reassuringly. “They’re still having their stomachs pumped inside. The doctor said there’s no danger to their lives, but they’ll have to endure some discomfort. Don’t worry, Mian Yatou, everything will be fine.”
“Madam, I must disagree with your assessment,” interjected a lavishly dressed woman—He Meiru, Yin Luoxue’s mother. “How can you say everything is fine? If you don’t care about your own grandson, I still care about my daughter!” She glared furiously at Gu Mian. “She just got out of prison and now she’s trying to poison my daughter? She deserves to die! I’m calling the police right now to have her arrested and locked up for good!”
Madam Li responded sternly, “The matter hasn’t been investigated yet, and you’re already determined to pin this on our Mian Yatou. Isn’t that rather presumptuous?”
“They were poisoned after eating the cake Gu Mian made—it’s obvious what happened!”
“Our Mian Yatou isn’t foolish enough to poison a cake so blatantly. Wouldn’t that just invite suspicion?”
He Meiru was rendered speechless by the retort, growing even more agitated. “You keep calling her ‘ours’—are you determined to protect this murderer no matter what?” She turned to Li Tingshen. “Ting Shen, say something.”
“Aunt He, please calm down first.” Li Tingshen’s handsome face revealed nothing, his tone as aloof and detached as ever. “Let’s wait until they come out before we discuss this further.”
He Meiru finally fell silent.
Soon after, the emergency room doors opened, and a doctor in a white coat emerged.
“Doctor!” He Meiru rushed forward. “How is my daughter?”
“Both patients are out of danger. Young Master Li can be discharged tomorrow, but Miss Yin has always been physically weak, so for safety reasons, it’s best for her to stay in the hospital a few more days.”
Madam Li breathed a sigh of relief. “That’s good to hear.”
“How can you say it’s fine when they’ve been hospitalized?” He Meiru said angrily. “I don’t know what sins our Luoxue has committed to be harmed by Gu Mian over and over again! Madam Li, you must give me an explanation for what happened today, otherwise I’ll report it to the police!”
Madam Li looked at Gu Mian. “Mian Yatou, Grandma asks you – did you put poison in the cake?”
Gu Mian answered calmly and confidently, “Grandma, I didn’t.”
“Good, Grandma believes you.”
“Madam Li, the poison might not necessarily have been in the cake,” Zhang Ma, Madam Li’s personal maid, spoke up. “Perhaps the Second Young Master and Miss Yin ate something else.”
“Let’s go back to the ward and ask Xingze first.”
The group went to the hospital room where Li Xingze was awake, lying on the bed moaning and groaning, looking quite uncomfortable.
When he saw Gu Mian, he immediately exploded. “How dare you show your face here! What did you put in the cake?”
“Don’t be so quick to accuse,” Madam Li said sternly. “You might have mistakenly consumed something else that was toxic.”
“Grandma, even at a time like this you’re still taking her side!” Li Xingze was both angry and aggrieved. “We had dinner together, and after dinner I didn’t eat anything else. I only brought the cake she made to share with Luoxue, and then we both got poisoned!”
Madam Li asked, “The cake is so sweet, didn’t you drink anything with it?”
“…I drank tea.”
“Madam Li, what do you mean by that?” He Meiru immediately objected. “Are you suggesting Xingze got poisoned from drinking my tea at my house? Do you suspect I poisoned the tea?”
“I didn’t say that, but we need to clarify everything.”
“Why would I poison my own daughter? And I’ve always been fond of Xingze – how could I possibly poison him!”
As they were speaking, a doctor knocked and entered. “Madam Li, the test results for the cake are back – it was indeed poisoned.”
Gu Mian froze!
He Meiru almost laughed out loud and declared confidently, “I told you it was Gu Mian! Madam Li, no matter how much you protect her, you still have to be reasonable. Just like a year ago – if she did it, she can’t escape responsibility, no matter how much you protect her.”
Madam Li’s face was stern. “Mian Yatou has already said she didn’t poison it. I believe her.”
“You’re still being stubborn even now?” He Meiru looked at Li Tingshen. “Ting Shen, your grandmother is biased, but you’re the fairest judge here. Say something.”
Li Tingshen turned to look at the girl beside him. “What exactly happened here?”
Gu Mian met his deep, cold eyes. Even though she had mentally prepared herself, her heart still ached at his attitude.
He didn’t believe her – he only believed and cared about Yin Luoxue.
“It wasn’t me.”
Gu Mian heard her own voice.
Just like a year ago, when Yin Luoxue fell down the stairs, when she had explained over and over again.
“But you made the cake alone, and no one else handled it,” Li Tingshen stated.
Gu Mian’s heart felt as if pierced by needles. “Then what do you want to do? Send me back to prison to continue serving my sentence?”
Li Tingshen frowned. “Gu Mian, I’m speaking to you properly!”
“I didn’t poison anyone. If you want to know what happened, investigate it yourself.”
He Meiru took out her phone, “What’s there to investigate? I’m calling the police to arrest you right now!”
“Mom, don’t call the police!”
At the doorway, Yin Luoxue anxiously maneuvered her wheelchair inside, “This is a family matter. We shouldn’t involve the police and risk damaging the Li family’s reputation.”
Li Xingze glared at Gu Mian, “Look at Luoxue – she always considers the Li family’s interests. Unlike you, who only knows how to harm people!”