After a thorough analysis, the liquid was found to have properties that could numb the nerves, induce hallucinations, and drive a person into madness and dementia. Prolonged exposure could lead to paralysis, intellectual regression, and loss of control over bodily functions, ultimately rendering the person completely incapacitated.
For Wei Yang, this would likely be more unbearable than death itself. The malice of the person behind this scheme was evident.
Zhiliao asked Ji Tingzhou if they should reveal the truth to Wei Yang, and he nodded in agreement.
Wei Yang lay in bed, frustrated and surrounded by medical equipment. For someone as restless as him, this was pure torment. It wasn’t until Ji Tingzhou walked in that he felt a slight relief.
"Family Head," Wei Yang greeted.
Seeing the serious expressions on both Ji Tingzhou and Zhiliao, Wei Yang instinctively sat up. "What’s wrong?" he asked, half-jokingly adding, "Don’t tell me I’ve got some terminal illness."
Ji Tingzhou calmly informed him of the test results.
Wei Yang’s expression turned blank.
After about ten minutes, he finally opened his mouth and slowly muttered, "...I see."
"Pfft, I thought it was something serious. It’s not like it’s going to kill me. It’s just a bit... undignified."
“Hey, Boss, this counts as a work-related injury, right? You’ll have to take care of me in my old age. Don’t you dare look down on me when I’m drooling and acting like a dementia patient.”
Wei Yang teased Ji Tingzhou with a laugh.
Ji Tingzhou replied, "I will cure you."
"You once promised to work for me for fifty years. As long as I’m alive, not a single day less."
He would spare no expense to save Wei Yang.
With that, he turned and left.
Zhiliao said firmly, "If the Family Head says so, he will find a way. What we need to do now is trust him."
She then followed Ji Tingzhou out of the room.
The moment the door closed, Wei Yang reached up and rubbed his head. He grabbed the glass of water on the bedside table, his trembling fingers clutching the cup as he took a deep gulp.
"Damn it!"
The glass was hurled to the ground, shattering into pieces.
He punched the bed, burying his face in the pillow to suppress the sob threatening to escape his throat.
The veins on his neck bulged as tears streamed from his eyes. He gasped for breath, his gaze fierce.
If it ever came to that... he would end his own life without hesitation.
Wei Yang would never allow himself to become a waste, unable to control even his most basic bodily functions.
...
After the banquet ended, Ji Tingzhou made an appearance downstairs, and the guests gradually dispersed.
Even though he knew the culprit might be among them, he couldn’t lock down the entire venue.
Wei Yang had too many enemies. In his earlier years, he had been reckless and provoked countless people. It was only because of Ji Tingzhou’s protection that he had survived this long. If word got out, Ji Tingzhou wasn’t afraid of trouble, but Wei Yang couldn’t afford the delay.
So the news had to be kept completely under wraps.
The thing that had jumped out and injected Wei Yang was a mechanical spider. The toxin was stored in its abdomen, with a needle protruding from its mouthparts.
After the incident, Ji Tingzhou reviewed the surveillance footage and saw the entire event clearly. According to others, the spider had been handed to Shen Qingtang personally.
Zhiliao had immediately sent people to find Shen Qingtang, but Ji Tingzhou stopped them.
"There’s no need."
The warm light cast shadows over Ji Tingzhou’s deep eye sockets, making his emerald eyes appear even colder.
Ji Nian quietly approached and, seeing that Ji Tingzhou didn’t react to her presence, rested her head on his lap, looking at the screen.
The footage showed Shen Qingtang inexplicably running to the lakeside, where she was standing opposite someone...
[Wait, what?]
The person standing opposite Shen Qingtang was completely blurred, as if ink had spilled onto the screen, obscuring everything.
Not only that, but none of the camera angles could capture the person. Only Shen Qingtang was visible, happily talking and then accepting something from the other person.
[That hand looks nice...]
The fingers were slender, with neatly trimmed nails, giving off a clean appearance.
[Probably good-looking too.]
Ji Nian deduced this from her years of appreciating beauty.
The system: I can’t even bother to say, "What time is it for this?"
The maid responsible for Shen Qingtang frowned. "Miss Shen is a smart child. She’s usually very cautious around strangers and wouldn’t just take something from anyone."
"Maybe the other person made her smell something, or..."
"Shen Qingtang knows her."
"Or there’s a reason she trusts the other person."
Zhiliao stated confidently.
Ji Nian noticed that Zhiliao didn’t refer to her as "Miss Shen" but by her full name instead.
The maid immediately went to look for Shen Qingtang.
Ji Tingzhou didn’t stop her.
He was certain that since the other party had tampered with the surveillance, they wouldn’t leave Shen Qingtang as a loose end.
The child probably didn’t remember what the person looked like.
Ji Tingzhou was rational, to the point where his rationality bordered on indifference. He only considered that he already had the basic information and didn’t need to see Shen Qingtang.
He didn’t consider that Shen Qingtang, at this moment, needed an outlet.
She already knew that Uncle Wei Yang would die because of her, and the entire Ji Family was shrouded in oppression because of her.
She needed someone to let her explain everything, and she longed for someone to tell her, "It’s not your fault." Even if they demanded her to atone or take her life, it would be better than the despair and helplessness of waiting endlessly for "punishment."
But the child received nothing. Everyone seemed to have forgotten her, the culprit, despising and ignoring her.
She wanted to see Uncle Wei Yang, to know how he was doing, but she was also afraid—afraid she might never see him again.
Just like her parents.
Such pressure would be unbearable for an adult, let alone a five-year-old girl.
So when the maid went to her room to look for her, she found that Shen Qingtang was gone.
While Wei Yang was tearfully writing his will, Ji Nian was searching for Shen Qingtang.
She had changed out of her dress and into a black diamond-neckline cardigan paired with a lace skirt. Her long hair was braided into two pigtails.
[Where is she?]
Ji Nian hadn’t expected the situation to take such a turn.
Because of what happened to Wei Yang, Ji Tingzhou was watching her like a hawk, not allowing her to leave his side for even a moment. He even had her undergo a full medical check-up.
Ji Nian was anxious to see the ingredient list of the drug analysis, so she used the excuse of checking on Shen Qingtang to slip away.
But just in case, she brought Da Dan along as her personal bodyguard.
What she didn’t know was that Zhiliao had been following her from a distance.
The Ji Family’s estate was brightly lit even at night, but no amount of light could cover all the darkness. There were always corners that remained in shadow.
Ji Nian had planned to circle around and, if she couldn’t find Shen Qingtang, head over to Wei Yang’s place. But as it turned out, she did stumble upon the girl.
If Ji Nian hadn’t been sharp-eyed and noticed the piece of blue fabric behind the trash can, she would have missed her.
She signaled Da Dan to wait where he was and quietly approached.
She had prepared herself to find Shen Qingtang in tears, but what she saw next shocked her.
Shen Qingtang had somehow gotten hold of a small knife and was cutting into the back of her hand.
"What are you doing?!"
Ji Nian was startled and quickly ran over, snatching the knife from Shen Qingtang’s hand and throwing it aside.
Da Dan twitched his ears, using his paw to drag the knife toward himself before sitting on it.
Hmm, sharp objects could harm the cubs. Da Dan would keep them safe.
Meanwhile, Shen Qingtang, now empty-handed, looked up at Ji Nian with hollow, lifeless eyes, like a wooden doll.
"It’s all my fault... It’s all my fault... I can’t remember, I’m sorry..."
