Ji Tingzhou picked up the pale green antidote inside, which turned transparent with a gradient effect when shaken.
“The color is beautiful.”
Ji Nian proudly lifted her chin: “It tastes good too.”
“If taken orally, you’ll find it has a strawberry flavor.”
“Of course, injection works best.”
Ji Tingzhou nodded: “I’ll let Gu Jing know.”
Then he put the antidote back.
Over the past few days, he had witnessed the entire process of Ji Nian making this small vial.
To be honest, it had been quite nerve-wracking.
After all, even the slightest reaction would make Ji Tingzhou worry that the child might get hurt.
But Ji Tingzhou didn’t share his concerns with Ji Nian.
Thinking of the line from the book he had read earlier—‘Praise is a child’s favorite gift’—he reached out and patted the child’s head, his expression unusually serious.
“You did well. You’ve worked hard.”
Ji Nian blinked, breaking into a silly smile: “Dad, I want to eat shrimp crackers!”
She playfully threw herself into Ji Tingzhou’s arms.
Patting the child’s back, Ji Tingzhou was unusually generous this time: “I’ll have Wei Yang bring some for you later.”
That big guy had stocked up on a bunch of them and would occasionally sneak a pack to Ji Nian.
Ji Nian buried her face in her father’s chest, inhaling the pleasant scent of incense he carried, but her expression wasn’t as carefree as it seemed.
She thought about her past life, where her parents, long divorced and only providing her with living expenses, had been furious when they found out about her chosen field of study.
‘How can a girl study such nonsense?’
‘Didn’t we tell you to study education? Isn’t being a teacher good enough?’
‘What kind of ridiculous major is this? It’s scary. How are you going to find a job after graduation?’
‘You weren’t raised by us after all… so disobedient, all these years wasted.’
Ji Nian couldn’t remember how she had reacted back then.
Probably numb, certainly not heartbroken.
After all, she was used to it.
But just now, when Ji Tingzhou told her, “You did well, you’ve worked hard,” a wave of sadness suddenly washed over her.
She hadn’t felt it before, but now, in comparison, she realized how pitiful she had been back then…
“Tired?”
Noticing the child had gone still in his arms, Ji Tingzhou nudged her gently.
Ji Nian nodded: “Yeah, a little sleepy.”
The man pondered for a moment.
“You haven’t pooped today.”
“Go to the bathroom and try. Then you can sleep.”
Ji Nian: “……”
Well, no time for melancholy now.
But it was true—she hadn’t gone today, and that just wouldn’t do.
Yesterday’s waste shouldn’t linger.
“I’ll go right now.”
Realizing the urgency of the matter, Ji Nian quickly got up and dashed to the bathroom.
After she left, Ji Tingzhou called someone in.
“Take this to Gu Jing.”
The person nodded.
Soon after, the secretary arrived.
“Boss, that guy from the Chen family—he’s not dead.”
His tone carried a hint of regret.
“Apparently, during the incident, Chen Mo suddenly got out of the car and was only caught in the aftershocks. He broke a few bones and will need some time to recover.”
Ji Tingzhou’s face showed no trace of disappointment.
After all, luck was also a form of strength.
“There’s something else…”
The secretary shared the results of his recent investigation.
“Chen Mo has no connection to the people who ambushed Wei Yang.”
“As for the poisoning of the Gu family’s matriarch, the Gu family has also figured it out. It was done by an enemy from her maternal family. The Chen family, whose side business is in this field, happened to find out and tried to take advantage of the situation.”
“I heard Chen Mo started handling things as soon as he woke up. In just a few days, the situation over there has stabilized.”
“Also…”
The secretary paused.
Ji Tingzhou raised an eyebrow: “What is it?”
He handed over a document.
“This is from the Chen family.”
“They’re apologizing for the previous incident and hope you won’t hold a grudge.”
The previous incident referred to when the Chen family had snatched a project from the Ji Group.
Ji Tingzhou glanced at the document casually, a faint smirk tugging at his lips: “He’s quite generous.”
The secretary chuckled: “If he weren’t, the next thing he’d lose might be his life.”
“Retreating to advance—he’s a smart one.”
Ji Tingzhou closed the document disinterestedly and tossed it onto the table, murmuring.
The secretary nodded in agreement.
Knowing Ji Tingzhou was not someone to be trifled with, Chen Mo had swallowed his pride and offered an apology, showing he could bend when necessary.
But this only made Ji Tingzhou more suspicious.
Was Chen Mo really uninvolved in Wei Yang’s ambush and the poisoning of the Gu family’s matriarch?
Ji Tingzhou didn’t believe it.
“Keep an eye on Chen Mo.”
Assuming Ji Tingzhou still harbored resentment, the secretary said nothing and simply nodded.
Meanwhile—
At the Gu residence.
“Mom!”
Seeing his mother in so much pain that she couldn’t even speak, her sweat dripping as if she had just been pulled from water, Gu Jing’s eyes burned with fury.
Why hadn’t Ji Tingzhou sent word yet?
The matriarch had been in a coma for days, and though Gu Jing was anxious, he hadn’t pressed Ji Tingzhou.
But just now, the old lady had suddenly started convulsing, crying out in pain until she could no longer speak.
Gu Jing rushed back from the company upon hearing the news.
Seeing his mother, who had been fine when he left, in such a state broke his heart.
Forcing himself to stay calm, he was about to contact Ji Tingzhou when someone came running in, carrying a box.
“Mr. Gu! The Ji family has sent something.”
Gu Jing dropped his phone without a second thought and strode over.
Without worrying about potential traps, he opened the box immediately.
The first thing that caught his eye was the vial of pale green liquid with a transparent gradient.
Inside was a note written in a neat, elegant script:
‘Can be taken orally, but injection is most effective.’
Gu Jing immediately called for the doctor.
There was no time for testing. He had the doctor inject a small amount to observe the reaction.
The antidote seemed to work.
Within less than two minutes, the matriarch, who had been in unbearable pain, quieted down.
“It’s effective.”
The doctor exclaimed excitedly.
Knowing Ji Tingzhou had no reason to deceive him, Gu Jing ordered the rest of the antidote to be administered.
This time, the effect was even faster. As soon as the injection was complete, the matriarch suddenly sat up straight, turned her head, and vomited.
The vomit was thick with blood, mixed with black, fibrous strands, looking utterly repulsive.
After vomiting, the matriarch slumped back down.
A nurse noticed something and exclaimed: “The black spots are fading!”
Everyone turned to look at the arm previously covered in mold-like black spots.
The mold was gone, and the spots were visibly fading.
The doctor, who had never seen anything like this, muttered: “Impressive.”
“How’s my mother?”
Gu Jing ignored the spectacle, focusing only on whether the antidote had worked.
After checking the matriarch, the doctor sighed in relief: “She’s fine, just exhausted and asleep.”
Gu Jing’s tense body relaxed slightly.
It was… remarkably effective.
“Do you remember what color the antidote the Chen family sent was?”
The doctor thought for a moment: “It was also green, but much darker.”
The dosage had been similar to the initial test dose from the Ji family, but the effect hadn’t been as strong.
Gu Jing’s expression turned serious.
He must never offend the Ji family.
There was something Ji Tingzhou might not know, but Gu Jing was aware of it.
After discovering his mother had been poisoned rather than ill, he had investigated and found that the culprit was a long-time servant of the Gu family.
The poison had been purchased from a mysterious underground organization.
This organization was notorious for its ruthlessness, with even some foreign businessmen spreading wild rumors that its leader was a sorcerer who could create terrifying poisons.
Their clientele spanned over twenty countries, all operating in the shadows.
The Chen family was said to have close ties with this organization, which explained how they had obtained the antidote.
Some even claimed it was better to offend Ji Tingzhou than this organization, as poison was hard to guard against, and their methods were insidiously effective.
But now, Gu Jing’s perspective had shifted.
It was better to offend anyone but Ji Tingzhou.
He suspected that behind Ji Tingzhou was a genius even more formidable than the leader of that mysterious organization.
How else could one explain the fact that the antidote he provided was superior to the Chen family’s?
