Qiao Ying wrote out a prescription on the spot.
Older Ming took the first piece of paper and nodded while looking it over: “So this medicine also has detoxification effects. I’ll have to try some experiments with it another day.”
Just then, Qiao Ying handed over another piece of paper. Older Ming hurriedly took it in both hands like he was holding a precious treasure. When he took a closer look, he was slightly shocked.
“Miss Qiao, the medicinal ingredients listed in this prescription are all toxic.” Before Qiao Ying could speak, Older Ming suddenly realized and sucked in a breath, continuing, “I understand now, fight poison with poison.”
In that moment, the veneration in his heart for Qiao Ying grew by quite a bit.
“For Miss Qiao to dare use such dangerous methods of clutching at straws, it looks like this old man needs to open his eyes.”
Older Ming was secretly excited, not doubting Qiao Ying's use of such risky methods to treat Old Master Qin at all, fully trusting her.
Even if the experiment subject was Old Master Qin.
Qiao Ying: "..."
Actually, curing this poison wasn't that complicated. Qiao Ying opened her mouth slightly, about to say something, then decided against it. Whatever, let it go.
The more Qin Hanyue saw Qiao Ying's expression, the more he understood it wasn't as bad as Older Ming made it sound, so he didn't ask anything else.
"There are several medicinal ingredients in here that Bright Kindness Hall might not have. You need to send someone to find them as soon as possible. Your father can't afford to wait," Qiao Ying said to Qin Hanyue.
While they were looking for ingredients,
Qiao Ying went to check on Old Master Qin’s condition.
Old Master Qin was still unconscious with tubes inserted into him and several silver needles sticking in around his heart. His condition remained stable.
Qin Hanyue waited outside the sickroom.
Soon, Qiao Ying came out.
Qiao Ying didn’t say anything and headed straight for the laboratory without hurrying. Qin Hanyue followed her.
After walking a dozen or so meters, she remembered there was nothing that could be done in the lab now, so she turned and sat down on a nearby rest chair instead.
Qin Hanyue silently stood to the side watching her.
Qiao Ying sat with legs crossed, back against the chair, and head leaning against the wall. Her hands were casually placed in her lap with fingers interlaced, absentmindedly twiddling her thumbs around each other.
She had her eyes closed, seemingly lost in thought,
and her elegant eyebrows were slightly knitted in fatigue. It was as if she was resting.
After quietly watching her for a while, Qin Hanyue tentatively called out softly, “You’ve eaten breakfast. Why don’t you go sleep in the room next door?”
Upon hearing this, Qiao Ying pulled up the corners of her lips: "I have this bad habit where if possible, I'd rather sleep in a coffin than a hospital bed."
Her body didn't yet need sleep. She had just used her eyes too much and was resting them by closing them for a bit.
"There's a sofa you can lie on in the patient rooms, or I can take you to a nearby hotel. I can also send you home," Qin Hanyue asked her preference. "You need rest now. You need to eat."
The cold wall her head leaned on was starting to ache. Qiao Ying opened her eyes to see the concern in Qin Hanyue's eyes.
She patted the spot next to her.
Qin Hanyue walked over and had just sat down when he felt a slight weight on his shoulder—the girl had rested her head against him.
"I'm helping your family out so much. There's no harm in me borrowing Master Qin's shoulder for a bit, right?" said Qiao Ying.
Qin Hanyue smiled silently. "I'd welcome it."
Qiao Ying: “Someone was able to sneak into the Qin household unnoticed and poison your father. There’s a high chance there’s a mole. Have you found anything?”
Qin Hanyue: “Since my father was poisoned, I’ve secretly swept through six times over the past year but found no suspicious people.”
The guards and bodyguards of the Qin household all had clean records. None of them had shown any suspicious actions these past two years, and no new people had been recruited in recent years either.
It was likely the work of Hidden Shadows, perhaps even that old bastard Red Heart K acting personally, Qiao Ying thought to herself.
“This isn’t ordinary poison—it’s a chronic toxin. The other party’s goal isn’t your father’s life. Perhaps you’ve been investigating in the wrong direction,” Qiao Ying said.
What Qiao Ying could think of, Qin Hanyue naturally also considered.
Thus, Qin Hanyue turned his head and told her, "I've also been working on clearing out the company side."
The higher-ups of Qin Enterprise Group were all Qin family members and confidants that they knew inside-out. Investigating them wasn’t difficult. What was difficult was the layers under the higher-ups—
the numerous subsidiaries and massive employee count. Ferreting out moles from among them all was no easy task.
Qin Hanyue then awkwardly added, "They certainly have guts to set their sights on my Qin Enterprise Group."
"Even if I give them free rein, they’d have to keel over from the effort. If their goal is Qin Enterprise, I’m in no hurry,” he said confidently.
It wasn’t that Qin Hanyue was arrogant, but rather that the Qin family’s financial power did have that foundation. Not to mention he had more than one Qin Enterprise at hand.
Qiao Ying: That’s true, otherwise they would've just poisoned you directly instead of your father. Clearly you still have use.
Qin Hanyue worriedly warned, “By saving my father, you’ve disrupted their plans. They’ll definitely have you in their sights.”
Qiao Ying pulled up the corners of her lips again, full of disdain, too lazy to even respond.
Qin Hanyue wanted to finally have a proper reason to be responsible for her safety, yet Qiao Ying didn’t care one bit,
not even giving him a chance to speak up.
When Qin Yuchen arrived, he saw Qiao Ying resting her head against his third uncle’s shoulder in the hallway.
He stood frozen in place, hesitating over his steps.
After a while, he silently turned and left.
Older Ming returned to the hospital with a large bag of medicinal ingredients.
Qin Yan carried two iron cages in both hands covered in cloth so the contents couldn’t be seen. Only sounds of rustling could be heard coming from the cages.
Judging from Qin Yan’s taut nerves and disgusted expression like he desperately wished he could stretch out his hands two meters long and toss away the cages at any moment, they likely held some not-so-cute little animals.
Qin Yan: "Miss Qiao, can these rattlesnakes and scorpions also be used in medicine?" Can my father really eat these?
Qiao Ying took the two cages. "These are treasures, especially the rattlesnake. Its whole body is precious. Boil its tail in winter melon soup for an exceptional effect. And if it’s winter melon from winter, the results are even better.”
"I'll take those." Qin Hanyue retrieved the cages from Qiao Ying's hands.
Earlier, Older Ming had listened attentively, about to put down what he held to take notes. At Qiao Ying's "winter melon from winter," his mind went blank. He silently retracted his actions and listened to her spout utter nonsense with a straight face.
Qin Yan: "What exceptional effect?”
Qiao Ying: “It transforms the human genome and develops intelligence. IQ can increase by twenty points."
Qin Yan took a deep breath, eyes widening as if he had discovered some incredible secret method to benefit mankind. Even his voice lowered, "Really?"
Qiao Ying expressionlessly: "No."
Then immediately walked off. But before leaving, she glanced at Qin Hanyue as if saying his assistant was beyond saving with medicine.
Qin Hanyue added: “He’s silly."
He took the cages and followed Qiao Ying.
Older Ming hurried to catch up. Really unable to watch any longer, he helpfully reminded Qin Yan of something he could understand: “There is no winter melon in winter.”
Qin Yan: "..."
After eating something, Qiao Ying dove right back into the laboratory.
She didn’t touch any of the normal medicinal ingredients Older Ming brought, but fully used up all the poisonous ones as well as the toxins.
Seeing Qiao Ying had finished,
Qin Hanyue picked up a test tube from the table.
It contained a pure white liquid that looked like water.
Yet Qiao Ying said, "Be careful. This poison is dozens of times more potent than what's in your father."
Qin Hanyue looked at her.
Only then did he realize she was making more poison.
No wonder he had just seen her add in the toxins extracted from his father's body too.
Qiao Ying twisted her sore neck. "Don't worry. It's not for your father to take."
"Then who is it for?"
Qin Hanyue was surprised Qiao Ying, who was so straightforward and decisive, would actually resort to using poison too. Such an underhanded move really didn't suit her personality. The only explanation was the other party's strength surpassed hers.
"Hidden Shadows?" Other than Hidden Shadows, Qin Hanyue couldn't think of anyone else.
Just as he wanted to say more,
Qiao Ying cut him off. "Master Qin, being too smart isn't a good thing." She took back the vial of poison from him and directly stuffed it into her pocket.
Then said, "Let's go detoxify your father."
