Free Web NovelChapter 254: Chapter 254: Eavesdropping
The flowers in the vase looked ordinary, but their fragrance, if inhaled for too long, would cause mental confusion, slowed movements, and speech impediments. In other words, prolonged exposure to this scent would induce symptoms of dementia.
Of course, the fragrance had no effect on Su Qing. But as she thought of the Li Wan she had seen in her retrieved memories, she couldn’t help but narrow her eyes. ’Li Wan’s current condition is almost certainly tied to the Li family.’ She then recalled the water she had drunk earlier today. There had been something in it—she knew that—but she had neutralized it with the green mist. ’And I bet whatever was in that water was nothing good, either.’
’After all, Li Aiguo was the kind of person who kept powders on hand to make people sick!’
’But there was something Su Qing couldn’t figure out. Years ago, Li Aiguo had tricked Li Wan into returning, and he was responsible for her current condition. Now, he had brought her back and was secretly using these harmful substances. Clearly, he wanted to do the same thing to her that he did to Li Wan.’
’But what was the Li family’s motive for doing all this?’
’Was it simply for the sake of hurting someone?’ freewebnσvel.cøm
’What kind of deep-seated grudge could there be between Li Wan and the Li family to make them resort to such cruelty?’
Su Qing couldn’t figure it out. After a moment’s thought, she secretly connected with a Lan Cao plant in Li Aiguo and Zhao Li’e’s room.
One had to admit, the Li family truly loved flowers. Nearly every room had either a vase of cut flowers or a potted plant. As it happened, Li Aiguo and Zhao Li’e’s room contained a potted Lan Cao.
The timing was perfect. Just as Su Qing tuned in, Li Aiguo walked into the room.
Seeing Li Aiguo enter, Zhao Li’e threw herself onto the bed in a huff and glared at him.
Li Aiguo stepped forward to console her. "Liyue, I know today’s events upset you, but you know we have to focus on the big picture."
"Hmph! You have no idea how arrogant that ’good’ niece of yours is," Zhao Li’e said angrily. "I was worried she might be hungry, so I kindly went to bring her a meal. And what did she do? She wouldn’t even let me in! The door was locked tight, and she just sent me away, saying she wasn’t eating. Does she really think I’m her personal servant?"
"Liyue, you’ve had to put up with a lot." Hearing Zhao Li’e’s words, Li Aiguo’s face filled with anger as well, but he maintained his patience and continued to soothe her.
"And what about Xiaodong and Xiao Juan? We wouldn’t even dream of laying a hand on our own children! But today, the moment that Su Qing arrived, she beat both of them without sparing either one. Who the hell does she think she is? Is she so great just because she’s strong? And was our daughter wrong? Without our Li family, her mother would have been dead long ago! She wouldn’t even be here!" Zhao Li’e’s anger was still simmering. Earlier, she had to keep quiet for the sake of the bigger picture and watch her own son and daughter suffer. But now, alone in their room, the more she thought about it, the angrier she became, and she couldn’t help but vent at Li Aiguo.
"I know, I know," Li Aiguo said quickly. "But for now, we have to play along with her. If she throws a fit and leaves, our whole plan will be ruined."
Hearing this, Zhao Li’e lowered her voice, as if afraid of being overheard. "That Su Qing doesn’t have a good temper. There’s no telling when she’ll cause a scene and try to leave. If you ask me, you should drop this slow and steady approach. The effects might not even show before she’s gone. You should just get it over with in one go. The longer we wait, the more can go wrong."
Li Aiguo shot Zhao Li’e a look. "You think I don’t want to? But have you considered this? We’re surrounded by neighbors. There’s no hiding the fact that I brought Su Qing back. And don’t forget the people from Lihua Village. If we do it all at once, it’s bound to raise suspicion. It would be a huge problem if the police got involved. If they took her for a medical examination, the drugs in her system wouldn’t have been fully absorbed yet. We’d all be in deep trouble if they found anything."
"And you think if we do it slowly, no one will be suspicious when Su Qing suddenly turns witless?" Zhao Li’e retorted, pursing her lips.
"Of course it’s different," Li Aiguo said. "Given enough time, the drugs will be completely absorbed. An examination wouldn’t turn up anything. We could just make up some excuse to explain it away. It would be much, much easier."
Hearing this, Zhao Li’e fell silent, pressing her lips together. After a long moment, she said, "You should have just done it the same way you dealt with Li Wan back then. When Li Wan came to us, she was already a bit dazed and simple-minded, so no one got suspicious. We just had to make up an excuse. But now? This Su Qing shows up perfectly healthy and even beats up Xiaodong and Xiao Juan. It’s infuriating!"
At the mention of this, Li Aiguo felt a surge of anger himself. "You think I didn’t want to?"
Li Aiguo took a deep breath. "You don’t know how damn clever that girl is. The entire way here, she refused to eat anything I gave her. She only ate the food she’d brought, and if not that, she would only eat the boxed meals sold on the train. I even offered to get her a glass of water, and she wouldn’t let me."
’If she hadn’t been acting like that, how could he have failed to find an opportunity to make his move?’
Zhao Li’e stared at Li Aiguo in surprise. "That wretched girl is that on guard against you? Don’t tell me she knows something?"
"I doubt it." Li Aiguo shook his head. "If she knew, she wouldn’t be acting so calm."
"That’s true," Zhao Li’e agreed with a nod.
"I think she’s on guard because she found out I had someone drug her back then." Recalling what Su Qing had said, Li Aiguo gritted his teeth. "If I’d known that person had such a big mouth, I would have taken extra precautions."
"And look at you, being so careless back then," Zhao Li’e added, her voice full of anger.
At this, Zhao Li’e remembered something else. "Oh, right. Didn’t you say she had a scar on her face? I looked at her today, and her face is perfectly smooth. It doesn’t look like she has a scar at all. Why don’t we find a chance to throw a basin of hot water on her and ruin her face? It’s vexing to see her looking just like that bitch of a mother. Besides, it’ll be trouble if *that* family sees her. Don’t you agree?"
Zhao Li’e spoke of disfiguring Su Qing as casually as if she were commenting on the weather. Listening in through the Lan Cao plant, Su Qing couldn’t help but narrow her eyes.
’Fine. Just fine. They want to ruin my face, and they talk about it so casually. If I don’t repay them in kind, now *that* would be impolite of me.’
As she thought this, Su Qing continued to listen in.
She heard Li Aiguo frown and say, "You know, the thing about that scar on Su Qing’s face... it really is quite peculiar."
"How so?" Zhao Li’e asked, her curiosity piqued. freewebnøvel.coɱ
Li Aiguo’s frown deepened. "According to the information I gathered, the scar on Su Qing’s left cheek was supposed to be huge—it covered almost the entire left side of her face."
"What!"
