Chapter 023: “You Actually Drugged Them”

When Jiang Junwen saw Luo Shuyao’s pale face, he immediately panicked.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take you to the hospital right now!”

Madam Jiang sat calmly in her seat, watching Jiang Junwen frantically carry Luo Shuyao out the door.

The old butler, looking worried, walked over and asked, “Madam, will Miss Luo be alright?”

Madam Jiang took a sip of juice and said with disdain,
“It’s just some birth control pills—what could possibly happen? Don’t worry, no one’s dying.”

The old butler: “…”

Jiang Junwen rushed out of the house with Luo Shuyao in his arms, yelling,
“Driver! Where’s the driver?!”

Shen Guiqi quickly ran over. “Young Master, what are your orders?”

“Quick! Take us to the hospital!” Jiang Junwen said anxiously.

Seeing Luo Shuyao in a bad state, Shen Guiqi immediately grabbed the keys and drove the car out of the garage. Jiang Junwen carefully carried the groaning Luo Shuyao into the car.

Luo Shuyao, clutching her stomach, looked deathly pale. In a weak voice, she repeated,
“Ah Wen… my stomach… it hurts so bad…”

She kept saying the same thing—her stomach hurt.

Jiang Junwen hesitated and asked,
“Shuyao, is this menstrual pain?”

Luo Shuyao weakly shook her head.
“No, I don’t get cramps. I’ve never had pain like this before.”

She really had never experienced this kind of pain.

Shen Guiqi, looking in the rearview mirror and seeing how much pain Luo Shuyao was in, couldn’t help asking,
“Miss Luo, could you have eaten something bad?”

The moment he said it, Luo Shuyao reacted in panic,
“N-no… I only had a bowl of bird’s nest porridge today…”

As she spoke, her eyes widened in shock as she looked at Jiang Junwen.

Jiang Junwen: “…”

His expression darkened. A memory from his past life suddenly resurfaced.

He remembered once bringing Shen Qingli back to the Jiang home. After having a meal with his mother Gao Xuanzhen, Shen Qingli also suffered sudden stomach pain and vomiting.

He’d taken her to the hospital, run blood tests, allergy panels, food tests—everything. Three days later, they found out she had ingested a heavy dose of birth control pills.

Back then, Jiang Junwen had a huge argument with Shen Qingli, believing she had taken the pills herself.

Shen Qingli suspected Madam Jiang had drugged her, but Jiang Junwen hadn’t believed her.

Now…

Looking at Luo Shuyao’s symptoms—it was identical to what Shen Qingli had experienced.

Luo Shuyao said weakly,
“Ah Wen… do you think the porridge I ate had something in it?”

Jiang Junwen’s face turned frighteningly dark. He suddenly shouted,
“Stop the car!”

Shen Guiqi, startled, quickly hit the brakes.

Jiang Junwen turned to him and said,
“Driver, take Shuyao to the hospital. I’ll meet you there.”

He got out of the car, gently touched Luo Shuyao’s cheek, and said softly,
“Don’t be afraid. Let the driver take you to the hospital first. I’ll come soon—I just need to grab my phone.”

Luo Shuyao clutched her stomach, looking weak and pained.
“But… Ah Wen…”

Jiang Junwen reassured her again,
“I’ll find you soon. I’ll contact a doctor for you.”

Then he shut the car door, and Shen Guiqi drove off.

Luo Shuyao was in unbearable pain. Sweat beaded on her forehead, nausea rising.

She no longer had the energy to wonder why Jiang Junwen had left.

She felt like she was dying.

…

Jiang Junwen returned to the Jiang estate with a terrifyingly dark expression.

At that moment, Gao Xuanzhen was instructing the maids,
“Clear these dishes away. Wash them thoroughly—since an outsider came to eat today, make sure to disinfect everything properly.”

The maids in the kitchen nodded and started clearing the table.

Just then, Jiang Junwen—who was supposed to be at the hospital with Luo Shuyao—stormed back in, expression cold.

He stared at one of the maids and barked,
“Wait! Leave the bowl Luo Shuyao used!”

Gao Xuanzhen: “…”

She looked at him, surprised.
“Ah Wen? Why are you back?”

Jiang Junwen glared at her, voice full of suppressed fury.
“Gao Xuanzhen! Tell me—did you put birth control pills in Luo Shuyao’s porridge?”

Gao Xuanzhen looked startled, a flicker of guilt flashing in her eyes. But she quickly shook her head.

“Ah Wen, you really have no brain when you fall in love. Luo Shuyao has a stomachache and you immediately think I drugged her? I’m your own mother! How could you suspect me?”

She had used the same excuses in the past.

Back then, Jiang Junwen had taken her side.

But now, after realizing she was capable of drugging someone, overwhelming guilt and regret drowned him.

He had been with Shen Qingli for five years, and she’d never gotten pregnant.

What had Gao Xuanzhen said at the time?

She said she didn’t care about Shen Qingli’s background and agreed to let her marry in—but only on the condition that she bore the Jiang family a child first.

Jiang Junwen’s eyes were red, chest heaving with fury. He looked at her with deep resentment.

He sneered,
“Yes, you’re my mother. You’d never do something like that. You said you approved of me being with Luo Shuyao, and you’d even agree to our marriage one day—but only if she gave birth to my child first, right?”

Gao Xuanzhen froze, her smile fading.

How did Jiang Junwen know her true intentions?

In her plan, she wouldn’t let her relationship with her son break down, but she’d also never allow Luo Shuyao to marry into the family.

But how had he figured it out?

Jiang Junwen stared at her, voice trembling with pain and fury,
“Gao Xuanzhen! Are you even human? How could you be so vicious?”

Gao Xuanzhen had felt a twinge of guilt earlier, but at his outburst, her expression hardened.

She coldly retorted,
“You say I’m vicious? Do you even understand who I’m doing all this for? You know what kind of family Luo Shuyao comes from—her father’s about to go to jail, he already has a criminal record! You want your future child to have a grandfather like that? You’re the only son of the Jiang family! You’re supposed to inherit everything—we can’t have this!”

“Enough!” Jiang Junwen shouted.

He glared at her, his face full of pain.
“I’m so disappointed in you. I could accept anything—but you actually drugged them…”

He said them.

That word made Gao Xuanzhen pause.

But Jiang Junwen turned and stormed off, his departure filled with finality.

Gao Xuanzhen stood there, arms crossed, her expression resolute.
“I did nothing wrong. I’m doing this for his own good. He’s only nineteen—what does he know? He doesn’t understand how complicated people can be. The world is full of danger. Without me, what would he become?”

…

Back at the Jiang house, Shen Qingli had already predicted this whole drama.

But she wasn’t interested.

In this life, she just wanted to stay far, far away from the Jiang family. Nothing there had anything to do with her anymore.

The moment she got on the bus, she instinctively looked for Pei Songjiang.

And there he was—standing in the back of the bus, just looking at her.

Shen Qingli immediately squeezed over.
“Morning, senior!”

Pei Songjiang nodded, a soft smile in his eyes.
“Morning.”

Shen Qingli had a carton of milk in her bag, but after what Jiang Junwen had said last time, she felt a bit embarrassed to offer it now.

She shyly explained,
“Senior, I took your hat home and washed it last night. It’s not dry yet, so I’ll return it to you tomorrow.”

Pei Songjiang looked down at her and smiled.
“Okay.”

Shen Qingli secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness he didn’t say to just keep the hat.

She was starting to get nervous about how casually he gave things away.

A few seconds later, Pei Songjiang looked at her intently and suddenly asked,
“Ali, do you have classes this afternoon?”

Shen Qingli shook her head.
“No, but I have a part-time shift at the restaurant later.”

Pei Songjiang blinked in surprise.
“You’re working part-time? At which restaurant?”

Shen Qingli answered honestly without thinking,
“A place called Mortal Smoke and Fire. Have you heard of it?”

Pei Songjiang: “…”

He hadn’t just heard of it.

His mom owned the place.