Chapter 45: Food Poisoning

Jiang Zhi Ning rushed forward, trembling as she picked up Xi Xi in her arms.

“Xi Xi, Xi Xi!” No matter how Jiang Zhi Ning called out, Xi Xi kept her eyes closed.

There were still cake crumbs at the corner of her mouth, and half a pastry remained on the ground.

Sensing that something was terribly wrong, Jiang Zhi Ning immediately picked Xi Xi up and ran out as fast as she could.

Just as she reached the doorway, Song Chen and Song Ye happened to return from school.

When Song Chen saw Xi Xi unconscious in her arms, his pupils contracted sharply. “Xi Xi? What did you do to her?!”

Faced with his furious questioning, Jiang Zhi Ning had no time to explain and instead asked anxiously, “Where’s the hospital?!”

“We don’t know where it is…” Song Ye panicked; after all, they’d never been to the hospital before.

Liu Zhi Lan, who had run over after hearing the commotion, was startled by the scene and quickly said, “I know where it is! Follow me!”

With that, Liu Zhi Lan led the way. Despite wearing high heels and twisting her ankle slightly, Jiang Zhi Ning didn’t slow down for even a moment.

Near the military compound, there was an army hospital specifically for soldiers and their families.

“Doctor! Doctor!”

Hearing the urgent call, a doctor rushed out. Seeing the foam at Xi Xi’s mouth, he asked, “What happened?”

Recalling what she had just seen, Jiang Zhi Ning quickly replied, “She may have eaten something like a pastry.”

The doctor immediately ordered, “Bring her in now!”

Jiang Zhi Ning carried Xi Xi into a treatment room and gently laid her on the bed.

The doctor then began a series of examinations.

“How is my daughter?” Jiang Zhi Ning asked nervously.

“Looks like food poisoning. Everyone out,” the doctor said firmly, then shut the door to begin treatment.

Staring at the closed door, Jiang Zhi Ning felt her heart in her throat.

“Zhi Ning, don’t worry, Xi Xi will be fine,” Liu Zhi Lan comforted her, patting her back.

Jiang Zhi Ning nodded, eyes fixed anxiously on the closed door.

Shortly after, Song Yu Zhou arrived in a rush.

“How’s Xi Xi?” he asked urgently.

“She’s still being treated,” Jiang Zhi Ning’s lashes trembled.

Seeing the worry in her eyes, Song Yu Zhou held her hand tightly.

“Did you try to kill my sister on purpose?” Song Chen coldly accused.

Jiang Zhi Ning’s eyes widened. “I didn’t!”

“If it wasn’t you, then why was Xi Xi foaming at the mouth?” Song Chen shouted.

“Song Chen! Is that how you talk to your mother?” Song Yu Zhou scolded.

“She’s not my mom!”

“Then if you won’t accept her as your mom, don’t call me your dad either,” Song Yu Zhou said coldly.

Jiang Zhi Ning stood frozen in place.

Just then, the door opened and the doctor stepped out.

“Doctor, how is the child?” Song Yu Zhou quickly stepped forward.

Removing his mask, the doctor said, “Luckily she was brought in time. She’s out of danger. We performed a gastric lavage, and she should wake up soon.”

“Gastric lavage?” Song Yu Zhou was puzzled.

“Yes. It was food poisoning. As parents, you need to be more careful. The child is still young. If it happens again, it could be very dangerous.”

Hearing this, Song Yu Zhou turned to her. “Zhi Ning, what happened?”

His warm grip offered her a trace of comfort.

“I don’t know either,” Jiang Zhi Ning shook her head in confusion.

“Wasn’t Xi Xi with you?”

Song Yu Zhou’s heart was still pounding. If anything had happened to Xi Xi, how could he face his older brother?

But he knew Jiang Zhi Ning loved Xi Xi deeply—just as much as he did. She would never harm her.

“I had to go out briefly, and Xi Xi was sleepy, so I let her nap at home,” Jiang Zhi Ning explained.

Song Chen stared at her with resentment. “She was with another man at the time.”

Song Yu Zhou frowned. “Another man?”

“I saw her myself, pulling and tugging with some guy near the compound gate, standing really close. Dad, it’s the same man I told you about before.”

Song Yu Zhou’s heart stirred uneasily, but he refused to judge based on one side alone. “Zhi Ning, I want to hear it from you.”

“It was just a coincidence. I happened to run into him,” Jiang Zhi Ning explained.

“You just happened to run into him and needed to pull and tug like that? Dad, that man is a soldier too.”

Angry over Xi Xi’s condition and not wanting his father to be deceived, Song Chen lashed out. In his mind, all women were untrustworthy.

“Song Yu Zhou, I didn’t do it.” Jiang Zhi Ning looked up at him, eyes earnest.

“I believe you,” Song Yu Zhou replied softly.

Song Chen couldn’t believe what he was hearing—his father actually believed Jiang Zhi Ning?

“Dad, sister’s awake!” Song Ye called out.

Upon hearing this, Song Yu Zhou released Jiang Zhi Ning’s hand and rushed into the room, gently cradling the weak Xi Xi.

“Daddy, I don’t feel good…” Xi Xi murmured tearfully.

“It’s okay now. Daddy’s taking you home,” Song Yu Zhou whispered tenderly and lifted her up.

As they passed by Jiang Zhi Ning, he paused. “Let’s go home.”

Tears welled up in Jiang Zhi Ning’s eyes as she quickly followed behind.

Watching this, Song Chen clenched his fists in anger.

The incident had drawn attention, and several neighbors pointed at Jiang Zhi Ning.

“She’s so cruel—how could she do that to a two-year-old?”

“Exactly. Who wants to be a stepmom these days? Probably bitter and wanted to get rid of the kid.”

Jiang Zhi Ning said nothing in response. She didn’t care what others thought—only Song Yu Zhou’s opinion mattered to her.

Back home, Jiang Zhi Ning couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off.

“I wasn’t gone for even two hours. Xi Xi usually naps for at least that long. Why would she wake up early? And that pastry…”

Jiang Zhi Ning walked to the living room, bent down under the square table, and found the remaining piece of pastry.

She examined the slightly pinkish cake and sniffed it—it had the distinct scent of mushrooms.

“Could it be she was poisoned by toxic mushrooms in the cake?” Jiang Zhi Ning’s expression darkened. “Who put the pastry here?”

At the same time, in a small room—

“Dad, can you leave her?”