Chapter 4: Acting to Deceive the Scumbag — And He Took the Bait

Even more, it was a pure, unmedicated, nourishing chicken soup.

Lin Qiufeng carefully took the insulated container, placed it on the bedside table, and then turned to Shen Wu with a gentle voice:

“Come, let me feed you.”

Shen Wu gave him a playful glare, her cheeks tinged with a rosy blush. “What are you doing? It’s not like I don’t have hands or feet. And the kids are right here.”

“So what if they are? Let them watch — we’ll enjoy our own moment.”

Lin Qiufeng didn’t mind at all. He picked up a spoon, gently scooped some soup, blew on it, and brought it to her lips.

“Come on, be good, open up — I’ll feed you.”

Unable to resist him, Shen Wu obediently opened her mouth and took a sip of the soup.

Watching her parents’ affectionate interaction, Lin Jianxue felt a mix of warmth and bitterness in her heart.

In her previous life, how could she have been so foolish? Manipulated by Jiang Yubai and Tong Caihe, she’d dragged her parents down with her — and ended up with a ruined family and a broken home.

This life, she was going to protect them no matter what. She would never let the tragedy repeat itself.

With that in mind, she quickly pulled herself together and smiled at Shen Wu:

“Mom, you and Dad take your time. Yubai and I will go for a walk so we don’t disturb you.”

Without waiting for Shen Wu’s response, she grabbed Jiang Yubai’s hand and walked out of the ward.

Out in the hospital corridor, the smell of disinfectant was even stronger.

Lin Jianxue hated this smell — it was the scent she’d known too well in her past life.

The two walked side by side in silence.

Then Jiang Yubai suddenly asked, “Jianxue, are you feeling unwell?”

Lin Jianxue paused and turned to look at him. His eyes carried a seemingly sincere concern, as if trying to probe her condition while appearing worried.

She instantly understood what he meant.

In her past life, after drinking the spiked chicken soup made by Tong Caihe and coming to visit Shen Wu, she had suddenly experienced abdominal cramps and found out in the restroom that her period had come early.

And judging by the timeline — this was about that time.

Now that he was asking, it was likely because she hadn’t shown any symptoms yet, and he was getting worried the drug wasn’t working.

Heh. How very “thoughtful” of him.

Lin Jianxue sneered inwardly but kept a pained expression on her face. She clutched her belly and let out a soft cry:

“Ow… I was so worried about Mom earlier, I didn’t even notice. Now I’m realizing… my stomach really hurts.”

Jiang Yubai saw her reaction and finally relaxed a little. He asked, feigning concern, “Did you eat something bad?”

“No, I only ate what Auntie Tong made. Anyway, I’m going to the restroom.”

Lin Jianxue shook her head and pretended she couldn’t bear the pain any longer. With that, she hurried off to the nearby public restroom.

Once inside, she hid inside a stall and peered through the crack in the door.

Sure enough, Jiang Yubai was standing right outside, glancing in anxiously, but the corners of his mouth curled upward in barely contained satisfaction. His eyes sparkled with smugness.

That usually gentle and scholarly face was now twisted with cunning and deceit. There was no trace of his usual refined demeanor.

He kept glancing at his watch, as if calculating something.

Lin Jianxue watched him, her heart growing colder and colder.

In her past life, she had been utterly fooled by this fake gentleman. She had obeyed him in everything, followed him blindly — only to end up with a ruined name and a shattered family.

She bided her time in the restroom.

When she figured enough time had passed, she walked over to the sink and turned on the faucet. Splashing cold water onto her face, she soaked her hair until it stuck messily to her forehead, making herself look disheveled and miserable.

She rubbed her eyes until they turned red, and only then did she nod with satisfaction.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Jianxue put on a weak expression and slowly walked out of the restroom.

The moment Jiang Yubai saw her, he rushed forward, putting on a worried face:

“Jianxue, what happened? You’re sweating so much — your hair’s all wet!”

Lin Jianxue subtly avoided his touch and shook her head, speaking weakly:

“I… I’m fine. It’s just… my period came early, all of a sudden…”

She even rubbed her stomach and put on a look of pain and embarrassment.

“But it only just ended half a month ago… How could it come again so soon?”

Jiang Yubai heard that and completely relaxed.

He secretly let out a breath of relief and thought smugly to himself: looks like that chicken soup really did the trick.

He hadn’t expected it to work so fast and intensely that she broke out in a sweat. But all the better — the stronger the effect, the less chance she had of getting pregnant.

With that comforting thought, he quickly composed himself and said gently:

“Jianxue, don’t worry. You’ve been so worried about Auntie’s health lately. All that stress probably messed up your cycle. I read somewhere that emotional distress can affect menstruation.”

Lin Jianxue laughed inwardly, but on the surface, she put on a look of sudden understanding.

“Oh, so that’s why… I guess you’re right. I really have been too worried about Mom lately.”

She rubbed her belly again and forced back a gag, saying softly:

“I’m feeling much better now. It’s not so painful anymore. Let’s go back to see Mom — we shouldn’t keep her waiting.”

Jiang Yubai nodded and reached out to support her arm, saying with fake gentleness:

“Alright, let’s go back.”