In the study at this moment.
"Dad, guess what Qin Yue told me today?" He Zinian leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed over his chest, a lazy expression on his face.
Old Master He shot He Zinian an annoyed glance, then, leaning on his cane, he feigned a posture of striking him and said, "Stop pretending! Quickly tell me what she wanted to talk to you about. Has our plan progressed further?"
"Dad, don't be so anxious. At your age, you should learn to control your temper. What if something happens to you, old man?" He Zinian said helplessly, pulling out his phone from his pocket and placing the recording of the conversation in front of Old Master He.
After listening to the voice recording, Old Master He was stunned for a moment, then his pupils contracted. He said with disbelief, "How is that possible? How could Meng Lei be that kind of person? This must be a conspiracy by Qin Yue and Zhang Wan'er, trying to sow discord among our family!
Do you have some prejudice against Meng Lei? Why do you always suspect him of having ill intentions? I know Meng Lei better than you do! He has never had bad intentions and isn't very interested in the family business. Otherwise, he would have been groomed as the heir to Meng Shi Group so early on!
You say this child doesn't seek money or fame, so why would he target us? Most importantly, our two families have such good relations. There must be something wrong here. You're willing to believe Chen Lishu, and no matter what methods Qin Yue and Zhang Wan'er use, you'll stand behind her without hesitation. Why can't you trust Meng Lei a little more?"
"Because Chen Lishu truly considers our family. She's been so worried about what's been happening at home lately that she hasn't been able to sleep, her dark circles are so pronounced!
I know the Meng family and us are old friends, so we didn't tell you immediately when we suspected Meng Lei because we didn't have enough evidence. Now we do!
There's something else I haven't told you: ever since I returned, our company's firewall has been attacked. I sent people to investigate, and they found the IP address originated from Kyoto!
At first, I didn't suspect Meng Lei, but then I saw the video this morning!" He Zinian said with a serious expression, leading Old Master He to the basement and playing the scene of Meng Lei and Zhang Wan'er talking together that morning.
"Dad, you should know what Zhang Wan'er is doing in the video, right? Yet Meng Lei stands beside her with a calm expression. He's an heir to a family, I don't think he's that naive to be completely uninterested or even suspicious of what the other person is doing. If he had even the slightest suspicion, he should have come to me to discuss it!"
"This..." Old Master He looked at the scene in the video, his whole body trembling with anger. A flicker of sorrow crossed his eyes, and as he lowered his gaze, preparing to say something, He Zinian seemed to have guessed his next thought.
He said with some anger, "Dad, why don't you understand? I know you feel you owe the Meng family, so you're especially concerned about the only male descendant left in the Meng family. But have you considered that it's precisely because of your excessive concern that Mom almost lost her life?!
If Chen Lishu hadn't been so attentive to external matters and unable to find the mastermind, do you think it's possible that Meng Lei might have targeted Mom again? We were defenseless. Would you only be happy if you lost Mom forever?"
"I think it's very likely that Meng Lei is also responsible for the company's issues, but we don't have absolute proof yet. I've sent my subordinates to secretly investigate this matter. Once I confirm the truth, I will punish Meng Lei. I hope you won't interfere then!
I can't be cordial to someone who hurts Mom. If you like this Meng Lei so much, then prepare to face the disappointment of the entire family!" He Zinian said sternly, then snorted and prepared to leave.
Old Master He quickly stopped him, saying, "It's not that I'm biased. If the evidence is laid out before me, what more can I say? But he is the only child left of the Meng family. I can't just kill him to vent my anger. Decades from now, when I'm in the coffin, how will I account for this to the Meng family?
When the truth is revealed, can you banish Meng Lei and let him fend for himself? Spare his life, and I won't interfere too much with the rest. If he spares his life and still acts recklessly, then you children can make the decisions. I'm old, and I'm starting to feel powerless in many matters!"
After Old Master He finished speaking, the fatigue on his face became suddenly apparent. No matter how much resentment He Zinian held, seeing this, he could only sigh with a heavy heart, "Alright."
----
As night gradually fell, He Zinian thought he had gathered enough evidence and everything was under control, but he didn't expect the unexpected to happen at this moment.
"What's wrong with Mom? Haven't we avoided the drugged meals these past few days? Why is she still running a high fever?" Chen Lishu looked at the listless Old Madam He lying on the bed, her right eyelid twitching violently, her face filled with worry.
Old Master He sat silently on the sofa, leaning on his cane with his head bowed, lost in thought. He Zinian, however, managed to maintain some composure. Facing Chen Lishu's question, he first rubbed his nose, then said with a headache, "We don't know what's going on. It's likely a mutation of the neurotoxin. I've contacted He Ziyu to come back. He's a professional doctor and has been studying this virus lately, so he might be able to accurately diagnose the cause of the illness. We can only wait."
Chen Lishu nodded. Seeing how uncomfortable Old Madam He was, she didn't rest, constantly changing her water and wiping her body. The commotion here was so great that even Zhang Wan'er, resting in her room, heard it.
When she arrived at Old Madam He's room and saw the scene, she was stunned. Didn't she control the dosage when she drugged her, aiming for her to fall ill on Chen Lishu's competition day? How did she fall ill ahead of schedule?
Furthermore, it had been so easy to drug the food these past few days. Why was it that Qin Yue and Meng Lei saw this scene, but none of the many servants noticed? Just as Zhang Wan'er was doubting the truth of the matter, Li Xiulan suddenly approached her.