He Yinian took a deep breath and stared at Qin Yue, reminding her, "This is all the evidence you have to prove your innocence and Meng Lei's guilt? If it's just a few words, I have no way to question Meng Lei!"
Qin Yue felt like crying. She wished she could produce evidence to prove Meng Lei was up to something, but she had been so foolish at the time, believing Meng Lei genuinely saw her as an ally, even a lover. She had thought she could go abroad with him after the plan succeeded, living a life of luxury. Because of this, she hadn't kept any leverage for herself.
"I... I don't have any evidence right now to prove Meng Lei is acting suspiciously, but can you please not make a fuss about this matter for now? I will find a way to catch him. Would it count if I got him to admit to drugging Aunt He himself? He's been very close to Zhang Wan'er recently, and it seems he plans to drug Aunt He again. Perhaps I can trick something out of them. Please, I beg you, don't make a scene about this. I'm afraid if Meng Lei finds out, he might send assassins after me again!"
After saying this, Qin Yue fell to her knees, looking at He Yinian with pleading eyes, almost begging him to spare her. Seeing He Yinian's lack of reaction, her tears fell like pearls from a broken string, and she mumbled, "I don't want to do anything harmful, but I have no choice. If I don't, and Meng Lei knows my secret, and I have no backing, then my only outcome is death. I just want to live and earn a living, but I never expected this path to be so difficult! If I had known, I wouldn't have gotten involved in this mess. Maybe I could have begged those who had a good relationship with the Qin family to see if they could save my brother, and then we could leave the capital, find stable jobs in a small county, and support ourselves!"
Perhaps because Qin Yue's words sounded so "pitiful," He Yinian let out a sigh of helplessness, then walked over and helped her up, slowly saying, "I can keep this quiet, but I must have someone follow you. Who knows if this is just a trick to confuse me and disrupt our family's harmony? If you find evidence proving Meng Lei did these things, your responsibility will indeed be reduced. I understand you were forced to drug my mother, but while you might escape capital punishment, you won't escape consequences. You're not allowed to stay in the courtyard, nor are you allowed to appear before us again. If I ever see you in the capital again..."
Before He Yinian could finish, Qin Yue tightly gripped his hand, her eyes filled with gratitude. "I understand, thank you, second brother! Once I find evidence proving my actions were out of necessity, I will move out of the courtyard and leave the capital. I promise never to return and cause you any trouble. I want to live a good life and start anew!"
He Yinian sighed with a complex expression, nodded at Qin Yue, and returned to his seat, lost in thought. Having achieved her goal, Qin Yue naturally didn't linger around He Yinian to annoy him. She cautiously left the study and returned to her room in high spirits.
Meanwhile, on the other side.
Meng Lei was unaware that Qin Yue had sold him out after he left. He found Zhang Wan'er and saw her drugging the food. Enraged, he rushed to her and demanded, "What are you doing?"
Zhang Wan'er was shocked that her two attempts to drug Old Madam He had been witnessed. She patted her chest and exclaimed, "Why are you so secretive! You don't even make a sound when you walk! You almost scared me to death!"
Meng Lei glared at Zhang Wan'er, furious. "So you are afraid! Do you know how audacious your actions are? What if someone else had walked into the kitchen today? How would you explain this? Your task is complete. The rest of it is up to me to arrange. Don't you want Gu Xingdong? Once my plan succeeds, you will get what you desire!"
Zhang Wan'er cautiously looked around, ensuring no one was paying attention to their movements, then shrugged. "I don't want to do this and get myself into trouble. Isn't this a necessary evil? I'm being targeted by another group, and their goal is to kill Old Madam He! By chance, they found me and used me as a pawn! But don't worry, I've already made arrangements. The drugged meals these past few days were given to Old Madam He by Chen Lishu. If anything happens, we'll just shift all the blame to Chen Lishu. Don't you want to throw the He family into chaos so you can insert your influence into the He Group?"
"I..." Meng Lei's plan was indeed like that, but upon learning that Old Madam He had only a few days left to live, for some reason, his mood became very complicated. Old Madam He had the best relationship with his mother. When his mother was alive, Old Madam He often looked after him; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call her his second mother. Now that she was about to die before his eyes, he felt an unexpected reluctance!
Meng Lei took a breath and asked with a complex expression, "How many days have you been administering the drug?"
"It's been two days, and the dosage is ten times what it was before. There are only two days left until Chen Lishu participates in the competition, so I've timed the dosage carefully. Old Madam He will die in two days. Then, we can disrupt the competition venue and let everyone know that Chen Lishu has become a murderer and is sent to prison! Only when Chen Lishu completely disappears from Gu Xingdong's sight can their relationship be severed, and I can seize the opportunity. Then, my kindness will stand in stark contrast to Chen Lishu, and Gu Xingdong will be devoted to me." As she spoke, a look of madness flashed in Zhang Wan'er's eyes, as if her plan had already succeeded.
Seeing this, Meng Lei couldn't help but call her a madwoman. However, the drug had already been administered for two days, and there was no turning back. So, he could only plan in his heart to contact his subordinates in country M and have them hurry to infiltrate the He Group. When the He family was in chaos, he could naturally step in and take He Yinian's place. Since he couldn't stop Zhang Wan'er from doing this, he could only cover for her. After Zhang Wan'er finished drugging the food and left, for some reason, his right eyelid began to twitch uncontrollably.