"Take your medicine!"
Seeing her tearful eyes, Qin Ningyi felt a flutter in his heart, but he was also distressed by her pain.
After watching Huo Rou swallow the painkillers, he held her and gently rocked her.
"Tell me if it hurts, don't be stubborn," he said softly, as if coaxing a child.
Huo Rou's voice was soft as she nestled in his arms, "I'm not being stubborn."
"Then why are you sitting so upright?" Qin Ningyi tapped her forehead, making his point clear.
Seeing that the color in her arms had improved, Qin Ningyi finally relaxed.
"I just..." Huo Rou buried her head in his chest and said slowly, "I'm used to it."
This answer made his breath catch.
His kiss fell lightly on her forehead, tender and affectionate.
Feeling his gentleness, Huo Rou pursed her lips and tentatively reached out to wrap her arms around his waist.
A voice like a little kitten's sounded, "Qin Ningyi."
"Mm?"
Qin Ningyi's throat vibrated as he responded in a low voice.
"I'm in pain."
"It really hurts."
Huo Rou's grip tightened as she said these two sentences.
She had already taken the first step.
Qin Ningyi felt the strength of her fingers and pulled her tightly into his embrace.
His voice was a little unsteady, trembling slightly, as if afraid of startling this delicate kitten.
"Where does it hurt?"
"My stomach."
His warm hand was placed on her stomach, rubbing it gently.
"Does this feel a little better?"
He would never have done such a thing before.
It was like when a child falls by the roadside, and an adult "blows on it" for them.
He never thought that such an action would be more useful than taking them to see a doctor.
But at this moment, he seemed to understand that feeling.
Huo Rou rubbed against him, "Mm, and here..."
Qin Ningyi patiently massaged every spot she mentioned.
It seemed to be effective, as Huo Rou leaned comfortably on his shoulder, the ice in her eyes beginning to melt.
By the time the medicine took full effect and the pain subsided, Huo Rou realized how many requests she had made.
And every one of her requests had been treated seriously.
Qin Ningyi had not shown the slightest hint of impatience.
"It's over," Huo Rou felt a little shy after the fact. "I need to go back."
"Mm," Qin Ningyi was reluctant to let go.
Xiao Konglin's phone rang. He put it on speaker, holding Huo Rou as he got out of the car.
"President Qin!" Xiao Konglin's voice echoed in the car, sounding urgent. "Zhou Qin is dead!"
Qin Ningyi seemed unsurprised. He asked calmly, "Did Zhou Deren make a move?"
The answer he received was not what he expected.
"Died of poisoning."
"Huh?"
Xiao Konglin spoke quickly, "It seems she was poisoned long ago, and Zhou Deren is not in good condition either."
Huo Rou started paying attention when she heard the word "poison."
Hearing that both of them were poisoned made her a little curious.
"Has it been tested? Is it the same poison?" Huo Rou asked directly.
Xiao Konglin was momentarily stunned when he heard Huo Rou's voice.
"We're waiting for the test report," Xiao Konglin replied. "But their symptoms are similar, so it should be the same poison."
Huo Rou looked in the direction of the interrogation room, her mind already made up.
"Go ahead."
Qin Ningyi seemed to have thought of this as well. He put Huo Rou down and watched her return to the interrogation room.
After hanging up the phone, he found Zhao Wen. "Those people we apprehended, keep them separated. I'll have a doctor come and check on them first."
Meanwhile, Huo Rou returned to the interrogation room and got straight to the point with Shen Yuanshu. "Did you poison Zhou Qin and Zhou Deren?"
Hearing Huo Rou's question, Shen Yuanshu's first reaction was, "Are you happy?"
"That woman spoke disrespectfully to you and said all sorts of things, so there was no need to say more," he said, looking at Huo Rou as if seeking praise. "It's just that she had some use, so the poison took effect a little later."
"Are you happy?" he insisted, wanting Huo Rou's answer.
Huo Rou sighed. "No."
"What I regret most in the past was your brilliant talent being led astray."
Huo Rou's gaze fell on him, her eyes filled with a deep emotion. She had once wished for Shen Yuanshu's talent, the kind of talent that could save so many people.
But she could only manage drug purification, and she was somewhat lacking in more complex combination research.