Shen Qingqing's eyes suddenly turned cold. "I understand, old man. Thank you."
"Do you need my help?"
"No, if I do, I will contact you."
The old man asked no further questions.
After hanging up the phone, Shen Qingqing returned to the ward with a cold face. The moment she stepped inside, the cold indifference on her face was replaced by gentleness.
"Mommy!" Shen Jinxi reached out his hands to her.
Shen Qingqing walked over, held him in her arms, and stroked his back with an unprecedented tenderness. Fu Jingshu watched them from the side, his gaze as focused as if he were looking at his entire world.
Shen Qingqing lowered her head and asked, "Xixi, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere?"
Shen Jinxi shook his head and replied obediently, "No, Mommy, don't worry. I'm fine now. It was probably just an accident before."
Knowing that the child was comforting her, Shen Qingqing felt a surge of warmth. "Silly child..."
She held him tighter, then quickly loosened her grip, afraid of hurting him. She was so caught up in her emotions. Fu Jingshu stood up and pulled both mother and son into his embrace.
Shen Qingqing immediately felt the coldness around her dissipate, leaving only the faint, cool fragrance of the man and his warmth.
Unknowingly, Shen Jinxi fell asleep. The couple exchanged a glance, covered the child with the blanket, and turned to walk out the door.
Closing the door, Fu Jingshu took her hand but remained silent.
Shen Qingqing clasped his fingertips back. "I can confirm that Xixi was poisoned. I already have a suspect in mind."
"Ms. Zhao."
Shen Qingqing looked at Fu Jingshu in surprise. "How did you..."
Fu Jingshu raised his hand and rubbed her hair. "I came by before and saw Ms. Zhao coming out of Director Liu's office."
But he hadn't met Ms. Zhao then and hadn't thought anything of it. It wasn't until he saw Ms. Zhao bringing fruit that Shen Qingqing understood why he had been so wary of that basket of fruit. "The fruit, did you find anything?"
"No problems."
The test results had come back earlier, but since there were no issues, Fu Jingshu hadn't mentioned it, thinking he had been overly cautious. However, if faced with it again, he still wouldn't have let the mother and child touch that fruit.
Shen Qingqing's face turned cold. "Although I'm reluctant to believe it, I have to. She had contact with Director Liu, poisoned the child... and managed to do it without leaving a trace. Only Yuan Yuan could have done it." But that child was less than six years old. What could she do? The person behind this was obvious.
Fu Jingshu pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on her head. His warm breath gently caressed her hair as he spoke. "What do you want to do?"
Shen Qingqing hugged his waist and closed her eyes. "Set a trap."
"Okay." He always supported her unconditionally. Shen Qingqing tightened her grip on his waist, slowly opened her eyes, her gaze filled with coldness and sharpness.
The trap she set was simple. When Ms. Zhao came to visit Shen Jinxi with Yuan Yuan again, Shen Qingqing didn't let them in. At the door, with red eyes, she stopped them. "The child is not doing well. The doctor said no visitors..."
Ms. Zhao's heart skipped a beat. "Didn't you say before that there was nothing serious?"
Shen Qingqing lowered her head and wiped her eyes. "The child was just injected with a special medicine. He's in a critical recovery phase now. If he has an allergic reaction at this time..." Her voice grew choked, and she couldn't continue.
Ms. Zhao raised her hand as if to comfort her, but she trembled and lowered it. She instinctively pulled Yuan Yuan closer. "Don't be sad, he'll be alright."
Shen Qingqing looked up, a bitter smile on her face. "Mm."
Ms. Zhao sighed softly and lowered her head. Deep within her eyes was a deep sense of guilt. However, when she looked at Yuan Yuan again, it all turned into determination. As long as it was for Yuan Yuan, she could not refuse anything.
She stayed to chat with Shen Qingqing for a while before leaving. After sending the child back to the ward, she took out her phone in the corridor and called Director Liu.
The call was answered quickly. A somewhat indifferent voice came from the other end. "Hello."
Ms. Zhao said with difficulty, "It's done. That child is not doing well now. I've done what I promised you. Can you give me my reward?"
"You want money?"
"Didn't you promise me?" Ms. Zhao found the question strange. Was Director Liu not planning to pay her? She immediately became anxious. "You promised me, you can't go back on your word!"
"Are you sure your poison has taken effect?"
Ms. Zhao quickly replied, "I'm sure. I saw the child collapse with my own eyes. And I visited several times, confirming that the doctor couldn't find any abnormalities. I went again today, and Shen Qingqing said the child was not well. I believe her as a mother; she wouldn't lie! I can tell she was telling the truth!"
There was a long silence on the other end. Ms. Zhao grew anxious. "Are you really going to renege on the deal?"
"Of course, I won't renege."
The voice on the phone suddenly became very strange. It sounded like a woman's voice, and... it seemed like two voices speaking at once!
Ms. Zhao suddenly turned around and saw Shen Qingqing holding the phone, looking at her coldly.
Ms. Zhao's hand began to tremble. "You..."
Shen Qingqing walked towards her, step by step. Her voice rang out, also coming from the phone. "Are you very disappointed to see me?"
With a crack, Ms. Zhao's phone fell to the ground, the screen shattering into pieces, much like her current emotions.
In the lounge, the air was heavy with a deathly silence. Shen Qingqing and Fu Jingshu sat on the sofa. Ms. Zhao stood opposite them, with Yuan Yuan leaning against her. The little girl didn't know what was happening, only that she had run out of the ward when she heard voices. Ms. Zhao had wanted to coax her back, but a child's intuition is often sharp. She seemed to sense that something was wrong and absolutely refused to leave Ms. Zhao.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault. I was blinded by greed. If you want to call the police, if you want to hit me, I won't resist, nor will I complain. But..." Ms. Zhao bit her lip, knowing that what she was about to say was utterly shameless, but she had to say it. "But please let me get some money from Director Liu. I need to save my daughter... she has mild acute myocarditis..." Because she was young and weak, she needed hospitalization and care. If her condition was managed well, she would be fine.
Shen Qingqing asked only one question: "And my child?"
Ms. Zhao was speechless.
Yuan Yuan still didn't know what was going on. "Mommy, did you do something wrong?"
Ms. Zhao was utterly unable to face her daughter at this moment. She had harmed her daughter's friend, yet she had to do it... "Yuan Yuan, don't ask, don't look at Mommy..."
"Now you know shame," Shen Qingqing said coldly. "When you used her to harm Xixi, did you ever think about what your daughter would think of you when she found out what you've done?"