The Stepmother’s Counterattack: Raising a Child in a Bygone Era
Chapter 395 - 394 Drugged

Chapter 395: Chapter 394 Drugged

"Qingqing doesn’t really have many friends around, and you seem to get along well with her. I think you must understand her preferences quite well, otherwise you wouldn’t have made the special trip to trouble you."

In the car, Madame Zhong was holding Shen Mingzhu’s hand, smiling brightly.

Though Madame Zhong was nearly fifty, she looked after herself well and appeared to be only in her early thirties; her hands were especially soft and delicate.

However, Shen Mingzhu was not accustomed to such intimacy, and she took the opportunity of unwrapping her scarf to withdraw her hand.

Madame Zhong’s smile remained unchanged, "What would you like to eat? How about Cantonese cuisine? Li Garden has just opened a new Cantonese restaurant where the roast goose is done quite well."

"Sure."

...

Upon arriving at Li Garden, Shen Mingzhu used the excuse of going to the restroom to call home; she gave the restaurant’s address and asked Pei Yang to come pick her up around eight o’clock.

Afterward, she called Qingqing’s office.

No one answered; at this time, it was likely that Qingqing had already finished work for the day.

She then called the Zhong Family.

The call was answered by Qingqing’s younger sister, Zhong Yin. After learning that Qingqing hadn’t returned home yet, Shen Mingzhu left their secret code and phone number, asking Zhong Yin to pass the message to Qingqing.

Although she couldn’t discern any malice from Madame Zhong at the moment, Shen Mingzhu still felt an indescribable unease.

By the time Shen Mingzhu returned to the private room, a dazzling array of dishes had been laid out on the table, along with an opened bottle of red wine.

"You’re back, please have a seat."

Madame Zhong greeted her with a smile.

Shen Mingzhu was a bit surprised, "Madame Zhong, are there other guests coming?"

"Just the two of us."

"But you’ve ordered too much food, and I don’t drink alcohol."

"I heard you’ve opened a restaurant, so I wanted to order more of the special dishes here, to try different flavors which might be helpful to you. We can just sip the wine, I can’t drink much either; I have a low tolerance for alcohol."

As she spoke, Madame Zhong warmly poured the wine for her.

However, it wasn’t much, just a couple of sips’ worth.

Such an amount couldn’t intoxicate a person, so Shen Mingzhu cheerfully drank down the red wine in her glass.

The taste of the dishes was genuinely good, and as the two of them ate and chatted, they enjoyed themselves for a while.

...

Qingqing was visiting a relative who had recently recovered from a serious illness.

The elderly lady with graying hair held her hand and rambled on, "... You’re not young anymore; get married soon, have children - that’s the most important thing. For a woman, marriage and childbearing are the top priorities. Once you have a child by your side, you have support and a place in this life..."

Qingqing instinctively wanted to pull her hand back.

The old woman had a strong grip, and her nails were digging painfully into the back of Qingqing’s hand.

It wasn’t clear if it was because Qingqing moved too hastily or the old woman’s nails scratched her, but just as she pulled her hand back, the bracelet on her wrist suddenly snapped.

Watching the amethyst beads scatter all over the floor, Qingqing inexplicably felt uneasy.

The bracelet was a birthday gift from Shen Mingzhu last year.

Qingqing’s sleep was poor, and the amethyst was supposed to have a calming effect.

Using the phone at the elder’s residence, Qingqing called the Pei Family’s house.

When she found out Shen Mingzhu was not at home and was dining out with her mother instead, Qingqing suddenly realized why Madame Zhong had arranged for her to visit a barely-known elder alone.

...

"Mrs. Pei? Are you drunk?"

After calling her several times and patting her on the shoulder without any response, Chu Yuqing finally stood up and called over a waiter.

"She’s had too much to drink. Please help me take her up to a guest room to rest."

"Of course, Madame Zhong."

After the waiter laid Shen Mingzhu on the bed, Chu Yuqing generously handed out a twenty-dollar tip.

"She needs to rest well; don’t let anyone disturb her."

The waiter hastily nodded, took the tip with sheer joy, and left.

Staring at Shen Mingzhu on the bed for a good while, Chu Yuqing finally turned and left.

Chu Yuqing did not leave; instead, she went to the front hall, made a phone call, and then sat in the lobby’s waiting area.

Twenty minutes later, a dark blue Volga stopped in front of Li Garden.

Chu Yuqing stood up to greet them, handing over the keys, "The person is in Room 510."

Zhong Jiping patted her shoulder approvingly, "You’ve worked hard."

Chu Yuqing smiled, "Go on up, I will wait for you here."

Zhong Jiping said nothing more, striding into Li Garden, his eager steps betraying his impatience.

Chu Yuqing touched the shoulder her husband had patted, her expression sweet with reminiscence.

She could no longer remember how long it had been since her husband had touched her.

Ever since she had undergone a double mastectomy.

...

Zhong Jiping reached the fifth floor, found room 510, and put the key into the lock to open the door.

Click.

The door behind him opened as well.

"Director Zhong, what a coincidence. Are you here to rest?"

"I have a dinner appointment downstairs, but the other party said they’ll be late, so I came up to rest for a bit."

"Is that so? I’m just about to have dinner myself, why don’t we eat together first?"

"No, thanks. Maybe next time."

...

Ten minutes after Zhong Jiping entered Li Garden, Zhong Qing rushed over as well.

Inside the private room, Chu Yuqing stood alone in front of the window, holding a glass of wine and savoring it slowly.

Hearing someone pushing the door, she turned her head and was surprised to see who entered.

Zhong Qing no longer had her usual grace and composure; she looked panic-stricken, her hair loose behind her head, her eyes filled with anxiety and alarm.

After scanning the private room and not seeing Shen Mingzhu, she immediately approached Chu Yuqing.

"Where is Mingzhu? Where is she?!"

Chu Yuqing looked at her calmly, "Don’t you want to get rid of your father, get rid of the Zhong Family? Now is your best chance. If you really feel guilty, we could consider offering her more compensation."

Smash!

Zhong Qing picked up a wine bottle from the table, smashed it, and pressed the sharp shard against Chu Yuqing’s throat.

"Speak! Where is Mingzhu? Is she upstairs? Which room?"

Chu Yuqing remained unthreatened, instead coolly moving her neck closer, allowing the sharp bottle to cut her skin.

Bright red blood trickled down her snow-white neck, soaking into her collar.

She closed her eyes, identical tea-colored irises to Zhong Qing’s, "Go ahead, it doesn’t matter to me if I live or not."

Zhong Qing, in despair, threw away the broken wine bottle, "If you won’t tell me, then I’ll go find Yan Yi!"

Chu Yuqing grabbed her, "Are you crazy? Why would you ruin your lifelong happiness for an unrelated outsider? Your father has already agreed to your marriage into the Yan Family, and you’ll be the rightful matriarch of the Yan Family, no one will be able to go over your head."

Zhong Qing turned back, her face full of scorn, "It’s you who’s crazy. If you dare hurt a hair on Shen Mingzhu’s head, not just me, but you, dad, and the entire Zhong Family, Yan Yi won’t let any of us off!"

Chu Yuqing shocked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Why do you think I became friends with Shen Mingzhu, and why do Yan Su, Ning Yuan, Zhuang Xueqi, Ning Yuan, care for her the way they do? What do you think makes her so favored by everyone?"

"Are you saying... Yan Yi has feelings for her? Impossible!"

"Mother, choose now, either stop this from happening, or I will call Yan Yi, and we all go down together."

Even though Chu Yuqing was skeptical about Yan Yi liking Shen Mingzhu, she did not dare to take the risk.

There were plenty of women to chase, but antagonizing Yan Yi would harm the Zhong Family more than it would help.

"She’s in 510, but your father has already been up there for a while."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Qing’s legs gave out, and the next second, she bolted out the door.