Shen Qingqing hesitated for a moment, then followed, leaning against the doorway and not entering. "Old man, how confident are you in researching this antidote?"
"Uncertain."
The old man was fiddling with the collection of bottles and jars, his voice a bit noisy and muffled by the clinking sounds.
Shen Qingqing frowned slightly. "Although we can be sure those poisons won't kill them, the onset will be extremely painful. We can't rely on just one method."
"What do you want to do?"
The old man stopped his actions, and the room instantly became incredibly quiet.
Shen Qingqing leaned against the door, her expression indifferent. "Leave the research of the antidote to you. I believe if the person behind this administered poison, they must have an antidote."
"No! You can't go!"
The old man immediately understood her intention and vehemently objected.
"Old man..."
"Listen to me," the old man interrupted before she could finish. "If the other party administered poison, wouldn't they have thought to hide the antidote? With so many people coming to find us today, such a big commotion, the other party couldn't possibly not know."
Once they knew, they would inevitably guess that they might try to get their hands on the antidote.
Going to get the antidote now would be like a lamb entering a tiger's den, walking right into a trap.
"But we are too passive like this." Shen Qingqing glanced at the time; it was already seven in the evening. According to her conversations with those patients today, and the symptoms and probabilities of onset they described.
Now was precisely the time for the second onset.
During the onset, their outward appearance showed no abnormalities, and they would simply fall unconscious. But only they themselves knew that after losing consciousness, it felt as if countless knives were slicing their flesh.
The pain was unbearable, making life worse than death.
The old man was, of course, well aware of these symptoms. But precisely because he understood the malicious intentions of the poisoner, he became even more worried.
"In any case, I don't agree with you going."
"If you absolutely want to go and take a look, then I, this old man, will go in your stead."
"If you go, who will research the antidote?"
Shen Qingqing asked back with a smile.
The old man’s face was full of stubbornness. "I don't care about that. At worst, I won't research the antidote; I'll just snatch it from that person."
"Do you know who administered the poison?"
"Not yet."
The old man snorted coldly, his eyes filled with extreme disgust.
Shen Qingqing walked in and raised a hand, hooking it around the old man's slightly thin, bony shoulder. "Do you have so little faith in me?"
The old man remained silent.
Shen Qingqing said softly, "Don't worry, I'll come back as safely as I leave. Nothing will happen, and I won't act recklessly. I'll just go and scout it out first."
"This is walking into a trap!"
"This is using their plan against them."
The old man was momentarily choked, and he knitted his brows, looking at her. "How can you be so sure that your plan will perfectly counter his? What if you fall into his trap?"
"That's our gamble." No one knows who will win or lose. "We'll know when we go."
The old man stared at her for a long moment. Feeling the genuine happiness radiating from this girl, he was incredibly conflicted. If he refused to let her go, she would definitely be restless. But if he indulged her and let her go...
It was simply too dangerous!
Just then, there was a knock on the door. It was Zhao Qian, clutching his chest, his face pale. "I feel a bit unwell, and I'm also dizzy..."
Before he could finish speaking, he slid down the doorframe and collapsed onto the floor.
Shen Qingqing and the old man rushed to help him. They moved him to the bed, and after an examination, as expected, Zhao Qian had also been poisoned.
"See, I have to go." Shen Qingqing's expression was grim.
The old man could no longer stop her. "You can go, but you must promise me you'll come back completely intact!"
"I promise."
With that promise, the old man finally felt a little relieved.
Shen Qingqing handed Zhao Qian over to him and turned to leave. Suddenly, she remembered something. "Old man, remember to go check on King."
"Got it. I'll handle him. As for that brat Fu Jingshu, I won't bother with him," the old man waved his hand without looking back.
Shen Qingqing smiled slightly. "I'll handle him."
She returned to her room. The first thing she did was give Fu Jingshu a thorough examination. Confirming he wasn't poisoned, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.
After much hesitation, she decided to tell him the truth.
"Tonight, I'm going to Z's house."
Fu Jingshu immediately said, "I'll go with you."
"No..."
Before Shen Qingqing could finish, Fu Jingshu grabbed her wrist and pulled her into his embrace. "Either I go with you, or neither of us goes."
Shen Qingqing: "..."
He was quite domineering.
In the end, they went together. The precise address was given to them by King. He always had more convenient access to information when he was in country H.
"Thanks."
Shen Qingqing took the address and didn't say much else. She and Fu Jingshu set off together.
The villa was located in the suburbs, halfway up a mountain. It was a villa district, but very few people actually lived there.
Rumor had it that there were some unpleasant stories associated with the place.
After Z moved in, no one else came to occupy the surrounding villas. The reason was never found out, but Shen Qingqing suspected it had something to do with that guy's methods.
The villa was brightly lit, and several bodyguards stood at the entrance.
However, this was no obstacle for Shen Qingqing and her husband.
Ten minutes later, the couple silently appeared in the villa's corridor. Inside the villa was not as heavily guarded as it appeared from the outside; only servants bustled about.
The couple deliberately concealed their presence, so the servants naturally didn't notice them.
Shen Qingqing took out the villa's floor plan, which King had procured. Following the map, she located King's room.
They hid around a corner and saw two bodyguards standing at the door of the room.
"This guy is really afraid of dying, isn't he?"
After the incident this afternoon, Shen Qingqing had people keep a close eye on Z. He had left his apartment in the evening and returned to his villa.
She figured he was worried about being bothered if he stayed in the apartment.
She took two round balls out of her pocket. Fu Jingshu raised an eyebrow. "What are these?"
"Dizzy eggs."
Fu Jingshu: "...What eggs?"
Shen Qingqing coughed softly and mumbled, "These were made by your son. He also gave them a name that, according to him, is the most beautiful in the world."
It was utterly ridiculous.
Fu Jingshu's expression remained unchanged. "Beautiful."
Shen Qingqing's mouth twitched. "Your ability to tell blatant lies is getting more and more refined. You can't just praise them to the skies just because they're your son, can you?!"
Fu Jingshu said seriously, "No, I'm telling the truth."
She couldn't take it anymore.
Shen Qingqing raised her hand and threw the two dizzy eggs. The two dizzy eggs exploded with a bang the moment they touched the ground.
Smoke filled the air.
The two bodyguards stiffened. Before they could do anything, a wave of dizziness washed over them, their bodies went weak, and they collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
"These... eggs really work." The two emerged from the corner. Fu Jingshu whispered.