Ye Shaoting looked at the bottles and jars in front of him, "How is the research coming along?"
"It's been developed," Gu Xiuyu said, turning and walking to the workbench to pick up a black bottle.
The black bottle contained the poison. Ye Shaoting held it in his palm, carefully examining the medicine inside.
"Mr. Gu, do you trust me?" Ye Shaoting suddenly asked.
Did trust matter?
Gu Xiuyu looked at him, not rushing to answer.
Ye Shaoting glanced at Jiang Feifei, who was watching them with narrowed eyes, and coldly dismissed her, "You go out first."
"Mr. Ye," Jiang Feifei pouted, unwilling to leave.
When Gu Xiuyu wasn't around, she was Ye Shaoting's most capable assistant, privy to all his plans. Why was she being asked to leave alone this time?
Fearing abandonment, Jiang Feifei racked her brain to stay and participate in their conversation.
However, Ye Shaoting was adamant about her leaving, and her pleas were in vain.
"Get out!"
With that command, Ye Shaoting lost all patience.
Jiang Feifei dared not cross him further and, swallowing her reluctance, dejectedly left the basement.
"Mr. Ye, please proceed," Gu Xiuyu prompted.
The SS organization was Ye Shaoting's brainchild, and this knowledge was a bedrock of certainty for Gu Xiuyu. As long as Ye Shaoting remained stable, he believed he could quickly usurp Di Mingjue's position and become Ye Ziyu's sole love.
Caressing the black bottle in his hand, Ye Shaoting slowly began to speak, "Di Mingjue and Ziyu's relationship has grown increasingly intimate lately. They're like conjoined twins, inseparable. Your absence has perfectly left them undisturbed."
Gu Xiuyu had been engrossed in developing the poison during this time, temporarily suppressing his longing for Ye Ziyu. Apart from Jiang Feifei's frantic updates about Ye Ziyu, he hadn't actively inquired about Ye Ziyu and Di Mingjue's relationship.
Now, it seemed his absence had only fueled their affection.
"What do you want me to do?" Gu Xiuyu inquired.
No one would speak of trivial matters without reason, unless it was to lay the groundwork for something significant.
"You will return to the Gu Corporation and reappear in Ye Ziyu's life. Your affection for her will make Di Mingjue jealous, thereby setting the stage for him to drink this poison." Ye Shaoting explained his plan with shining eyes.
Once Di Mingjue drank the poison, regardless of Ye Ziyu's reaction, they would no longer be together.
Understanding his intent, Gu Xiuyu readily agreed without hesitation.
"When do we start?"
"Now."
With that, Ye Shaoting, accompanied by Gu Xiuyu and the poison he developed, left the villa.
Jiang Feifei wanted to accompany them but was stopped by Ye Shaoting and forbidden from leaving the villa.
Her attempt to kidnap the children had been a self-sabotaging act. If Di Mingjue had investigated more thoroughly, she would not have escaped.
...
In the early hours of the morning, Gu Xiuyu arrived at the Gu family residence.
The household staff were asleep, and the main door was locked, unattended. He used his spare key to open the door and enter.
Unbeknownst to him, his return indirectly saved Old Master Gu.
Returning to the Gu residence after a long absence, Gu Xiuyu observed the altered living room. After a brief scan, he went upstairs to his room without much thought.
His former room was now bare, the walls empty, like a new room in a new house.
Ye Shaoting released the doorknob and turned to go to the guest room upstairs.
The guest room upstairs had been converted into a study.
This wasn't right!
Even if the old master was angry, there was no need to renovate the house like this. Furthermore, the layout of this study didn't seem like something he would favor.
Could it be that there was someone else in the house?
A familiar figure flashed through Gu Xiuyu's mind.