Lying on the bed, Meng Jingwei fell into a deep sleep, exhausted.
She woke up again when dawn broke.
Old Chen Tou and He Xiao Lan Ya came to visit her. A servant also brought the medicinal soup and placed it on the table.
"Come, Jingwei girl, drink your medicine."
Old Chen Tou picked up the Chinese medicine, stirring the liquid with a spoon to hasten its cooling.
His kindly demeanor created an illusion for Meng Jingwei, making him seem like a close relative.
But…
He was a wolf in sheep's clothing.
"Leave it here for now, I'll drink it later," Meng Jingwei said from her bed, asking, "Old Chen Tou, my mind is a bit muddled. Can you tell me what happened after we got to the Hidden Clan?"
"Certainly."
Old Chen Tou readily agreed and began to recount the events after Meng Jingwei arrived at the Hidden Clan. However, everything was fabricated. He portrayed Qing Mu Ye and Tang Si as villains, warning her never to trust them if she saw them again and to stay far away.
He even claimed that Qing Mu Ye had forcefully had his way with her to be with her, which resulted in her pregnancy, and that Qing Mu Ye had then strangled their newborn child to death.
These fabricated tales were told with a straight face. His desperate attempts to smear Qing Mu Ye only served to deepen Meng Jingwei's hatred for him.
"Where is this scoundrel? I'm going to kill him!"
Meng Jingwei clenched her fists, her hands slamming down to overturn a bowl of soup on the table. "I'm going to kill him!"
She threw off the covers and tried to get out of bed, but Old Chen Tou pressed her back down. "You're too weak right now; you're no match for him."
He comforted Meng Jingwei, but an irrepressible, faint smile flickered across his eyes, a hint of smugness.
Old Chen Tou believed that Meng Jingwei had fallen for his lies.
"By the way, do you still remember Ming Jin?" He Xiao Lan Ya asked.
"You should remember Ming Jin," Old Chen Tou stated with certainty.
When he had sealed Meng Jingwei's memories, he had restored those related to He Xiao Ming Jin, specifically so that Meng Jingwei would recall her love for him.
He hoped that their love would reignite, leading to marriage and children within the Hidden Clan.
"Jin Jin?"
Meng Jingwei nodded. "Yes, I remember. But it feels like a lot of my memories are blank." She touched her head. "Where is Jin Jin? I want to see him."
He Xiao Lan Ya shook her head, her eyes welling up with tears. "Ming Jin, he… Qing Mu Ye broke several of his ribs and left him covered in wounds. He just barely escaped death and is currently in the intensive care unit."
*Bang—*
Meng Jingwei slammed her hand on the bedside table in rage. "Him again! I'm going to kill that scum, I'm going to kill him!"
She flung off the covers, attempting to get up.
Old Chen Tou tried to restrain her, but Meng Jingwei shoved him away. "Jin Jin is your grandson, and he is also my person, Meng Jingwei. You can choose not to seek revenge, but I must kill him!"
She stood up and walked over to He Xiao Lan Ya, her clear eyes brimming with murderous intent. "Tell me, where is Qing Mu Ye?"
Meng Jingwei was filled with anger and hatred, but the root of it all stemmed from He Xiao Lan Ya and Old Chen Tou.
It was they, their despicable actions, that had slowly turned her hatred towards them.
She loathed them with all her being.
Yet, Meng Jingwei knew she couldn't act rashly.
He Xiao Ming Jin being seriously injured and hospitalized after Qing Mu Ye broke his ribs must have been because Qing Mu Ye, unable to find her after her kidnapping, used He Xiao Ming Jin as leverage.
Old Chen Tou's willingness to watch He Xiao Ming Jin be severely injured rather than let Qing Mu Ye find her demonstrated his ruthlessness.
With such cold-bloodedness, Meng Jingwei had no leverage to force Old Chen Tou to return her child.
The only option was to play along.
This was her only recourse!