Xu Maotong's conspiracy was known only to his trusted assistant; the others were unaware of it, only knowing that Xu Maotong had been unwell earlier, so his family had not attended the banquet.
Xu Zifan suddenly returned to the Xu family with his entourage. The butler was very surprised, "Young Master, you're back?"
Xu Zifan glanced at him. "What? Can't I come back?"
"No, no, no, that's not what I meant. Has the young master had dinner? Should the kitchen prepare anything?" the butler said, while instructing a servant to inform the masters.
Xu Zifan waved his hand, "I dare not eat anything from the Xu family. Don't worry about me. I just happened to be passing by and will stay here for the night."
Xu Maotong was helped downstairs by Liang Yujie. He was feigning illness, and his face did indeed look somewhat sickly. Xu Zifeng followed behind them, his eyes filled with hostility as he looked at Xu Zifan. The moment Xu Maotong saw Xu Zifan, he knew his plan had failed. Seeing him with bodyguards, he felt uneasy and asked in a low voice, "You unfilial son! What are you doing back here!"
Xu Zifan raised an eyebrow, twirling his car keys with a leisurely air. "This is my home, what's so strange about me coming back? Old man, why do you look so pale? Could it be that you have a terminal illness? How many days do you have left to live? Let me know first, I'll buy fireworks to celebrate."
Xu Maotong's face hardened, and he angrily rebuked, "You unfilial son! Are you cursing me?!"
Liang Yujie hurriedly said, "Zifan, what nonsense are you talking about? How can you talk to your father like that? You rarely come home, don't upset your father, he's not feeling well and needs to rest."
"Then go and rest. It's not like I asked him to come out. Do you think I'll get lost and not be able to find my room?" Xu Zifan walked past them with his hands in his pockets and went straight upstairs without looking back. "I'm not as leisurely as you guys. Working hard is tiring. I need to rest early."
Xu Zifan's figure quickly disappeared from their sight. Liang Yujie and Xu Zifeng exchanged a glance, both puzzled as to why Xu Zifan had come. Xu Maotong's face was grim; he simply didn't believe Xu Zifan had gone to rest. The four bodyguards were exceptionally skilled, and Xu Zifan's return at this time must be for revenge. He had been very discreet in his actions, so Xu Zifan might suspect Xu Zifeng and had returned to teach him a lesson.
Xu Maotong glanced at Xu Zifeng and instructed, "Go to a hotel tonight and don't come back."
Xu Zifeng asked in surprise, "Dad, why?"
"Just go when I tell you to. Go now." Xu Maotong said with a frown, then released Liang Yujie's hand and went upstairs to his room.
Xu Zifeng was very dissatisfied with Xu Maotong's attitude and complained to Liang Yujie in a low voice, "Mom, what does Dad mean? He's getting more and more impatient with me now, and he can't even say a word properly."
Liang Yujie frowned, feeling that Xu Zifan's return home was not so simple. Xu Maotong must know something to make his son leave. She said, "Your dad is in a bad mood. You should be good to him. He wants you to go to the hotel, so go quickly. Have the driver take you. Be careful on the road."
Xu Zifeng left, and Liang Yujie went to the kitchen to make calming tea for Xu Maotong. At this moment, Xu Zifan walked into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator, took out a few oranges, and cut them into a plate. As he wiped the oranges clean and put them on the counter to get a knife, the oranges suddenly rolled onto the floor, landing right at Liang Yujie's feet.
It was inappropriate for Xu Zifan, a grown man, to pick something up from his stepmother's feet, so Liang Yujie had to bend down to do so. At the same time, Xu Zifan secretly sprinkled the medicine he had hidden in his palm into Xu Maotong's teacup. Then, Xu Zifan took the orange from the plate, picked up the knife, and went upstairs to his room. Liang Yujie wasn't surprised by his rudeness; after all, they had a falling out, and it would have been frightening if he had actually thanked her politely. Once the tea was brewed, Liang Yujie also took the tea upstairs.
Xu Zifan returned to his room and had his bodyguards stand guard at the door. When facing an old fox, the more meticulously you plan, the less likely you are to succeed. On the contrary, taking action unexpectedly from the very beginning is the best way to catch him off guard. Adaptability is the best plan.
He took out a special film, stuck it on several oranges, sprayed on a special spray, and quickly imprinted nearly ten fingerprints. He opened his computer and scanned the fingerprints rapidly. On the screen, he could see the scattered fingerprints quickly pieced together; except for the little finger, the fingerprints of all the other fingers were complete!
Xu Zifan took out a mini printer from his bag, printed out his fingerprint using special paper, cleaned the medicine tube, and carefully imprinted his fingerprint on it. Then he handed the things he had brought to a bodyguard to take away, went to the kitchen to deliver oranges and a knife, and casually hid the medicine tube behind the jar of calming tea in the kitchen cabinet.
He hacked into the villa's surveillance system, replacing all footage of him to make it appear as if Liang Yujie was the only person in the kitchen from beginning to end, and Xu Zifan had never been there at all. Even if Xu Maotong was poisoned, it had nothing to do with him. He went back to his room in a good mood and slept soundly, expecting to have a wonderful dream tonight.
On the other side, Liang Yujie was asking Xu Maotong what had happened, but Xu Maotong shook his head and remained silent. He generally didn't talk about his crimes, and even with Liang Yujie, he would only speak up when she discovered something. Back then, he had caused the Chu family elders' car accident, and Liang Yujie had only come to the Xu family to find him because she had sensed something was wrong. Unexpectedly, when he was comforting Liang Yujie, Chu Wen, who had just returned, saw him, and he had no choice but to push Chu Wen down the stairs.
Therefore, some things are best kept secret until the grave; if too many people know, trouble is likely to ensue.
Both of them were preoccupied, constantly worried about what Xu Zifan might do. They tossed and turned, unable to sleep, but unexpectedly, Xu Zifan was already asleep. Liang Yujie sensed that Xu Maotong was in a bad mood and, as usual, gently asked with concern, "You're not feeling well today, go to sleep early. I made some calming tea; it's not too hot to drink now, would you like some?"
Xu Maotong was already plotting his next move to get rid of Xu Zifan when he heard...
Yan grunted in response, but didn't take the cup. He drank most of it directly from Liang Yujie's hand. Lately, he had to drink calming tea every night, otherwise he wouldn't sleep well and would feel headache and fatigue the next day. He had too many worries, and he hadn't had a good night's sleep in a long time.
After drinking the calming tea, Xu Maotong lay down and let out a sigh of relief. The warm tea finally made him feel a little better. He closed his eyes and continued to ponder: How exactly had Xu Zifan escaped the waiter's scheme? And why had he come home again?
Just as Liang Yujie was about to lie down, she suddenly saw Xu Maotong open his eyes in a dream. Before he could speak, he foamed at the mouth, his eyes almost bulging out of their sockets in shock and anger! Liang Yujie was startled and quickly supported him, exclaiming, "Maotong, what's wrong with you!"
Xu Maotong clutched his throat with both hands, vomited a few more mouthfuls of white foam, his face flushed red as he tried to get out of bed and run to the bathroom, but suddenly fainted and collapsed to the ground with a thud!
Liang Yujie screamed and scrambled to Xu Maotong's side, her hands trembling as she checked his breath. She only breathed a sigh of relief when she felt he was still breathing. She had no real title as "Mrs. Xu"; if Xu Maotong died, she would be completely finished!
Liang Yujie hurriedly threw on some clothes and rushed out to call for help. The housekeeper immediately led a group of people to carry Xu Maotong to the hospital. Liang Yujie changed her clothes and followed along, her mind racing with anxiety. What illness did Xu Maotong have? How could it have suddenly become so serious? She asked the housekeeper to call Xu Zifan to go to the hospital with her, but the three bodyguards at Xu Zifan's door stood like gatekeepers, refusing to let them disturb him. So what if her father was seriously ill? Their orders were to not disturb him except in matters of life and death; Xu Maotong wasn't dead yet, so of course they couldn't be disturbed.
Liang Yujie had no choice but to rush to the hospital to await Xu Maotong's emergency treatment. Xu Maotong was a nationally renowned businessman, and even though Liang Yujie repeatedly urged them not to spread the news, it quickly got out as soon as he entered the hospital. Since the Xu family offended the vice mayor, it had become increasingly difficult for them to suppress any information, even in the hospital. A nurse even posted the news online, describing Xu Maotong's symptoms, and surprisingly, many netizens were celebrating, saying that Xu Maotong might not make it.
The news of Xu Maotong's critical illness quickly climbed to the top of the trending searches. While netizens were concerned about whether he was dead or alive, they were also frantically calling on Xu Zifan to come home and seize the family fortune! Meanwhile, Xu Zifan was sound asleep.
Xu Maotong's assistant learned of the online commotion and immediately informed Liang Yujie. Xu Maotong was still receiving emergency treatment, so Liang Yujie was the only one who could make decisions. Liang Yujie could only suppress her frustration and arrange for her public relations team to handle the situation. The topics mocking her for being a mistress who had gotten nothing in return were making her feel utterly terrible.
At this moment, Xu Zifeng rushed over, grabbed Liang Yujie's arm, and said angrily, "What happened? How could Dad get into an accident out of nowhere? Was it Xu Zifan? It must be him! Where is he?"
Liang Yujie winced in pain, pulled her hand away from his, and replied, "Xu Zifan is sleeping. The bodyguards won't let us disturb him, and I've already had the servants keep an eye on him so he doesn't leave. I've also suspected Xu Zifan, but he hasn't had a chance to do anything. It's very likely that your father has some kind of illness. He's been feeling unwell since this morning. I should have called a private doctor to examine him sooner. I hope he's alright."
Liang Yujie clasped her hands together and prayed devoutly to the emergency room. She was the last person who wanted Xu Maotong to die. She regretted that she had kept Chu Wen alive all these years to maintain a good reputation. If she had become Mrs. Xu earlier, she wouldn't be so afraid now. If Xu Maotong hadn't died this time, she would have gone to get a marriage certificate with him and become a legal couple no matter what!
Xu Zifeng frowned and said, "My dad has always been in good health, what illness could he have? Xu Zifan must have drugged him. What has he been doing since I left? Did you see him before Dad's accident?"
"After you left, he went to the kitchen, took a few oranges to eat, and then went back to his room and didn't come out again. Your dad stayed in the room the whole time and didn't see him."
"How could that be? Mom, think about it again. Don't miss a single detail. If we can find evidence, we can arrest him and put him in jail. It was definitely him!"
Liang Yujie thought it over from beginning to end, shook her head, and said hesitantly, "He couldn't possibly have had a chance to tamper with it. When he took the orange, I was making tea for your dad in the kitchen. Then he dropped the orange on the floor, and I helped pick it up. He took it and left immediately. Could he have put something in the tea while I was bending over? This isn't a movie; is that even possible? Xiaofeng, calm down. I know you want to find something to use against him, but I feel uneasy. I have a feeling that something bad is going to happen. I think we should wait until your dad wakes up before making a decision."
"I don't know when my dad will wake up. If we wait until tomorrow, the day after, or even longer, how will we find any evidence? No, we have to call the police now!" Xu Zifeng took out his phone to dial.
Liang Yujie slammed her hand on the phone and said sternly, "Xiaofeng! You don't even listen to your mother anymore?! If it really is him, there are plenty of opportunities for revenge. There's no need to call the police to resolve this. But what if it's not him? Have you thought about how big a news story this will cause? Don't do things you're not completely sure about. What if it's your father's fault? Do you want us to have another reason to frame Xu Zifan?"
Xu Zifeng was unwilling to give up. Suddenly, he thought of the tea. "Where's the tea my dad drank? Was it poisoned or was he sick? Wouldn't it be clear if we tested the tea? Did you bring the tea with you?"
"without..."
"Housekeeper, quickly send someone to bring the tea for the doctor to test! If the test results show a problem, Mom, please don't stop me from calling the police. If we miss this opportunity, it will be hard to find another one this good. Xu Zifan brought this upon himself. Even if Dad were awake, he would agree to call the police. Once he's in jail, my son and I will never have to suffer like this again!"
Liang Yujie thought about it and realized that there was indeed no problem with this. She was so afraid that Xu Maotong would die that she was a little anxious. She didn't expect that if the tea was tested and there was really a problem with it, calling the police would be the best option.