As soon as it was dawn, Ji Mingxue set off with his wife. To add to the credibility, Mama Ji secretly went to the kitchen to use an onion to make her eyes watery. Ji Mingxue wanted to dissuade her, but seeing Mama Ji glare at him, he decided against it. Let it be!
By the time Mama Ji reached the entrance of the sanatorium, her eyes were red and teary, and swollen. Yet, she was still stopped. Ji Mingxue tried his best to explain, but he couldn't get in. Seeing that this stalemate wouldn't help, Ji Mingxue had no choice but to take the still-crying Mama Ji back home.
On the way back, Mama Ji couldn't stop crying. Ji Mingxue felt distressed and tried to comfort her, saying, "Qingqing, stop crying! Father-in-law is fine. He's not outside right now, just rest a bit."
Unexpectedly, Mama Ji said between sobs, "I don't want to cry either. This handkerchief must have gotten onion juice on it earlier. I just used it, and it's been stinging ever since! I can't stop!"
Ji Mingxue thought his wife was truly crying, only to realize it was the lingering effect of the onion. He blamed himself for overthinking. He handed her his handkerchief, which was clean and shouldn't sting her eyes again!
Old Master Bi also received the news. Knowing that his daughter and son-in-law had caused a scene at the entrance, and hearing that his daughter's eyes were swollen, he glanced at Ji Xingmi, who was reading nearby, and said, "This whole thing was probably staged. Your father let the cat out of the bag! Hmph, he's such a blabbermouth!"
Ji Xingmi replied without looking up, "Isn't that perfect? With my mother making such a fuss on New Year's Day, people who believed us by thirty percent now believe us by at least seventy! I suspect my sly father is using me as a pawn in his little play!"
"Hmph, it's definitely him! Your petty mind must have inherited it from your father. Your mother is always so easily appeased!"
Ji Xingmi finally lifted her gaze from the book and glanced at Old Master Bi before saying, "What are you talking about? I clearly inherited it from you. With my father's tactics, I can see right through them. I'm definitely smarter than my dad!" Sorry, dear step-dad! Survival comes first!
"Hmph! Now that's more like it!"
Ye Yu, standing nearby, felt like he was witnessing two foxes sparring, and it seemed the little fox had won this round!
"Ssss~"
Ji Xingmi heard the sound and looked over. Ye Yu gave her a thumbs-up! Ji Xingmi smiled and cocked her chin at him!
Old Master Bi saw their little exchange but didn't expose them!
"Who do you think will be the first to reveal themselves?"
"I think it will be someone who wants your position!" Ye Yu replied after some thought.
"And you?"
"Whoever struck will reveal themselves first!"
"Isn't that the same as what I said?"
"How is it the same? Idiot! If they were going to reveal themselves easily, would they be called the mastermind? Every villain has their lackeys, don't they? If you do something bad, do you want people to know?"
"So, you're saying that after all this searching, we're still looking for a scapegoat?"
"Not exactly a scapegoat, but they definitely took action. More like a pawn. I have a feeling we won't catch the real culprit this time. The poisoning was so convoluted, it doesn't seem like they'll be caught easily!"
"Why?"
"It's a slow-acting poison, so it doesn't kill immediately. This means they didn't want to be discovered, or at least not to raise any suspicion. If it weren't for my medical expertise, we might not have discovered it at all in the end. And poisoning so many people, at this particular time, doesn't seem like something one person could do!"
"Why not?"
"Can't you read more books!? Why would one person, or one family, need so many positions? To turn this place into their private kingdom? If that were the case, who would tolerate them?"
"What does that have to do with reading?"
"Reading makes your brain work! You haven't read in so long, your brain is malfunctioning. You can't even figure this out! But you're quite good at arguing with me!..."
"..."
Old Master Bi watched the two of them start bickering again and didn't try to stop them. He was quite used to this situation. However, his little granddaughter's insight into the matter surprised him with its depth.