Chapter 478: The Most Suspicious Person
Jiang Xinghai smiled. "It won’t come to that."
This wasn’t a difficult matter for him, it just required certain conditions.
"Do you... find me repulsive?" Yu Li asked, wiping her tears as she stared at Jiang Xinghai.
Jiang Xinghai shook his head. "Of course not. Right now, we need to focus on removing the Poisonous Insect. Don’t think about unimportant things."
"I’m just asking for a glimmer of hope. Are you going to crush even that?" Yu Li said, her face full of sorrow.
Jiang Xinghai gave a surprised smile. "Alright, I’ll promise you that hope."
"Okay, then it’s settled. As long as I survive, I’ll follow you wherever you go and serve you with my life," Yu Li promised solemnly.
"Since you want to be my slave, you’ll have to listen to me. We’ll talk about it when the time comes, okay?" Jiang Xinghai grinned.
Yu Li nodded dazedly.
"I’m going to check on the branch office now. I also have to go out of town for a while tomorrow. I’ll be back in a week at the latest. We can discuss your situation then. In the meantime, just focus on calmly recalling every detail of your past," Jiang Xinghai reminded her again.
"You’re going out of town? Where to?" Yu Li asked.
"To Yun Province," Jiang Xinghai said.
"Yun Province..." Yu Li seemed to recall something.
Jiang Xinghai also seemed to think of something. "Oh, right. Yun Province is one of the birthplaces of Poisonous Insects. While I’m there, I’ll help you look into whether there are any other ways to deal with a Gu-in-Gu."
"Then you have to be careful," Yu Li said, filled with gratitude.
Jiang Xinghai nodded with a smile. "Don’t worry."
"Okay, let me make a call first. My cousin, Qin Shuang, is at the branch office. I’ll have her greet you."
After making the call and giving instructions, Yu Li saw Jiang Xinghai to the gate.
After watching Jiang Xinghai drive away, she dialed her father, Yu Zhuo.
"Lili, you’re not taking an afternoon nap?"
A deep, mellow voice came from the other end of the line. "Your mother and I can be back in five days. Is there any gift you want? We can pick something special for you. The things in the Imperial City are just dazzling."
"Dad, it’s already past three in the afternoon. How could I still be napping?"
Hearing her father’s voice warmed Yu Li’s heart. "I don’t need anything, you don’t have to buy me a gift. I just wanted to ask you... six months ago, when Uncle Qiao from Yun Province came to visit, what exactly does he do?"
"Old Qiao from Yun Province? He’s in the medicinal herb business. Didn’t you say back then that he smelled of herbal medicine? Why are you suddenly asking about this?" Yu Zhuo asked, confused.
"Oh, I just remembered. He said he would come back to our Shanhe Province in half a year. Timing-wise, he should be arriving soon, right? I was worried he’d come and you wouldn’t be home." Yu Li didn’t mention anything about the Poisonous Insect, afraid of worrying her parents.
"Now that you mention it, I remember Old Qiao did say that. But I haven’t gotten a call from him. Maybe he was just saying it casually at the time," Yu Zhuo analyzed.
"Alright then." Yu Li didn’t press the matter. They chatted about a few other things before ending the call.
’Qiao Sihai, were you really the one who put this Gu on me?’
Yu Li clutched her phone, her mind replaying every detail from six months ago as she walked slowly home.
In her mind, the most suspicious person was, without a doubt, Qiao Sihai!
But besides him...
Yu Li fell deep into thought.
She only had three weeks left!
Time was running out; the situation was dire.
...
「West City Development Zone.」
Jiang Xinghai drove here and, following the location Yu Li had given him, saw a factory built with a steel frame and a five-story office building currently under renovation.
With the Yu Family’s resources, putting it all up in half a month wasn’t a difficult task.
As he arrived at the entrance, a long-haired woman in black-rimmed glasses was waiting, holding a parasol.
The woman was tall and elegant, with delicate features that seemed as if they had been meticulously carved.
She wore a dark blue blazer, the long, straight lines of her figure a stark contrast to her soft white blouse.
Like a cold, stunning rose blooming in an urban jungle, she exuded a powerful presence.
"Excuse me, are you Mr. Jiang?"
The woman took small, quick steps toward Jiang Xinghai, who had just parked his car.
Her black high heels made a pleasant clicking sound on the polished marble floor.
"You’re Yu Li’s cousin, Qin Shuang?"
Jiang Xinghai got out of the car and shook hands with Qin Shuang.
"Mr. Jiang, you’re even more handsome in person than on TV. So young and accomplished, head and shoulders above your peers," Qin Shuang said with a smile, sizing him up.
Jiang Xinghai was sizing her up as well. He knew she must have seen footage of him from the AM new product launch. He chuckled, "Miss Qin, you flatter me. You also have the air of an elite, especially your career... ahem."
He had seen her impressive "career line" and had almost blurted it out.
"Mr. Jiang, is there something special about me?" Qin Shuang had guessed what he almost said, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.
"Oh, everything’s special. Head and shoulders above your peers," Jiang Xinghai said with an awkward laugh, quickly averting his gaze to the factory area.