CHAPTER 68: CHAPTER 66 [THE INCIDENT WITH JIANG YINGZI]

Chapter 66: The Incident with Jiang Yingzi

Chen Nuo cursed furiously.

Other parts of the bicycle were fine. After a whole night of rain, the seat was completely soaked through; the sponge beneath the leather cover had absorbed all the moisture, and it couldn’t be dried by wiping. If he sat and rode on it, his pants would surely get wet.

After considering it, Chen Nuo simply turned back and ran upstairs. When he came down again, he was holding a plastic bag.

He covered the seat with the plastic bag, then tied the opening shut.

Riding with a plastic bag separating him from the water, there would be no problem.

Twenty years later, it seemed that hardly anyone did this anymore. But in this era, people still used this rudimentary method to deal with the soaking rain.

「」

Chen Nuo rode his bike to Brother Lei’s place. He had left his motorcycle there for an exhaust pipe replacement and some maintenance.

Brother Lei pushed out the well-maintained motorcycle and was originally planning to discuss the shop’s finances with Chen Nuo. However, with a wave of his hand, Chen Nuo indicated he had no interest in hearing about it.

"I’ve said that if the money is a loan, it’s a loan. I don’t want any shares. This business is your own enterprise, and it has nothing to do with me. Once you make money, just pay me back what you owe—that’s it. Don’t overthink it. I’m not interested in these things."

After finishing his words, Chen Nuo hopped on the motorcycle and sped away.

Brother Lei scratched his head where he stood.

This young master truly seemed indifferent about his little business and had no intention of getting involved.

The last bit of doubt in his heart dissipated.

「」

What urgent matter could possibly make Chen Yanluo rush out today?

Of course, it wasn’t to go to school.

He had an important task at hand.

A parent-teacher meeting!

He was going to Xiao Yezi’s kindergarten.

「」

Arriving at the kindergarten by motorcycle, Chen Nuo entered and felt a bit lost.

He had lived two lives and done all sorts of things, from the mundane to the extraordinary. But for Chen Yanluo, attending a parent-teacher meeting—as a parent—was truly a first.

The parents who arrived were mostly the children’s mothers. The kindergarten classroom was filled with a large group of young mothers.

Chen Nuo, sitting amidst this group, felt quite awkward.

There were occasionally one or two male parents, but they looked quite a bit older than Chen Nuo, so there wasn’t much to talk about.

However, the group of young mothers was quite curious about the youth with bright teeth and red lips sitting in the classroom.

The more extroverted among them chatted with Chen Nuo for a bit. Upon finding out that he was attending the meeting as an elder brother, they were all quite surprised.

Some asked where his parents were. Chen Nuo thought for a moment and decided not to mention that Ye Zi’s parents were both in prison—he worried it might negatively affect Ye Zi.

So, he simply said his parents were no longer around.

He didn’t state it explicitly, just that they weren’t around... How they interpreted it was up to them.

This, however, sparked a great deal of sympathy. Amidst expressions of pity, their fondness for Chen Nuo, this good elder brother acting as a father figure, grew.

A few warm-hearted older sisters even voluntarily gave their phone numbers to Chen Nuo, saying that a young man raising a child would surely encounter many difficulties, and if he needed help, he could contact them.

Chen Nuo sincerely thanked each of them.

The kindergarten parent-teacher meeting followed a straightforward procedure. The teacher briefly introduced the children’s educational progress and then reminded the parents about vaccinations.

Finally, some time was allocated for individual chats with each parent.

When it was Chen Nuo’s turn, the teacher mentioned that Xiao Yezi was doing very well in kindergarten. She was well-behaved, adorable, pretty, and well-liked by teachers and other children alike.

There was just one thing...

"This semester, the child’s demeanor is noticeably different from last semester; she seems much more cheerful and lively. However... it seems you need to be a bit careful about her home environment. Xiao Yezi appears a bit precocious now. On a regular basis, you shouldn’t let her watch unsuitable television programs."

Sigh. Was it any wonder she was precocious? While other children were still singing "Little Swallow in Flowery Clothes," Xiao Yezi was already singing "I’m Only Afraid I’ll Fall in Love with You."

After hearing the teacher’s words, Chen Nuo decided that the first thing he would do when he got home was to lock up the TV remote.

The parent-teacher meeting ended, and Chen Nuo left the kindergarten with his little sister.

He had plans to have dinner at Old Sun’s house that evening.

However, he had just returned to the school and reached the faculty dormitory building when his phone rang.

It was Li Yingwan.

Chen Nuo answered and said with a smile, "What’s up? Did you manage to smooth things over with your mom?"

From the other end of the line came the sound of Li Yingwan crying.

"Oppa! Come quick! Something happened to Mom!!"

「」

Chen Nuo reached the hotel where Li Yingwan was staying in just half an hour.

He had left his sister at Old Sun’s place, using the excuse that there was an urgent matter at Brother Lei’s shop that he needed to attend to, and slipped away.

Li Yingwan attended No. 8 Middle School and had always lived in a high-end hotel in the district. As the daughter of a capitalist, her family was wealthy and had rented a suite in this hotel on a long-term basis.

Jiang Yingzi, on this visit, was also staying here to accompany her daughter.

When Chen Nuo arrived, someone was just leaving the suite.

Li Yingwan and Jiang Yingzi’s secretary were seeing the person off.

Upon asking, Chen Nuo learned it was a doctor from the district hospital.

Jiang Yingzi had visited the factory she invested in in Jinling that morning. After returning at noon, she took a bath and rested for a while.

Because of what happened the previous night, the mother and daughter hadn’t spoken much that day. Li Yingwan hadn’t said much to her mother either.

However, after Jiang Yingzi took her bath and lay down, she fell asleep. Li Yingwan didn’t think much of it.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Yingzi slept more and more soundly. When she hadn’t woken up after more than two hours, Li Yingwan felt something was wrong. She went to her mother’s room to check and found Jiang Yingzi in a coma, also running a fever.

Thinking she was sick, Li Yingwan immediately called the secretary.

The secretary contacted the district’s investment promotion department.

Jiang Yingzi was a key foreign investor, a major financial backer, so the investment department took her situation very seriously. They immediately arranged for a doctor from the district hospital to make a house call.

The district hospital initially didn’t treat it as a major issue, assuming it was a common cold or fever. They sent a deputy director from the respiratory department—usually more than sufficient for such a situation.

After the examination, the preliminary diagnosis was indeed a cold or fever.

The doctor gave Jiang Yingzi an injection to reduce the fever, left some medication, and was about to leave when Chen Nuo arrived.

The doctor instructed the secretary to monitor the patient’s temperature, preferably every hour. If the fever subsided, there would be no problem. If it persisted, they should contact the hospital again.

Li Yingwan, with her childlike nature, became distraught when she found out her mother was sick and called Chen Nuo.

By the time Chen Nuo arrived, the doctor had already examined Jiang Yingzi. Li Yingwan’s emotions had stabilized somewhat, and she wasn’t too panicked anymore. After all, the doctor had said it was just a common cold or fever. It was possibly due to her recent arrival in Jinling, travel fatigue, physical exhaustion, and perhaps a reaction to the new environment.

The fact that Jiang Yingzi had been drinking the night before seemed to further corroborate the doctor’s diagnosis.

The secretary escorted the doctor downstairs, and Chen Nuo went back to the room with Li Yingwan.

Chen Nuo had originally planned to just take a polite look at Jiang Yingzi and then leave.

But as he followed Li Yingwan into Jiang Yingzi’s room and approached the bed, he suddenly felt something was wrong!

Jiang Yingzi was in her pajamas, lying on the bed covered with a blanket. She appeared to be asleep, but her breathing was heavy and somewhat erratic.

Her face was also flushed from the fever.

These signs weren’t particularly alarming on their own, but as soon as Chen Nuo stood by Jiang Yingzi’s bed, he suddenly detected a faint, almost imperceptible, strange odor.

It was a very faint smell, like a subtle hint of disinfectant.

The odor was so light that it would be easily overlooked if one wasn’t paying close attention.

Chen Nuo frowned and looked at Li Yingwan. "Did you spray disinfectant in the room?"

"No," Li Yingwan shook her head.

Chen Nuo’s eyes narrowed. He carefully observed Jiang Yingzi on the bed, his mind quickly cross-referencing her symptoms with something from his memory.

"You’re sure you didn’t spray anything?"

"Positive. Neither the hotel staff nor the secretary did," she replied.

Chen Nuo’s expression changed!

He immediately turned to look at the room’s window. He walked over, pretending to open it for some fresh air, but used the opportunity to quickly scan the area outside.

A few seconds later, Chen Nuo turned back and walked straight into the en-suite bathroom.

From the counter by the sink, he picked up a cotton swab from the hotel’s complimentary toiletries.

Chen Nuo began to search the bathroom.

A moment later, he entered the shower stall. After a quick scan, he removed the showerhead, unscrewed it, scraped the inside with the cotton swab, and then sniffed it.

Chen Nuo’s expression grew even grimmer. He wrapped the cotton swab in a paper towel before exiting the bathroom.

He called Li Yingwan over. "Do something for me. Ask the hotel to bring an old-fashioned oral thermometer."

Li Yingwan looked somewhat bewildered. "An oral thermometer? Oppa, what were you looking for just now?"

"Don’t ask so many questions right now. Just go! And hurry."

Li Yingwan trusted Chen Nuo, so she suppressed her curiosity and quickly ran out to ask the secretary to get it.

Shortly after, the secretary returned with the thermometer.

Chen Nuo personally placed the oral thermometer under Jiang Yingzi’s tongue. After a few minutes, he removed it and checked the temperature reading.

Li Yingwan, as if realizing something, asked anxiously, "Oppa, what’s wrong with my mom?"

Chen Nuo sighed. "She’s been poisoned. Someone has poisoned her."