Then they pinned all the blame on Su Qingzhi.

To kill with a borrowed knife, to kill two birds with one stone.

This not only eliminated Zhu Xiuqin, who knew the truth, but also completely ruined Su Qingzhi's reputation and future.

Without thinking twice, the couple quickly got out of bed and dressed.

Before leaving, Shen Zhiyu casually hid a short knife in his boot, just in case.

Just as they reached the door, they heard Zhou Lan calling them from the kitchen.

"You brat, come and call Qingzhi for dinner. It's so late, she must be starving."

Su Qingzhi then realized that the two of them had been so caught up in their emotions that they hadn't eaten.

Upon hearing Zhou Lan's mention, his stomach actually rumbled.

Her face flushed, and she lowered her head a little embarrassed.

"Mom, we have to go out for a bit, we'll eat when we get back."

As Shen Zhiyu pushed open the door, he spoke, trying to keep his tone calm so as not to worry his mother too much.

Zhou Lan was still holding the soup bowl when she paused for a moment, then immediately realized the urgency of the situation.

She didn't linger any longer, only whispering some instructions.

"Okay, I'll keep the food warm for you. The fire will stay burning, so you can just reheat it when you get back. Be careful on the road and come back soon."

The two nodded, said nothing more, and quickly walked out.

The night was dark outside, with dark clouds obscuring the moon, and there wasn't even an oil lamp on the street corner.

Only a faint, dim light shone through the cracks in the windows of distant houses.

Su Qingzhi thought for a moment, then stopped and turned to ask Shen Zhiyu.

"Should we go to Fang Youming's house first? Zhu Xiuqin has been staying at his house for the past few days. If something really happened, there should be traces there first."

Shen Zhiyu glanced outside.

The road was deserted, not even a stray cat; the silence was unusual.

He nodded, his voice low.