Thinking back carefully to everything that happened after arriving in the border town...

On her first day here, Huo Jiayuan got separated from everyone. She was blindfolded and taken to the most famous red-light district, to an underground boxing ring, and finally to Meng Yan.

What would her fate have been if she hadn't met Meng Yan?

On the night she was preparing to return to the central city for the first time, the ferry exploded. The second time, if it weren't for the little girl bringing her roses, she couldn't even imagine what she would have to face.

Can all of this be explained by mere coincidence?

In Xiao Rong's room, Huo Jiayuan found nothing except a medicinal smell. On the contrary, the other two bodyguards stood at the door looking at her with suspicion.

She got up and walked out nonchalantly, giving the two men a warning look as she reached the door.

"Miss, you..."

"What, do I need to report to you that I'm looking for Xiao Rong's things?"

The two quickly lowered their heads and remained silent.

"Actually, it's nothing important," Huo Jiayuan said casually. "There's no need to tell him about today's events."

"yes!"

She glanced at the two of them, then calmly walked out.

A little while later, she went to the kitchen again and found the herbs that hadn't been brewed yet in the cupboard. These herbs were all bought and ground by Grandma Cai from the pharmacy, and each portion was wrapped in a paper bag.

Huo Jiayuan opened one of the packets, and the familiar herbal scent wafted out. However, upon closer inspection, she realized that something seemed off.

She pinched a little bit with two fingers, crushed it, and placed it in her palm. She quickly determined that the problem was with the proportions!

But……

Her heart skipped a beat. There couldn't possibly be a problem with the prescription she gave to Granny Cai!

The proportions were adjusted by someone, and the person who adjusted the proportions is very knowledgeable in medicine. If she hadn't been exposed to these things since childhood, she wouldn't have been able to smell it at all.

However, incorrect proportions can lead to problems with the efficacy of the medicine. Adding or subtracting any one ingredient may prevent the resulting decoction from stopping bleeding and removing blood stasis, and could even have the opposite effect…

At this moment, Granny Cai entered the room carrying a lot of ingredients. When she looked up and saw Huo Jiayuan in the kitchen, she was first taken aback, and then a mysterious shadow flashed in her eyes.

She smiled and asked softly, "Miss, what are you doing here?"

Huo Jiayuan was taken aback, then thought of the note inside the rose again.

Be careful of the people around you.

Could it be referring to Granny Cai?

“This medicine…” Granny Cai noticed the crumbs in her hand.

"I... I just opened it to take a look," Huo Jiayuan explained in a low voice. "It's time to brew medicine for Xiao Rong. He's been taking it for so many days, but he doesn't seem to be getting better."

"Let me do it," Grandma Cai smiled. "You're not good at these rough kitchen chores."

"Mother-in-law, how do you know I can't?" Huo Jiayuan looked at her warily.

"I heard them all call you Young Miss!" Granny Cai narrowed her eyes. "Since you're the Young Miss, you must never lift a finger!"

"I'm not some rich girl," Huo Jiayuan chuckled lightly. "I can do these kinds of chores too."

Grandma Cai grabbed her hand, and Huo Jiayuan was stunned for a moment before suddenly meeting her eyes.

She is old, yet exudes a strength. Time has not defeated her; on the contrary, it has made her more resilient through the trials of life.

Huo Jiayuan's heart skipped a beat, and she unconsciously took two steps back.

“Miss,” Granny Cai said with a smile, “let me do it. Be a good girl, okay?”

She released Huo Jiayuan's hand, making her stand aside, and knelt down to take out the medicine packets one by one from the cabinet. Huo Jiayuan watched quietly, her heart beating faster and faster.

She felt that Grandma Cai was counting.

After a short while, Granny Cai muttered to herself, "This medicine... is a little less?"

"What?" Huo Jiayuan was taken aback. "What's missing?"

“The quantity is less.” Granny Cai put her hands on her hips and exhaled. “Miss, look, I remember it clearly. Yesterday it was twenty-five packets, but today there are only seventeen. How could Mr. Xiao possibly take eight doses of medicine a day!”

"Besides..."

Grandma Cai paused, then whispered to her, "Apart from the first time I brought it back and brewed a packet, Mr. Xiao has never drunk it again!"

"Huh?" Huo Jiayuan was taken aback. "You... how did you know? Don't you brew medicine for him every day?"

“I brewed medicine for him, but he won’t drink it.” Granny Cai looked at her. “I went to clean his room, and all the flowers in the pots on his windowsill were withered, and there was a strong smell of Chinese medicine in the soil. Miss, tell me, did he drink the medicine or not?”

Huo Jiayuan stood there, stunned.

Yes, she also smelled medicine when she entered Xiao Rong's room. She thought it was because he took medicine every day that there was this smell in the room.

It turned out to be in the flowerpot...

So, Xiao Rong must have known that there was something wrong with the medicine, which is why he didn't drink it!

But how did this medicine end up having problems?

Where did the missing medicine go?

Huo Jiayuan's legs felt weak, and she had to use her hands to support herself on the platform to keep her balance.

Grandma Cai glanced at her, then turned back to her work. She washed and prepared the vegetables, getting ready for the day's meals, and took out her special earthenware pot to brew the medicine.

Everything seemed normal, yet something was subtly off.

Huo Jiayuan stood there as if frozen in place. Just as she was lost in thought, Granny Cai suddenly said to her, "Miss, do you really trust the people around you that much?"

Her breath hitched. "What do you mean?"

"Some people may not be by your side, but they still care about you," Granny Cai said calmly. "Others may be by your side, but they are beasts in human form..."

"Grandma Cai!"

Huo Jiayuan quickly grabbed her, and Grandma Cai turned around and looked at her. She seemed to have a lot to say, but she didn't say anything.

“Miss,” she smiled gently, “I should go tidy up your room. The sun is shining brightly today, I’ll take your blankets out to air them.”

"What did you mean by what you just said?!"

Grandma Cai didn't answer. "If a quilt isn't aired out for a long time, it will get mites. If a quilt gets mites, airing it out will fix it, but if a person's heart is infested with poisonous insects, airing it out won't solve the problem."

She let go of Huo Jiayuan's hand and slowly walked into the room.

Huo Jiayuan stood there in a daze for a long time, her mind completely blank.

During this time, she always felt like she was in a maze, unable to find the exit no matter how hard she tried. Now she was still in this maze, but the difficulty had increased; not only could she not find the exit, she couldn't even see the path beneath her feet.

She was surrounded by a fog, and there was no one she could trust in the fog.

She slowly squatted down on the ground, feeling helpless, hugging her shoulders with both hands, a mix of grievance and fear welling up inside her.

But she forced herself not to shed a tear.

After calming down, she realized that only she could save herself.