Ye Nian'an didn't speak, but simply picked up her teacup and watched the tea leaves rise and fall in the water.

Sunlight streamed through the window and fell on her face, half bright and half dark, making it impossible to guess what she was thinking.

Zhao Zhaodi's heart was in her throat, and her palms were sweaty.

This was her last hope.

After a long pause, Ye Nian'an finally parted her thin lips slightly.

"You know you were wrong?"

Ye Nian'an tapped her chin lightly with her fingertip, a cold smile playing on her lips: "Then why didn't you turn yourself in to the police station when Old Li was arrested in the first place?"

"Isn't it better to take the initiative to admit your mistakes and seek leniency than to be stuck in there waiting to be sentenced?"

She leaned forward, her gaze piercing Zhao Zhaodi's face like a needle.

"Now that Old Li has laid everything bare, he finally realizes his mistake... Zhao Zhaodi, don't you think this 'admitting his mistake' came too late, too easily?"

Zhao Zhaodi choked, her throat tightened, and her face flushed red and then turned pale.

These words were meant to deceive people, but Ye Nian'an showed no mercy and revealed her true colors.

She coughed twice, took out a brown paper envelope from her bosom, and placed it on the octagonal table.

The edges of the envelope were bulging from the contents inside, making it twice as thick as the last one.

"Comrade Ye Nian'an, I know... no amount of words can atone for Shikai's sins."

Zhao Zhaodi's voice was soft and gentle, with a hint of deliberate pleading.

"This is a small token of our Zhao family's consideration to compensate you. Please accept it."

"As for whether you want to plead for Shikai... we dare not force you any further, but we sincerely hope that you can give Shikai a chance to make amends and start anew."

Zhao Zhaodi used a tactic of "retreating to advance".

Now that the Chu family has been exonerated, they are prominent figures in Haicheng.

Compensation for these things alone is not enough to sway Ye Nian'an.

But the fact that she was willing to step into the Zhao residence meant that there was still room for maneuver.

After all, nobody dislikes having more money, and nothing really happened to the kid, but Old Li got arrested.

Zhao Zhaodi knew perfectly well whoever was more eager to save lives would be at the mercy of others.

Every time I think about it, my heart aches as if it's being pricked by needles.

She reached this conclusion with the old housekeeper, but there was nothing she could do about it.

As long as Ye Nian'an agrees, that's fine.

Ye Nian'an reached out and picked up the envelope, weighing it slightly in her hand.

Heh heh.

It's quite heavy.

But her ambitions extend beyond this small reward.

When Zhao Zhaodi saw that she had actually accepted the answer, the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes instantly smoothed out, and she was about to say a few warm words.

Suddenly, Ye Nian'an clutched her stomach, her brows furrowed, and a bead of sweat appeared on her forehead: "Ouch... why does my stomach hurt so much?"

She looked up at Zhao Zhaodi, her eyes filled with suspicion that pierced her like needles.

"Did you put something in the snacks you gave me? Why did I suddenly feel unwell?"

"Hey! Don't make false accusations!"

Zhao Zhaodi was so frightened that she almost jumped up from the armchair, waving her hands frantically: "You...you're talking nonsense, Comrade Ye Nian'an."

"Those are pastries from Daoxiangcun! The most famous shop in Haicheng! I just asked Lao Zhao to buy some this morning, and we ate some ourselves! How could something be wrong?"

"I...I need to go to the toilet!"

Ye Nian'an clutched her stomach and stamped her feet, her voice urgent: "Where's your toilet? Take me there quickly!"

"Quick! I'll take you there!"

Zhao Jiadi panicked and dared not delay. He quickly got up and led the way to the door: "It's in the backyard. Just go through the moon gate!"

Ye Nian'an followed with unsteady steps, a barely perceptible smile playing on her lips.

Zhao Zhaodi followed behind, watching Ye Nian'an's weak figure, her heart filled with anxiety—

Please, please don't let anything happen to this Buddha statue. If anything happens to the Zhao family, their whole family will be buried with it!

As soon as Ye Nian'an entered the restroom, she slammed the door shut with a "bang" and deliberately latched it.

Zhao Jiadi and Zhao Zhaodi were pacing anxiously outside the toilet.

Every now and then, someone would call out, "Comrade Ye Nian'an, are you alright? Should we really call a doctor to come and take a look?"

"What's all the noise about?"

Ye Nian'an's voice suddenly rose, filled with anger at being disturbed: "I'm in the bathroom, what are you all yelling about outside? If you keep making noise, I'm going to find Captain Jiang right now and tell him that you tried to bribe me but failed, and then you tried to poison my snacks!"

These words were like a bucket of ice water, instantly extinguishing the noise outside the door.

Zhao Zhaodi and Zhao Jiadi were so frightened that they dared not say anything more. After a while, Zhao Zhaodi's voice came out in a very low voice, with a hint of gritted teeth.

"Then you can use the restroom first. We'll be right at the door. Just call us if you need anything."

As Zhao Zhaodi spoke, she winked at Zhao Jiadi.

"Old Zhao, what happened? Didn't I ask you to buy some hibiscus cake from Daoxiangcun this morning? How come Ye Nian'an had a problem with it?"

Zhao Jiadi's voice was filled with grievance: "It's absolutely true, Madam! I saw the shopkeeper take it from the counter with my own eyes. It was wrapped tightly in oil paper. I even tasted a piece when I got back. It was very sweet and didn't have any strange taste at all!"

"Madam, didn't you eat just now? And you didn't have any problems like Ye Nian'an!"

"Could it be... that she was faking it on purpose?"

Zhao Zhaodi's voice suddenly stopped, as if she had thought of something: "Trying to use this to blackmail us, thinking that the money in that envelope isn't enough?"

"But... Madam, the contents of this envelope are even more than last time..."

"This girl looks pretty, but she's incredibly greedy at heart! I think she just feels our sincerity isn't enough and wants to ask for an exorbitant price!"

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!