Chapter 86 Poisoning
Wen Xiaoxiao carried a plate of sliced apples into the small living room. She glanced at the man, whose face was flushed and neck red from drinking, and frowned slightly. "Alright, alright, drink less. Brother, you should go back and keep your wife company. She's not feeling well right now, and it's quite boring for her to be home alone."
Wenbin was getting into his story when his sister interrupted him. He chuckled twice, then, surprisingly, heeded her advice and swayed as he stood up.
"Okay, I'll listen to my sister! That's enough for today, we'll drink again another day!"
Zhao Fei escorted him downstairs.
As Wen Xiaoxiao tidied her desk, a sense of indescribable peace welled up inside her.
The worries that had troubled her for years finally vanished, and this home, inside and out, truly belonged to her and Zhao Fei.
After washing up, Zhao Fei lay down on the bed.
Wen Xiaoxiao was unusually proactive.
She wrapped her arms around Zhao Fei's neck, kissed his lips, and unbuttoned his shirt with fiery passion.
Zhao Fei was ignited by her enthusiasm and took the initiative, responding deeply.
That night was filled with intense passion.
Wen Xiaoxiao wanted to convey all the emotions she had suppressed over the years to him in this way.
She fell into a deep sleep in his arms, completely exhausted, with a satisfied smile on her lips.
Zhao Fei held her close, his heart filled with tenderness.
However, he also had some concerns about Zhao Qingda.
The next day, when Zhao Fei got up, Wen Xiaoxiao was still asleep, obviously exhausted from the night before.
He washed up, got dressed, and went downstairs. Ma Chunying had already prepared breakfast, and Zhou Lanying was combing Yizhen and Yibao's hair, preparing to send them to school.
Wen Xiaogai sat on a small stool, drinking porridge with a spoon, while Hu Zi wagged its tail and circled around his feet.
Zhao Fei called Ma Chunying over and walked her aside. With a serious expression, he whispered, "Sister Ma, recently... keep a close eye on Xiao Gai, especially when you take him out to play. Never let him out of your sight, and don't let him come into contact with strangers, especially..."
He paused, then added, "Especially those with scars on their faces, or those who don't look right. Don't accept anything from anyone. Got it?"
Seeing that he was serious, Ma Chunying immediately nodded: "Don't worry, Mr. Zhao, I will definitely keep a close eye on Xiao Gai."
Zhao Fei nodded, glanced at his son playing with the puppy, then picked up his briefcase and went out.
He's going to meet with a few people today to discuss building a new cannery; the proposal is almost finished.
The next few days were peaceful.
But Zhao Qingda did not "disappear" as Zhao Fei had hoped.
He now had only one crazy thought left:
Report back!
Make that adulterous couple and their bastard child pay the most terrible price!
He lingered near "Xiaoxiao Clothing" like a ghost, searching for an opportunity.
Soon, he discovered a pattern: Wen Xiaogai was particularly fond of a small cake sprinkled with snow-white icing sold at the cake shop on the street corner.
Almost every morning, the nanny would take him shopping. The little guy could eat two or three at a time, and sometimes she would buy more to take home.
A wicked plan quickly took shape in Zhao Qingda's mind.
It was early morning that day, before dawn.
Zhao Qingda, carrying a small packet of rat poison, quietly crept to the back window of the pastry shop.
The window wasn't locked, so he easily pried it open and crawled inside.
On the shelves in the work area were rows of baked cake bases that hadn't been decorated yet, and in the large basin next to them was snow-white icing ready to be sprinkled on top.
Zhao Qingda's hands trembled slightly with excitement and nervousness.
He poured the entire packet of grayish-white powder into the bowl of snow-white icing without reservation, then stirred it haphazardly with the spoon beside him.
Seeing the icing restored to its pristine white state, a sinister smile appeared on his face.
A whole row of cakes... enough for many people to eat.
That little bastard, his sisters, and that bitch... maybe even Zhao Fei will take a bite.
Not a single one can escape!
He quietly retreated along the same route, disappearing into the deepest darkness before dawn.
The sun was shining brightly in the morning.
As usual, Ma Chunying took Wen Xiaogai out with her.
As soon as the little guy stepped out of the store, he pointed to the street corner and exclaimed, "Aunt Ma, cake! Cake!"
Ma Chunying hesitated, remembering Zhao Fei's instructions.
But seeing Wen Xiaogai's expectant eyes, and thinking that it was just a familiar pastry shop, right under her nose, it should be fine, she took his hand and led him there.
"Oh, Xiao Gai's here again!" The pastry shop owner recognized this chubby-faced regular customer and greeted him with a smile, "How many do you want today?"
"I want...I want lots!" Wen Xiaogai stretched out her two little hands, "For my sister, for my mom, for my grandma, for my dad, and for Aunt Ma!"
Ma Chunying was amused and bought a small bag, containing five or six of them.
Wen Xiaogai picked up one and was about to put it in her mouth when Ma Chunying quickly stopped her: "Little darling, eat it when you get back, your hands are dirty!"
The two returned to the store.
Wen Xiaogai placed the cake on the counter and was about to take one when Hu Zi, who had been following him, came over, his dark eyes fixed on the cake, his little tail wagging rapidly.
"Tiger wants some too?" Wen Xiaogai generously broke off a small piece, squatted down, and fed it to the puppy.
Tiger swallowed it with a flick of his tongue and happily licked Wen Xiaogai's hand.
Wen Xiaogai picked up a whole cake herself, just about to take a bite.
Wen Xiaoxiao happened to come out of the back warehouse, immediately put on a stern face and walked over, pinching his little ear: "You little rascal Wen Xiaogai! You didn't eat breakfast properly again, and ran out to buy a cake? No way! Eat your breakfast first, save the cake for the afternoon!"
“Mom…” Wen Xiaogai pouted.
"Listen to me! Come upstairs with Aunt Ma and eat breakfast." Wen Xiaoxiao was firm, and she took the cake from Wen Xiaogai's hand and put it back in the bag.
Wen Xiaogai dared not disobey her mother, so she had no choice but to follow Ma Chunying upstairs to have breakfast.
No one noticed that Tiger, who had just eaten cake, was wagging his tail and circling around Wen Xiaogai's feet. Less than twenty minutes later, he suddenly became agitated, circling in place, and then arched his body and began to gag violently.
"Ugh... Ugh..." Tiger spat out a small puddle of white foam mixed with cake crumbs.
"What's wrong with Tiger?" Sun Mei was the first to notice something was wrong.
Wen Xiaoxiao looked over at the sound and saw that after Hu Zi finished vomiting, he was not getting better. His limbs began to twitch, his body was twisting painfully on the ground, and he was making painful whimpering sounds. His eyes were unfocused.
"Tiger!" Wen Xiaogai saw him on the stairs and screamed in fright. He tried to rush down, but Ma Chunying held him tightly.
Just then, Zhao Fei hurriedly pushed open the door and came in; he had come back to retrieve the cannery project proposal.
This chaotic scene was the first thing I saw when I entered.
"What's going on?" Zhao Fei rushed over to check on Hu Zi. The puppy's convulsions were becoming more and more violent, and white foam began to ooze from the corners of its mouth.
"I...I don't know!" Wen Xiaoxiao panicked. "I was fine this morning, but...just now, I ate some of the cake Xiaogai gave me, and this happened!"
cake?
Zhao Fei suddenly looked up at the plastic bag containing the frosted cake on the counter.
An extremely ominous premonition surged within me instantly.
Almost simultaneously, a heart-wrenching cry rang out from the street outside the shop: "My child! My child! What's wrong with you?!"
"Quick! Get him to the hospital!"
Zhao Fei's expression changed drastically, and he instantly understood what was happening.
He jumped to his feet and yelled at Wen Xiaoxiao, "Call the police! Quickly! Say it's food poisoning! There's something wrong with the cake!"
He rushed to the door and shouted at the chaotic crowd on the street, "Don't touch that cake! It's poisoned! Call the police! Call an ambulance!"
Police sirens and ambulance horns arrived quickly.
Police quickly sealed off the pastry shop and took away the remaining cakes and ingredients, including the bag from Wen Xiaoxiao's shop.
Tiger was carefully put into a bag by a policeman and taken away as evidence.
The child who fell ill on the street was rushed to the hospital for gastric lavage and emergency treatment.
The shop was a mess, and the customers were scared away.
Zhou Lanying held Wen Xiaogai tightly, while Sun Mei, pale-faced, leaned against the counter.
Wen Xiaoxiao collapsed to the ground, her body trembling uncontrollably.
She clung tightly to Zhao Fei, who was about to go to the police station to explain the situation. Her face was deathly pale, and her voice was trembling with fear: "Zhao Fei...is...is someone trying to harm Xiao Gai? Is it...Zhao Qingda?"
Zhao Fei knelt down, hugged her trembling body, and said in a low voice, "He didn't want to harm Xiao Gai."
He paused for a moment, then spoke each word with terrifying clarity: "He wants to kill our whole family."
Wen Xiaoxiao trembled and looked up at him with tearful eyes.
Zhao Fei released her and stood up.
Against the light streaming in from the doorway, his figure appeared exceptionally tall.
He turned and strode towards the police car parked outside, leaving behind only a resolute statement that echoed in the deathly silent shop:
"I want Zhao Qingda's life."
The case was solved much faster than expected.
Police discovered signs that the rear window had been pried open and also found a large amount of highly toxic rat poison in the sugar icing basin.
Zhao Qingda, who had a clear old grudge against Zhao Feiwen and Xiaoxiao, naturally became the prime suspect.
After a search and interrogation, remnants of newspaper containing rat poison were quickly found in his car.
The chain of evidence was quickly closed.
Zhao Qingda confessed to the poisoning, driven by a mad hatred. He only wanted to take his "enemy's" family down with him, without considering that it would implicate other innocent children.
The child who accidentally ate the poisoned cake was brought to the hospital in time and, after an all-night emergency treatment and gastric lavage, is finally out of danger, but will need long-term observation.
This is a stroke of luck amidst misfortune!
Wen Xiaoxiao's shop was closed for a few days.
Although the police confirmed that the poisoning was a targeted retaliation and that the shop itself was not at fault, the neighbors were still shaken, and the number of customers was unlikely to return to its former bustling state anytime soon.
Wen Xiaoxiao lost all interest in running the business. She had nightmares every night, dreaming of Hu Zi convulsing, Xiao Gai's pained face, and Zhao Qingda's ferocious smile.
What pained her the most was Wen Xiaogai.
The little guy didn't fully understand what had happened; he only knew that his beloved Tiger had eaten his cake and then disappeared, never to return.
He cried every day looking for Tiger. When he was tired of crying, he would hug Tiger's little basket and stare blankly. He ate less and lost his liveliness. He often sat alone on the steps in front of the shop, looking at the street corner and sobbing softly.
"Mom, where did Tiger go? Is it angry with me? I shouldn't have given it cake..." Wen Xiaogai asked Wen Xiaoxiao with red and swollen eyes.
Wen Xiaoxiao could only hold him tightly, telling him over and over again, "Tiger isn't angry, Tiger went to play in a very far place... It's not Xiao Gai's fault, it's the bad guys who are bad..."
But the child's sadness is so simple.
Zhao Fei cooperated with the police in handling the aftermath, but his biggest concern was the state of his family, especially Wen Xiaoxiao and Wen Xiaogai.
He stood at the shop entrance, looking at his son's small back, then at Wen Xiaoxiao inside who was forcing herself to stay awake, his eyes as cold and hard as iron.
Zhao Qingda has been arrested.
He will face severe legal punishment.
But that's not enough.
That's far from enough.
This time, he would never give this venomous snake any chance to retaliate.
He wanted to make sure this person disappeared forever from his family and his life.
At any cost.
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