Chen Xiaoru's expression grew increasingly grim. The ingredients were poisoned, and it was a slow-acting poison. This showed that the other party had planned this for a long time, and their target wasn't just this one customer, but all the guests who had eaten hot pot!
Thinking of this, Chen Xiaoru felt a wave of fear. If this guest hadn't suddenly attacked, the consequences would have been unimaginable!
"Boss, the other guests have been settled in." A waiter came to report.
Chen Xiaoru nodded and ordered, "Go tell them that our restaurant will definitely take full responsibility for what happened today. We will cover all the medical expenses for all our guests!"
"Yes, shopkeeper!"
Chen Xiaoru looked at the old man who was giving acupuncture, and secretly swore in her heart that she must find out the person who poisoned her and make him pay the price!
She looked around, her eyes sharp and her voice icy: "All of you, go and call everyone who has touched the ingredients today! Don't leave anyone behind!"
"yes!"
Several guys immediately took the order and left.
Chen Xiaoru stood there, clenching her fists tightly. She knew a bigger storm was coming. "Mr. Li, could it be you? Apart from you, I really can't think of anyone else who would be so deliberate against me."
Soon, all the people in the kitchen, including those who cut vegetables, prepared side dishes, washed vegetables, and even those who lit the fire, were called to the backyard.
Everyone looked at each other, not knowing what was going on. Everyone was trembling with fear and dared not breathe.
Chen Xiaoru's eyes swept over them one by one, as if she wanted to see through them.
At this moment, Mr. Li's voice came from the door of the restaurant.
"Oh, Manager Chen, what happened? I heard that someone died in your restaurant, so I came here to take a look!" Mr. Li walked in with a gloating expression on his face, accompanied by a few of his men.
"It's Mr. Li! I'm sorry I don't have time to entertain you!" Chen Xiaoru said with a forced smile.
"It's okay, you are busy, I will just take a look." Mr. Li didn't mind at all.
Chen Xiaoru suppressed her anger and gave Li Yuanwai a cold look. She knew that at this moment, she must not lose her composure.
"Mr. Li showed his concern quite quickly." Chen Xiaoru said with a hint of sarcasm, "But, don't worry about it. It's my own restaurant, I can handle it myself."
Mr. Li chuckled and sighed pretentiously, "Manager Chen, you can't say that. A life lost is no small matter. What if this gets out and affects the reputation of our town? What will we do then?"
He walked over to the hot pot hypocritically, fanned it with his hands, frowned, and said, "Ouch, this smell...it makes me uncomfortable. Shopkeeper Chen, you have to be very careful with the ingredients you use for cooking!"
Chen Xiaoru looked at Mr. Li's hypocritical face and wanted to slap him. But she held back. She knew that the most important thing now was to find out the truth, not to argue with Mr. Li.
"Mr. Li, if you are fine, please go back. I still have a lot of things to deal with here." Chen Xiaoru ordered him to leave.
Mr. Li refused to leave. He continued to say in a sarcastic tone, "Manager Chen, I'm doing this for your own good. With such a big incident, how can you handle it all by yourself? How about I report it to the authorities for you? Let them investigate, and you won't have to worry about it."
Report to the authorities? Chen Xiaoru's heart trembled. She knew that Mr. Li was trying to use the authorities to bring her down. If she really reported it to the authorities, things would be even more troublesome.
"No need!" Chen Xiaoru said firmly, "I'll find out myself!"
"Oh? You checked it yourself?" Mr. Li looked at Chen Xiaoru in surprise. "Manager Chen, don't be so stubborn. This is a matter of life and death, so don't play it lightly."
"Mr. Li, don't worry about whether I'm showing off or not." Chen Xiaoru said coldly, "Mr. Li, you're so 'concerned' about my restaurant. Could it be... related to this matter?"
Chen Xiaoru deliberately emphasized the word "care" and stared at Li Yuanwai with a sharp gaze.
Li Yuanwai felt a little guilty when Chen Xiaoru looked at him. His eyes flickered for a moment, but he regained his composure and laughed heartily: "Manager Chen, you really know how to joke. What does this have to do with me? I just... I just wanted to remind you kindly."
"Really?" Chen Xiaoru pressed on. "Then Mr. Li, tell me, how did you know someone was killed in my restaurant? And how did you find out so quickly?"
Mr. Li was speechless for a moment and stammered, unable to say anything.
"Why, Mr. Li, can't you explain it?" Chen Xiaoru sneered, "I think you should go back and think carefully about how to explain it!"
Mr. Li's face turned pale and blue. He didn't expect Chen Xiaoru to be so difficult to deal with.
"Hmph! Chen Xiaoru, don't be so complacent! Let's wait and see!" Mr. Li said a harsh word and left in disgrace with a few of his men.
Chen Xiaoru looked at Mr. Li's departing back with a cold look in her eyes. She knew that Mr. Li would never let it go.
"Wife, are you okay?" The worry in Zhou Si's eyes was about to overflow. It was all his fault for being useless, otherwise Xiaoru would not have suffered such a great injustice.
"I'm fine." Chen Xiaoru came back to her senses and gave Zhou Si a forced smile, her voice a little tired. "I'm sorry to have made you worry."
Zhou Si held her in his arms with a distressed look, patting her back gently and silently comforting her. He knew Chen Xiaoru was feeling bad, after such a big incident, and being threatened by that old fox, Li Yuanwai.
"Xiao Ru, don't be afraid, I'm here." Zhou Si's voice was low and gentle, as if to dispel all the uneasiness.
Chen Xiaoru leaned on Zhou Si's chest, feeling his warm embrace, and her heart calmed down a little. She took a deep breath, adjusted her mood, raised her head, and her eyes had regained clarity.
"Zhou Si, the most important thing for us now is to find out who is behind this." Chen Xiaoru's voice was firm and calm.
Zhou Si nodded. He understood Chen Xiaoru's meaning. Now that someone had died in the restaurant, the government would definitely intervene. If the truth couldn't be ascertained quickly and the suspicion cleared, the restaurant's business would definitely be affected, and it might even be shut down.
"Xiao Ru, what do you think?" Zhou Si asked.
Chen Xiaoru pondered for a moment and spoke slowly, "I think this matter is very likely related to Mr. Li. He came here today at such a coincidence, and... he seems to know everything that happened in the restaurant."
Zhou Si also thought of this. He frowned and said, "But we have no evidence. Mr. Li is a cunning man. He won't leave any evidence easily."
"If you don't want others to know, then don't do it yourself. But the most important thing is to deal with the current situation first." Chen Xiaoru said. Zhou Si liked Chen Xiaoru more and more when he saw her so confident.
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