Chapter 369: Chapter 369: The Same Old Trick

Wang Yuan was planning to poison her within the next few days, which meant Nuanyue couldn’t wait for Li Qiong to get to Jincheng City.

It wasn’t that Zhao Nuanyue didn’t want to deal with Wang Yuan herself. Her superiors had told her that the situation was extremely tense, and they didn’t want her to jeopardize the entire plan over a personal grudge.

So, Zhao Nuanyue could only give her a taste of her own medicine.

Since Wang Yuan wanted to poison her discreetly, she could just as discreetly switch the poison and have Wang Yuan take it instead.

They chatted, reminiscing about their fond memories of Nianqiao Village. Life had been hard back then, but there were also happy times—except, for Wang Yuan, when she recalled the humiliating experiences she had endured.

Once the meal was ready, Zhao Nuanyue deliberately splashed water on herself. "Wang Yuan, can you serve the rice? I’m going to go change my clothes. It’s gotten cold, and my wet shirt is freezing."

This was what Zhao Nuanyue and the Little Red Carp had planned beforehand: create an excuse to leave so Wang Yuan would have an opportunity to be alone with the food.

Because the poison was indiscriminate, Zhao Nuanyue was certain of one thing. Wang Yuan wouldn’t poison the shared dishes; she would put it in an individual bowl of rice.

"Yes, go on, hurry. It really is cold, and you’ll catch a cold if you’re not careful. You’re getting married soon, so you can’t be reckless," Wang Yuan urged. ’This is the perfect opportunity. With Zhao Nuanyue gone, I can put the drug straight into her rice.’

’All she had to do was make sure Zhao Nuanyue ate from that bowl. Once this was done, she wouldn’t have to live on edge, unable to eat or sleep in peace.’

Zhao Nuanyue left the kitchen, shooting the Little Red Carp a meaningful look as she went to her room to change. But her Divine Sense remained fixed on Wang Yuan, as did the Little Red Carp’s.

Just as they expected, Wang Yuan first carried the dishes to the stone table. Then, while scooping the rice, she added the drug to one of the bowls.

By this time, Zhao Nuanyue, the Little Red Carp, and Zhao Nuanyang were already seated at the stone table. Wang Yuan then placed the bowl of poisoned rice directly in front of Zhao Nuanyue.

’Back in the kitchen, as she administered the poison, Wang Yuan had justified it to herself. ’Zhao Nuanyue, I have no choice,’ she thought. ’I need to earn the trust of Guo Dongmei and Guo Donghai, and to do that, I have to do their bidding and prove myself to be an understanding, useful woman. You’re so beautiful, and Hua Yusen loves you so much; I’m sure he wouldn’t leave you even if you couldn’t have children. But I’m different. I may have my looks, but if I’m not useful, Guo Donghai will abandon me sooner or later. And a petty person like Guo Dongmei will definitely badmouth me to him. My hand is forced!’’

This self-reassurance helped Wang Yuan appear calmer, her conscience seemingly clear.

Zhao Nuanyue lowered her head, staring coldly at the bowl of rice, careful not to betray any emotion.

She had prepared for this, but at this moment, she was still filled with rage.

"Let’s eat! The fish Nuanyue made today must be delicious. I was practically drooling in the kitchen earlier," Wang Yuan said with feigned enthusiasm. Her heart was pounding, and she kept stealing glances at Zhao Nuanyue’s bowl of rice out of the corner of her eye.

’Eat it, eat it, hurry up and eat! Once she eats it, my task will be complete, and I won’t have to worry about this all day.’

Seeing Wang Yuan’s act, the Little Red Carp felt a mix of sadness, anger, and even a little pity for her.

So, during a lull in the conversation, the Little Red Carp used a Spell, causing the chopsticks to fall from Wang Yuan’s hand.

"Oh, dear. Look at me, I’m so excited I dropped my chopsticks." Seeing her chopsticks CLATTER to the ground, Wang Yuan quickly bent down to pick them up.

In that instant, the Little Red Carp used another Spell, swapping the bowls of rice in front of Zhao Nuanyue and Wang Yuan. She even magically reshaped the rice in the bowls to make them look identical. Having discerned the poison’s effects, she even altered it slightly. This way, when Wang Yuan ate the poisoned meal, she wouldn’t come down with a cold and fever for a month, and thus wouldn’t grow suspicious.

After picking up her chopsticks, Wang Yuan glanced at Zhao Nuanyue’s bowl again but noticed nothing out of place.

"Those chopsticks fell on the ground; they’re dirty. I’ll get you a new pair," Zhao Nuanyue said, walking over to a kitchen cabinet. She returned with a clean pair and placed them in front of Wang Yuan.

Wang Yuan accepted them with a smile. "Thank you. We should hurry and eat. The weather’s gotten cooler, and the food will get cold fast. Let’s dig into this fish you made while it’s still hot."

"Yes, yes! I can’t wait, it smells amazing!" the Little Red Carp said eagerly, reaching her chopsticks toward the plate of braised pork.

The Little Red Carp loved fish, but she also loved meat, especially Zhao Nuanyue’s specialty braised pork and spareribs.

Zhao Nuanyue also picked up her bowl and began to eat. "Wang Yuan," she said, gesturing with her chopsticks, "you’re always saying how good my cooking is, so you’d better eat up! If you don’t hurry, the Little Red Carp and Nuanyang are going to finish everything."

Seeing Zhao Nuanyue take a couple of bites of rice, Wang Yuan finally relaxed completely. "Don’t you worry, I won’t be polite," she said. "I’m going to eat my fill, too."

Zhao Nuanyue nodded, deliberately avoiding looking at the bowl in Wang Yuan’s hands.

Throughout the meal, Wang Yuan acted like someone with a guilty conscience, constantly forcing conversation and using the opportunity to watch Zhao Nuanyue’s expression.

When she saw that Zhao Nuanyue wasn’t having any adverse reaction, Wang Yuan relaxed completely. Her speech and expressions became much more natural.

"Oh, I’m so full!" Wang Yuan laughed, patting her stomach. "The Little Red Carp gave me a jar of sour plums earlier. I’d love a glass of sour plum juice. What about you all?"

Wang Yuan was being unusually proactive today, clearly trying to cover her guilt. Zhao Nuanyue knew her goal and continued to provide these so-called "opportunities."

"Gosh, I think I outdid myself today. Everything tastes especially good." Zhao Nuanyue was also stuffed, as if only the food could quell the rage simmering in her heart.

"Wait right here, then. Don’t mind me, I’ll go make the sour plum tea myself," Wang Yuan said with a laugh. She picked up the small jar of plums and headed to the kitchen.

Sure enough, just to be safe, Wang Yuan added more of the drug to the sour plum drink, using up the entire contents of the Jade Bottle.

Since Wang Yuan was trying to poison her again, Zhao Nuanyue and the Little Red Carp naturally pulled the same trick, swapping the cups of sour plum tea in front of them.

And so, every last drop of the poison went into Wang Yuan’s own stomach.

Full and satisfied, the Little Red Carp was getting drowsy. She did one last magical scan of Wang Yuan, and only after confirming she no longer had any poison on her person did the carp relax and go take a nap.

Zhao Nuanyue busied herself with some handicrafts, with Wang Yuan helping on the side. By three in the afternoon, Wang Yuan’s patience had worn thin, and she finally made her excuses and left.

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