Chapter 345: Poisoned
Unbeknownst to them, Xia Yu and Xia Ling had been at the Jiang Family’s house for a week now. During this week, they were allowed to roam only their room—no step outside.
Actually, it wasn’t that they couldn’t go outside, but after their previous experiences, neither Xia Yu, Xia Ling, Jiang Kekai, nor Jiang Hanhang dared to take any chances. They were terrified that Jiang Heng or Jiang Tao might secretly send someone after them.
Now, Jiang Kekai personally arranged for their meals, ensuring everything was up to scratch. Being protected like this—who knew they would be treated like pandas for the first time?
As the days passed and school approached, Xia Ling felt she had been courteous enough to Jiang Kekai and Jiang Hanhang.
So, she boldly presented her thoughts to Jiang Kekai: “Big Bad Guy, can’t me and my sister leave now? If we stay here much longer, we’re gonna start sprouting mushrooms!” Jiang Kekai was utterly speechless: “Staying here makes you this miserable?”
“Mainly because we can’t go outside! We’ve been cooped up here forever, and my sister and I haven’t even stepped out of this building—you think I’m some kind of pet?”
“Do pets even get this kind of treatment?”
Xia Ling: … No matter, I’m going out today. My sister and I are heading back to Peng City, and you all can do whatever you wish.”
With that, Xia Ling returned to collect her and Jiang Hanhang’s things—this prison-like life was just too much for her! Jiang Hanhang, being a homebody, thought Xia Ling was being overly dramatic. But seeing Xia Ling pack, she started gathering her own things too; after all, she had survived without Xia Ling before, and it was excruciatingly boring.
On the other hand, Jiang Kekai sought Xia Yu’s opinion: “Little Yu, do you want to leave now?”
Xia Yu had been quietly observing the exchange between Jiang Kekai and Xia Ling, and honestly, she didn’t care much: “If Xia Ling wants to leave, let her go; we’ve been here long enough anyway.”
“Alright then.”
Respecting Xia Yu’s feed, Jiang Kekai saw that Xia Yu had also decided to leave with Xia Ling and started packing her own things. After all, who knew what kind of trouble that little ditz might get into without her around? Sure, Xia Yu would remind her not to forget the creepy Doctor Y, the one who wanted to perform experiments on her.
Who knew what kind of dangers awaited them back in Peng City? Would that little ditz be able to fend for herself without her support?
Soon, Jiang Kekai had everything ready, and their stuff wasn’t much—just a few important items in a little suitcase they shared. Plenty of room!
Meanwhile, Jiang Hanhang and Xia Ling dragged their luggage to Jiang Kekai and Xia Yu’s door. “Sis, are you leaving too?”
Jiang Kekai shot her sister a look: “If I don’t follow you guys, do you think Mom and Dad will relax?”
“Hey, yes, yes, yes! So, dear big sister, can we set off now?”
“Yeah, but let’s say goodbye to our parents first—it wouldn’t be right to just up and leave.”
“And Grandpa?”
“You go say goodbye to Grandpa.” Jiang Hanhang: “…”
Once all farewell protocols were completed, the escorting convoy set off with great fanfare.
Watching the convoy leave, Jiang Tao couldn’t help but clench his fists: “Just a bit more, so close…”
Leaving the Jiang family, Xia Ling hugged Hanhang and mimicked her: “Ah, the outside world is beautiful! I’ve finally escaped!” Jiang Hanhang rolled her eyes: “Look at you; don’t copy me.”
“Copy me? What’s it to you? Come at me, bro!”
Xia Ling started to pinch Jiang Hanhang’s cheeks, since she couldn’t defeat Jiang Kekai, she could at least bully Hanhang.
Despite the teasing, seeing Xia Ling smile again after being gloomy made Jiang Hanhang quite happy.
Upon reaching Peng City, Xia Hong and Wang Wenjuan had yet to return, which meant the huge house was just for the four of them—no one to tell them what to do!
This made Xia Ling, who had felt pent up for so long, feel as though she had finally broken free. Visiting the Jiang family had been too torturous; she wouldn’t do it casually again.
Looking at the girls sprawled on the sofa, Jiang Kekai pulled out her phone with a grin: “Hungry, huh? Just tell me what you want to eat, and I’ll have someone make it and deliver it to us.”
“Sister Little Ning, I want fish.” “I want pork ribs,” declared Xia Ling.
“How basic; I want lobsters! Big crabs! A whole box of coconut milk—the kind with fruit bits!” Jiang Kekai: “….. You really think you can eat all that?”
“Sis, you don’t need to worry about that; today Xia Ling is happy, so she’ll definitely eat a lot and won’t waste anything.”
Seeing her sister so adamant, Jiang Kekai couldn’t argue further and called to order all the food they wanted. Next up was the only painful part—waiting.
With a week left until school started, all four of them had winter holiday homework, but they never touched it; they were just playing!
Especially Xia Yu, after enduring devilish training in Demon City, she had undergone a tremendous transformation—she might not be as impressive as Jiang Kekai or Jiang Hanhang, but snagging a top spot in school was definitely within reach.
This also rekindled Xia Yu’s confidence in studying.
Since the training in Demon City was so tough, she figured winter homework could be ignored; after all, teachers wouldn’t check, right? “It’s taking forever~”
Twenty minutes passed without food, and Xia Ling, as if she hadn’t eaten in days, flopped onto Jiang Hanhang’s shoulder, playfully nudging her.
Indeed, Xia Ling’s life was carefree; while being with Jiang Hanhang, she could be the aggressive one or the submissive one, depending on her mood. Poor Jiang Hanhang, though, only got to be bullied because Xia Ling didn’t like to be the weak one unless she allowed it, just like now. At that moment, Jiang Hanhang felt helpless—how had she ended up with a chaotic wildling like Xia Ling? And yet, she couldn’t quite let go of her either; thus, Jiang Hanhang found herself in a painful yet joyful predicament. Jiang Kekai passed the time on her phone, while Xia Yu seemed to be struggling with something…
Indeed, shortly after Jiang Kekai ordered food, Xia Yu started feeling a bit off—her stomach was uncomfortable, and her head began to spin.
She forced herself to stay alert, thinking this weird feeling would pass. “Just hang on a bit longer,” she thought.
Before she knew it, Xia Yu’s consciousness became blurry, and she finally closed her eyes and slumped into Jiang Kekai’s arms. “Little Yu?”
Believing Xia Yu had dozed off out of boredom like Xia Ling, Jiang Kekai gently called her name—no response.
She nudged Xia Yu again, still nothing.
Worry kicked in, and Jiang Kekai started pushing a little harder: “Xia Yu, are you okay? Little Yu!” But indeed, Xia Yu remained unresponsive—this was bad!
At the same time, her loud voice attracted Jiang Hanhang and Xia Ling’s attention. Confused, they both asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Xia Yu is unwell; Hanhang, go tell the bodyguards to stay alert and call for the medical team.”
After giving the orders, Jiang Kekai pulled out her phone: “Send an ambulance right away, I’m at…”
Jiang Hanhang reacted quickly, grabbing Xia Ling to act alongside her, fearing she’d be too frightened alone.
Once Jiang Hanhang and Xia Ling left, Jiang Kekai turned her anxious gaze back to Xia Yu, noticing her face was terrifyingly pale, and she felt helpless.
Fortunately, Jiang Hanhang and Xia Ling returned swiftly, bringing two female bodyguards with them; turns out, those medical-type bodyguards came in handy!
“Lay the patient on the sofa; we’ll check her out.”
Jiang Kekai complied, stepping back once Xia Yu was settled, not wanting to get in the way.
One bodyguard took out a stethoscope to examine Xia Yu, while the other used a small light to look into Xia Yu’s eyes, then checked her mouth—very professional.
Soon enough, they concluded: “Preliminary judgment indicates food poisoning, and the toxins have been in her system for quite a while. She needs to be taken to the hospital.”
“How is that possible? Food poisoning? We just arrived today!” Jiang Hanhang couldn’t believe it. “Can you pinpoint when she was poisoned? And do you know what the poison is?”
Hearing this, the two female bodyguards exchanged glances and shook their heads.
“We can’t determine the type of toxin; we’ll need to get her to the hospital for tests. But she must have been poisoned within this week—no longer than that.”
Within a week? That meant Xia Yu must have eaten something unsanitary while at the Jiang house. Jiang Kekai felt an overwhelming sense of guilt; who knew something like this would happen?
As the ambulance sirens wailed nearby, Jiang Kekai scooped Xia Yu into her arms and hurried outside…
Determined to get Xia Yu treated as fast as possible, Jiang Kekai contacted the enforcement team for a privilege lane; with green lights all the way, they soon arrived at the First People’s Hospital. Meanwhile, far away at the Jiang family house, Jiang Tao’s phone rang, just as he had expected: “Hello, where has Xia Yu been taken?”
“First People’s Hospital.”
“I see. Handle it as the situation requires, and this time, don’t let Jiang Kekai catch on to anything.”
