Chapter 189

Chapter 189: Was It You Who Poisoned Jiang Yi? Ruan Chutang had narrowly escaped with her life, but Jiang Yi's situation was far less optimistic. The doctors said that Jiang Yi had been poisoned for a long time, and the toxins had already invaded his internal organs. He had reached a point where medicine could no longer save him. When Elder Mrs. Jiang heard this devastating news, her vision went dark and she fainted. The next day, Lin Yueying made a trip to the prison. Through the glass partition, Xu Jingxuan sat inside wearing her prison uniform, while Lin Yueying sat outside. The two communicated through the wired telephone. A mocking smile flashed across Xu Jingxuan's face. "Mrs. Jiang, the sun must be rising from the west for you to come and visit me." Ever since Xu Jingxuan's feelings for Jiang Shixu had been exposed and Lin Yueying had slapped her, the two had stopped maintaining the facade of a "harmonious mother-daughter" relationship. Later, Xu Jingxuan was cast out of the Jiang Family. Xu Jingxuan's address for Lin Yueying had also changed from "Mom" to "Mrs. Jiang." From Xu Jingxuan's arrest to her sentencing and the execution of her punishment, Lin Yueying had never once gone to see her. Elder Mrs. Jiang, however, had visited her twice. Elder Mrs. Jiang was muddle-headed and doted on Xu Jingxuan excessively. Even now that Jiang Yi was poisoned and on the verge of death, she still refused to believe that Xu Jingxuan would poison Jiang Yi. Lin Yueying's eyes were icy cold as she cut straight to the point: "Was it you who poisoned Jiang Yi?" "Poisoned? How could Jiang Yi be poisoned?" Xu Jingxuan feigned surprise, though a hint of amusement lurked in her eyes. "Stop pretending." Lin Yueying said coldly. "Aside from you, no one else has a motive to poison him. Fu Yuanzhou put you up to it." Xu Jingxuan smiled. "Mrs. Lin, you can eat whatever you want, but you can't just say whatever you want. You say I poisoned Jiang Yi—do you have any evidence?" "If you did it, you're bound to leave traces behind. The evidence will be found eventually." "Heh heh." Xu Jingxuan laughed, her eyes filled with smugness and provocation. "So that means you don't have evidence yet." A cold glint flashed through Lin Yueying's eyes. "Xu Jingxuan, if you poisoned Jiang Yi, the Jiang Family won't let you off. Are you still counting on Fu Yuanzhou to come fish you out? You probably don't know this while sitting in prison, but Fu Yuanzhou has already been arrested." The smile on Xu Jingxuan's face vanished instantly, and her voice shot up sharply. "What did you say? Fu Yuanzhou was arrested?" A cold smile curled at the corner of Lin Yueying's lips. "Did you really think Fu Yuanzhou could do whatever he wanted in Country A? With the prime ministerial election in Country A, Fu Yuanzhou's backing fell from power. As soon as the new prime minister took office, he immediately joined forces with multiple parties to crush Fu Yuanzhou. He managed to escape by luck and returned to Jiangcheng, intending to die together with Shixu. Fortunately, Shixu had bodyguards by his side, so Fu Yuanzhou didn't succeed. He's already been taken into police custody. He can't even save himself now—do you really think he'll still come to rescue you?" When Xu Jingxuan heard that Fu Yuanzhou had wanted to die together with Jiang Shixu, her heart tightened and she blurted out: "Is A-Xu alright? Was he hurt?" Lin Yueying sneered. "That's none of your business. No one can save you now. If you voluntarily confess to poisoning Jiang Yi, it would count as surrendering yourself for the new crime, and you could receive a lighter sentence. But if you wait until the police find evidence to confirm your guilt, you'll lose that chance for leniency." "A lighter sentence?" A mocking glint flashed through Xu Jingxuan's eyes. "Do you take me for a fool? If I really did poison Jiang Yi, would you Jiang Family people let me off? Talking about lighter sentences—how ridiculous." Lin Yueying said coldly, "So you're not planning to admit it." Xu Jingxuan's words were watertight: "Why should I admit to something I didn't do?" "Alright, time's up," the prison guard announced. The phone call was disconnected, and Xu Jingxuan was led away by the guard. Before leaving, she turned back and gave Lin Yueying a meaningful smile. ... The previous day, it was only after Chutang had been out of danger that Lin Yueying told Jiang Shixu about Jiang Yi's poisoning. Jiang Yi's poisoning was too severe—he didn't have much time left. There was no need for him to remain in the intensive care unit, so the doctors transferred him to a regular ward, allowing him to spend his final moments with his family. Elder Mrs. Jiang had suffered a heart attack from the shock last night and fainted. She was also hospitalized. From last night until now, Jiang Shixu had been keeping vigil by Jiang Yi's bedside, only leaving to visit Elder Mrs. Jiang. Lin Yueying left the prison, had lunch outside, and then came to the hospital. Inside Jiang Yi's ward. Lin Yueying glanced at Jiang Shixu. "Have you eaten?" Jiang Shixu shook his head. "No appetite." "You need to eat even if you have no appetite. You're injured too—how can you recover without eating?" With that, Lin Yueying called Jiang Shixu's assistant, Lin Sen. "Send a lunch over for Shixu." "Yes, ma'am." Yesterday, when Ruan Chutang had her incident, Lin Sen had come to this hospital with Jiang Shixu. He also knew about Jiang Yi being hospitalized for poisoning treatment afterward. So even though Lin Yueying didn't specify where to deliver, Lin Sen understood. "Your grandfather is returning to Jiangcheng tomorrow afternoon," Lin Yueying said to Jiang Shixu. Jiang Shixu responded with a quiet "Mm." Jiang Yi had already woken up. He looked gaunt and withered, with deeply sunken eye sockets and lips faintly tinged with black. Lin Yueying glanced at him and let out a silent sigh. The person she had argued with just last night was now on the verge of death—how unpredictable life was. At this thought, Lin Yueying couldn't help but feel a pang of sorrow. Though the couple's relationship was far from good, they had still been married for nearly thirty years. Even without love, there was at least familial affection. Jiang Yi had no idea that after Lin Yueying heard what the doctor said about his condition last night, she had lain awake all night, secretly wiping away tears alone in bed. Human emotions were truly complicated. Though there was no love between them, when someone you'd spent thirty years with, day in and day out, suddenly had no time left—it would be a lie to say it didn't hurt. Lin Yueying looked at Jiang Yi. "Have you eaten?" Jiang Yi already knew his situation. He didn't have many days left—the doctor said at most, no more than a month. Jiang Yi said weakly, "In my condition, what difference does eating or not eating make? Either way, I'm going to die sooner or later." Lin Yueying fell silent. Jiang Shixu said, "I just had someone bring food, but he hasn't touched a single bite." "At least eat a little." Lin Yueying didn't know what else to say, and only managed these words after a long silence. Jiang Yi's gaze lingered on Lin Yueying for a moment, then a bleak smile suddenly curled at the corner of his lips. "I'm dying—are you happy now?" Hearing this, Lin Yueying's emotions collapsed in an instant. "Jiang Yi!" Her voice suddenly rose, trembling with tears. "I'm not as vicious as you think!" Jiang Yi looked at Lin Yueying and fell silent. Jiang Shixu, seeing his parents like this, felt a heaviness in his heart. He let out a deep sigh, turned, and left the hospital room, leaving his parents alone together. ...... The police conducted an investigation at the Jiang family villa and Xu Jingxuan's private villa. They found some suspicious items.