Chapter 419: Too Clever for One’s Own Good
Chapter 419: Chapter 419: Too Clever for One’s Own Good
Seeing Li Qiong standing there stunned, her expression shifting rapidly, Zhao Nuanyue knew she had guessed the truth.
Li Qiong was big-hearted and naive, but that didn’t mean she was stupid or incapable of putting the pieces together.
"Yes. Guo Dongmei was the one who instructed Wang Yuan to use the poison. If my master, Sun Haoran, hadn’t discovered it in time and given Uncle Gu an antidote, Uncle Gu wouldn’t have just suffered from a fever for over a month. He would have grown weaker over several months and then died," Zhao Nuanyue said slowly. "You were in Nianqiao Village, so you probably don’t know, but the Li family that Guo Dongmei relies on are mortal enemies of Elder Gu. They would love nothing more than for him to die. Guo Dongmei made her an offer, using a mix of threats and promises to coerce Wang Yuan. And so, she went through with it."
Li Qiong was dumbstruck, standing frozen where she was.
She knew Zhao Nuanyue wouldn’t lie about something like this, nor would she deliberately slander Wang Yuan. Still, Li Qiong couldn’t bring herself to believe it.
’Threats and promises?’
"Maybe... maybe Wang Yuan had her reasons. You know what happened to her... she was defiled, and it made her so much more sensitive. The villagers would point and whisper, and it was tearing her up inside," Li Qiong said cautiously, trying to find an excuse for Wang Yuan. "But to poison someone... and Uncle Gu, of all people... it’s just... I can’t even imagine it!"
Zhao Nuanyue didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, seeing that Li Qiong was still trying to defend Wang Yuan even now.
"Li Qiong, while you’re sympathizing with Wang Yuan, you should be thinking about Uncle Gu," Zhao Nuanyue said slowly. "Just because he didn’t die from the poison doesn’t lessen her crime, nor does it mean she’s innocent. Uncle Gu did turn the plot to his own advantage and return to Jincheng City, but he hasn’t forgotten what she did. The only reason he hasn’t taken action against her is because he pities what a woman like her has to go through in the countryside."
Hearing this, Li Qiong wasn’t angry. Instead, she breathed a sigh of relief that Gu Qingyu hadn’t retaliated against Wang Yuan.
"Uncle Gu is a magnanimous man for letting Wang Yuan go. I just hope Wang Yuan can cherish the new life she got through her wrongdoing," Li Qiong sighed. "I don’t condone what she did, but hearing that Uncle Gu isn’t retaliating is still a relief."
Hearing Li Qiong’s words made Zhao Nuanyue even more indignant. As someone who knew the whole story, hadn’t she hoped for the exact same thing—that Wang Yuan would just quietly live her life? But Wang Yuan hadn’t. Instead, she was helping Guo Dongmei once again.
"Don’t you think I felt the same way at first?" Zhao Nuanyue gave a bitter smile, her eyes filled with regret and even anger. "But did you know? The moment Wang Yuan found out I was in Jincheng City, she was already in contact with Guo Dongmei."
As soon as she heard that, Li Qiong grew frantic. "That Guo Dongmei is a bad person! If she could get Wang Yuan to poison someone, who knows what else she’ll make her do in the future? Wang Yuan is being so foolish!"
"Yes, she really is being foolish," Zhao Nuanyue nodded, completely agreeing with Li Qiong. "You know the reason I left Nianqiao Village was that Hua Yusen was in a coma, and the Guo Family had a hand in it. They looked down on him and broke off their engagement. Now I’m Hua Yusen’s wife, so Guo Dongmei can’t stand me. Given her arrogant personality, she’d never let me off easy. But she doesn’t dare to come after me directly. So, after getting in touch with Wang Yuan, Wang Yuan suddenly showed up in front of us. Faced with that kind of situation, do you think I would be the one to reach out to her?"
After hearing Zhao Nuanyue’s explanation, Li Qiong was too stunned to speak.
’Oh my god, so much has happened!’
Li Qiong couldn’t imagine it. She was just a girl from a working-class family. Growing up, the only drama she ever heard was local gossip. The most infuriating thing that had ever happened to her was when a neighborhood scoundrel tried to force her to marry him.
But what she was hearing now was more twisted and complex than any opera. These were things she had never imagined, let alone experienced.
"Wang Yuan is so foolish. She should have just found a reliable man, gotten married, and lived a quiet, peaceful life..." Li Qiong finally said after a long moment, her eyes filled with disappointment. "She was given a chance, and she didn’t take it."
"Li Qiong, you’re wrong. Wang Yuan isn’t foolish, she’s shrewd. The problem is that she doesn’t use her shrewdness for good. She’s too clever for her own good," Zhao Nuanyue countered. "Once she got away with it, she thought she could use the same methods to get more benefits. After all, the cost isn’t that high, as long as no one finds out. If I hadn’t investigated and prepared beforehand, I might have already fallen for a poison trap set by her."
"Poison you?" Li Qiong was again incredulous. "How could Wang Yuan try to poison you? We were good friends! We got through so many hard times together in Nianqiao Village. How could she bring herself to do that?"
Zhao Nuanyue patted Li Qiong’s shoulder and said gently, "Li Qiong, calm down. Maybe we were good friends back then, but the moment I found out she poisoned Elder Gu, we weren’t anymore. By the same token, she doesn’t consider me her friend either, because she’s one of Guo Dongmei’s pawns now. I originally didn’t want to tell you about her poisoning Elder Gu. I just thought that as long as she behaved and Elder Gu didn’t pursue the matter, we could let it be buried forever. But reality wasn’t what we’d hoped for. Wang Yuan chose to work for Guo Dongmei, and I was afraid that she would eventually try to use you for something. That’s why I’m telling you this—so that if you see her in the future, you’ll be on your guard."
Li Qiong nodded. "Thank you, Nuanyue, for telling me all this. If I hadn’t known the truth, I’m sure Wang Yuan would have deceived me."
"You don’t have to thank me." Zhao Nuanyue gave Li Qiong a gentle hug. "Don’t tell Wang Yuan what I’ve told you. She might not know that I’m aware of all her schemes. We don’t want to provoke her into doing something desperate."
"Okay, I won’t," Li Qiong nodded. "People change, and you never know what the world will throw at you."
"It’s true," Zhao Nuanyue agreed. "Alright, now that you know the truth, you probably don’t feel so conflicted anymore."
"Sigh... I’m not conflicted anymore, just really disappointed and sad. But it’s better to know the truth than to be deceived!" Li Qiong said softly, then looked at Zhao Nuanyue. "I understand what you must have felt back then so much better now. Just give me tonight to process it. I hope that when the sun rises tomorrow, I’ll be ready to face things again."
"Mm. There’s no hardship you can’t overcome. Li Qiong, you’re so kind, straightforward, and you stick to your principles. You’ll definitely find your own happiness," Zhao Nuanyue said encouragingly. "Director Li is a good man, and Li Jianjun is an even better one. You two fell in love on your own, you understand each other, and you’ll have a harmonious life together after you get married."