Volume One, Chapter 85: The Accusation

"The patient has just undergone surgery and is emotionally unstable. Don’t upset her any further," said the nurse to Jiang Wan after administering a sedative and settling Ji Jiali in bed.

Jiang Wan did not reply. She simply stared at the lucky pouch on the floor, then bent down to pick it up. She brushed the dust off its surface and opened the mouth of the bag.

Inside lay a talisman, flattened from being stepped on. It was almost identical to the one she’d seen before, though the details of the writing differed in places.

Recalling what Ji Jiali had said, Jiang Wan quietly put the talisman away, but she noticed the texture of the paper felt unusual. As she unrolled and rolled it back up, a thin layer of powder clung to her fingertips, sticky against her skin.

She checked inside the pouch again. The inner lining of the fabric also bore some powdery residue, of dark green hues that varied in shade.

A sudden realization struck her.

She brought her hand to her nose and sniffed, but there was no discernible scent. Still, suspicion had already taken root in her heart.

Apart from the talisman, something else had been inside the pouch.

With this thought, Jiang Wan was eager for confirmation. She stuffed the lucky pouch into her pocket and, leaning on her crutch, left Ji Jiali’s hospital room.

She hadn’t gone far before running into Lin Zhi waiting for her in the corridor.

The hallway was deserted except for the two of them. Jiang Wan’s movements were hampered, but Lin Zhi only watched coldly, making no move to help her.

In fact, as Jiang Wan passed by, Lin Zhi stuck out a foot and said with regret, “What a pity—your mother’s sweet dream is shattered.”

Her airy remark made Jiang Wan’s hand pause on the crutch.

She stopped and stood in front of Lin Zhi. When Jiang Wan looked up, she was greeted by a pair of sly, fox-like eyes, their corners curved in mockery, clearly relishing her misfortune.

“She should never have overreached. It was already generous of the Lin family to support her—now she wanted to have another child and split the family fortune?” Lin Zhi’s words hung in the air.

At that, Jiang Wan’s grip on her crutch tightened instantly. The suspicions that had been festering in her heart suddenly found their answer.

“It was you,” she said with conviction. “What happened last night wasn’t an accident. You orchestrated it.”

Jiang Wan’s gaze locked onto Lin Zhi. “You’ve been waiting for your chance all along.” The doubts in her mind rushed forth, finally clear.

The voice she’d heard in the Lin Corporation’s business department hadn’t been a hallucination—the employee was one of Lin Zhi’s people. Lin Zhi had found out she was going to Renshin Medical for tests, so she arranged for her subordinate to “accidentally” drop Ji Jiali’s test results in front of her. But at the time, Jiang Wan hadn’t seen the information section, so she didn’t know Ji Jiali was pregnant.

Later, whether she visited the Lin home or ran into Lin Zhi at a scenic spot, Lin Zhi had deliberately steered her attention toward Ji Jiali. But Jiang Wan had mistakenly thought she herself was the one who was pregnant, so she’d missed all the signs.

“You were just waiting for me to discover her pregnancy, so I’d provoke her and cause her to miscarry!” Jiang Wan exposed her scheme, each word laced with furious emphasis.

To her accusation, Lin Zhi didn’t deny it. She even arched her brow, as if Jiang Wan’s words had hit the mark, but she seemed utterly unafraid, undaunted by being unmasked.

Seeing Lin Zhi’s brazen expression, Jiang Wan could no longer suppress her anger. All her pent-up frustration surged to the surface.

With a sharp crack, she slapped Lin Zhi hard across the face.

The sound rang out in the corridor. Lin Zhi’s head snapped to the side, and her pale cheek flushed bright red. Wide-eyed, she turned back in disbelief. “You dare hit me?”

“You dare scheme against me and harm my mother—what’s a slap compared to that?” Jiang Wan gritted her teeth, glaring at Lin Zhi. “Last time you were lucky and left no evidence. This time, I’ll make sure you pay—double.”

She enunciated every word, her tone resolute.

Jiang Wan’s earnest expression and piercing gaze showed her unwavering determination.

A flicker of panic crossed Lin Zhi’s face.

Noticing this, Jiang Wan pressed on. “You tampered with my mother’s lucky pouch, didn’t you?”

The color drained from Lin Zhi’s face, though she tried to hide it. But Jiang Wan saw it clearly.

Leaning on her crutch, Jiang Wan turned to leave, but Lin Zhi seemed to suddenly realize something. Before Jiang Wan could go, Lin Zhi reached into her hospital gown pocket and grabbed for Ji Jiali’s lucky pouch.

Before she could snatch it away, Jiang Wan reacted, gripping Lin Zhi’s hand tightly.

The two struggled, neither willing to let go. Even with her injured right foot, Jiang Wan guarded the pouch fiercely.

Suddenly, in the midst of the tussle, Lin Zhi let go and fell to the ground.

Jiang Wan tried to seize the moment to leave, but a stern reprimand sounded behind her.

“Jiang Wan! What are you doing?!”

Footsteps approached rapidly. Out of the corner of her eye, Jiang Wan saw three people coming toward them—Lin Hongguang, Lu Wenzhou, and Zhai Honghui. All three wore grave expressions.

Lin Hongguang, in the lead, quickened his pace, stopping in front of the two women. He helped Lin Zhi up, and when he saw the red mark on her cheek, his anger only grew.

“You hit Lin Zhi?!”

He raised his voice, venting his displeasure. Sensing his wrath, Lin Zhi quickly stepped away and, glancing at Lu Wenzhou, forced a tearful explanation.

“I deserved it. After all, what happened to Auntie happened right under my nose. If I’d been more attentive, none of this would have happened. Jiang Wan is her daughter—it’s only natural she’s upset. I…”

Before she could finish, Lin Hongguang cut her off with a cold laugh. “You think you have the right to be upset?”

He glared at Jiang Wan, scolding, “If it weren’t for your mother, I’d have held you accountable long ago! After what you did to her, what right do you have to blame Lin Zhi? She’s been far more dutiful than you, her own daughter—she’s the one who’s been looking after your mother all this time!”

Jiang Wan found his words almost laughable.

“Looking after her, or setting her up—she knows best,” Jiang Wan retorted, unwilling to argue further.

Then, seeing Zhai Honghui among them, Jiang Wan made a snap decision. Leaning on her crutch, she approached him.

“Dr. Zhai, you’re just in time. Since you’re well-versed in traditional medicine, could you help me identify what’s been in here? What kind of powder is this?”

She took out the lucky pouch from her pocket and handed it to Zhai Honghui right in front of Lin Zhi.