Captivating Beauty 83p2

Chapter 83 p2

“Xu Jinnan’s plan is to have everyone, including the security guards, away from the ICU at 5 a.m. tomorrow. She’ll disable the surveillance cameras and sneak into Xu Tao’s room disguised as a nurse. She’ll inject the drug into his IV,” Zhou Pei explained, her voice low.

She sat by the window of her apartment, the city lights twinkling below, her gaze fixed on the cityscape.

After a moment of silence, Xu Li’s cold voice came through the phone.

“Does she really think she can take over the Xu Corporation with such a childish plan? Making him mentally incompetent? I’m starting to think she didn’t build that company on her own,” she sneered.

“She also mentioned the Rongcheng incident,” Zhou Pei said. “But don’t worry, she doesn’t know we were the ones who gave Yin Xue the drug.”

“Good thing Yin Xue didn’t reveal anything either,” Xu Li said.

“She hates Xu Jinnan too. Having her continue to target Xu Jinnan from inside the Special Ward is beneficial for us,” Zhou Pei said.

Xu Li agreed.

Zhou Pei returned to the topic of Xu Jinnan’s plan. “Li-li, I don’t think she’s that reckless, not anymore.”

“I also thought she had changed, but I’ve realized she’s still the same, easily manipulated by Lu Yun. Her success is all thanks to Lu Yun and Xu Yincheng,” Xu Li said.

Zhou Pei paused. “What are you planning to do?”

“How about I give her a little… push?” Xu Li asked, her voice cold.

Zhou Pei didn’t reply, and Xu Li continued, “What if Xu Tao dies? And we frame Xu Jinnan for his murder? I’m named in his will. I’ll inherit the Xu Corporation and get rid of Xu Jinnan and Lu Yun. As for Xu Yincheng, what can he do when his little sister is accused of murdering their father?”

Zhou Pei’s face paled, and she sat up in bed. “Li-li, are you sure about this? This is…”

Murder.

“He deserves to die!” Xu Li exclaimed. “If it weren’t for him, my mother wouldn’t have suffered so much, and I wouldn’t have been ridiculed my entire life for being raised by a stepmother! Does he think he can just… make amends? Do you know what he said to me this morning? He asked if I even remembered what my mother looked like. He has no idea I not only remember her, but I’m still in contact with her.”

“He said he felt guilty towards my mother, and he told me to focus on my work at the company.”

Xu Li’s voice was a mixture of anger and disgust, unlike her usual demeanor. “He thinks he can just… become a good person after a near-death experience? You have no idea how sickening it was.”

“And what about my mother’s suffering? And mine? My mother was right. He has to die to atone for his sins. Zhou Pei, we’ve been together for so long. You’ll help me, won’t you?”

Zhou Pei chuckled dryly. “Have we… been ‘together’?”

“Of course,” Xu Li said softly. “Have you ever seen me with another woman? Those women are disgusting. They can’t compare to your… purity.”

“Zhou Pei, help me.”

Zhou Pei sighed. “I’ll go to the hospital tonight and wait for Xu Jinnan. Let me know when you’re ready.”

—

At the North City Special Ward, in Li Lan’s office, the scene was almost identical to two days ago.

The recording of Xu Li and Zhou Pei’s conversation played on the laptop, Xu Jinnan and Shen Shu sitting opposite Li Lan.

Half an hour later, they left the office and got into the car.

“They practically admitted to the drugging in Rongcheng, and Yin Xue will be re-interrogated. Now it’s just a matter of whether Xu Li and Zhou Pei will actually go through with it tomorrow,” Xu Jinnan said.

She didn’t start the car immediately, instead opening a bottle of water and handing it to Shen Shu.

They had been too focused on the conversation to drink anything, and their throats were dry.

Shen Shu took the bottle, taking a couple of sips. “Do you think they will?”

Xu Jinnan glanced at her, their eyes meeting, a silent understanding passing between them.

Xu Li’s true nature, revealed in the recording, was far more sinister than her outward demeanor, a chilling echo of the original Xu Jinnan’s own darkness.

Children raised in such toxic environments rarely turned out normal.

Thinking about Xu Li’s mention of her biological mother, it seemed her hatred for Xu Tao stemmed from her mother’s suffering.

According to the novel, Xu Tao had come to North City at the age of twenty, started his business, met Lu Yun, and then divorced his estranged wife.

It seemed the author had deliberately misled the readers.

Both statements were false.

Xu Jinnan had initially thought Xu Tao had divorced his first wife because of the Xu family matriarch’s insistence on a more suitable mate, a higher-ranking Omega.

But now, it seemed the divorce hadn’t been amicable, and Xu Tao’s first wife had likely suffered greatly.

And with the Xu family’s history of abuse…

Perhaps that suffering had been passed down to their daughter, Xu Li, fueling her hatred for Xu Tao, Lu Yun, and even Xu Jinnan.

A thought crossed her mind. What about Xu Yincheng? Had his mother not contacted him, or simply didn’t he care?

And it seemed Xu Tao had cared for his first wife, his few remaining shreds of humanity seemingly reserved for her.

Shen Shu’s hand appeared in her vision, holding out the water bottle.

“You should drink some too,” she said softly.

Xu Jinnan took the bottle, her hand closing around Shen Shu’s, her fingers interlaced with hers, and took a couple of sips, then didn’t release Shen Shu’s hand.

She was silent for a long moment, lost in thought.

“I didn’t think they would actually believe it,” Shen Shu said, breaking the silence.

“Believe what?”

Shen Shu’s gaze shifted from their joined hands to Xu Jinnan’s eyes. “Teacher Xu, you’re good at many things, but your acting could use some work.”

Xu Jinnan: “…”

She raised an eyebrow. “My acting was bad?”

“Let’s just say you almost missed your cue.”

“Did I?” Xu Jinnan asked, her mind still on the recording. Talking to Shen Shu, even about trivial matters, seemed to ease her anxiety. “When? I don’t remember.”

Shen Shu, mimicking her earlier actions, unbuckled her seatbelt and leaned closer. “Just now. When I did this, you didn’t respond.”

Xu Jinnan looked at her, her eyes softening. She didn’t speak for a moment.

In the quiet car, Shen Shu’s voice, soft and low, said, “Xu Jinnan, you don’t have to be so tense.”

“I’m fine,” Xu Jinnan replied instinctively, then, meeting Shen Shu’s gaze, admitted, “Okay, maybe a little.”

“Let’s go somewhere after this is over,” she said.

“Where?”

“We’ll decide later. I only have one day off next week,” Shen Shu replied.

Xu Jinnan nodded. “Okay, start thinking about it then.”

She started the car, her thoughts still racing.

Tomorrow would be a crucial day.

—

It was a little past 4 a.m.

Xu Jinnan drove her black Porsche out of the Xingcheng International parking garage.

Half an hour later, she parked near the hospital and entered through the back entrance, avoiding the security cameras, and went straight to the 16th floor, where Xu Tao’s private room was located.

At 4:50 a.m., dressed in a nurse’s uniform, she left Xu Tao’s room.

Two minutes later, another figure in a nurse’s uniform entered.

Xu Li walked over to the bed, where Xu Tao lay sleeping, his breathing assisted by a ventilator.

She stood there for a moment, the dark circles under her eyes still visible in the dim light, looking down at him, then took a deep breath and looked away.

With this single injection, it would all be over.

She would inherit the Xu Corporation, finally triumphing over Lu Yun and Xu Jinnan, the rest of the Xu family forced to grovel at her feet.

The thought steadied her trembling hand as she held the syringe, carefully inserting the needle into the IV bag and slowly depressing the plunger…

After she finished, she looked at Xu Tao again, her lips trembling. This dosage was enough to kill him within minutes.

“Dad,” she whispered, her eyes filling with tears.

Just then, her phone vibrated, snapping her back to reality. She quickly removed her gloves and took out her phone, sending Zhou Pei a message.

[It’s done. Have security stop her.]

[Did you call the police yet?]

She hurried out of the room, intending to leave through the fire escape and change her clothes before…

“Excuse me, can you wait a moment?”

A woman’s cold voice stopped her in her tracks.

She turned to see a woman in a dark green uniform, her expression stern, flanked by several other officers.

“We’re from the North City Special Ward,” Li Lan said.

Xu Li’s mind raced. What had happened to Zhou Pei’s plan? How had the police arrived so quickly?

“I’m not a nurse here. This is my father’s room. Is there a problem?” she asked, trying to maintain her composure.

Just then, they heard footsteps approaching, and Xu Jinnan appeared in the hallway.

Before Xu Li could react, the officers entered Xu Tao’s room.

“We received a report about attempted murder by poisoning. Xu Li, you’re under arrest,” Li Lan said.

“What?! Are you crazy?! This has nothing to do with me!” Xu Li exclaimed, looking at Xu Jinnan, who was walking towards them. “She’s the one you should be arresting!” she said, pointing at Xu Jinnan.

Xu Jinnan chuckled softly. “Arrest me for what? I didn’t poison anyone.”

Seeing her calm demeanor, Xu Li’s heart sank, a wave of fear washing over her.

Just then, Xu Tao’s doctor and nurses arrived, but the officers had already secured his IV line.

Xu Tao stirred, his voice weak and slurred. “What’s going on?” he asked.

But the room was too chaotic; no one heard him.

They all entered his room, including Xu Li and Xu Jinnan.

“Fortunately, the drug hasn’t been administered yet. The IV line was closed,” a nurse said.

“We can’t determine the exact nature of the toxin without further analysis. That’s not my department,” the doctor said.

“We’ll take care of that,” Li Lan said. “We’ll take the evidence back to the Special Ward.” She gestured to the other officers, then looked at Xu Li. “Take her away.”

“What?! Why are you arresting me? I didn’t do it! It was Xu Jinnan!”

Xu Jinnan looked at her calmly. “A simple search will reveal the truth.”

Xu Li gritted her teeth. She had planned to have security stop Xu Jinnan as she was leaving, the evidence of the poisoning either on her person or somewhere along the way.

And once Xu Tao was dead, the police would find evidence of Xu Jinnan’s crime, while she, the real culprit, would have already disposed of the syringe.

But the Special Ward officers had arrived too early, disrupting her plan.

She felt a surge of panic, the discarded syringe still in her pocket…

She desperately tried to think of a way out, a way to escape.

“Perhaps Second Miss finds the idea of a body search… unpleasant,” Xu Jinnan said, walking towards her. “There’s a more… direct method.” She pointed towards the back of the room.

Xu Li followed her gaze to a small, circular camera mounted on the TV stand, pointed directly at Xu Tao’s bed.

Her mind went blank.