Huan Hei wasn't entirely sure about his suspicions, but after hearing that the poison had intruded Ya Nuo's body through the minor cuts, he was 99.99% sure that it had to be Hen Qing's doing. He knew that Ying Ying became closer to the Yang family, but whether she would hand her daughter over is another subject.
Huan Hei's plan was simple. All he did was ask Mother Yang to text Ying Ying and request for her to come out for some tea. As expected, she quickly responded with a yes.
During their meeting, Mother Yang told her about Ya Nuo's situation and let out petrifying cries. She then mentioned the strange mark on Ya Nuo's back and showed a picture of it to Ying Ying, observing her expression the entire time.
When Ying Ying saw the mark, she revealed a shocked expression. 'That's the one on Hen Qing's back! If this is what they're saying, then that means that she cursed Ya Nuo!'
Noticing her sudden change in expression, Mother Yang held her hands tightly, "It was your child wasn't it? It was Hen Qing who cursed Ya Nuo right? Your face right now shows that you've seen it before! Please! If it is her, you need to help us! She's dying. She can't hold on much longer!"
Ying Ying chewed on her lower lip, not texting any response. Mother Yang continued crying and waved an "okay" gesture to the other table. Huan Hei, Nana, Qi Yang, Zhen Qi and Wei Wei paid their bill and left quietly. Now, they can eliminate that 0.01% possibility of wronging Hen Qing and target her.
Mother Yang continued her tearing acts in front of Ying Ying, delaying her time and hoping she could be the witness for Hen Qing's actions. "Ying Ying, we're both mothers. You should understand how hard it is for a mother to carry their child for nine months and go through labor pain! Ya Nuo is my life! I've already lost her when she was a young age. I haven't done what a mother should and could've done. When she was sick and helpless, I was living in warmth and care."
Her hands tightened its grip on Ying Ying's wrist, "This child has gone through too many hardships and now that she is living better than before and just starting a new life. They are adults, but forever children in our eyes because we are their mothers. When children do something wrong, parents should teach them the right thing. Please help me save Ya Nuo!"
Seeing no response from Ying Ying, she continued, "Hen Qing loves Huan Hei, but she should understand that he doesn't reciprocate the same feelings! What does that have to do with my daughter when she did nothing wrong to begin with? She didn't separate them or come in between their relationship! Is this fair to my daughter? She's lying unconscious right now and will die if not treated in time!"
"You've spent your time at our house for three and a half years. You know how my daughter is! You even treated her like your own. Is this what happens when your real daughter comes back and my daughter becomes trash to you? If Hen Qing could curse my daughter viciously, what would she do to others? Have you thought of other lives? If my daughter dies, I won't forgive any of you!"
She slammed her palms against the table and was ready to leave, but stopped when she felt something cold grabbing her wrist. "I'll be the witness." Ying Ying typed on her phone and showed it to Mother Yang.
Ying Ying knew that Hen Qing was the jealous type by nature, but never thought that she would ever go as far as to harm another's life. Setting a Gu harms both parties, and could lead to death. "You're right, as parents, we must correct our children when they do something wrong. I already caught Hei from the other table, leaving with his friends. I suppose they already went to look for Hen Qing. I'll go with you."
"Ying Ying.. Thank you."
"But, you must promise me that after you guys help Ya Nuo, you must not hurt her any further! Although she did something awful, but I'm still her mother. She can get what she deserves because the Gu will backfire on her and I could already guess what she used to trade for this curse. Please."
Mother Yang sighed and nodded, "I understand. Alright. I'll tell that to the rest of them. As long as Ya Nuo is okay, I'll be fine with letting your daughter off, but hear me out. If your daughter ever hurts or schemes against my daughter again, I won't let her off."
Ying Ying nodded and they left to meet up with the kids.
Meanwhile at a certain alleyway...
Huan Hei texted Hen Qing saying he wanted to meet with her around the area. She happily slapped on layers of foundation and put on a bright red lipstick to cover her chapped lips. When she got there, she didn't suspect anything because she believed that nobody could trace Ya Nuo's death to her. 'Finally, my time has come. Don't worry, Ya Nuo. After you die, I'll treat my husband well and remind him to visit your grave with me. The wedding won't become a waste as I will be his bride in your place."
Huan Hei sensed her stare from far away and turned around, "I'm not going to beat around the bush. Answer me. Was it you who cursed Ya Nuo?" his voice was steady and calm, increasing the tension between them. Her smile froze and limbs stopped in its place.
"What do you mean?" her eyes turned dark and a crooked smile appeared on her obvious powdered makeup face. The smile cracked the makeup at the corners of her mouth, revealing some dry skin underneath the foundation.
"Cut the crap. I already know it was you who cursed Ya Nuo."
"Hei, you know how much that hurt? What curse? What happened to her? I have no idea what's wrong on here! The first time you ask me out after a few years and you're interrogating me? Maybe she clashed with other people, and they cursed her!" She counterargued with her arms crossed acting as if she had been wronged.
"Oh? Alright. Then prove it. Here." He took out some cosmetic removal wipes and handed it to her.
"W..what?" she stuttered.
"You said you were innocent, so prove it. Take these wipes and wipe, scrub, do whatever it takes to remove all those barriers of makeup off. Let's see how your bare skin looks and we will see who's lying." He extended his hand, waiting for her to take the wipes.
"Do you know how rude it is to ask a girl remove her makeup?!" She gritted her teeth, growling like a tiger meeting its enemy.
"Don't care. You say you didn't do it. You want me to believe it, then remove your foundation. If you don't, then that means it is you who cursed Nuo and I will not let you off easily for this." He stepped closer as she moved backwards.
When she turned to leave, she realized that she was surrounded by Nana, Qi Yang, Wei Wei, Zhen Qi, and Huan Hei. Catching her off guard, Huan Hei locked her wrists together, "Nana. Your turn."
Each of them had a container filled with extremely effective makeup remover and many soaked wipes inside of it. Nana took out a wipe and squeezed it half dry before slapping it harshly on Hen Qing's face. The moment the wipe landed on her skin, Nana scrubbed it like she was scrubbing an old floor with lots of ancient stains. It was brutal, yet effective.
Hen Qing would scream once in a while, but close her mouth when makeup remover leaked into her mouth making her spit. Nana purposely scrubbed the same areas repeatedly until the wipes show no more color on it. Then, she moved onto the other half of her face and abused her power.
"How dare you torture my poor Nuo like that?! Huh? This is not even a hundredth compared to the pain she felt! Argh!!! Witch!!" Nana ranted her complaints while giving Hen Qing a free face massage.
Finally, after using eleven wipes, Hen Qing's face was free of makeup and skin full of dried patches from the makeup remover. Her face was red, irritated, and burning under the blazing hot sun. Huan Hei refused to loosen his grip on her wrists and Nana lifted Hen Qing's bare face up.
Hen Qing's face was wrinkled like an old ragged cloth. The lines under her eyes were stretched and deeply carved like someone had traced her under eye with a sharpie but failed significantly. The creases on her forehead, the corner of her eyes and smile lines were deeply marked on her face that even without any expression, it was obvious to everyone's eyes.
"Wow! What a memorable price you gave for setting this Gu on my Nuo! Tsk, tsk, tsk, forget Huan Hei. Even if you were sold off to a brothel, no men or women would want you." She commented on Hen Qing's old saggy skin.