"What does it mean to 'spread dog food'?" the child asked again.
The mother quickly picked up the child and hurried away from the scene, wanting to avoid the two "crazy" people.
The innocent question from the child, along with the mother's response, clearly floated into Zuri and Leo's ears.
A blush spread across Zuri's beautiful face as she grabbed Leo's hand that was hovering over her head. "Put your hands down, people are staring."
Leo remained unmoved. "Stay calm! No need to worry."
Looking at Leo's persistence, Zuri realized that while he could be considerate and yield at times, he could also be stubbornly obstinate.
What Zuri didn't know was that there was another layer of meaning behind this gesture.
Zuri walked quickly, and whether it was Leo's presence or the supposed warding off of bad luck, the anxiety that had been weighing on her heart disappeared.
-
"What did you say? Who died?" Dalia's hand trembled as she held the phone, not out of fear but out of anger.
The voice on the other end was stern. "The person died, so you need to pay more. You have to cover the compensation for the families of the two deceased."
"What about the person I wanted you to hit? What happened to her?"
There was a long silence on the other end before the voice spoke again, "She dodged it. She got away."
Dalia's anger surged. "You failed to do what I asked, and now you want me to pay for it? Dream on!"
"Do you believe I won't tell the others about this?" the voice threatened.
Dalia, not one to be outdone, retorted, "Do you believe I won't spend a million to have you and your family wiped out?"
The other end fell completely silent, not expecting her to be so ruthless, but also afraid she might actually do it. After all, if she was willing to spend money on such a job, she could easily spend more to eliminate loose ends.
Sensing the silence, Dalia softened her tone, "I can offer another million. But that's all."
"Deal." The voice on the other end agreed, not daring to push further.
After hanging up, Dalia pressed her hand to her forehead. The last thing she wanted had happened.
Her final plan was the riskiest one, the one she was most reluctant to use, but now she had no choice. Time was running out.
Dalia took out a prepared unregistered SIM card from her drawer and dialed Zuri's number.
At that moment, Zuri was on the phone with Leiting.
"You mentioned that deliveryman. I've checked; he's clean. Also, there's no unusual financial activity related to the truck driver, and nothing suspicious has been found so far. However, I did find out that the truck driver has cancer—late-stage. He doesn't have much time left."
Everything seemed normal, but based on his years of experience, Leiting knew that sometimes the more normal things seemed, the more suspicious they were.
"Additionally, the address from which the package was sent isn't recorded by the courier company. There's no trace of who sent it."
The package Zuri received contained a delicate puppet doll. She had asked her friends, but no one admitted to sending it.
Could Dalia be behind this? Or was it someone else?
Whoever it was, she was determined to find out.
"Keep an eye on Dalia's movements for me."
"You suspect her?" Leiting asked.
"I'm not sure, but she's the most likely suspect." As she was speaking, the phone in the living room started ringing. Zuri told Leiting to hold on and then ended the call.
She picked up the phone on the coffee table. It was an unfamiliar number.
"Who is this?" Zuri asked.
"It's me," came Dalia's voice.
Zuri raised an eyebrow, a playful smile tugging at her lips. "Mrs. Lin, it's been a while."
Hearing Zuri's voice suddenly made Dalia feel as though she was miles away. "Zuri, how have you been lately?"
"Mrs. Lin, if you have something to say, just say it," Zuri responded coldly.
Dalia chuckled. "About what you mentioned last time, I've thought it over. I can tell you what I know, but you have to pay me. In exchange, I'll give you the information."
If Zuri had been sixty to seventy percent sure before this call that Dalia was involved, she was now one hundred percent certain.
"Agreed."
Dalia had expected her to agree.
"Let's meet at a tea house the day after tomorrow at 3 p.m. to discuss it in person. How about that?"
"Agreed."
Both had their own plans.
After hanging up, Zuri smiled silently.
Zuri took out her phone and dialed a long-unused number. It was answered quickly.
"Saira," Zuri said in a serious tone.
"Zuri!" Saira responded, her voice cold.
"It's been a long time," Zuri said with a smile.
"If you're calling to gloat, you'll be disappointed. I'm doing better than ever," Saira replied with a sneer.
Despite Saira's unfriendly tone, Zuri continued smiling. "I've seen you in worse shape."
"You…"
Just as Saira was about to hang up, Zuri's calm voice interrupted, "Do you want to continue being Arthur's fiancée?"
"What do you mean?" Saira's hand paused just as she was about to hang up.
"I know how to get rid of the toxins in Arthur's body. If I give you the antidote and you pass it on to the Huang family, what do you think?"
"You think I'll trust you? I won't fall for your trick."
Although Saira said this, Zuri knew she was intrigued.
"I forgot to mention, I'm the daughter of the Feng family. It just so happens that my second brother is Adam. You've probably heard of him. He has the antidote."
"Ha, we could just buy it directly from him."
"Hahaha, you're so naive," Zuri laughed. "With one word from me, you'll never get it. Believe me?"
Saira clenched her teeth.
How could she not believe it?
Hearing Zuri's arrogant and confident tone, Saira couldn't help but feel envious.
"What do you want me to do?" Saira gritted her teeth.
"Meet me at a tea house the day after tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. Don't tell anyone about this, or the deal is off. Of course, you don't have to trust me. But don't blame me for not giving you a chance."
"I understand," Saira grudgingly agreed. "Are you sure your brother can really do it?"
That toxin was a special substance she'd obtained from a friend.
"If my brother can't, no one can."
"I'll trust you this once."
After hanging up, Zuri called Leiting again.
This time, the call lasted over an hour.
The next afternoon, the warm golden light streamed into the room, falling on the slender figure by the window.
Zuri opened a drawer and took out a nearly full bottle of mouse tails. Her fingers gently traced the bottle as a wicked smile curled her lips.
"It's time to end this."
Zuri stood up and left.
This time, the glass bottle was not locked away in the drawer but was left quietly on the dressing table.
A gentle breeze blew through the window, lightly lifting the white curtains. The breeze also brushed over the table, causing a white piece of paper to flutter to the ground. The paper landed gently on the floor, with two names written boldly in the center—"Dalia" and "Saira"!