Chapter 571: Chapter 571: Zhou Qingyue at the Brink

“What are you doing, get up quickly.”

An Nuonuo was very surprised to see Zhou Qingyue suddenly kneel down and hurriedly got up to help her stand.

Jiang Xu’s gaze was as sharp as lightning on Zhou Qingyue.

Then he looked at the cake on the table, and the coldness in his eyes intensified even more.

Zhou Qingyue refused to get up and kept kowtowing to An Nuonuo.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m not human, wuwuwu…”

An Nuonuo was no fool.

Considering Zhou Qingyue’s behavior was very different from usual the moment she walked in today, along with her outfit,

and then looking at the cake, her face turned slightly pale, “Did you put something in the cake?”

Zhou Qingyue lifted her head.

Her face was wet with tears, and her snot was running down.

She looked at An Nuonuo and nodded, then kowtowed again, “I’m sorry, I was blinded by lard.

No matter how you want to punish me or treat me, I will not have any grievances.”

Keeping all these feelings bottled up, Zhou Qingyue had been under a tremendous psychological burden that nearly crushed her completely.

But now that she had spoken out, it was as if a great weight had been lifted from her, like shedding a thousand pounds from her shoulders.

Jiang Xu put his notebook aside and sat steadily.

His expression was stern, “Tell me, what exactly happened.”

Zhou Qingyue dared not conceal anything and recounted the entire sequence of events that had happened over the past two days in full detail.

After speaking, she collapsed on the ground, her eyes vacant.

She had already prepared herself mentally for punishment, for judgment, and to be left with nothing at the end.

Did she regret it?

Indeed, she did.

But more than that, it was a kind of relief.

After striving for so long, to return to square one, perhaps this was what they call retribution.

After listening to Zhou Qingyue’s words, Jiang Xu’s grave expression softened considerably.

He said indifferently, “You indeed almost made a great mistake this time.

If Nuonuo had really eaten the cake, I can guarantee that you wouldn’t see tomorrow’s sun.”

An Nuonuo was his greatest taboo, untouchable and non-negotiable to anyone.

Hearing these words, Zhou Qingyue’s eyes gleamed with a hint of brightness, “Can you forgive me?”

Jiang Xu did not answer her question, but called the butler instead.

He instructed her to take the cake for analysis to determine the ingredients before deciding further.

As for Zhou Qingyue, she could continue kneeling.

An Nuonuo wanted to plead for her.

But seeing Jiang Xu’s stern gaze, she swallowed the words she had wanted to say.

She knew Jiang Xu’s personality well.

When he was serious, no one’s words could influence him.

So, An Nuonuo could only stand by Zhou Qingyue’s side and stay with her.

Jiang Xu shook his head slightly.

His fiancee was still too kind-hearted.

Someone had plotted to poison you, and you didn’t even get angry.

It seemed he had to have a serious talk with her tonight.

If she didn’t listen, then he would have to resort to stick education.

Su Cheng was extremely efficient at getting things done.

In less than two hours, she had delivered the test results to Jiang Xu’s hands.

An Nuonuo looked on eagerly as well.

In Jiang Xu’s eyes, a sharp glint emerged.

This was a new type of poison.

Its characteristic was that once it entered the body, it would lie dormant.

It would take at least a month or two to manifest.

And once it did, it would be agonizingly painful.

To date, there is still no effective solution found worldwide to counteract this poison.

You can only constantly take the drug.

You can easily manipulate a person.

If An Nuonuo really ingests it, and it flares up in a few months, nobody would ever suspect Zhou Qingyue then.

The only outcome would be that An Nuonuo would be manipulated by the person in the shadows.

What would follow is quite evident.

She would be violated by someone, and under the directions of the person behind the scenes, gradually siphon off Jiang Xu’s fortune, ending in total ruin.

Rarely, after reading the report, Jiang Xu did not fly into a rage.

Instead, he slowly closed his eyes, lost in thought.

An Nuonuo and Zhou Qingyue also held their breath.

Jiang Xu at this moment was frightening.

He was like a beast ready to choose its prey.

It wasn’t until a while later that Jiang Xu opened his eyes.

He said to Su Cheng, “First, look into the Elite Club’s information, the more detailed the better, and find out who’s the club president and the vice president.

Also, upgrade the security at the villa another level, and add a few more inspection procedures for all food.”

“Yes, boss.” Su Cheng nodded and left.

Only then did Jiang Xu’s gaze return to Zhou Qingyue once more.

Zhou Qingyue felt her heart tighten, and cold sweat beaded her forehead.

She was about to be sentenced!

Jiang Xu, with an expressionless face, said, “Everyone has greed in their hearts, it’s unavoidable.

Luckily, you pulled back from the brink and didn’t make a grave mistake.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qingyue breathed a slight sigh of relief.

With Jiang Xu saying this, the punishment wouldn’t be too severe, right?

Immediately after, Jiang Xu said, “Nevertheless, you may avoid the death penalty, but you cannot escape the living one.

All the funds and shares you’ve obtained this time will be confiscated.”

Zhou Qingyue understood the underlying message from Jiang Xu.

That was to lie to Mr. Lin, telling him that An Nuonuo had already taken the medicine he provided.

Then to collect the remaining reward.

Zhou Qingyue nodded firmly.

To err was to stand straight and take your licks.

If Zhou Qingyue had told Jiang Xu about this from the beginning, she wouldn’t only have avoided punishment but might also have received a reward.

A single moment of hesitation led to a vastly different outcome.

“Additionally!” Jiang Xu continued, “For the next three months, stop all work and don’t stay in the country.

I will arrange a place for you, go there and seclude yourself.”

“Alright, I accept.”

Zhou Qingyue felt a wave of relief upon hearing Jiang Xu’s punishment.

The punishment was not severe.

“Stand up.” An Nuonuo stepped forward, helping Zhou Qingyue to her feet.

It wasn’t successful the first time.

She had knelt for too long, and her legs had gone numb.

An Nuonuo even bent down to massage her legs, promoting circulation and dissipating bruises.

Zhou Qingyue cried, hugging An Nuonuo tightly.

“I’m sorry, Nuonuo, I really am sorry; I’m truly not human,” she wept,

As she spoke, Zhou Qingyue began slapping herself in the face.

After all she had done to her,

Even the most temperate person might have turned against her by now.

But An Nuonuo didn’t, and there wasn’t even a hint of resentment on her face.

In comparison, Zhou Qingyue felt she was utterly inhumane.

“Don’t do this,” An Nuonuo stopped her, speaking softly, “You stopped me at the last moment proves that there is still goodness in your heart, don’t be too hard on yourself.”

The kinder An Nuonuo was, the more Zhou Qingyue felt guilt and found it unbearable.

“Enough, enough,” Jiang Xu, unable to watch any longer, said, “Make the call to that person. Tell him the job is done.”