As it turned out, Qin Honghua had no idea!
This confirmation solidified the suspicion in Wen Zhuqing’s heart.
Qin’s father was coming to the capital to drag him down.
Perhaps the old man already knew about the poison Wen had given him.
“What should I do? I absolutely can’t let him reach the capital. Damn it, why won’t you just die already?”
Muttering to himself, Wen Zhuqing’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Right, if that old bastard dies on the way, he’ll never make it to the capital.”
As for Bao Shanyan and her son…
Even if they made it to the capital, so what?
Without solid evidence, their words meant nothing. He wasn’t afraid.
Once his mind was made up, Wen Zhuqing turned and ran out.
“Hey, what happened to your teeth and face?” Qin Honghua still had some lingering affection for Wen Zhuqing.
The moment he returned, she grew concerned when she saw his condition.
But Wen Zhuqing had immediately started spouting nonsense.
Before she could even ask, he had already run off, leaving Qin Honghua no chance to catch up.
Meanwhile, Wen Zhuqing quickly made another phone call.
In a low voice, he said, “Help me take care of someone…”
After hanging up, his eyes gleamed with cunning and ruthlessness.
Anyone who stood in the way of his rise to power had to die!
…
Meanwhile, on the train to the capital.
In this era, long-distance travel was only possible by train.
The trains were crowded year-round, packed with people.
In one corner of the train, Qin’s father sat coughing, his gaze fixed on Bao Shanyan, who held a four-year-old boy in her arms across from him.
Qin’s father’s expression was grim.
His pallor was partly due to his mood, but mostly because his health was failing. His sickly appearance was unmistakable.
With a dark face, Qin’s father stared out the window, his hands clenched slightly.
He never could have imagined that Wen Zhuqing would be so heartless.
After all he’d done for him as a father-in-law, Wen had actually poisoned him with a deadly drug.
If not for the person who’d informed him two days ago, he would still be in the dark.
He’d thought it was just an illness.
But now, even though he knew the truth, his body was beyond saving. There was no treatment left.
Yet Qin’s father refused to accept this.
He refused to die like this.
And Wen Zhuqing, the man who’d poisoned him—what would he do to Honghua after this?
Yes, the only people Qin’s father worried about now were his granddaughter Junjun and his daughter Honghua.
Before boarding the train, he’d already arranged for someone to take care of Junjun.
But Honghua…
She was still being deceived by that hypocrite, that venomous snake, Wen Zhuqing.
Truthfully, hadn’t Qin’s father seen Wen Zhuqing’s true nature from the start?
Of course he had.
What kind of good man would abandon his wife and child?
But his beloved daughter, the one he’d spoiled and doted on, had been utterly charmed by Wen Zhuqing’s handsome face.
She’d insisted on marrying him.
She’d begged him to help Wen Zhuqing climb higher.
He had no choice.
He couldn’t bear to see his daughter heartbroken.
All he could do was hope Wen Zhuqing had at least a shred of conscience.
But reality proved Wen Zhuqing had none at all.
Once he’d used someone up, he could not only discard them—he could kill them.
Qin’s father feared that after killing him, Wen Zhuqing would see Honghua as just another obstacle to eliminate.
This was something he could never accept.
No matter what motives the person who exposed Wen Zhuqing’s poisoning had…
But he had to go to the capital—to expose Wen Zhuqing, that hypocrite, and to save Honghua.
He could only hope it wasn’t too late.
Lost in thought, Qin’s father turned his head, his gaze landing on the child called Xiaolang.
The boy shrank back under his gloomy stare, quickly burying his face in his mother’s arms.
Bao Shanyan gently stroked her son’s head in reassurance.
Originally, Bao Shanyan and her family were supposed to remain on the farm.
Their ability to leave now was entirely due to Qin’s father.
And he had already told her why he needed her.
To expose Wen Zhuqing?
Of course, she was willing.
She, too, hated Wen Zhuqing—that scumbag who had abandoned his wife and child.
Though she had once schemed to make him marry her, after their marriage, she had never mistreated him. She hadn’t even made him do hard labor, only household chores.
Later, she had given birth to Xiaolang, such a well-behaved and sensible child.
Yet, after arriving at the farm and meeting Qin Honghua, Wen Zhuqing had revealed his true nature.
He still wanted to climb higher, step by step.
While on the farm, she had witnessed firsthand how Wen Zhuqing seduced Qin Honghua, making her fall for him and then using her.
She never expected Wen Zhuqing could stomach being with someone like Qin Honghua.
Perhaps it was precisely because he could play the devoted lover even to her that made him all the more terrifying.
For the sake of climbing up, he would sacrifice anything.
When she learned that Wen Zhuqing had poisoned Qin’s father—and that the poison had already seeped deep into his body—she was both shocked and unsurprised.
Wen Zhuqing was exactly the kind of ruthless man who would do such a thing.
So when Qin’s father proposed taking her and her son to the capital to expose Wen Zhuqing, she hesitated—but only briefly before agreeing.
Because she knew that if Qin’s father failed to crush Wen Zhuqing this time, he would only climb higher.
And the higher he climbed, the more danger she and Xiaolang would be in.
No man in a position of power could tolerate a shameful past.
And she and Xiaolang were that shameful past.
So once Wen Zhuqing reached the top, he would surely eliminate them just as he was now eliminating Qin’s father.
Therefore…
In the end, Bao Shanyan made her decision—to follow Qin’s father to the capital and expose Wen Zhuqing.
If they could crush him in one strike, she and Xiaolang would be safe.
She could only hope the journey would go smoothly.
But just as the train arrived at the next station, an unexpected incident occurred.
After Qin’s father returned from the restroom, a man suddenly rushed toward him and shoved him violently—seemingly injecting something into his body.
The impact sent Qin’s father crashing to the ground. The assailant then slipped into the crowd like a fish and disappeared off the train.
Qin’s father lay on the floor, his condition rapidly deteriorating.
His body convulsed once before he lost consciousness.
Screams erupted in the carriage, and chaos spread.
Bao Shanyan and Xiaolang were too stunned to react.
Just then, a calm, clear voice cut through the noise.
“I’m a soldier. I know some first aid. Let me help him while someone alerts the train conductor.”
When Bao Shanyan caught sight of the man’s profile, she froze.
Wen Zhuqing?
No—not Wen Zhuqing. This person looked like an upgraded version of him.
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