Lin Wenbin slumped into his chair, stunned. Lin Xiaoxiao's suspicion had actually been right?If she hadn't been so observant—more cautious than most—and had eaten that egg custard, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

A student, noticing his silence, asked curiously, "Where did you find this Aconite powder, Professor?"

Lin Wenbin waved a hand. "That's not something I can share. Since you seem knowledgeable, can you tell me how this powder is made?"

Thinking it was another test question, the student answered seriously, "Aconite, like poppy plants, produces a milky sap from its fruit. When collected and dried, it turns into powder. It's quite rare around here, though—mostly grows deep in the mountains down south."

Lin Wenbin nodded. "Good answer. It shows you've mastered the basics. You can go now. It's New Year's Eve—go enjoy the celebrations."

After the student left, Lin Wenbin stared at the handwritten report, a cold dread washing over him. What if other things Lin Xiaoxiao had eaten were also contaminated? Without another thought, he grabbed the report and hurried back to the Zhou residence.

Lin Xiaoxiao was still waiting in the living room. Zhou Huai'an and the others hadn't returned from their visits, and Li Yunlan was now in the kitchen helping prepare the New Year's Eve dinner. Zhou Xiaohong, however, had changed clothes and rushed out earlier.

Seeing her brother return with a grim expression, Lin Xiaoxiao knew he'd found something. Not wanting to worry Li Yunlan, she signaled for him to follow her upstairs.

Once inside the study, Lin Xiaoxiao closed the door and asked urgently, "Well? Did you find something? What was it?"

Lin Wenbin nodded. "They detected Aconite poison."

Trained in Western medicine, Lin Xiaoxiao only had a basic understanding of traditional remedies. She frowned. "Aconite? I've never heard of it. What kind of poison is it?"

After Lin Wenbin explained what he'd learned, his face darkened. "This house isn't safe. You shouldn't stay here. Come stay in my dorm."

Lin Xiaoxiao raised an eyebrow and gestured to her belly. "You really want to host me and these three in your dorm? Do you think the family would allow that?"

Realizing it wasn't practical, Lin Wenbin sighed. "Then who do you think did it? Zhou Xiaohong? Or the housekeeper?"

This time, Lin Xiaoxiao was certain. "It was Zhou Xiaohong." Still, she couldn't understand why.

She'd never directly crossed Zhou Xiaohong—how could she be so vicious?

Lin Wenbin was equally puzzled. "Zhou Xiaohong doesn't seem like a bad person. Why would she do something like this? Doesn't she know this is attempted murder? The consequences are severe."

Though confused, Lin Xiaoxiao knew they had evidence. They needed to tell Zhou Zhennan and let him handle the investigation—but keep it from Li Yunlan to avoid shocking her.

Lin Wenbin agreed. He didn't know the Zhou family well enough to investigate on his own.

By dusk, Zhou Bingwen returned with Zhou Zhennan and Zhou Huai'an. Zhou Bingwen was beaming with pride and happiness; Zhou Zhennan also seemed in good spirits, cheerfully greeting Lin Wenbin.

Only Zhou Huai'an noticed something was off the moment he entered. His eyes locked onto Lin Xiaoxiao, and he quickly went to her. "Are you feeling unwell? You look pale."

Lin Xiaoxiao touched her cheek. Was she that obvious? She thought she'd been calm. But how should she break the news to him?

Seeing her hesitation, Zhou Huai'an pressed, "What happened?"

Lin Xiaoxiao tugged his sleeve. "Come upstairs. I need to talk to you."

As she expected, Zhou Huai'an's face darkened instantly upon hearing the news. The air around him turned cold, and he moved to confront Zhou Xiaohong immediately. Lin Xiaoxiao grabbed his arm. "Wait. It's still just a suspicion. Besides, it's New Year's Eve. If we say anything now, it'll ruin the holiday for everyone."

It wasn't that she was being overly forgiving—she genuinely cared for Zhou Zhennan and Li Yunlan. They were kind people, and she didn't want to ruin their New Year.

Zhou Huai'an's expression remained stern. "I know what I'm doing."

Lin Xiaoxiao trusted him—but then he went downstairs and handed the lab report and the empty bowl directly to Zhou Zhennan, stating bluntly, "I thought this was the safest place. I never imagined someone would dare to poison her."

Zhou Zhennan stood up, shocked. After hearing the full story, his face fell. He called out to the housekeeper in the kitchen, "Have you seen Zhou Xiaohong?"

The housekeeper emerged, confused. "I've been busy in the kitchen all afternoon. I haven't seen her."

Li Yunlan, who had been carrying a plate of food, overheard everything. Her hands trembled, and the plate crashed to the floor. She stared in disbelief, wanting to go to Lin Xiaoxiao but finding her legs too weak to move. The housekeeper quickly steadied her.

Zhou Bingwen was so enraged he hurled his teacup to the ground. "That monster! That monster! Call security! Have her arrested!" Overcome with anger, he burst into a fit of coughing, his face turning red.

Fearing the elderly man might have a health crisis, Lin Xiaoxiao rushed over to pat his back.

"Grandpa, please calm down. Don't get so upset."

Zhou Bingwen was too furious to speak, breathing heavily.

Just then, Zhou Xiaohong walked in, carrying a package. She paused, surprised by the tense atmosphere. "Dad...?"

Before she could finish, Li Yunlan rushed over and slapped her across the face. "How could you! How could you do something so evil!"

Stunned and hurt, Zhou Xiaohong protested, "What did I do?"

Li Yunlan trembled with rage. "You tried to poison your sister-in-law! You wanted to kill her babies! How could you be so heartless?" Disappointment and fury made Li Yunlan wish she could disown her daughter on the spot.

Zhou Xiaohong looked around in shock—her grandfather and father were both livid, Zhou Huai'an was glaring with murderous intensity, and only Lin Xiaoxiao watched calmly, her expression unreadable.

"I didn't poison anyone! How could you accuse me? I even bought baby clothes—why would I harm her?"

She realized no one would believe her. "I didn't do it."

Zhou Zhennan held up the evidence. "Did you or did you not tamper with the egg custard this morning?"

Zhou Xiaohong stared at the bowl, stunned. "The egg custard was poisoned? How? I ate some too—there was nothing wrong with it."

Zhou Zhennan threw the bowl at her feet. "I'm asking you—did you tamper with it or not!"