Should he eat the mushrooms or not?
Zheng Tongwei stared at the summer truffles before him, torn.
Shen Nanchu had given them to him out of the blue—what kind of ulterior motive was this? A weasel paying respects to a chicken couldn’t mean well.
But then again, Zheng Tongwei reviewed his recent behavior—he hadn’t done anything openly out of line. Even if he’d privately reported a few things to the higher-ups and slipped in a little malicious suggestion, Shen Nanchu wasn’t some mythical monkey with clairvoyance or super hearing. How could she possibly know?
The plump, tender summer truffles taunted him. Zheng Tongwei had never been one to indulge in gluttony, but mushrooms were his weakness.
And these summer truffles? He’d tasted them before—exquisitely savory.
To throw away such delicacies right in front of him? What a waste!
After much internal debate, Zheng Tongwei finally tossed them into the pot.
There was no denying it—freshly picked mushrooms were divine.
He devoured the entire plate, even soaking up the last drops of broth with rice.
But by midnight, his stomach twisted in agony. He rushed to the toilet and didn’t emerge until dawn, his face ghostly pale.
"That venomous woman!" Zheng Tongwei clutched the doorframe, teeth gritted. "She poisoned me on purpose!"
[Disgust +50]
[Disgust +100]
[Disgust +150]
……
Shen Nanchu, sound asleep, heard none of it.
The next morning, Zheng Tongwei dragged his weakened body to confront her.
At the village entrance, he spotted Shen Nanchu standing under the old locust tree with a crowd of villagers.
"Did you all hear?"
"Two goats went missing from the back hills yesterday!"
"Who’d dare?"
"No idea! The village chief is checking who went up there!"
Zheng Tongwei ignored the chatter—his eyes were locked on Shen Nanchu, the scheming witch.
Just as he was about to demand answers, an elderly villager called out to him,
"Comrade Zheng, I heard Shen gave you mushrooms yesterday?"
Mentioning the mushrooms made his stomach churn all over again.
"Yeah," Shen Nanchu cut in smoothly, "I picked the freshest summer truffles."
"Then why did they make me sick?" Zheng Tongwei’s glare was full of accusation.
Shen Nanchu’s eyes flickered with amusement before widening in feigned shock.
"That’s impossible! I made sure to avoid poisonous ones…"
"And I only picked from the front hills—there aren’t any toxic mushrooms there!"
She paused, as if struck by a sudden thought.
"Unless… Comrade Zheng went to the woods in the back hills?"
The villagers fell silent, suspicion dawning in their eyes.
Everyone knew the mushrooms there looked pretty but were deadly.
If he’d eaten poison, he must have picked them from the back hills.
And the back hills were where the goats had vanished.
Could Comrade Zheng have…?
Their gazes shifted, turning wary.
Zheng Tongwei froze, sensing the change.
He’d meant to publicly shame Shen Nanchu into guilt, but she’d turned the tables.
Admitting he’d eaten poison meant admitting he’d trespassed—and that would drag him into scandal. But staying silent meant swallowing this injustice.
[Disgust +250]
"I… I…"
He stammered under their scrutiny before forcing a strained smile.
"Maybe it was the leftovers I ate the day before. That must be why my stomach’s upset."
Shen Nanchu’s concern was perfectly measured.
"You should take better care, Comrade Zheng."
"Such a delicate stomach needs extra attention."
"Wouldn’t want you getting sick again."
Zheng Tongwei opened his mouth to retort—only for his gut to gurgle ominously.
The familiar urgency returned.
"You—you—"
"Next time."
Clamping his legs together, he fled in disgrace.
Three days later, Zheng Tongwei dragged himself back to work, only to run into Shen Nanchu.
"Comrade Zheng, I heard you’ve been… indisposed for three days. Feeling better?"
Her eyes brimmed with faux sympathy.
"I know a folk remedy for diarrhea. Would you—"
"Cut the act!"
Zheng Tongwei’s eyes were bloodshot. These past three days, he might as well have moved into the outhouse.
His backside was a battlefield of mosquito bites.
And here was Shen Nanchu, the mastermind, playing the innocent, caring bystander.
It made him sick.
"Those summer truffles—you did it on purpose."
"Summer truffles?" Shen Nanchu blinked. "I only pick edible ones."
Zheng Tongwei sensed the trap.
Sure enough—
"Unless someone isn’t human and doesn’t do human things."
Her smile vanished.
"Then they’re not eating summer truffles. They’re eating poison."
Zheng Tongwei said nothing, just stared.
For the first time, two sharp minds faced off without pretense.
Shen Nanchu had dropped the act. Her usually warm almond eyes were now icy, sending a shiver down Zheng Tongwei’s spine.
Since when did she have this aura?
It reminded him of the higher-ups—cold, unyielding.
Her voice was soft, each word a venomous hiss.
"I know exactly what you’re up to."
"Petty games? I’ll ignore them. But if you meddle in serious matters…"
"Next time, diarrhea will be the least of your worries."
Zheng Tongwei’s stomach clenched at the memory of those three hellish days.
He took a shaky breath, his pallid face a picture of fragility.
"Nanchu, we’ve worked together so long. How could you doubt my character?"
"Oh?"
Her eyebrow arched.
"So you’re saying you didn’t tip off the Red Armbands?"
Zheng Tongwei’s heart hammered, but his face stayed calm.
"Not me. I’d never do such a thing."
The lie rolled off his tongue effortlessly.
"Whether it was you or not doesn’t matter."
Zheng Tongwei stiffened as Shen Nanchu’s gaze pinned him.
Her eyes were winter-sharp, piercing straight through him.
"I’ve known you weren’t simple since the day you arrived."
She smoothed a wrinkle from her sleeve, deliberate.
"Zheng Tongwei, why are you really here?"
"The sky knows, the earth knows, you know, and I know."
She looked at him like he was vermin.
"Don’t mistake my patience for respect."
Turning away, her shadow stretched long in the sunlight.
"Remember—I allow you this face."
Zheng Tongwei stood frozen.
When he finally snapped out of it, his genteel mask had cracked.
"So all this time… you’ve been toying with me?"
