Chapter 188: Chapter 186: Doctor Su, Long Time No See

One day, Su Tang was at home making baby food for Cheng’an when Wang Xinxin burst in, full of excitement.

She was holding a photograph in her hand.

Su Tang froze for a moment when she heard her mention Zhou Rui.

She hadn’t heard any news of Zhou Rui since Su Xinyao was imprisoned.

Hearing his name now, she couldn’t help but think back to the plot of the book.

In the story, the adopted Zhou Rui, blaming Lu Xiao for indirectly causing his sister’s death, decided to get revenge by poisoning him. In the end, everyone stopped him, and his plot failed.

’Is he back for the same reason this time?’

"Oh my god, you should have seen him! He’s like a completely different person! He was wearing a sharp suit, his hair was all slicked back, and he arrived in a car! I hear he’s a big boss from Xiangjiang now, super rich!"

Wang Xinxin sat down beside her, describing the scene.

Su Tang’s hand, which had been teasing her child, paused for a moment. 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

"I heard he’s back to invest this time, and he’s even donating money and supplies to our military base and the town. Everyone’s praising him for being so capable and kind, saying he hasn’t forgotten his roots! Even Grandpa Mu is grinning from ear to ear, telling everyone he meets how successful his grandson has become!"

Su Tang’s heart sank. Grandpa Mu was a highly respected retired senior commander from the military region. His approval was practically an impenetrable golden armor for Zhou Rui.

’Who would dare say a single bad word about Zhou Rui now?’

’No wonder the first thing he did upon returning was to perform acts of charity.’

Sure enough, over the next few days, praise for Zhou Rui drifted in like snowflakes.

He donated generously, improving the conditions at the elementary school.

He donated a batch of scarce daily necessities and food to the military family compound.

His speech and manners were gentle and polite, and he greeted everyone with a smile, quickly winning over almost everyone.

Even Wang Xinxin began to wonder if her previous wariness had been unnecessary. "Sister Tangtang, maybe we were just overthinking things? Look how nice Boss Zhou is..."

But Su Tang didn’t dare to let her guard down in the slightest.

She had seen the resentment hidden in Zhou Rui’s depths. That kind of hatred wouldn’t just disappear because he went to Xiangjiang and made a fortune.

The better and more perfect he appeared, the more Su Tang felt that something was wrong.

He was like a venomous snake draped in magnificent brocade; his smile was gentle, but he could flick out his deadly tongue at any moment.

After all, she had been deceived by his facade once before.

She had no evidence, so she couldn’t and didn’t dare to say anything rashly.

While everyone was singing Zhou Rui’s praises, any doubt she expressed would seem out of place, or even be mistaken for jealousy.

But she didn’t just sit back and do nothing.

She began to pay closer attention to Zhou Rui’s movements.

Through casual chats with Wang Xinxin and other military families, she began to gather information, seemingly unintentionally.

What were the specific brands of supplies Zhou Rui donated? Where were they purchased? Through what channels were they transported?

Who was he frequently meeting with? Besides the public donations, what other private activities was he engaged in?

She discovered that Zhou Rui seemed particularly concerned with the military base’s logistical supplies, especially food and drinking water.

Under the pretext of ensuring the quality of his donated goods, he frequently and enthusiastically visited the supply station and canteen for inspections. He even offered to provide high-end imported foods and water purification equipment, for which he had connections in Xiangjiang, at a discount.

His reasoning was perfectly righteous: "Our soldiers protect our homes and defend our country. They must eat well and drink clean water."

Almost no one doubted his motives.

But Su Tang’s heart only grew tighter.

’Perhaps he won’t use such a crude and direct method this time.’

’But what if he’s using the donations as a cover to provide seemingly high-end food or equipment that actually has hidden problems at the source?’

’The potential danger would be even greater and much harder to detect!’

She couldn’t wait any longer.

Su Tang found an opportunity to visit Grandpa Mu, bringing along a few small snacks she had made herself.

She didn’t mention a single bad word about Zhou Rui. She simply kept the old man company, chatting about daily life, Lu Xiao’s work in Beijing, and amusing stories about Cheng’an, making him laugh heartily.

When the atmosphere was at its most congenial, Su Tang brought something up as if it had just occurred to her.

"Grandpa Mu, life is better now, but it’s also more complicated. I’ve heard that some imported goods look fancy, but their inspection standards are different from ours. Some even have harmful additives that can affect your health if you consume them long-term."

"Our military has to be careful when purchasing supplies and accepting donations, especially with things people are going to eat. If something were to happen, it would be a major incident."

Although Grandpa Mu was retired, his influence remained, and he had been a cautious man his entire life.

Hearing this, he nodded. "Miss Tang, you have a point! This is something we must take seriously! No matter how good something is, safety comes first."

After leaving Grandpa Mu’s house, Su Tang used the pretext of delivering more snacks to visit the home of a supervisor in the logistics department whom she knew.

She repeated the same sentiment, this time in a more casual, everyday manner, emphasizing the need to be wary of food from unfamiliar channels, especially the over-packaged imported goods that were hyped up to be miraculous.

She didn’t name any names, just spoke in general terms and shared her concerns, but she successfully planted a seed of caution in the minds of key individuals.

At the same time, she had Wang Xinxin quietly tell a few families she was close with—under the guise of military families looking out for one another—to try and choose familiar, reliable local brands when receiving donated food recently.

As for imported food from unknown sources, it was best to be extra cautious, or wait until the military had conducted a unified inspection before eating it.

The excuse was ready-made.

"The kids are young, we’re afraid they might get an upset stomach from things they’re not used to."

Everything Su Tang did was quiet and subtle, like a gentle rain nourishing the soil unseen.

She didn’t openly oppose Zhou Rui; on the surface, she even expressed gratitude for his donations.

But an invisible safety net of caution had already begun to be woven around her.

Zhou Rui seemed to sense something, yet at the same time, he didn’t.

He remained all smiles, currying favor with everyone.

But he discovered that when he once again offered to donate a batch of expensive imported canned goods and a new type of water purifier, the logistics department, while still enthusiastic, had become more procedurally cautious.

Grandpa Mu also made a special call to ask a few questions about the safety standards for food donations.

Zhou Rui stood before the window of his guest house, looking toward the distant military compound. The smile on his face remained gentle, but his eyes grew slightly cold.

He hadn’t expected to encounter such subtle yet precise resistance in this seemingly ordinary Northwest Military Region compound.

That woman, Su Tang... seemed far more clever than he had imagined.

Round one. A silent contest.

With her meticulousness, wisdom, and discreet maneuvering, Su Tang had cleverly defused Zhou Rui’s first potential offensive.

Although she hadn’t brought him down, she had succeeded in creating a barely perceptible crack in his perfect mask.

She knew this was only the beginning.

A smiling tiger like Zhou Rui would never give up so easily.

And she was ready for him.

The shift came on an ordinary afternoon. As Su Tang was leaving work, she was cornered by Zhou Rui at the hospital entrance.

"Doctor Su, long time no see. I was wondering... if we might be able to have a cup of coffee together?"