"I don't know all the details." Shi Mingli replied. "but my father said that my grandpa fell into a great debt because of gambling, and in order to repay all of it, he agreed to making the cold poison that was initially believed to be a myth by everyone."

Shi Mingli was very young when all of it happened. She could barely remember seeing her father in a heated argument with her grandfather. In her memories, she could remember her grandfather smiling and always cracking a joke to make her laugh.

"However, just when he thought his problems were solved, the man he was indebted to demanded him to make more of it. He must have realized the mistake he'd made, but it was too late, so he went into hiding. None of us knew where he was or what happened to him. It wasn't until five years after his disappearance did we hear that someone found his dead body floating near the riverbanks."

Su Xiaofei's eyes widened in surprise. Why was it the same as Cai Lin's sudden death? Was it just a coincidence or was the person behind those men's deaths the same?

When Shi Mingli left, taking Lu Junjie with her, Su Xiaofei had the small meal the woman prepared for her before doing the work that had been waiting for her since that morning. Thankfully, Zhang Ling had organized it according to its importance, so she was able to finish the documents one at a time, before she reached a film proposal for Xiao Rufeng.

After having a good rest, giving her a clearer mind, Su Xiaofei realized what Ye Mingyu was trying to achieve by copying Xiao Rufeng and riding her coattails.

Ye Mingyu had once used the same method before with a fellow actress she worked with in their previous life. Ye Mingyu built up her reputation as a spare tire until the said actress encountered an 'accident'. In the end, her projects and endorsements easily fell into Ye Mingyu's hand without question.

'It's either Ye Mingyu has known about Xiao Rufeng's relationship with Yan Xiuchen, or she already has a plan to stage Rufeng's accident.'

Su Xiaofei tried to recall the tricks that Ye Mingyu used in the past, but it was hard to remember things now that she was pregnant. Was it her hormones trying to mess with her brain? She wondered.

She picked up her phone and dialed Xiao Rufeng's number. She expected Xiao Rufeng to be home today, since her filming was rescheduled to another day. However, the one who answered wasn't her friend, but Yan Xiuchen instead.

"She's taking a nap now. Is this important, President Su?"

Su Xiaofei was about to say no, but decided to ask Yan Xiuchen's opinion over the matter that she was dealing with Xiao Rufeng. The man listened to her concerns and didn't interrupt her until she was done speaking."Showbiz is such a dirty place. I can't believe Rufeng has to expose herself to such a dangerous workplace." He muttered.

Su Xiaofei only smiled and pondered his words. It had always been that way, although she tried her best for Bluemedia to give their talents the support they all needed. It was hard to keep up with the competition nowadays and she knew that Xiao Rufeng would need to harden her heart if she wanted to last in this industry.

"Despite the rumors and backstabbing, it's her passion for acting that keeps her going." She said in response. "I just called to ask her if she's willing to take daring roles after her filming with the TV series is done. Don't worry. It's nothing about showing more skin on the big screen."

"I'm not worried about that." Yan Xiuchen replied. "I trust Rufeng, but not those around her. I'm still upset that she easily let her sister off the hook and let the judicial system decide on Xiao Yunyao's fate. However, if what you said about Ye Mingyu is true, then I wouldn't stay still and do nothing."

"I would have given her her own security team, but I don't want others to think that I'm favoring her and to notify Ye Mingyu that we are aware of her scheme."

After all, Xiao Rufeng hadn't reached the same status as Tang Liyan, so she cannot enjoy the perks of a queen without being one.

"You sound so certain that this Ye Mingyu will harm Rufeng. I feel like there's more to this than her being the illegitimate child of your adopted father."

Su Xiaofei wasn't expecting to hear that from him.

"Let's just say that there are things that can't be forgotten." She said, not willing to disclose the real reason behind her animosity towards Ye Mingyu.

Mo Yuchen was smart enough not to seek her, but she wondered if he was reborn like her and Lu Qingfeng. It was getting harder for her to find an opening to take over Golden Star from the inside and she wondered if Mo Yuchen was aware of her plans.

"Fine. You don't have to tell me. Don't worry about Rufeng's safety. I will provide it." She heard Yan Xiuchen say.

"Aren't you afraid that your relationship with her will be disclosed to the public? Because knowing Ye Mingyu, she might use you to ruin Xiao Rufeng's reputation."

The scarred man scoffed at her words as if she was saying nonsense.

"You think I will allow that? I already have connections with major news outlets, Su Xiaofei. Only those media agencies who want easy money would publish Ye Mingyu's nonsense against Rufeng."

After the ordeal they faced with Xiao Yunyao in the past, Yan Xiuchen had taken it upon himself to make sure that no one would dare speak badly of his woman. He might not be a man that Xiao Rufeng could be with in public, but he would make sure that she wouldn't regret choosing to be with him.

——

A month passed and Su Xiaofei's pregnancy was shared with the rest of the Yun family. Her days were filled with planning to decorate one of the vacant rooms to turn into a nursery and trying to keep up with her work at Bluemedia.

She couldn't fully step back and leave the work to Yun Qingrong anyway. While Yun Qingrong returned to Bluemedia as an OIC, Su Xiaofei kept the authority on decision making for the company.

They also didn't wait too long to find out the culprit of her poisoning because Chen Hao demanded that Su Xiaofei should give back the shares Su Haoran used to own to Ye Mingyu in exchange for the antidote he claimed to have.

She and Lu Qingfeng considered giving it back, but were stopped by Shi Mingli.

"Neither my grandpa nor my father was able to make the antidote. Unless they have someone that could surpass Mr. Han's intelligence and the formula, I doubt that he really has the antidote. This might be a trick that could end badly for you, Xiaofei." She said, which made the couple decide to verify Chen Hao's claims before giving him an answer.

As for the Yun family, the Qiaos and her friends, they came to Shenjing to celebrate Lu Qingfeng's twenty fourth birthday and throw a baby shower for them. The party had been amazing and fun until a strong wave of dizziness hit her and she fainted in front of everyone.

When she woke up in the hospital, she found her mother in a chair next to her. She felt guilty seeing the worried expression on Yun Qingrong's face. She hoped that neither Lu Qingfeng nor Han Zijun had told her about the poisoning.

"What happened?" Su Xiaofei asked, as she tried to sit, but she felt dizzy and nauseous at the same time.

"You fainted, darling." Yun Qingrong helped her to sit properly on the bed. "I need to go and get Han Zijun." She said, leaving her daughter with the Zhang siblings.

Han Zijun walked into the room with Shi Mingli and Xi Qian. The look on their faces was enough to tell Su Xiaofei that she and her babies were in trouble. Lu Qingfeng rushed in, took in her appearance and held her hand as they waited for what Han Zijun would say.

"Su Xiaofei, do you really want to keep this pregnancy? Because I'm telling you right now, it's impossible for you to carry them to full term. You will be dead by then if we wait that long. The poison is starting to spread now. The placenta is keeping your babies safe from the poison, but it wouldn't do much for you."

"How long do we have until it's deemed safe to deliver the twins?" Lu Qingfeng asked, surprising Su Xiaofei. She could see now that her husband wasn't willing to lose their twins and she wasn't alone in this battle. She was now in the thirteenth week and her small baby bump was visible to everyone's eyes.