Volume 1 Chapter 32: The Vicious Su Xiaohui

Isn’t it just that her family works in the Education Bureau, she’s a city girl, and she dresses trendily? Her looks and figure are nowhere near Su Wan’s.

Since Brother Huo didn’t fancy Su Wan, he certainly wouldn’t fancy her either.

Thinking of what was about to happen, she smoothed the expression on her face and followed her into the room, dutifully pouring tea and serving fruit.

When Li Sumei and Fang Yu entered the living room and found only the old Mrs. Huo there, they breathed a slight sigh of relief, watching Su Xiaohui bustle about.

Li Sumei pretended to ask about Su Wan’s situation offhandedly: "How come I only heard you introduce this young lady when we arrived? What about the other one? Is she also in technical school? That’s truly impressive. She’s so pretty and charming; I bet she must have many suitors at school, right?"

The Huo family were all experienced people; they easily perceived that while Li Sumei appeared to be making polite small talk and praising Su Wan, she was actually probing for information. After all, with such a young and beautiful girl living in their house, and a son of marriageable age, it was natural, according to old-fashioned beliefs, for people to assume they might be paired together.

Huo Hong smiled and replied: "Su Wan’s grades aren’t as good as Xiaohui’s, and her heart isn’t in her studies, so on her second day in Beiping, she found a job as a nanny. She’s only back today to help out, and before long, she’ll be heading back to her hometown to get married."

Huo Jianguo was about to mention that Su Wan would be transferring to Lizhi High School after the term began, but Huo Hong cut him off. Realizing the matter wasn't finalized yet, he stayed silent.

So, the middle-aged woman they saw yesterday was just Su Wan’s employer. It was also clear that the Huo family didn’t place much importance on Su Wan, letting her work as a nanny and planning to send her back home to marry, while allowing Su Xiaohui to live with them, providing her with food, shelter, and an education.

With her concerns put to rest, Li Sumei’s eyebrows lifted. She chatted with Huo Hong, boasting about her daughter’s excellent performance at school—how she was a "Three-Good Student" every year, had published several pieces in *Reader’s Digest*, and had even represented her school at military cultural performances.

Huo Hong brought out a photo of Huo Xiaohan—a portrait of him saluting upon his graduation from military academy. When Li Sumei saw the man in the photo, her smile widened, and she passed it to Fang Yu.

Fang Yu was a connoisseur of beauty with high standards for a future partner; she had strict requirements regarding family background, education, height, and appearance. Seeing the imposing Chief Huo, she had vaguely guessed her blind date wouldn't be unattractive. But when she saw the man in the photo—distinctively handsome, with sharp, chiseled features, possessing both the cool, aristocratic air of the old society and a sense of heroic integrity—she was instantly mesmerized.

Her face flushed, and she sat on the sofa with even greater poise and a hint of shyness.

Su Xiaohui watched this scene with resentment. Wu Ma had returned to the kitchen to cook, leaving her alone in the living room. No matter how hard she tried or how actively she sought to integrate into the Huo family, she would always remain an outsider. The attitude Mrs. Huo and Uncle Huo showed them was far warmer and more attentive than when she had first arrived.

Huo Jianguo sat on the sofa, legs crossed, exuding natural authority. He glanced at his watch: "I’m going to make a call to get Xiaohan back here sooner." He stood up and walked into the study.

The conversation between the two families was going very smoothly. Especially after learning of his superior conditions, Fang Yu became exceptionally proactive, calling the elder Mrs. Huo and Aunt Huo with practiced, sycophantic affection.

Seeing them chatting so warmly, Su Xiaohui turned and walked into the kitchen, but she only stood by the door and looked in without entering. Having confirmed that Su Wan was the one doing the cooking and Wu Ma was only assisting, she curled her lips in a cold, wicked smile and returned to the living room to find something to do.

Su Wan had originally intended to cook a delicious lunch to help break the ice between Huo Xiaohan and his date, hoping they would have a pleasant time at the table. But now, she had no such desire. There was no need to put in that much effort; she would just whip up a few simple dishes using the ingredients Wu Ma had prepared.

"Wan, you’re really something. You and Xiaohui are both guests of the Huo family; you should go sit in the living room with her. It’s so hot in this kitchen," Wu Ma said, feeling indignant on Su Wan’s behalf. "Last time you left, Xiaohui kept hovering in the kitchen, getting up early to help me wash clothes and cook. Now that guests are here, she won’t even set foot in the kitchen."

"My schooling requires Uncle Huo’s help, so it’s only right that I cook," Su Wan said, genuinely meaning it.

"It’s just that that girl Xiaohui is being too obvious. Even I can see that Xiaohan only treats her like a younger sister. Chief Huo was worried she didn’t understand, which is why he had Director Huo arrange this date for Xiaohan. Now that she sees how excellent this teacher is, she should give up," Wu Ma hinted to Su Wan.

Given the Huo family’s status in Beiping, they would never have agreed to a blind date with a girl from the countryside if not for the fact that the Su family had once saved Chief Huo.

Su Xiaohui, however, with her jealousy and spite, wouldn't give up so easily. She was likely brewing some kind of trouble.

Su Wan didn't care; it saved her from having to direct all her caution toward her.

Su Wan started the stove and poured in oil. As she was stir-frying the sour and spicy potato slices, she reached for the salt jar. Just as she was about to scoop a spoonful, her sharp eyes caught something: some of the salt was fine, while some had crystalline granules. She stirred the jar in confusion; these granules were mixed in with the fine salt, almost indistinguishable at a glance.

"Wu Ma, is this salt from a newly opened bag?"

"Yes, since we have guests, I opened a new bag this morning and poured it in," said Wu Ma, who was busy kneading dough.

"Then why does the salt look so different?" Su Wan poked at the jar. If it were leftover salt, it should be at the bottom, not mixed throughout. And these granules didn't look like regular table salt. She touched one of the crystals with her finger and tasted it—it was salty, alright.

"What do you mean, different?" Wu Ma hurried over and pulled the bag she’d opened that morning from the drawer. "That’s strange. I only poured half the bag this morning. How does it look like there’s more?"

Su Wan took the bag and looked. Inside was just fine, white salt without a single granule.

Her mind suddenly exploded. This was sodium nitrite—industrial salt. It was poisonous.

Someone had intentionally poured back half of the original salt and mixed in sodium nitrite. It tasted just like salt; if you didn't know what to look for, you wouldn't be able to tell the difference.

She didn't even have to think to know who had swapped the salt. It was just like the time the original owner first cooked, and Su Xiaohui had intentionally used a plate with pesticide residue to poison the whole family. Now, she was trying to repeat the trick, poisoning the entire Huo household.

This way, she could frame Su Wan for murder and poisoning, while simultaneously ruining the blind date. If they ingested enough, it could be fatal.

She could almost foresee it: once the food was served, Su Xiaohui would keep piling food onto Fang Yu’s plate, urging her to eat. When the Huo family fell ill and Fang Yu died, she would be arrested, while Su Xiaohui would be the one bustling about the hospital, day and night, winning the hearts of the Huo family and eventually marrying Huo Xiaohan.

She was truly vicious. To achieve her goals, she would stop at nothing, not even caring for human life. She now suspected that when Su Xiaohui had hurt her leg on a cow, the original owner had been framed, and the whole thing had been a self-directed act to scapegoat her.

With this thought, Su Wan carefully checked all the seasonings and ingredients. To be safe, she re-washed all the bowls, chopsticks, and plates. She left the salt in the jar untouched and opened a fresh bag of salt to continue cooking. She also told Wu Ma to keep a close eye on Su Xiaohui, just as before.

She had no evidence right now, and Wu Ma hadn't seen Su Xiaohui enter the kitchen today. Even if she spoke up, Su Xiaohui would never admit it and would surely destroy the remaining sodium nitrite. She would have to fight fire with fire.

During this time, to be absolutely sure, Su Xiaohui had slipped to the kitchen window and watched with her own eyes as Su Wan scooped two spoonfuls of salt into the shredded pork with garlic sauce.

She then returned to the living room, took out a math workbook, and walked over to Fang Yu with a sweet, earnest expression, asking for help with a problem.

Huo Xiaohan still hadn't arrived, so Fang Yu had been stuck listening to the elders. Seeing Su Xiaohui take the initiative to ask for help, she jumped at the chance to show off her intelligence. Fang Yu was naturally more than happy to explain.

"Teacher Fang, your way of solving this is so brilliant! I understood it the moment you explained it," Su Xiaohui praised her at the right moment, cozying up to her.

Fang Yu was smug and pleased. These math problems were the most basic ones—they weren't hard at all; the country bumpkin was just too stupid. But since it gave her a chance to shine, she explained it with great patience and gentleness.

As lunch time arrived, Wu Ma carried the dishes to the table one by one. Su Xiaohui saw this, put away her workbook, and went to the kitchen to help.

Just as she reached the kitchen, she saw Su Wan frantically cleaning up a spilled salt jar. She hurried over, afraid Su Wan might discover the salt was tainted, though she doubted this dim-witted girl would notice anyway.

"Xiaohui, hurry and get a new bag of salt. This salt got wet from the meat-washing water and can’t be used anymore," Su Wan said, scooping the spilled salt into the sink and turning on the faucet to rinse it away.

Su Xiaohui almost laughed; this saved her quite a bit of trouble. She opened the drawer and handed the half-bag of salt to Su Wan.

"Xiaohui, please don't tell Mrs. Huo or Uncle Huo about this. It was just an accident," Su Wan asked, twisting her apron with an anxious look.

"Don't worry, Sis. I definitely won't tell them. We’re sisters, after all," Su Xiaohui promised, though a flash of malice crossed her eyes.

They weren't sisters at all!

Once the Huo family ate, fell ill, and were taken to the hospital to be diagnosed with sodium nitrite poisoning, she would reveal that Su Wan had spilled the salt and rinsed it down the drain. That would cement the case that Su Wan had tried to poison the family and Fang Yu. As for the motive, it would be that she was furious and deranged because she couldn't attend school in Beiping or marry Huo Xiaohan. With her prior record, the Huo family and even the police would certainly believe it.

She would have no way to defend herself.

"Wan, let me get you some salt," Wu Ma said, walking in after serving the last dish.

"No need, Wu Ma, Xiaohui already helped me," Su Wan said, shaking the bag of salt in her hand. Then she turned to Su Xiaohui: "Xiaohui, tell Mrs. Huo that the winter melon and kelp soup needs to boil a bit longer to soften the kelp. Let them start eating without it."

"Alright, Sis." Su Xiaohui glanced at the soup simmering on the stove. Of all the dishes, this was the only one that could be consumed. She turned and walked out of the kitchen.

Huo Jianguo saw that it was well past the unit’s lunch break, and yet there was still no sign of Huo Xiaohan. He went back into the study and dialed the office number.

In his office, Huo Xiaohan had unbuttoned his collar, revealing his sexy, wheat-colored skin and collarbone, with beads of sweat sliding down his neck. He frowned, as if enduring something, and picked up the phone.

"Xiaohan, why aren't you back yet? Teacher Fang has been waiting for you for nearly two hours," Huo Jianguo’s stern, authoritative voice boomed from the receiver.

"Dad, I don’t have time to consider my personal life right now, and I’m wasting the teacher's time. I won't be coming back for lunch," Huo Xiaohan reached out to touch his right shoulder, where a sharp pain was pulsing, and switched the receiver to his left hand. The pain medication was no longer working.

"Comrade Huo Xiaohan, please take your responsibilities seriously. Punctuality is the most basic virtue of a soldier. You have fifteen minutes to appear at the Huo residence," Huo Jianguo issued a final order.

"Uncle Huo, my sister said it’s just the soup left. Is Brother Huo back yet?" Su Xiaohui’s sweet voice traveled through the line to the other end.

"Almost," Huo Jianguo said toward the door, then picked up the receiver again, only to find a busy signal.

That brat—daring to defy his orders!

Thirteen and a half minutes later, the sound of a car engine pulled up outside.

"Xiaohan is back," Huo Hong stood up and looked out the window. Fang Yu craned her neck to see, but only caught a glimpse of him closing the car door.

Huo Xiaohan walked into the living room, his tall, straight frame clad in a crisp, beige summer military uniform. The fabric clung to his powerful chest, and his arm muscles were smooth and firm, radiating strength. His expression was cold, his chiseled, handsome features radiating a chilly, ascetic air that made Fang Yu’s heart race; she didn't even dare to look him in the eye.

Li Sumei also looked up to inspect him. With his sharp, proud, and upright presence, she had already decided he was the ideal future son-in-law.