After completing the formalities, the head of the Xie family pulled the doctor aside, seemingly about to entrust the doctor with some important matter. Left behind, Chen Hong took a deep breath, then put on a kind smile and fixed her eyes on Rong Lan. "Mrs. Chu, shall we have a chat?"
Rong Lan was stunned for a moment and almost didn't realize that the "Mrs. Chu" was referring to her. After all, when she was out, people either called her Miss Bai or Miss Rong Lan. Only those from the main branch of the Chu family would call her the young mistress, but she had very little contact with them.
"Okay—ah—" The little fox elongated her tone and let go of Chu Hengyuan's hand.
Chu Hengyuan smiled faintly and let his little wife follow Chen Hong out of the mental hospital. While the head of the Xie family was chatting with the doctor and Chen Hong had taken away his little girl, he wasn't idle either. He glanced at where the mental hospital director's office was and planned to go there for a casual chat with the director.
"Sure enough, you're a master. I underestimated your capabilities." Once outside the mental hospital, Chen Hong immediately showed her true colors. The kind smile on her face disappeared, replaced by paranoia and madness.
Seeing Chen Hong's frustrated look of wanting to kill her but unable to, Rong Lan laughed even more cheerfully. Even her fox ears seemed to sense her joy as the fur fluttered in the wind. "Since you know that I can even figure out Xie Feng's background, why do you think I can't handle those dozens of people without hot weapons?"
Chen Hong's methods were really not that sophisticated. Rong Lan even thought that Chen Hong's schemes were not as good as those of the concubines competing for the emperor's favor with her aunt.
"I thought you were more of a scholar. I didn't expect your combat ability to be so high. It was my miscalculation." Chen Hong's gaze towards Rong Lan was filled with deep and intense disgust. "I know I'll have to stay in this mental hospital for a long time, but there's one thing I really want to tell you, master. I wonder if you still want to listen to me?"
Rong Lan didn't respond to Chen Hong. She withdrew the smile from her face and seriously looked into Chen Hong's eyes. "It's good for you to stay in this mental hospital for ten or eight years. You're really sick. This is the best mental hospital in the whole of Jingdu. Maybe you'll get better after staying here for a few years."
Apart from learning about Chen Hong through the causal line, she also asked Wang Tong to investigate Chen Hong for her. Wang Tong sent her a huge compressed file after only half a day. It was full of the movies, TV shows, and variety shows that Chen Hong had participated in before she retired from the entertainment industry and got married.
Whether it was movies or variety shows, Chen Hong at that time was really full of charm and talent. She was willing to put in the effort to study the scripts and acting skills, and had a gentle personality. Rong Lan thought that if she had lived in that era, she would have liked Chen Hong too.
She watched several of the movies Chen Hong had acted in and a few variety shows. She even began to suspect that this paranoid and terrifying aristocratic lady who seemed to be under a spell was not the real Chen Hong.
But the causal line on Chen Hong told her that this was the very woman who had won extremely high honors in the entertainment industry back then.
Chen Hong must be sick to have become like this. Rong Lan firmly believed that.
So sending Chen Hong to the mental hospital was the best choice. It could both punish Chen Hong and allow her to receive the most regular treatment.
"I'm not sick!" Chen Hong's voice suddenly became shrill.
Rong Lan glanced at Chen Hong's right hand that had reached into her handbag and didn't bother to expose her. "Yes, yes, yes, you're not sick." After all, she was a defeated opponent, so there was no point in arguing. As for whether Chen Hong would take out any lethal weapons from her handbag, it didn't matter. Chen Hong couldn't hurt her.
"Don't you want to hear what I want to tell you?" Chen Hong suddenly laughed. "The thing I'm going to tell you is related to Mr. Chu Hengyuan."
Rong Lan remained silent. Her intuition told her that Chen Hong was going to sow discord between her and Chu Hengyuan.
Seeing that Rong Lan didn't respond but also didn't turn around and leave, Chen Hong started talking on her own. "I really wanted you dead because you knew my secret, but there's also another very important reason."
Rong Lan continued to remain silent.
"Xinxin has a crush on Mr. Chu. You stole the man my daughter likes. As long as you're dead, Xinxin will have a chance to be with Chu Hengyuan."
Rong Lan: "..." If, in any of the many times she had met Xie Xinxin, Xie Xinxin had shown any hostility towards her as a rival in love, she would have believed Chen Hong's words. But their interactions had been so pleasant. Was Chen Hong really that shameless? Pulling her own daughter into this just to make her feel uncomfortable?
Moreover, Chen Hong's thought was so similar to Bai Rongran's. In her previous life, her dear younger sister Rongran also seemed to think that as long as she disappeared, she could return to Chu Hengyuan's side.
Seeing that Rong Lan still didn't respond and her eyes were full of distrust, Chen Hong smiled even more. "I knew you wouldn't believe me. Let me tell you, Chu Hengyuan only agreed to marry you because of the marriage contract between the Chu and Bai families. He's not indifferent to Xinxin. He's never taken you to pay respects to his biological mother, but he always takes Xinxin with him every time he goes to the cemetery. Doesn't this mean something?"
Rong Lan glanced at Chen Hong's restless right hand. "Do you think I'll believe such a shoddy lie?"
"Whether you believe it or not, this is the truth."
"Really? Then I'll ask my brother later." Rong Lan thought there was nothing more to say to Chen Hong. She took a half - step back and planned to go back to find Chu Hengyuan and tell him this interesting story.
Chen Hong saw that Rong Lan was about to leave. A fierce light flashed in her eyes. She tightened her grip on the knife handle, took out a small knife from her handbag, and stabbed Rong Lan fiercely.
Rong Lan knew that Chen Hong had ill intentions. She reached out and grabbed the blade, and with her other hand, she gently patted Chen Hong's shoulder, handling the situation with ease. "I know you want me dead, but I've told you that I have great abilities. This won't work."
"Not work? Bai Ronglan, you dared to grab the blade with your hand. Your hand will surely be useless. If I can't kill you, crippling one of your hands is also good." Chen Hong's tone was full of malice.
Rong Lan looked at this woman who was probably just one step away from becoming a madwoman and sighed regretfully. "Why don't you look down?" She really liked the confident and shining Chen Hong in the variety shows when she was young, not this person who was willing to get involved in a life - taking incident just to keep a dirty secret.
Chen Hong didn't see the slightest sign of pain on Rong Lan's face. She realized something was wrong and looked down, only to find that Rong Lan's hand wasn't bleeding. "How is this possible..."
She had used all her strength to stab Rong Lan. Even if Rong Lan had grabbed the blade with her hand, her hand should have bled profusely. But no, Rong Lan's hand was still fine. She had clearly seen Rong Lan's hand directly touch the blade...