Why not put them all in

Outside the large supermarket near No. 13 Middle School, Xia Yueshan crouched by the roadside, plucking at flowers and grass incessantly, keeping his hands busy in a futile attempt to ease the restlessness and pressure gnawing at him.

According to what Lin Yu had said, he would leave at the earliest tomorrow, at the latest the day after.

That meant Xia Yueshan had to execute his plan tomorrow.

Right.

First, he needed to review the plan.

Step one: Lure Lin Yu to his house under the pretense of having a final meeting with his older sister.

Then, spike the water with drugs.

Hand the water to Lin Yu to drink.

Wait—

Should he add a little to his sister’s cup too?

Otherwise, what if Lin Yu lost control and his sister refused?

If things went south, they might end up sending Lin Yu to jail—that wouldn’t do!

Xia Yueshan kept tearing at the grass as he pondered, until a moment later, he yanked too hard, lost his balance, and landed squarely on his backside.

Better put just a little in his sister’s drink too.

He stood up, dusting the dirt off his pants.

If his sister noticed something off about Lin Yu, the whole plan could fall apart.

Once the two were in too deep to back out…

He’d force Lin Yu to take responsibility for his sister!

Even if Lin Yu didn’t want to, he’d make him!

...

...

Then again, given Lin Yu’s personality, would he even need to be forced?

Wouldn’t he take responsibility on his own?

With his sister’s stunning looks and figure, most guys wouldn’t refuse even if they had girlfriends, right?

Some might even brag about juggling two relationships!

Straightening up, Xia Yueshan stared at the stream of cars passing by on the road. He took a deep breath, then exhaled slowly, his face twisted in worry.

Would this really ruin both his sister’s and Lin Yu’s lives?

Xia Yueshan hadn’t dared breathe a word of this plan to Xia Muzhu.

He knew—if she found out, she’d never agree.

She’d never use such a selfish, cruel scheme to keep Lin Yu.

Someone like her, always sacrificing herself for others—how could she ever approve of something like this?

In the end, he was the one running around between them, and if things went wrong, he’d end up pleasing neither.

Just as Xia Yueshan was sighing over his miserable predicament, a familiar voice called out from behind him.

"Boss!"

Xia Yueshan turned and saw Little Fatty had arrived.

Little Fatty walked up to him, panting heavily, his forehead slick with sweat. His thin T-shirt clung to his skin in damp patches where the sweat had soaked through.

"You ran here?"

"Why so sweaty?"

Xia Yueshan eyed him curiously.

"Nah."

"It’s just hot."

Little Fatty wiped his brow, then pulled a small white paper packet—about the size of a bottle cap—from his pocket and handed it over.

"Here."

"This is what you wanted."

"My Younger Aunt’s leftovers are all in here."

Xia Yueshan took the packet, sealed with a strip of clear tape. He peeled half of it open and peered inside—fine white powder.

"Colorless, odorless, dissolves instantly in water. Worked like a charm when my Younger Aunt used it."

Little Fatty sounded like a salesman pitching the product.

Xia Yueshan nodded, resealing the packet. He looked up at Little Fatty and asked,

"How much do you use at once?"

"And how long before it kicks in?"

Upon hearing this, Little Fatty froze for a moment before shaking his head and putting on a thoughtful expression. He spoke slowly:

"I'm not too sure either."

"The effects probably aren't immediate. My Younger Aunt and her husband still have to take some time to ride home, so I’d guess it’ll take at least fifteen minutes to kick in. Maybe thirty if it’s slow?"

"As for the dosage, I don’t really know."

Little Fatty scratched his head and continued:

"I wasn’t there when my Younger Aunt slipped the drug into her husband’s drink, but I think this amount should be more than enough."

"She put it in his wine glass."

"How big can a wine glass be?"

"This much powder would fill half of one."

"Anyway, it’s definitely enough."

Xia Yueshan frowned, unsatisfied with Little Fatty’s answer.

"It is enough."

"But how much should I actually use?"

"What if I don’t put in enough and it doesn’t work?"

"Should I just dump all of it in?"

"Why not just use all of it?" Little Fatty shot back.

"It’s not like it’ll kill anyone. Just throw the whole thing in."

"Besides, it’s not that much. Even if you double or triple the dose, it won’t be a problem."

Xia Yueshan fell silent at this.

He had a point.

Thinking of Lin Yu’s mysterious nature, Xia Yueshan figured it might be wise to give him a heavier dose. The man could read fortunes, knew martial arts—what if he also had some secret internal cultivation technique or something?

What if he could resist the drug’s effects?

So yeah, better give him extra.

As for his sister, just a tiny bit would do.

The rest? All for Lin Yu!

Xia Yueshan nodded, pocketed the drug, and prepared to leave.

Just then, Little Fatty couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer.

"Boss," he asked, "what do you even need this stuff for?"

Of course, Xia Yueshan wasn’t about to reveal his plan. Mimicking Lin Yu’s mannerisms, he turned and glared at Little Fatty, snapping irritably:

"Kids shouldn’t poke their noses into grown-up business!"

He started to turn away but suddenly paused and looked back at Little Fatty, adding sternly:

"And don’t go blabbing about this to anyone, got it?"

Little Fatty obediently zipped his lips with an imaginary zipper and pressed them shut, signaling his absolute discretion.

Xia Yueshan took the drug and headed home.

By the time he arrived, it was already evening.

The delay was entirely Little Fatty’s fault.

Since it had been so long, the boy couldn’t remember where the drug was stored. He’d rummaged through his house forever before finally finding it—hidden away by his Younger Aunt.

By the time Xia Yueshan got his hands on it, it was already past 3 p.m.

Too late.

The plan would have to wait until tomorrow.

Early the next morning, Xia Yueshan informed Xia Muzhu that Lin Yu was coming over for dinner.

Her eyes lit up at the news, and she immediately rushed out to buy ingredients, thrilled.

Left alone at home, Xia Yueshan pondered where to slip the drug.

In a water glass?

Mixed into a dish?

Or maybe stirred into the rice?

After some thought, he decided on the water glass.

His sister would be eating the dishes too.

What if she ended up consuming most of the spiked dish? Or what if Lin Yu didn’t even like it?

Rice was even worse.

With such a limited amount of drug, diluting it in a whole pot of rice would render it useless.

At this thought, Xia Yueshan decided to act. He filled a cup with water and took out the packet of powder from his pants pocket. Just as he was about to pour it in, he suddenly realized it was still too early.

The groceries hadn’t been bought yet.

Better to add it when Lin Yu was almost here.