Chapter 20

The police captain was startled and looked at Ruo Ruo in confusion. He knew her, but as a rough, burly man facing a crying little girl, he didn’t know where to place his hands or feet. “Hey? Why did she suddenly start crying?” The captain glanced helplessly behind him, where the villagers and officers cast reproachful looks his way. How could they still be scaring a child like this?

Lin Yi’s small face crumpled. “Don’t cry.” Ruo Ruo hesitated but kept crying—Sister Yan Hui was going to be arrested, locked up! What could they do? What should they do? Sister Yan Hui had no father from a young age, and Grandma Xu was already crazy and confused. Boo hoo, Sister Yan Hui…

Lin Yi grabbed Qin Siyuan’s shirt. “You—you say something!” Qin Siyuan replied, “Say what?” Then a man’s voice came from behind them: “Ruo Ruo.” Lin Yi turned to see Ruo Ruo’s father.

The captain saw Xu Jin and felt as if he’d found a savior. “Xiao Xu, I really didn’t bully your daughter. I don’t know why she suddenly cried.” Xu Jin, having guessed something, stepped forward and gently rubbed his daughter’s head. “Dad will find her a lawyer and do everything to protect her.”

Tears still clung to Ruo Ruo’s eyelashes. “Then Sister Yan Hui won’t be arrested, right?” The captain was startled when he heard the name Yan Hui. He looked at Xu Jin, then at Ruo Ruo. “You… you know? Do you know where she is now?”

The poisoning incident had occurred, and Xu Yan Hui should have surrendered by now. Xu Jin wiped his daughter’s face clean and held her hand. “Let’s go talk at the station.” Lin Yi and Qin Siyuan followed.

Inside the police station, Xu Jin remained silent for a long time before speaking. “Yan Hui… that child wanted revenge.” The officer taking notes looked at the captain in astonishment, but the captain said nothing.

Xu Jin began, “It happened seven years ago. That year…”

On a summer night, five teenage boys from Dongyu Village went to the seaside to cool off because of the stifling heat. Yan Hui’s father was very sensitive to weather changes; seeing the sky and humidity, he knew a storm was coming, so he went to reinforce a fishing boat at the shore.

He encountered the five boys and warned, “You should head back soon. The weather is about to change.” But the boys, barely teenagers, ignored him, laughing. “Our parents don’t care, why should you?”

Though angry, Yan Hui’s father, considering the danger, patiently urged them to leave. The boys, annoyed, began to tease him—hiding in the water and popping up like moles. He couldn’t catch them.

The quiet seaside echoed with their laughter. Gradually, the sea grew rough, but the boys, blissfully unaware, felt refreshed by the coolness. Suddenly, a fierce wind rose, waves surged, and panic set in.

The dark sea night was like the mouth of a great beast. Against towering waves, humans seemed small and fear immense. Anyone swept away would vanish beneath the surface.

Yan Hui’s father, an experienced sailor, exerted all his strength to protect the boys. Meanwhile, Grandma Xu, worried by her son’s late return, went to the shore and found the five boys in panic.

She grabbed one. “Have you seen your Uncle Xu?” The terrified boy glanced at the sea behind, trembling and unable to speak, then shook off Grandma Xu and ran without looking back.

Xu Jin wiped his face. “The next day, villagers found Grandma Xu unconscious on the rocks. When she woke, she heard the news that her son had died.”

“She couldn’t bear the blow and went mad.”

The police captain had some memory of the case. “I recall it was ruled an accidental death. There were no five boys involved.”

Xu Jin said, “Those five families kept silent, and Yan Hui’s father was dead. Grandma Xu, the only one who might have known, was confused, so it was ruled an accident.”

The captain frowned. “Then how do you know this?”

Xu Jin sneered lightly. “You can’t hide the truth forever. Over the years, many suspected something was off.”

“I learned from a village banquet when one of those boys got drunk and talked.”

“After that, the five gradually left for work and never returned.”

The captain handed him a list of eleven poisoned families. “Are the families of those five here?”

Without looking, Xu Jin answered, “Only four.”

The captain frowned. “What about the other seven? And what about the poisoning in the program crew?”

Xu Jin glanced at him. “Lao Qian, I only know a bit about the case seven years ago. I’m not Yan Hui. If you ask me, who do you want me to ask?”

Captain Qian awkwardly rubbed his forehead. “I’m just eager to solve the case.”

Outside, Lin Yi and Qin Siyuan had learned the gist from Ruo Ruo, even knowing a little more than Xu Jin. The other seven families were not innocent either.

It all related somewhat to Ian.

Ian, carrying a small bag, got lost while leaving and unknowingly wandered to the edge of the forest behind the mountain. There, he saw a group of children throwing stones at Grandma Xu.

If it had been just that, Ian wouldn’t have been chased down the hillside by those children.

Grandma Xu was old and frail, calling out “Yan Hui, Yan Hui…” The children, playing and laughing, pushed her into a deep ditch. She fell silent immediately.

The children were scared and, having been seen by Ian, chased after him to keep him quiet. Unexpectedly, another person fell that day.

From the next day on, some children in the village began falling ill, but they dared not tell their parents.

Lin Yi was listening intently, marveling at how such a small fishing village could breed so many twisted children, when suddenly there was a shout.

Ruo Ruo jumped up and ran straight in one direction. Lin Yi followed, eyes widening.

It was Yan Hui herself.

Ruo Ruo happily grabbed Yan Hui’s hand, but then remembered they were at the police station and quickly pushed her away. “Sister Yan Hui, hide quickly! They’re all coming to get you.”

Yan Hui shook her head, eyes red but clear.

Captain Qian and two officers came out at the sound.

Yan Hui approached Captain Qian. He looked at her with complexity.

The next moment, Yan Hui knelt down with a thud, her slender back straight.

“I surrender. Please save Grandma. Grandma is sick, her forehead is so hot, and she can’t wake up.”

“Please, save Grandma!”

*

An hour later, Lin Yi sat on a hospital bench. Qin Siyuan sat beside him.

Lin Yi tilted his head at him. “Aren’t you feeling bad?”

He knew everyone else was under observation in the hospital, but the master had been restless, neglecting his health.

Qin Siyuan shook his head. “I’m fine.”

Lin Yi said, “But when you were in the village, you couldn’t even stand.”

Qin Siyuan thought: Was that a physical problem? No, a mental one!

Which child could remain indifferent after hearing about a murder?

Oh, except the one beside me.

Qin Siyuan curiously studied Lin Yi, wondering what kind of environment could raise a child like him.

The two kids chatted casually, unaware someone was watching them from the corner.

Captain Qian and two officers came out and saw the two little ones.

“Hey, you two really have been following all along.”

Lin Yi jumped up from the bench. “Is Grandma Xu okay?”

Captain Qian replied, “The fever’s down. She’s awake.”

Lin Yi and Qin Siyuan went into the ward to see Grandma Xu.

Yan Hui sat by the bed, with Ruo Ruo standing beside her.

*

Grandma Xu wore a hospital gown. She was gaunt, the gown hanging loosely.

Her neck and face bore scratches—likely from the fall into the ditch and the stones thrown that night.

Her eyes were vacant as she murmured, “Yan Hui, Yan Hui…”

Each time Grandma Xu called, Yan Hui patiently replied, “I’m here.”

Captain Qian, despite years on the force and countless cases, couldn’t hold back tears.

Those little brats were truly hateful.

*

In another hospital room, Jiang Xuan was playing on his phone.

The program’s live broadcast had been cut off, and boredom crept in.

Knock, knock!

He glanced at the door as his manager entered carrying a fruit basket.

“Why are you here? Did you get the job done?”

The manager winced, recalling Jiang Xuan’s request to spread rumors that Lin Yi was the poisoner.

Manager: “No need to continue. I have some connections in the crew. I heard they’ve caught the culprit.”

Jiang Xuan rolled his eyes. “Whether they catch him or not doesn’t matter. Just keep slandering Lin Yi. Some fools will believe it.”

“Or do you actually think Lin Yi did it?”

The manager was speechless.

Jiang Xuan mocked, “That kid? What kind of sorcery does he have? Besides, he has no grudge against those people. Why poison them?”

“Don’t tell me you believe he did it for fame?”

The manager: …

Changing the subject, the manager said, “When I arrived, I saw Lin Yi there with the police.”

Jiang Xuan, previously indifferent, suddenly lit up.

His eyes darted. “Take care of Ian. I’m heading out for a bit.”

The manager tugged at him. “Where are you going?”

Jiang Xuan: “Lin Yi’s with the police, right? I’m going to snap some photos for the gossip sites.”

“Netizens love pictures with stories. Won’t that ‘prove’ Lin Yi staged everything and got arrested?”

Sometimes the manager really admired Jiang Xuan—if only his brain were used for the right things.

If Jiang Xuan had even half his talent for stirring trouble in acting, he’d have a smooth career transition.

Jiang Xuan couldn’t wait, pulling his manager along happily as they left.

*

Under the calming effect of medication, Grandma Xu fell asleep.

Yan Hui and Xu Jin were talking with the doctor.

The doctor said, “The old lady’s body isn’t too bad. The biggest problem is malnutrition. Other external wounds will heal with time.”

Yan Hui looked at the doctor hopefully. “My grandma… can she get better here?”

She pointed to her own head.

Years before, with Xu Jin’s help, she had taken Grandma Xu to the hospital, but the doctor shook his head—there was no cure.

She knew what she had done might land her in jail.

Her only concern was Grandma.

If she wasn’t by her side, would Grandma be bullied?

No, even when she was there, someone still bullied Grandma.

Yan Hui’s eyes flickered with a dark resolve—she shouldn’t be soft-hearted; she should have poisoned those bad people outright!

The doctor sighed when he saw the little girl’s thin face. “The chances of recovery are very low.”

In the ward, Lin Yi listened to the conversation outside, his small hand resting on Grandma Xu’s wrist.

Ruo Ruo asked, “Xiao Yi, what are you doing?”