At nine in the morning, the sun was already high in the sky.
When Meng Chuwu and Xi Xiaoyan came downstairs, Ji Yi stood up from where she had been sitting in the living room.
After a few polite greetings, Chi Qing came over and said, “Miss Meng, breakfast is ready. Would you like to eat now?”
Meng Chuwu looked at Ji Yi, who was still in uniform. “Have you had breakfast?”
Ji Yi shook her head. “As soon as I arrived at the station, Officer Feng told me to come straight here.”
“Then let’s eat while we talk,” Meng Chuwu suggested.
The three of them left the living room and headed to the dining area.
Sunlight poured through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, making the space feel open and so bright it was almost like the air itself could be seen.
Meng Chuwu sat at the head of the table, with Xi Xiaoyan on her right and Ji Yi on her left.
Breakfast was turkey sandwiches with milk and a typical selection of fresh fruit.
Since Xi Xiaoyan preferred lighter meals, Meng Chuwu had asked Aunt Kang, the cook, to make porridge for her every day.
At first, everyone ate in silence. Xi Xiaoyan, who was usually cheerful and talkative, remained quiet. She could guess that Ji Yi’s sudden visit was probably about what happened yesterday.
Once everyone was nearly finished, Meng Chuwu broke the silence.
“Is there any news?”
She was clearly speaking to Ji Yi.
Ji Yi didn’t answer right away. Instead, she looked up and turned to Xi Xiaoyan with a calm but serious expression.
“She’s the one involved. Yanyan doesn’t need to step away, does she?” Meng Chuwu asked again.
“That’s not what I meant,” Ji Yi said quietly, as if choosing her words carefully.
The silence returned once more.
The sound of Xi Xiaoyan sipping her porridge became unusually clear in the stillness.
When she noticed both Ji Yi and Meng Chuwu looking at her, she set down her spoon and gently dabbed her mouth with a napkin.
“Ji Yi, is there something you want to ask me?” she offered, seeing Ji Yi hesitating.
“Yesterday, when you were drinking coffee, the surveillance video showed you poured coconut water into it,” Ji Yi said.
“Yes.” Xi Xiaoyan nodded. Yesterday, while drinking iced coffee, she had suddenly remembered how Jiang Tiyan used to make coconut coffee for her in high school. She happened to have a bottle of coconut water in her bag and decided to add some.
“Was that coconut water yours?”
Both Meng Chuwu and Xi Xiaoyan looked puzzled.
“Yes. I guess you could say it was mine.”
“Where did it come from?” Ji Yi asked.
Meng Chuwu could not hold back. “Last night, you said the drug was found in the coffee. Are you saying—”
Ji Yi raised her hand slightly. “Let me finish asking the questions.”
Xi Xiaoyan glanced at Meng Chuwu, then replied, “Yesterday, I went out to meet Jiang. While I was waiting for a ride outside, I saw Xiao Chen walking back with a plastic bag that had a few bottles of coconut water. I asked her for one.”
“Did she hand it to you, or did you take it yourself?”
“She handed it to me.”
“When she gave it to you, did she act strange? Any unusual expressions or movements?”
Xi Xiaoyan thought back. Chen Lanying hadn’t seemed strange at all. She was usually shy and would often lower her head whenever she saw Meng Chuwu or herself.
“She was the same as always. Nothing seemed off.”
“Do you really like coconut water?”
Xi Xiaoyan looked even more confused. “Yes. I do.”
“Who else knows that you like it?”
“I’m not exactly sure. I’ve never really told anyone.”
“We found the same drug in the coconut water. We now believe the drug in the coffee may have come from the coconut water. I need to bring Chen Lanying in for questioning.”
“Chen Lanying?”
That quiet Omega girl?
Meng Chuwu could not believe it. The girl always looked timid and soft-spoken.
Ji Yi made a phone call. Soon after, a police car entered the courtyard and three or four officers stepped out.
When Chen Lanying was told the police were taking her in for questioning, she immediately started crying from fear.
Meng Chuwu went to comfort her. “It’s alright,” she said gently, pointing to Ji Yi. “She’s my friend. They just need to ask you a few questions. Tell them everything honestly. Yanyan and I will come pick you up when it’s done.”
Chen Lanying didn’t seem to understand what was happening. Her tears kept falling, and she looked completely helpless.
After she was taken away in the police car, Meng Chuwu turned to Ji Yi and said, “Call me when you’re done.”
Ji Yi nodded. Before leaving, she gave Xi Xiaoyan a thoughtful glance. Her usual lack of expression made her hard to read and a bit distant.
After the police left, Meng Chuwu told everyone in the house not to jump to conclusions. They should wait for the results of the investigation.
What happened to Xi Xiaoyan had already made it to the news, trending searches, and headlines online, but the story was quickly suppressed because the drug involved was too sensitive.
Meng Chuwu and Xi Xiaoyan talked it over and both believed it was unlikely that Chen Lanying had done it. If it wasn’t just a misunderstanding, she must have been unknowingly used.
Sure enough, later that evening, Ji Yi called and said that Chen Lanying and the convenience store she visited had both been cleared. The coconut water came from the same batch, and the rest of the bottles were clean. The store’s security footage also showed nothing unusual.
When Meng Chuwu and Xi Xiaoyan arrived at the police station, Chen Lanying was no longer crying, but her eyes were swollen and red like peaches. She looked like a lost little rabbit.
They brought her home and comforted her until she finally calmed down.
“Miss Xi, I’m sorry,” Chen Lanying said quietly. She sat at the edge of the bed, head hanging low.
“If you didn’t do anything wrong, there’s no need to apologize,” Xi Xiaoyan replied. Since the police had not found anything against her, she chose to believe her.
“Get some rest,” Meng Chuwu said softly.
Just before they left the room, she casually asked, “Do you know Jiang Tiyan?”
Chen Lanying slowly lifted her head and shook it with a confused look.
After leaving her room, Meng Chuwu spoke to Chao Zhi and Xiao Chi, who were waiting outside.
“Keep an eye on Xiao Chen tonight. Let us know right away if anything happens.”
Chao Zhi nodded. “Understood.”
Xiao Chi asked, “Miss Meng, dinner is ready. Would you like to eat now?”
Meng Chuwu turned to look at Xi Xiaoyan. “Yanyan, are you hungry?”
“Not really.”
After everything that had happened that day, no one really felt like eating.
Back in their room, with the door closed, Meng Chuwu asked gently, “When did you start liking coconut water?”
Xi Xiaoyan thought for a moment. “Probably in middle school. Once I tried it, I started drinking it often.”
“So, Jiang Tiyan would know you like that drink?”
“I’m not sure if she knows or not.”
“The night before last, in the car after dinner, didn’t you say you and Jiang Tiyan were very close in high school?”
“Well, I did say that…” Xi Xiaoyan stopped walking. “Sister Wu, are you suspecting her?”
“Just like we analyzed earlier today, Xiao Chen doesn’t have the courage to pull something like this. Besides, we helped her when she was in trouble. If she really did this, that would be repaying kindness with betrayal.” Meng Chuwu still couldn’t shake her suspicion toward Jiang Tiyan.
“The coconut water came from Xiao Chen. And she said she doesn’t even know Jiang. Besides, Jiang doesn’t have any motive.”
“How does she not have a motive? Didn’t you say she liked you? She could have set the whole thing up just so she could swoop in and save you, hoping you’d feel grateful afterward.”
“Harming me and then saving me is not what a hero does,” Xi Xiaoyan argued firmly.
“Trust is often used against us. I’m just being logical. She was the one who invited you out yesterday, wasn’t she? Don’t you think it’s strange that she told you she would be late and asked you to order a drink first? Then, right after something happened to you, she arrived before I could even get there. Isn’t that all a little too convenient?”
“Even so, I still don’t want to suspect her. Sister Wu, you don’t understand the kind of bond I had with Jiang. Please don’t, don’t suspect her.”
Meng Chuwu turned slightly and saw Xi Xiaoyan’s face flushed with frustration.
“I’m suspecting her because I want to find out who hurt you, and I want to do it as soon as possible. No matter who that person is, they must be brought to justice. If not, this kind of thing could happen again.”
“Do you think the coconut water Xiao Chen gave me came from Jiang?” Xi Xiaoyan remembered how, before leaving Chen Lanying’s room, Meng Chuwu had asked if she knew Jiang Tiyan.
“I’m only guessing,” Meng Chuwu said. Just thinking about Jiang’s challenging tone and the strange look in her eyes made her feel uneasy. “Xiao Chen wouldn’t even know how to get her hands on a drug like Tengyun.”
“Are you going to tell Officer Feng about your suspicion?”
“No.” Meng Chuwu had a strong feeling that if Jiang Tiyan was behind it, then she would have covered all her tracks. “Ji Yi told me they already questioned her and didn’t find a single flaw. If there’s no solid evidence, it’s best not to speak up. Otherwise, we could alert the real culprit.”
“Then I’m sorry, but this time I can’t stand on the same side as you.” Xi Xiaoyan was someone who valued relationships deeply. She stood her ground and continued, “If someone was going to slip the drug into a drink, wouldn’t it be easier to do it with the bottle of coconut water that was just sitting on the table?”
Back in high school, she and Jiang Tiyan had shared many hardships. Their bond came from a place of mutual understanding during difficult times.
Meng Chuwu had considered that possibility too, but her thoughts had gone further than that.
“Can you tell me why you can’t take my side on this?”
She was surprised. Xi Xiaoyan usually chose her without hesitation. Why not this time?
So, what exactly had happened between her and Jiang Tianyang in the past?