Military Affairs Office.
The wooden windows were wide open, and inside sat two on-duty officers.
On the table before them were leftover dishes collected from the cafeteria, along with sealed bags containing pufferfish innards.
As soon as Su Hua entered, he shoved Su Wanqing forward. “Comrades, she’s the one who poisoned the dishes!”
Su Wanqing didn’t rush to defend herself. Her eyes first scanned the evidence on the table, then she looked at the officers. “I request to check two records.”
“One: today’s seafood purchase list from the cafeteria. Two: the register of personnel and items entering and leaving the kitchen.”
Officer Li gave Su Wanqing an admiring glance, then said, “We’ve already checked. Today’s purchase list shows no pufferfish.”
Before he finished speaking, Officer Wang immediately added, “However, the kitchen’s item entry and exit log shows that someone did indeed bring pufferfish inside.”
Then Officer Li raised his voice, “Li He, bring the person in!”
The door curtain rustled as Xiao Wu, the kitchen’s firewood worker with a slightly lame left leg, shuffled in.
Su Wanqing recognized him—he often delivered firewood to Su Weiwei along with dry flowers, trying to curry favor.
Before the officers could speak, Xiao Wu suddenly knelt and pointed at Su Wanqing, shouting, “She told me to do it! She gave me half a bar of soap and told me to put the pufferfish into her dish!”
Su Wanqing stared at his evasive, guilty eyes and snorted coldly.
Evidence and witnesses both—Su Weiwei had prepared thoroughly.
They wanted to pin her down in one blow.
Su Wanqing didn’t panic. Instead, she stepped forward, her gaze piercing Xiao Wu. “Half a bar of soap? What brand? When did I give it to you? Who else was present to confirm?”
Three sharp questions left Xiao Wu even more flustered, and he stammered incoherently.
Seeing this, Su Hua kicked Xiao Wu. “Speak up!”
Xiao Wu shuddered from the kick and suddenly blurted, “It was yesterday afternoon! In the kitchen firewood room! Nobody saw!”
Su Wanqing continued pressing: “Then what brand was the soap? Its color, its scent?”
Xiao Wu’s face turned pale, his gaze nervously darting toward Su Weiwei.
Su Weiwei lightly bit her lip, feigning confusion. “Wanqing, can’t you ask calmly?”
“Look at Xiao Wu—he’s flustered enough. If you keep pressuring him, people will think you’re afraid he’ll tell the truth and are deliberately preventing him from speaking.”
Officer Li slammed the table, his sharp gaze sweeping Xiao Wu. “Comrade Xiao Wu, this is an investigation into a poisoning incident affecting the safety of the military district. If you continue to be evasive, military regulations won’t tolerate it!”
Xiao Wu froze, cold sweat running down his temple. “I… I can’t remember… I was too nervous…”
A cold smile tugged at the corners of Su Wanqing’s mouth. “You can’t provide details about the soap because there was no soap at all!”
She turned to the two officers, speaking clearly and logically.
“First, the item log shows that Xiao Wu brought the pufferfish in on his own. Second, he claims I instructed him, yet he can’t even describe the soap—his testimony is false. Third, yesterday afternoon I was at the workstation the entire time, and Uncle Zhang can vouch for me.”
Officer Li listened and nodded slowly.
Officer Wang picked up the sealed bag. “Even if you didn’t touch Xiao Wu, these pufferfish innards were indeed found in the dishes you were responsible for.”
Su Wanqing turned to Officer Wang, her voice calm yet sharp. “I suspect someone deliberately mixed the pufferfish innards into my dish to frame me.”
She shifted her tone and added, “Xiao Wu delivers firewood at fixed times. The kitchen staff can confirm that yesterday, when he delivered the wood, he stayed alone with Su Weiwei in the storage room for half an hour!”
Su Hua turned sharply. “Su Wanqing! What nonsense are you talking about?”
“Is it nonsense? Just check and find out.”
Su Wanqing turned to the pale-faced Su Weiwei and sneered.
Since you like scheming in secret, I’ll openly pour the dirt.
If you’re capable, prove that you had nothing to do with Xiao Wu.
Officer Li’s gaze was sharp, his fingers tapping the table. “Xiao Wu, is what Comrade Su Wanqing said true? Yesterday, you were in the storage room with Su Weiwei for half an hour. What were you doing?”
Xiao Wu lowered his head further, hands clawing at the floor, knuckles white.
He peeked at Su Weiwei standing behind Su Hua, her eyes flashing a warning and pleading silently.
“N-Nothing!” Xiao Wu suddenly raised his voice, trying to muster courage. “She just had me help move some things. Nothing else!”
“Move things?” Su Wanqing stepped forward, her tone pressing. “The storage room only has rice, flour, and oil. You’re a firewood worker—would Su Weiwei need to specially have you move things?”
“Or were you two exchanging pufferfish inside? Framing me!”
“No!” Xiao Wu suddenly looked up, his face red, eyes darting. “I put the pufferfish in the dish myself. It has nothing to do with Comrade Weiwei!”
Su Weiwei’s face darkened, a flash of anger in her eyes, fingers clenching her palm.
Fool!
I told you over and over to make him stick to blaming Su Wanqing.
And in a few words, he’s already confessed everything!
Su Wanqing raised an eyebrow, watching at ease.
Officer Wang set down the sealed bag and leaned slightly forward. “You brought the pufferfish yourself? Then why put it in Su Wanqing’s dish? Do you have a grudge against her?”
Xiao Wu glanced at Su Weiwei, then suddenly slapped his thigh and shouted, “I just can’t stand her! The seafood stinks and tastes awful. Nobody in the military district likes it!”
“She acts all high and mighty, thinking she’s from a fishing village, cooking that smelly fish and rotten shrimp every day, disgusting and wasting ingredients!”
He grew more agitated, pointing at Su Wanqing’s nose. “She hogs the cafeteria spot, makes food nobody likes. Comrades either force themselves to eat it or go hungry!”
“I just wanted to get her out of the cafeteria, so she wouldn’t keep harming everyone. That’s why I deliberately put the pufferfish innards in her dish!”
A flash of triumph crossed Su Weiwei’s eyes.
Not entirely dumb, it seems.
She twisted her fingers lightly on her clothing, her voice soft as cotton: “Comrade Xiao Wu, how could you do such a thing…”
“But you were also doing it for everyone’s sake, Wanqing. You won’t blame him, right?”
Su Wanqing was stunned by the chain of tactics.
Bad seafood?
What smelly fish and rotten shrimp?!
She had run a seafood restaurant for ten years, known as the “Seafood King,” and would never let anyone insult her best dishes!
Su Wanqing shouted in protest, “If my seafood dishes rank second, no one dares claim they’re number one!”
Hearing this, a dark gleam flashed in Su Weiwei’s eyes.
She already had a second plan in mind.