Chapter 34: Unexpected

The viewers in the Live Stream Room had a lot of question marks.

“…Huh?”

“Why do they have to progress the plot in the middle of the night? I woke up at seven in the morning to watch, only to hear the words ‘accidental death’. Do you know how I feel?! This is inhumane!”

“The big shot seems pretty gentle, guiding them step-by-step. She’s never shown any disdain toward us mere mortals. I’m touched.”

“With the initials in this ID, I think I know who she is. 【Laugh-cry】 As expected, geniuses in this world are always in the minority.”

“I came here because of her reputation! To snatch a spot in her class, our senior specifically made a cheat program. In the end, it crashed the first year and was useless, and by the second year, she had already resigned. 【Goodbye】”

“So the big shot’s actual profession really is a teacher? 【Bright-eyed】”

·

The game’s pace was very fast. Especially since Qiong Cang had already investigated the clues to a certain extent, the autopsy report came out that very night.

The forensic pathologist, who was relatively familiar with them, took the initiative to bring the documents over and explain them to them.

Everyone was very curious about how exactly Wu Ming had died.

“Uh -” the pathologist pinched his own neck with his fingers and made a face. “Just like this, suffocated to death. But it wasn’t entirely due to suffocation.”

“What do you mean?”

The pathologist found a chair and sat down, resting his arms on the armrests. “Wu Ming’s airway was blocked by his own vomit. Because he couldn’t move, he ultimately suffocated to death. However, I found that he had chronic respiratory failure dysfunction. His lungs, stomach, and liver all showed related symptoms caused by long-term oxygen deprivation. What’s more, you’ll never guess what else: I detected trace amounts of toxins in his blood. I believe he was likely being poisoned over a long period.”

“Poisoned?” Everyone’s spirits jolted, surprised expressions appearing on their faces, though the shock quickly faded. They looked at each other, and the same name slipped from their lips: “Li Yujia?”

With everyone arriving at the same name, the logic seemed to fall into place, almost serving as a unique kind of corroboration.

Yet they still tried their best to remain impartial, striving to analyze the situation with calm, rational minds.

“Long-term poisoning definitely requires someone close to him. Other than Li Yujia, there doesn’t seem to be a second candidate. When did she start doing this?”

“Around Wu Ming, only Li Yujia was constantly in contact with doctors. Over the past few years, under the pretext of preparing for pregnancy, she frequently visited both traditional Chinese and Western medicine practitioners. I think she had plenty of channels to obtain the poison she needed.”

“Let me finish first,” the pathologist said with a smile. “The toxicity detected in Wu Ming’s body is actually quite complex; it’s not just a single substance. For example, hyoscyamine, hydrocyanic acid, and so on. Although they are all in trace amounts, combined together, they virtually poisoned all of his internal organs. Add to that his frequent heavy drinking for business socializing, which left his body in terrible shape, a hollow shell. Based on the autopsy, the low-dose poisoning likely went on for over four or five years.”

Everyone gasped. “That’s too ruthless! A cocktail of poisons?”

Qiong Cang, who was looking through the files, raised her head slightly and added, “These can be found in traditional Chinese medicine.”

The pathologist nodded. “Yes, these toxins can be extracted from plants, and most of them can be used as medicine. In trace amounts, or after proper processing, they won’t cause much harm to the human body.”

A young officer speculated, “Li Yujia has been conditioning her body. Could she have coaxed Wu Ming into taking large doses of Chinese medicine under the guise of health tonics?”

Qiong Cang suddenly spoke, her clear voice instantly drawing everyone’s attention. “If Wu Ming were the type to listen to Li Yujia, their relationship wouldn’t have become so strained. Wu Ming wouldn’t even visit Li Yujia when she was injured and hospitalized, let alone take medicine with her. He had an inherent wariness toward her.”

The others opened their mouths to argue, but they didn’t know where to start.

In their eyes, this speculation didn’t hold much water. Compared to the suspicion surrounding Li Yujia, it could hardly be considered a valid reason.

Qiong Cang added, “Furthermore, if Li Yujia had been poisoning Wu Ming all this time, why would she spend so long trying to conceive? Preparing for pregnancy is very hard work, running between different hospitals and meeting various famous doctors. In particular, she froze her eggs multiple times over the past two years. For a woman, freezing eggs causes immense damage to the body. If she did all this just to cover her tracks, her forbearance and scheming would be far too deep, which is completely inconsistent with her behavior after Wu Ming’s death.”

That was true. If Li Yujia had wanted to kill Wu Ming five years ago, or even earlier, she wouldn’t have waited until recently to hire a private investigator to tail him.

Besides, five years ago, Wu Ming’s career was just starting out. Although he was slightly famous, his assets weren’t that substantial. The two of them were living a stable married life back then; there was no way they could have hated each other to this extent.

Confused, several people asked, “Then who could it be? How on earth did the murderer administer the poison?”

Qiong Cang closed the file and let out a breath. Handing the documents to the pathologist beside her, she said, “I understand now. Come with me to Wu Ming’s house.”

·

Qiong Cang led the officers from the team and rushed to Wu Ming’s villa.

When everyone looked at the huge glass jar sitting on the cabinet, they couldn’t help but chuckle at the absurdity of it.

During the first search for evidence, they had almost completely overlooked this object. Because it was so common and found in many people’s homes, it was easy to ignore its danger.

Qiong Cang glanced at her watch. It was already past four in the morning. In about three hours, the sky would be fully bright. This group of them had been conducting interviews and investigations all night without a wink of sleep. Deep exhaustion was written on everyone’s faces, and Qiong Cang was no exception.

This game was too exhausting for her. She felt like she had been playing for a very long time.

Qiong Cang asked, “Where is Zhou Langxiu?”

“Ever since Wu Ming’s incident yesterday, she’s been crying and complaining to the media. She should be resting at home now.”

Qiong Cang said, “Once it’s light out, call her over.”

·

The people in the Live Stream Room, however, were jolted awake first thing in the morning. This plot development was more effective than anything, splashing them wide awake from their deep drowsiness.

“I’m shocked. I admit I’m ignorant, but this sudden twist is a bit wild.”

“This Instance really has the vibe of ‘Approaching Science’…”

“If I only looked at the police announcement, I’d definitely go down the conspiracy theory rabbit hole. But now…”

“Oh man. 【Scratching head】 I bet wrong again. The Instance clue completion is over 80% and I still got it wrong. I’m really something else.”

“Just woke up, what are you guys talking about? I refuse to watch the replay, I can definitely guess it myself.”

·

Qiong Cang enjoyed a brief, relatively peaceful break.

At 8:30 in the morning, the air carried a crisp scent, the temperature was a bit chilly, and the streets were starting to bustle.

Qiong Cang walked into the interrogation room, where Zhou Langxiu was already seated. The red light of the camera blinked, aimed at the seat opposite her.

Qiong Cang opened the folder in front of her and asked casually, “Zhou Langxiu, correct?”

“Yes.” Zhou Langxiu appeared somewhat uneasy because she had never been in an interrogation room before. As an ordinary middle-aged woman, she had a natural fear of police stations and bureaus.

Before Qiong Cang and the others could even start questioning her, Zhou Langxiu said nervously, “Why did you bring me here? I didn’t do anything wrong, did I? I only told the truth. When the reporter asked me, I just answered. Don’t think you can bully me, I’m telling you!”

Qiong Cang looked up. Instead of showing displeasure at her bluster, she offered a reassuring smile and said, “Don’t be nervous, we’re just having a chat with the family. It’s relatively quiet here, and there are cameras to make it easier for us to keep a record.”

Zhou Langxiu asked, “What about Li Yujia?”

Qiong Cang said, “Once we’re done talking with you, we will go find her.”

Zhou Langxiu asked anxiously, “What if she runs away? Why don’t you go arrest her first? She’s very cunning!”

“Our people have been keeping an eye on her,” Qiong Cang said. “She hasn’t been cleared of suspicion yet, so we won’t let her leave.”

Zhou Langxiu felt a bit more at ease, thinking she had received a guarantee.

Qiong Cang pulled out a photo, an interview shot of Wu Ming dressed in a sharp suit. She placed it on the table and said, “Wu Ming was very successful in his career. According to our interviews and investigation, his friends also spoke very highly of him. He was a very outstanding young man.”

Looking at the photo, Zhou Langxiu’s eyes reddened again. She stroked it with her finger and said sadly, “Of course. He was smart and successful ever since he was a child. He was my son.”

Then her expression twisted instantly, and she spat viciously, “That damned bitch, it’s all her fault! You know it’s all her fault!”

Qiong Cang said, “Wu Ming must have worked very hard, right?”

Zhou Langxiu said, “Extremely hard! He stayed up late working overtime all day, and often went out to drink and dine with clients. He worked so hard he got stomach bleeding several times, it broke my heart. Not like that Li Yujia, who is lazy all day long, doing who knows what, only spending my son’s money! She got lucky. I hate her to death. It was pure bad luck for our family to marry her!”

“Our line of work is also very hard. My colleagues haven’t had a good rest in a long time, all to find Wu Ming’s killer as soon as possible.” Qiong Cang pulled out a photo and slid it over, saying, “I saw a jar of medicinal wine¹ like this at Wu Ming’s house. Such a large glass jar, and only half of it is left. Did he usually drink this medicinal wine? Who made it for him?”

Zhou Langxiu said, “I made it for him! He needed to nourish his body. Li Yujia wouldn’t care if he lived or died. Only I, his mother, truly cherish him!”

Qiong Cang stared into her eyes and asked, word for word, “So, this medicinal wine was prepared by you, not Li Yujia.”

Without a second thought, Zhou Langxiu said, “How could it be Li Yujia? How could that bitch be so kind-hearted? Where would she even get these things!”

Qiong Cang tapped her finger on the photo, verifying once again, “Are you sure you formulated this prescription? Where did you get it from?”

“It’s medicinal wine! You throw the tonic herbs in, and after soaking, the effects are very good! This is a folk recipe from our countryside. I made Ah Ming drink a little every day,” Zhou Langxiu said. “It nourishes the blood, boosts Qi, strengthens the heart and lungs, and also detoxifies and benefits the spleen. He worked too hard and often couldn’t sleep well. He could only feel a bit better every day after drinking the wine.”

“These are the herbs soaked inside. Please confirm them.” Qiong Cang pulled out another stack of photos, placing them down one by one. “Chinese evergreen², Adonis³, yew bark, Huashan ginseng, nux vomica…”

Zhou Langxiu glanced at them. Seeing Qiong Cang’s posture, she felt a bit uneasy. She spoke loudly, trying to change the subject. “In our countryside, some of them aren’t called by these names, but it seems we did have these. Can you get to the point!”

Qiong Cang said, “Confirm it once more.”

Zhou Langxiu said anxiously, “Do you want that folk recipe⁴? I can give it to you, just go arrest Li Yujia quickly! She killed someone, she’s going to run!”

“Nux vomica⁵ can be used as medicine after processing. It reduces swelling, relieves pain, and strengthens the spleen and stomach.” Qiong Cang picked up the last photo, holding it up to show Zhou Langxiu. “However, its seeds contain various alkaloids, which are highly toxic.”

Zhou Langxiu said urgently, “What on earth are you talking about?”

“Chinese evergreen, taken in small doses, has a cardiotonic effect. In large doses, it causes symptoms of poisoning.” Qiong Cang pointed at the photos as she gathered them back one by one, pointing at the herbs on them. “The same goes for Adonis. Huashan ginseng⁶…”

Zhou Langxiu’s pupils shrank, and she cried out, trembling, “What do you mean! That’s enough! You’re so idle, yet instead of investigating my son’s cause of death, you’re talking about this! You’re not trying to frame me, are you?”

Qiong Cang looked her in the eye expressionlessly, put down the photos, and clasped her hands on the table. “Wu Ming’s autopsy report is out. Do you want to know how your son died?”

Zhou Langxiu breathed heavily and stood up, wanting to leave. But the door of the interrogation room was closed, and she couldn’t leave.

“That night, Wu Ming came back after drinking outside. After he returned, he had an argument with Li Yujia, who then ran off. Wu Ming was probably in a bad mood, so he went downstairs to grab a bottle of red wine and sat at the table to drown his sorrows. But he had already drunk a lot of alcohol, which numbed his nerves and dulled his senses. Later, when he started feeling unwell, he went to the cabinet and poured himself a bowl of medicinal wine.”

Seeing there was nowhere left to run, Zhou Langxiu spun around and glared at her with venomous eyes.

“Years of overconsuming traditional Chinese medicine caused varying degrees of damage to his body, leading to symptoms akin to respiratory failure. After drinking the medicinal wine, he still felt terrible and tried to reach for some hangover pills. But he had no strength left. The moment he touched the bottle, his body went limp and he collapsed, knocking the bottle to the floor.”

Qiong Cang calmly pulled a photo from the pile and placed it in the center of the table. It showed a medicine bottle rolled into the corner of the living room.

Regardless of whether Zhou Langxiu was looking at the photo, she continued in her measured tone, “His stomach began to spasm, showing signs of gastric bleeding. The excessive alcohol also made him want to vomit. However, he was lying on the floor, unable to move or even breathe properly. In the end, his airway was blocked by vomit, and he suffocated to death.”

Zhou Langxiu covered her ears and shrieked, “That’s impossible!”

She had treated Li Yujia with harsh, even cruel contempt, while doting on and trusting her own son blindly. She believed that only the most perfect things in the world were good enough for Wu Ming, and she had given him the absolute best of everything. How could such a mistake have happened?

Wu Ming was her greatest achievement, her own flesh and blood.

Qiong Cang said, “This is how your son died. The murderer is neither Ning Dongdong nor Li Yujia. If we are assigning blame, it lies with you. It was your tonic that caused Wu Ming’s organs to fail in various ways. You could say he died of suffocation, or you could say he died of poisoning.”

The coincidences of fate can sometimes catch one completely off guard.

This woman, who had been viciously lashing out at everyone else and demanding they pay for her son’s life, could not accept the reality that she was the one who had pushed Wu Ming into the abyss of death. Her eyes went unfocused as she shook her head frantically. “No! He was murdered! His body was dismembered, so how could it be an accident? Are you people just unable to solve the case? How could you come up with such a malicious lie to frame me! You are utterly shameless!”

Qiong Cang said, “He had no fatal external injuries, and the body showed clear signs of suffocation. The medical examiner could not have made a mistake.”

Ignoring her, Zhou Langxiu shrieked hysterically, “I’m going to the media! You’re framing me just to protect the murderer! Heaven as my witness⁷, I am his mother! Why would I harm him? How could I ever harm my own son!”

Qiong Cang watched her descend into madness without a word. She quietly gathered the items on the table, tapped the documents neat against the surface, and stood up. “You don’t have to accept it, but those are the facts. Wu Ming died in an accident at around one in the morning. Afterward, an intruder entered the house, mutilated his corpse, and staged the crime scene. These are two separate events. As for who that person was, we will continue to investigate. As for you, I’m afraid you won’t be leaving here anytime soon. What a pity.”

---

Translator’s Notes

---

1. medicinal wine: A traditional practice in many Chinese households where various herbs, roots, or animal parts are steeped in high-proof alcohol, believed to have health-promoting or curative properties. Because it is often prepared at home using ‘folk recipes,’ it can be a vehicle for accidental or intentional poisoning if the ingredients are toxic or incorrectly prepared. ↩
2. Chinese evergreen: Known as ‘Wannianqing’ in Chinese, this plant is often used in traditional medicine for its cardiotonic effects. However, it contains cardiac glycosides that are toxic in high doses. The term is used here to illustrate how the mother’s indiscriminate use of potent medicinal herbs led to her son’s physical deterioration. ↩
3. Adonis: Known as ‘Fushoucao’ in Chinese, this plant is used in traditional medicine for heart-related conditions but, like Chinese evergreen, contains toxic cardiac glycosides. Its inclusion in the mother’s medicinal wine underscores the lethal combination of herbs she was administering to her son. ↩
4. folk recipe: Refers to tufang (土方), traditional home remedies or local recipes passed down informally. While popular in rural areas for their perceived health benefits, they lack standardized dosages and can be dangerous if toxic herbs are improperly prepared. ↩
5. Nux vomica: Known in Chinese as ‘Maqianzi,’ this plant is highly toxic due to its strychnine content. While it is used in traditional medicine for pain and swelling, it requires precise processing to reduce its toxicity. Its mention here highlights the danger of the mother’s ‘folk recipe’ and the irony that her attempts to ‘strengthen’ her son actually caused his poisoning. ↩
6. Huashan ginseng: The root of Physochlaina infundibularis, a medicinal herb native to China. Though used in traditional medicine to relieve coughs and pain, it contains toxic solanaceous alkaloids that can cause severe poisoning if consumed in large quantities. ↩
7. Heaven as my witness: Translates the Chinese idiom tiandi liangxin (天地良心, literally ‘heaven, earth, and conscience’). It is a common exclamation used to declare one’s innocence, sincerity, or the absolute purity of one’s intentions by appealing to cosmic justice. ↩