“Big Brother, there’s no need to ask. No one else would pull a stunt like this except my stepmother.”
Shen Zhiqiu’s face was icy. She never expected Wang Fengqin would go through Li Yan to get to her.
“Zhiqiu, we still need to investigate this properly,” Yue Mingde insisted. “You can’t accuse someone without solid proof. That stepmother of yours is cunning—she won’t admit a thing unless confronted with irrefutable evidence.”
Wan Jiayin turned to Yue Mingde. “Mingde, there’s no rush. When you have time, go talk to Li Yan and get the full story. If she refuses to be honest, make sure she understands the consequences. Let her decide if she wants to take responsibility for this.”
“Understood, Mom,” Yue Mingde replied quickly.
“Big Brother, take me with you when you go.”
Yue Mingli’s voice was low and firm. “Whether Sister-in-law knew what was in that pouch or not, she needs to be taught a lesson—so she never dares to accept shady favors or help the wrong people again!”
“Thank goodness Ya Ya is unharmed. But what if that thing had actually been placed near her? What then?”
His words weighed heavily on everyone, especially Yue Mingde, whose chest tightened as if crushed by a boulder. He stepped forward, picked up Ya Ya, and gently nuzzled her little face, guilt washing over him.
“Ya Ya, I’m sorry. This is all Uncle’s fault.”
He shouldn’t have softened, shouldn’t assumed Li Yan meant well.
Even though they were divorced, they weren’t enemies—he’d thought they could still interact civilly.
But who knew she’d be so foolish, so utterly blind?
[Don’t blame yourself, Uncle! Ya Ya’s okay!]
[Uncle is just too kind, always trusting Auntie Li Yan, always getting dragged into trouble by her and her family.]
[In a few days, Auntie’s younger brother will cause trouble again, and she’ll definitely come running to Uncle for help.]
[Uncle mustn’t help! The guy her brother offends holds a grudge—years later, he’ll come after Uncle for revenge! And it’ll even hurt Xin-gege!]
She couldn’t recall the exact date, only that it would happen soon—on a rainy night.
Auntie’s brother would get drunk, pick a fight, and with his buddies backing him, beat the man badly, even forcing him to kneel and kowtow.
Big Brother would step in, pay the man off, and the matter would seemingly end there.
But that humiliation would fester.
Years later, after making a fortune in the south, the man would return to the capital and take revenge on everyone involved.
In their past life, after losing Xiaohui and getting laid off, Big Brother’s health had declined sharply. But with Xin still by his side, he forced himself to keep going.
Starting from street stalls, he eventually opened a small shop.
Just as life was finally looking up, that man set fire to the store, nearly killing Big Brother and Xin.
Later, he deliberately hired Xin into his company, tormenting him until his depression worsened.
Yet the real target of his vengeance wasn’t Big Brother—it was Auntie Li Yan. Because back then, after Big Brother paid the man off, Auntie had sneered at him with cruel words.
Big Brother and Xin were just collateral damage.
Even without hearing Ya Ya’s thoughts, Yue Mingde had already decided, post-divorce, to cut ties with Li Yan completely—no more involvement with her family’s mess.
And Ya Ya’s “words” only reinforced his resolve.
If he wanted to protect Xin and Hui, he had to stay far away from Li Yan.
…..
After lunch, Shen Zhiqiu received a call from Li Xing—the test results on Ye Yunshuang’s ashes were ready.
After informing Wan Jiayin, Shen Zhiqiu rushed to meet Li Xing at their agreed location.
“Zhiqiu, here.”
Li Xing handed her a file. Shen Zhiqiu opened it, scanning the pages of chemical analyses, her delicate brows knitting together.
“Xing’er, this…?”
Li Xing raised a hand to calm her. “Let me explain.”
“Okay.”
Li Xing organized her thoughts before speaking slowly. “First, I checked with crematorium staff. The ashes families receive aren’t always purely the deceased’s—they can contain traces of others cremated around the same time.”
“So what you gave me might not be entirely Auntie Yunshuang’s. Even if we detected something, it wouldn’t necessarily prove anything about her condition.”
“After carbonization, very little can be extracted from ashes—unless it’s chronic heavy metal poisoning, and even then, only if the dosage was significant.”
“That’s what we suspected, but my lab’s equipment wasn’t advanced enough. My supervisor reached out to a contact at Guohua University, and we used their latest tech to analyze the sample.”
“We found arsenic—a substantial amount.”
“Arsenic poisoning comes from compounds like those in white arsenic, realgar, and orpiment.”
“Zhiqiu, I can’t give a definitive conclusion, but my inference is this: Auntie Yunshuang was poisoned, likely through the traditional medicine she took long-term.”
“But this report alone isn’t enough. If you want to pursue this, you’ll need stronger evidence—like the actual medicine residue, the pot it was brewed in, witnesses, or a confession from the culprit.”
Li Xing shook her head grimly. “It won’t be easy.”
Shen Zhiqiu’s gaze was unwavering. “No matter how hard, I will uncover the truth. I owe Mom justice—she didn’t deserve to die with her name tarnished.”
“Zhiqiu, if there’s anything I can do, just say the word.”
“Thank you, Xing’er.”
“Since when do we stand on ceremony?”
Li Xing hesitated, then added, “Actually, my dad mentioned something about my uncle recently. It might be a lead.”
“I’m planning to discuss exhuming his body for a proper forensic re-examination. The original autopsy was rushed, with glaring omissions.”
“But reopening the case would require…”
Shen Zhiqiu thought for a moment. “Xing’er, I’m not sure if it’s possible, but I’ll try.”
“Reinvestigating your uncle’s death?”
“Yes.”
Li Xing’s eyes lit up. “Zhiqiu, if we can really get it reopened, maybe both our families’ grievances can finally be resolved!”
That was Shen Zhiqiu’s hope too—but until now, she hadn’t been certain.
With this report confirming her suspicions, she went straight to Yue Mingli after returning home, asking about the feasibility of reopening the investigation into Li Guoshun’s “accidental” death.
“Zhiqiu, it’s been over a decade. Any evidence would’ve been destroyed long ago.”
