Chapter 22

When Song Wen and Lu Siyu arrived at Nancheng First People’s Hospital, it was already half-past ten in the morning. Today was Sunday, and the outpatient department was closed, leaving only the inpatient department and the crowded emergency room. Lu Siyu waited for the elevator for several minutes, eventually squeezing into it with a group of elderly people. The elevator moved at a snail’s pace, stopping at every floor.

After another few minutes of delays, they finally reached the twelfth floor. This was the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Nancheng First People’s Hospital, not belonging to any specific department but gathering experts from various specialties to treat comprehensive critical patients.

Song Wen took the stairs, which turned out to be faster. Upon reaching the twelfth floor, he saw Lin Xiuran standing outside the ICU. He hurriedly walked over and asked, “How is the situation now?”

“Guo Hua went into the oxygen chamber this morning and is still under observation in the ICU; she hasn’t regained consciousness yet. Lin Wanwan’s poisoning is not severe; she’s receiving intravenous fluids after gastric lavage and has been transferred to a room here for observation.” Lin Xiuran gestured to a middle-aged woman sitting nearby. “This is Guo Hua’s mother.”

Song Wen turned to look. The woman was in her forties, dressed modestly, with a slightly plump figure. Beside her was a somewhat old but neatly washed backpack. Her eyelids were swollen, a clear sign that she had cried several times. She sat quietly in a chair near the door, lost in her thoughts.

Song Wen glanced around at the quiet ICU filled with various medical instruments. A nurse inside was busy, and he detested witnessing scenes of life and death parting. Unprepared to greet anyone, he turned back to Lin Xiuran and asked, “Have you inquired?”

Lin Xiuran whispered, “I talked briefly. Guo Hua’s father is in poor health, so only she came this time. Guo Hua is their only daughter, and she’s in her mid-thirties. Originally, they thought she could help with the family expenses after graduating, but now… it’s a significant blow. Regarding Guo Hua’s situation at school, her mother doesn’t know much, only mentioning that her daughter has never caused her any worries. The school personnel have been accompanying her, and she went downstairs to buy something just now.”

Song Wen nodded. “Has accommodation for the family been arranged?”

“The school has taken care of it.”

“Is someone keeping an eye on her here?”

“The school has assigned someone. They will be here 24/7.”

Lu Siyu, on the side, asked, “Lin Wanwan’s family hasn’t come?”

“Well, the school personnel just complained about it. After notifying them, they asked about medical expenses. When the school said they would temporarily cover all costs, they inquired about the situation and, upon learning that there was no immediate danger to life, decided not to come.” Lin Xiuran seemed unfamiliar with such indifferent parents. Nowadays, which child isn’t the apple of their parents’ eye? If something happens to the child, the parents usually cry and shout to come over. However, in this case… the indifference was quite astonishing.

Song Wen said, “Not surprising. I looked at Lin Wanwan’s information. She has a different surname from her father, probably a blended family. The family relationship doesn’t seem great. Later, her mother had another son. So, this daughter may have been neglected.” Saying this, he peered at Lin Xiuran, then turned his head to look at Guo Hua’s mother. The woman sat there, treating herself like a statue, motionless. Song Wen felt a bit uneasy, hesitated, and didn’t go over to greet her. Instead, he said, “Let’s go check on Lin Wanwan’s condition.”

Lin Xiuran glanced at his watch. “I’m about to leave. I’ve already talked to the attending doctor. They’ll inform us if there’s any change. Lin Wanwan is in room 1205, a double room, but she’s the only one for now.”

Following the room number, Song Wen and Lu Siyu arrived at the door of room 1205. Compared to the emergency area, it was much quieter here. The door was slightly ajar, and Song Wen pushed it open without encountering any resistance.

On the bed lay a girl receiving an intravenous drip. She was awake and turned her head to look when someone entered. She was in her twenties, appearing gentle and beautiful. Her eyes were not large, and her black pupils occupied a significant portion of her eye sockets. Her hair was soft and docile, giving her the look of a small animal. At the moment, she wore a white patient gown, surrounded by white sheets, appearing fragile, fearful, and helpless.

Song Wen recalled his conversation with Bai Xiaoxiao; her analogy was indeed fitting.

As Lin Wanwan was still in the observation period, various devices for testing her electrocardiogram and pulse blood pressure were connected to her. Her pale lips were tightly pressed, and her gaze carried a hint of wariness.

Song Wen pulled a chair by the bed and sat down, showing his police ID. “Hello, I am a detective from the Nancheng City Police Bureau responsible for this case. Last night, there was a poisoning incident in your dormitory. As a person involved in this case, can you provide me with some information about what happened?”

Lin Wanwan propped herself up slightly, her gaze flickering, but she remained silent.

Lu Siyu stood by with a notebook and pen ready to record. Song Wen continued in a low voice, “I know you may not want to recall, but this information is crucial for us to find the perpetrator.” He emphasized the word “perpetrator” with a touch of emphasis.

Lin Wanwan’s eyes moved slightly, and she began to recount, “Last night… I was preparing to sleep when Dong Fang suddenly said her stomach hurt. Then she vomited. Guo Hua said she would check on her. Just as she helped her down from the bed, Dong Fang collapsed on the floor. At that moment, Ma Aijing fell off the bed with a loud sound. Guo Hua was there comforting them. I wanted to help and climbed down. But as soon as I got off the bed, I felt like I couldn’t breathe, and everything went blurry.”

“Later, I heard someone struggling in the dark, as if something had happened. Then, Guo Hua ran out by herself. My phone was out of battery, but I remembered, I had accidentally learned Guo Hua’s phone password before. So, I used her phone to call 120.”

Her description was a bit fragmented, but it explained why her fingerprints were on Guo Hua’s phone. At this point, Lin Wanwan timidly raised her head and asked, “Did Dong Fang and Ma Aijing… die? How about Guo Hua, how is she?”

Song Wen didn’t answer her. “You were poisoned. Do you remember anything about the poisoning?”

Lin Wanwan’s face turned pale, shaking her head. “I… I don’t know. I don’t know why I’m here. The experience from yesterday is like a nightmare. Just thinking about it now gives me a headache.”

“What did you eat before going to bed last night?” Song Wen asked again.

“Chocolate. We ate the chocolate Guo Hua bought.” Lin Wanwan’s voice trembled. “I… I know they’ve always bullied Guo Hua. When they were around, I didn’t dare to talk to her. Only when they weren’t there could I comfort and help her. A few days ago, Guo Hua suddenly said she didn’t want to live anymore. I comforted her for a long time. Then one day, she said she didn’t want to continue the confrontation with Dong Fang and the others. I was quite happy. She asked me for advice on how to ease the dormitory relationship, and I helped her come up with ideas. Later, she bought a box of chocolate that Dong Fang liked, apologized to them in a low voice, and then everyone happily shared the chocolate…”

Lin Wanwan continued her account, looking somewhat terrified. “The poison couldn’t have been in the chocolate, right? Is Guo Hua trying to make us all die together?” As her emotions escalated, tears overflowed from the corners of her eyes, and she looked as if she were about to vomit. The nearby instruments suddenly lit up with red lights.

Ignoring those reactions, Song Wen stepped forward and pressed, “Where do you think Guo Hua got the poison she put in the chocolate?”

“I… I don’t know…” Lin Wanwan’s voice trembled.

Suddenly, the door was opened, and before Song Wen and Lu Siyu could react, a female doctor and two nurses rushed in. They quickly began checking the instruments. When Lin Wanwan’s condition stabilized slightly, the ponytailed female doctor turned to frown at Song Wen and Lu Siyu. “Who are you? Family members of the patient?”

Her tone was a bit unfriendly. Song Wen thought it wasn’t suitable to argue here, so he took a few steps back outside the ward and showed his police ID. “This patient is related to a poisoning case. I am a detective from the Nancheng City Police Bureau conducting routine questioning.”

The short female doctor, who looked like a young girl compared to Song Wen, took the police ID doubtfully, repeatedly inspecting it as if suspecting it might be fake. After careful examination, she returned it to Song Wen.

Just when Song Wen thought they were going to be allowed to proceed, the female doctor started talking rapidly, “Do you think this hospital is a police station? She is a patient now. The patient’s safety is the responsibility of the hospital. She just got out of danger and needs observation and rest. Are you taking responsibility if something goes wrong? Please don’t disturb our work and the rest of the patients. When she is ready to be discharged, you can question her as you please.”

Song Wen did not argue with her. He wasn’t sure if Lin Xiuran had informed a particular doctor, and it wouldn’t make much sense to create conflicts at this moment. So, he stepped back in a conciliatory manner. “Okay, this is a hospital, and doctors have the final say. We will consider waiting until the patient’s condition stabilizes further before conducting the inquiry. We hope you cooperate with our work when the time comes.”

The female doctor, feeling a bit guilty after Song Wen’s words, softened her tone, “Then… let’s communicate later when her condition improves.”

Once the doctor was far enough away, Lu Siyu lowered her head and said, “I think the information we got just now is enough. Now that we have new clues, it’s a good time to investigate.”

Song Wen had a hunch, “Did you also sense that Lin Wanwan was lying?”

Lu Siyu nodded, “She has been awake since last night, and she must have considered the events of last night many times. If she were an innocent victim who knew nothing about the incident, she should be deeply resentful and angry, questioning you urgently, expressing what she was thinking. However, her attitude was obviously wrong.”

Agreeing with Lu Siyu, Song Wen said, “Exactly. Lin Wanwan was exceptionally calm when we entered just now. Her answers followed the order of our questions. She answered some questions very quickly, a bit urgently, as if she had prepared a script and was eager to tell the police about it. When talking about not knowing about poison in the chocolate, she turned her head towards the window, her eyes wandering. It was a clear evasive action, indicating that she is at least aware of the poison.”

After being pressed by Song Wen several times, Lu Siyu finally saw what he was getting at. Though their reasoning perspectives differed, they reached the same conclusion. In just a few minutes of exchange, both were certain that Lin Wanwan might be lying.

Song Wen thought for a moment and added, “I still can’t figure out where the source of the poison came from. How did an ordinary university girl get a potent poison without anyone knowing?”

He believed the poison wasn’t leaked from a chemical laboratory. None of them knew any students from the chemistry department, and the purity of the poison they used was noticeably lower than that of a laboratory. Otherwise, all four would have died instantly, and there wouldn’t be so much reaction time given to them.

“Regarding the source of the poison, I have an idea,” Lu Siyu said as he took out Lin Wanwan’s phone from his pocket. This time, he brought the phone with him. “Lin Wanwan works in various shops, covering a wide range of industries, such as coffee shops and fast-food restaurants. She has worked in each of them for a short period. Recently, she should have been working here.”

As he spoke, Lu Siyu opened Lin Wanwan’s phone and checked the recent search locations on Baidu Maps. Her phone was very clean, as if intentionally cleared, but these less commonly used apps revealed some small pieces of information.

“Xinjia Public Square?” Song Wen took the phone and looked at it. The last search pointed to this location.

“No, she should be going to a place near the square, but she chose a nearby landmark for the search.” Xinjia Public Square was a comprehensive square in Nancheng, not too close or too far from Nancheng University, with some small storefronts nearby.

“What do you think her recent job is?” Song Wen asked.

“If I’m not mistaken, it’s probably a pet shop, and not a very legitimate one.” Lu Siyu then opened his thin lips and made a speculative statement, “Sodium cyanide plus potassium cyanide, that’s a commonly used formula for dog poison. Perhaps the poison came from there.”

Suddenly, Song Wen recalled the apron that Fu Linjiang found when they searched the dormitory. He pointed his finger towards a small shop next to Xinjia Di Square, saying, “Xin Xin Pet Store!” At this point in the case, just when they felt they were entering a dead end, it suddenly became clear with a turn in the road.