There was nothing but silence in the laboratory.
Sheriff Zhao then said, “Does that mean that the case is solved?”
After all, since she was part of the core research team, there was no way she would steal Lu Chuwan’s medicine.
Lu Chuwan opened her mouth, wanting to say something to defend herself. At the same time, her phone rang. She took it out, but the call was from an unknown caller.
Just as she was about to hang up, Dong Cun saw the number on the phone and hastily snatched the phone. He answered the call and said, “Xiao Liu? What’s the matter?”
The other person was a staff member at Dong Cun’s research center. He had been unable to get to Dong Cun, so he’d called Lu Chuwan instead.
Xiao Liu then said, “Here’s the thing, Mr. Dong. It’s about Martin. When Ms. Lu came to visit our research center two days ago, he took a bottle of anti-cancer drugs from her purse. While he was working today, someone noticed it and informed me. However, there are only three pills left in the bottle. What should we do with him?”
Even though he had not put Xiao Liu on speaker, his voice was still loud enough for the people in the laboratory to hear their conversation, especially Lu Chuwan, who was standing next to Dong Cun.
Dong Cun’s face sank, but he did not reply.
Xiao Liu did not hear anything from Dong Cun, so he asked, “Mr. Dong, are you still there?”
Xiao Liu did not know what he should do either. Even though this research was ostensibly a joint project with a foreign corporation, in reality, considering the Dong Family’s stature, it would not be far-fetched to say that they were working for said company only.
Therefore, he needed to get permission and instructions from Dong Cun on how he should deal with Martin as well as how to comfort Lu Chuwan.
“Alright, I’ll let you know soon.” Dong Cun did not want to stay in the laboratory anymore and did not dare look at Fu Zhi.
He wished Fu Zhi had stolen the medicine, but reality had given him a huge slap in the face.
He hung up the call and repeated everything Xiao Liu had told him to the crowd.
After hearing the ins and outs of the whole incident, Ye Zhiwen let out a hearty laugh. “So that’s it. Case solved. However, there’s something I still don’t quite understand,” he said as he glanced at Lu Chuwan, whose cheeks were as red as a tomato right now. “You said you’re the rightful heiress of the Lu Family, right? No offense to you, but I don’t see you possess the qualities or the ability to be one. Are you sure you can live up to the title?”
Lu Chuwan replied, “It’s just a careless mistake. I was too nervous when I found out that the pills were missing. You’re not me, of course, so you can’t know my feelings!”
“That’s enough, Chuwan!” Dong Cun had lost count of how many times he’d had to clean up a mess for Lu Chuwan. He rubbed his temple, took a deep breath, and said, “Sheriff Zhao, this is a misunderstanding. We need to talk to Fu Zhi first.”
Lu Chuwan accepted the phone that Dong Cun threw at her and bit her lip.
Fu Zhi was not the culprit, but she was the one who had smashed and destroyed her rare plants and flowers.
The situation had changed.
Her conviction and dismissiveness were nothing but a joke. Then, she had received a massive slap in the face by the phone call.
It was only now that Madam Lu came out of her hiding place. She pointed an accusatory finger at Lu Chuwan and said, “How can you accuse your cousin of stealing your thing before you figure out everything first? I’m really disappointed in you. Come over here and say sorry to your cousin. She’s a nice girl, and I’m certain she will forgive you.”
Lu Chuwan did not say anything, while Dong Cun looked at Fu Zhi.
Fu Zhi turned a lazy gaze upon them, her pupils as dark as two endless tunnels that never ended.
Dong Cun suddenly felt oppression, and a rush of chillness crept down his spine as she stared at him. If he were to describe the feeling, it was like being preyed on by a wild beast.
After a few seconds that felt like an eternity, Fu Zhi rose to her feet and said, “Take her away. There’s nothing I want to talk to her about. If you have anything to confess, let my lawyer know. We will do everything through the legal route. Let’s let the legal system be the judge of this.”
Dong Cun gripped his hands tightly. He wanted to say something to Fu Zhi, but she refused to listen.
Sheriff Zhao had a pair of quick hands. He paid no heed to Bai Yao and Madam Lu, who was shouting and kept getting in his way, and led Lu Chuwan away.
*
“Holy sh*t! According to the information on the internet, Ye Tian’s 69 years old. Why did he call you sister?” Lu Yumo turned his head to look at Fu Zhi and said, “And those anti-cancer drugs. How come you’re part of the research team?”
Fu Zhi was talking to Jiang Ningbei right now.
A strange thing had happened. The man who had gotten laid off by the research institute and had cooperated with Lu Chuwan had gone missing. They had been able to pinpoint his location several days ago, but all traces of his activity had been erased, and he’d suddenly gone off the grid. Jiang Ningbei suspected that a foreign power was involved in the matter.
She kept her head low, as it seemed to her that this incident was not going to end anytime soon.
The introduction of the anti-cancer drugs had disrupted the status quo of the world, and many countries had been wanting to steal and fabricate the fruit of their country’s labor.
Lu Yumo added Ye Tian on WeChat. He scrolled through Ye Tian’s WeChat Moments, most of which were photos of him getting awards for participating in various medical research projects. He kept sighing and exclaiming, and Fu Zhi was annoyed.
She turned to look at him and replied, “Because I’m younger than him. He only participated in the research because the research institute paid him to. This research was just introduced this year, so it doesn’t yield a big commission and it’s not a good investment. It’s not even as profitable as your Taobao shop.”
“I’m younger than him too, but he doesn’t treat me like his brother,” Lu Yumo mumbled. He put his phone down and got nearer to Fu Zhi. “Remember this, Zhizhi. A wildflower is not as charming as the flower in our own garden, and a stranger will never be as good as your own family. You’re my sister, and I’m your brother. If you call other people “brother”, I will get angry, you hear me?”
He paused for a while before adding, “A girl who is not loyal to her relationships will be scolded by people!”
“Yumo!” Lu Jingqing called out as he glared at his eldest son through the rearview mirror. “Stop bothering your sister. Can’t you see that she’s playing on her phone?”
Lu Yumo did not know what to say.
Everyone had their own secrets. Lu Jingqing believed that Fu Zhi would tell them everything about her when the time came. Until then, he would not ask her anything.
As long as Fu Zhi stayed in the Lu Family, Lu Jingqing did not care if she was special or just a normal girl. From the moment he’d brought her back to his family, she was supposed to be his daughter forever, and that was a fact that would never change.
Lu Yumo shut his mouth after being scolded by his father. He still felt pretty restless, as he had a hunch that someone was coming to get his sister away from him.
Lu Yumo did not know his intuition would be so accurate.
Fu Zhi received a text message from Li Nanli about Ye Jiu. After she read the text message, she told Lu Jingqing, “I have to take care of something. Can you drop me off at the corner?”
Lu Jingqing checked Fu Zhi’s phone and after ascertaining that her phone was fully charged, he then dropped her off at the next corner.
The sky was getting dark. By the time she arrived, Liu Mi had already finished setting up the table.
Li Nanli was sitting by the table. He was wearing a black shirt today, and he had left two buttons of the collar open, letting his delicate clavicle meet the air. His sleeves were neatly rolled up.
There was a smile in his pretty eyes as he looked at Fu Zhi. After she took a seat, he put down the document in his hand and picked a piece of sweet and sour ribs to put it in her bowl.
Fu Zhi tasted it, and her eyes glowed up. It was delicious. Then, she asked, “How is Ye Jiu?”
“Most of his organs are failing, especially his heart. He’s not in a good condition,” Li Nanli said.
Fu Zhi lifted her head from the bowl and gazed at him.
