Chapter 68: The Desire to Win

After notifying Luo Wei, Qi Tianhua, and the others to get ready, the two of them headed straight for Gao Yang's home. This was their first time visiting. Gao Yang’s building wasn’t far from Xu Wenrui’s—it was in the same residential complex, and from the outside, the environment was indistinguishable. But the moment the door opened, the difference between the two households was immediately apparent.

While five members of Xu Wenrui’s family squeezed into a sixty-square-meter apartment, a bit cramped, Gao Yang’s family of three lived in a spacious 150-square-meter home that exuded an air of luxury. It was Gao Yang’s father, a man of few words, who opened the door. When he saw Kang Ge and Yan Xue standing outside, he paused, then remembered he had met these police officers once at the station, and politely invited them in.

It looked like the family had just finished dinner. The long-faced Aunt Yang was sitting in the living room on a genuine leather sofa with Gao Yang, cracking sunflower seeds, chatting, laughing, and clearly in high spirits. Gao Yang, who had met Kang Ge and Yan Xue several times before, was the first to spot them from his seat angled towards the doorway. Even before his father could announce their arrival, Gao Yang stood up, a bit restrained.

“What’s wrong?” Aunt Yang noticed her son stand abruptly and looked puzzled at his awkward expression. Still holding a sunflower seed, she turned to see who was at the door.

At that moment, Gao Yang’s father spoke, “Dear, the officers from the police station are here to ask some questions.”

“Oh, you’re here at this hour? You could have called ahead,” Aunt Yang said, rising to her feet. Unlike the enthusiasm she’d shown at the police station, this time she seemed rather impatient.

“Mom, please don’t…” Gao Yang nervously whispered a reminder, hoping his mother would mind her manners.

“What do you mean, ‘don’t’? I’m just stating a fact! What’s the matter?” Aunt Yang seemed irritable. “I know being a police officer is tough, always working odd hours. But we’re ordinary people—we work all day and need to rest at night!”

“Mom…” Gao Yang tugged her arm, hoping she’d soften her tone.

“Don’t worry, we won’t keep you long. We’ll be working late tonight ourselves and can’t afford to waste time,” Kang Ge replied nonchalantly, then turned to Gao Yang. “Gao Yang, the items you took from Xu Wenrui’s dorm last time—we brought them back to the station and have already examined and tested them—”

“The things sent to the police station?” Aunt Yang’s expression shifted. She turned to Gao Yang, “Didn’t I tell you to get those back for your aunt and uncle? Did you go or not?!”

“I didn’t… I figured if the police needed to take them, there must be a reason. We can’t just do whatever we think is right…” Gao Yang hadn’t expected such a strong reaction from his mother and was left a bit flustered and uncertain.

“Then why didn’t you tell me when you got home? You never let me rest easy!” Suddenly, Aunt Yang erupted. Her voice rose several notches as she lashed out, “You’re so pigheaded! You’re an adult and still can’t handle things properly—not only can’t you do things right, you can’t even explain yourself!”

Gao Yang was stunned into silence by his mother’s sudden outburst.

Gao Yang’s father, equally at a loss, tried to soothe things as usual: “It’s just a small matter—maybe he forgot to mention it when he got home. You know he’s busy with graduation, classes, exams, and job hunting. Besides, he handed the stuff over to the police, not just anyone. It’s not like there’s anything especially valuable in Xu Wenrui’s dorm, and even if there was, the police wouldn’t keep it. It’ll be returned sooner or later!”

“You know nothing!” Aunt Yang’s eyes reddened, the muscles in her cheeks tightening. Gone was the worldly, chatty demeanor—she was now like a cat bristling in danger.

Kang Ge and Yan Xue watched her reaction, unsure what to make of it. It had been Aunt Yang who’d agreed on the phone, but later forced Gao Yang to ask for the items back from the station. She’d been reasonable, but then left the messy job to her son.

Yan Xue stepped forward, her tone solemn: “Ms. Yang Xiaojie, please come with us to the police station to assist with our investigation.”

The words left Gao Yang and his father dumbfounded. Aunt Yang, however, seemed more terrified than surprised—her body swayed, and if Gao Yang hadn’t caught her, she might have collapsed.

“What’s going on? Is it because my wife and Xu Wenrui’s mother are lifelong friends that you’re here to talk? It’s late—can’t we discuss things here? If you want privacy, you can use our study; it’s farthest from the living room and no one will disturb you,” Gao Yang’s father said anxiously, hurrying to support his wife and trying to negotiate with the officers.

“Please just come with us,” Yan Xue ignored his plea, addressing Aunt Yang again.

Aunt Yang’s already long face seemed to stretch even further under tension. She tried to stand, swayed, and looked at Yan Xue. Seeing her serious expression, her legs went weak again.

This time, Yan Xue moved closer and caught her as she faltered.

“Do we have to go to the station?” Gao Yang’s father, an experienced man, had finally grasped the situation. “As family, can we go along?”

“You can, but please drive yourselves. If any paperwork is needed, you can handle it then,” Kang Ge replied readily.

Yan Xue took Aunt Yang by the arm and led her toward the door. Gao Yang hesitated, but released his hold on his mother when prompted by his father. Father and son quickly fetched coats for all three of them. Aunt Yang trembled as she put on her coat, struggling to get her arm into the sleeve.

On the way to the police station, Aunt Yang sat limp in the back seat, as though her bones had been removed, lost in thought. Gao Yang’s father drove with Gao Yang following closely behind. After entering the station courtyard, they parked almost simultaneously and hurried out, but both men’s faces were grave, as if realizing something was very wrong. They trailed after the officers, wanting to ask questions but too afraid to speak.

Soon, Luo Wei and Qi Tianhua intercepted the father and son, leading them to an office, while Yan Xue and Kang Ge took Aunt Yang directly to the interrogation room.

Overall, once inside the station, Aunt Yang finally regained some composure. She no longer trembled as if about to faint at any moment, though her face remained deathly pale, tinged with blue.

“Ms. Yang, you should have some idea why we’ve brought you here today, shouldn’t you?” Yan Xue began.

Aunt Yang’s lips trembled slightly but she said nothing.

Yan Xue wasn’t surprised by her silence; such reactions were expected. “Whether you speak or not, facts can’t be changed, and the evidence we’ve gathered won’t disappear just because you stay silent.

“Ms. Yang, you and Xu Wenrui’s mother have always been classmates and friends, but your relationship has been complicated—an invisible rivalry lasting for many years, hasn’t it? As someone who once led in every aspect, you were later overtaken because of your children. How did that feel? Not good, I imagine.”

Kang Ge flipped through the files in his hands. “After Xu Wenrui was admitted to K University, your contact with his mother dropped significantly for a time. It wasn’t until his third year that you resumed regular interactions—this was information provided by Xu Wenrui’s mother herself. Do you have any objections?”

Aunt Yang stared blankly ahead, offering neither confirmation nor denial.

“You probably started planning all this when your contact resumed, didn’t you?” Yan Xue continued where Kang Ge left off. “According to our investigation, the Panther-spotted [HX] Amanita, a mushroom, is also known as ‘poison umbrella’ in your hometown, isn’t it?

“Early this summer, you transferred five thousand yuan to a distant relative from your hometown with whom you rarely interacted. The note simply read: ‘mushroom.’ Is that correct?

“Five thousand yuan worth of mushrooms—that caught our attention. And after that transfer, your visits to Xu Wenrui’s home became even more frequent, didn’t they?”

Ms. Yang kept her face taut, avoiding eye contact, her gaze unsteady.

“Previously, you both visited each other’s homes, but after this summer, only you went to Xu Wenrui’s house, almost never reciprocating. According to the forensic analysis and the unbrewed tea bag left in Xu Wenrui’s room, among the medicinal herbs his mother prepared for him, there were also dried and chopped mushrooms—‘poison umbrella.’

“In the hot, dry summer of W City, it’s not difficult to sun-dry mushrooms enough to mix into a tea bag. However, if Xu Wenrui’s mother had visited your home during this process, as someone who grew up with you, she would have recognized the ‘poison umbrella’—which would have ruined your plan. Perhaps that’s why you prevented her from visiting.

“On the other hand, with your frequent visits to Xu Wenrui’s home and the familiarity between your families, it wasn’t hard for you to slip the dried mushroom shreds into the herbs his mother was preparing.

“You heard Xu Wenrui was being courted both by his advisor to stay for graduate studies and by promising employers, while Gao Yang faced a bleak job market after graduation. The contrast was too much to bear, and you lost your psychological balance. You wanted, through this method, to poison Xu Wenrui at the most critical crossroads of his life—just before graduation, didn’t you?”