The Thirty-Fifth Chapter

Transparent liquid flowed from Zhuo Ran's mouth and nose, following the source of the scent, and slipped out through the gaps in the sickroom window.

From a distance, it looked like a puddle of water, attracting no attention.

Downstairs from the hospital building, a man wearing a black baseball cap stood there, holding two bags of fruit, seemingly visiting a patient.

If anyone had paid attention, they would have noticed he hadn't moved from that spot for nearly half an hour.

Suddenly, he seemed to sense something. The eyes hidden beneath the brim of his cap brightened slightly. He placed the fruit on the ground and took a palm-sized incense burner from his pocket.

After the lid of the incense burner was opened, a pool of water fell precisely inside.

"The Zhuo family has really taken good care of this semi-finished product," the man muttered excitedly, quickly closing the lid.

Then, he picked up the fruit and turned, walking away quickly.

"You two, you've seen the person. Now you need to come back to the police station with me to cooperate with the investigation," Fang Chuan said to Zhuo Yongqi and his wife, not very politely.

"My daughter hasn't woken up yet. I want to stay with her," Lin Qiu refused to leave, no matter what.

Fang Chuan's attitude was very formal: "I'm afraid that's not possible. According to regulations, you cannot have prolonged contact with a criminal suspect."

"What do you mean criminal suspect? What are you saying? What crime did my daughter commit? She's just ignorant."

Fang Chuan's gaze was cold: "Don't worry, I will clearly convey your wishes to the judge in the indictment."

The evidence in Zhuo Ran's case was conclusive, with no possibility of appeal. Moreover, the circumstances were malicious and intentional. Even if it was an attempted act, Fang Chuan guessed it would likely result in the maximum sentence.

Coupled with the arrogant attitude of the Zhuo family, even if they couldn't find any leverage now, it would leave a very bad impression on those in charge.

Zhuo Yongqi hadn't expected this young police officer to be so firm. Although he was annoyed, he knew it wasn't wise to confront the other party at this time.

He quickly explained, "Comrade Police, my wife didn't mean it that way. She's just too sad and spoke out of turn."

Fang Chuan smiled without saying a word.

He could tell whether it was speaking out of turn or a true sentiment.

"Let's go," Zhuo Yongqi glanced at the sickroom, patted his wife's shoulder, and said to her.

"But our Ranran is so weak. What if these people can't take good care of her?" Lin Qiu, with her husband's arm around her shoulder, walked a few steps away, still refusing to turn her head.

The couple walked behind Fang Chuan, maintaining a distance. Zhuo Yongqi whispered in his wife's ear, "Don't worry. Let Ranran be wronged for a while. These people can't keep an eye on that substitute forever. We'll switch them back sooner or later."

Even if their daughter was locked up, so what? As long as she was sent to Jing City, he would find a way to get her out within the shortest possible term.

He didn't believe that these police officers from Qing City could manage his daughter's affairs in Jing City then.

Just as the Zhuo couple was talking, the monitoring equipment in Zhuo Ran's sickroom suddenly let out a piercing alarm.

The police officer guarding the door quickly ran to find a doctor. In less than a minute, a group of medical staff rushed in. Zhuo Yongqi, who was blocked outside, could only hear someone say, "Cardiac arrest, prepare..."

A group of doctors and nurses were inside trying to rescue Zhuo Ran, who had suddenly become abnormal. Lin Qiu, realizing what had happened, cried out and tried to rush into the sickroom.

Fang Chuan frowned and restrained her, his gaze towards the sickroom also filled with suspicion. He pushed Lin Qiu back to Zhuo Yongqi and then called Yan Xiu to bring people over.

Zhuo Ran's condition had been stable before. How could she suddenly have an accident after her parents met her through the sickroom door? Although the couple appeared to care deeply for Zhuo Ran, Fang Chuan's first suspicion fell on them for tampering with something.

When Yan Xiu arrived, the doctors were still trying to save her, but the situation was not optimistic.

About half an hour later, the rescue efforts failed to restore Zhuo Ran's heartbeat. The doctor officially declared her heart had stopped and she was dead.

Lin Qiu fainted upon hearing the doctor's words. Zhuo Yongqi seemed stunned. Seeing Fang Chuan and Yan Xiu about to enter the sickroom, he suddenly lunged forward, grabbed Fang Chuan's collar, and roared, "Was it you? What did you do to my daughter?"

Fang Chuan gripped his wrist and pried his hand away. "Mr. Zhuo, we will investigate the cause of Zhuo Ran's death."

Yan Xiu, who had already entered the sickroom and examined the body, called out, "The cause has been found."

His words drew everyone's attention. Yan Xiu removed the gloves he had just used to touch the body and threw them into the indoor trash can, saying calmly, "The Gu worm inside her is gone."

He looked up at Zhuo Yongqi and his wife at the door. "I assume you two can tell us what kind of Gu worm your daughter was afflicted with?"

"How, how is that possible?" Zhuo Yongqi murmured in disbelief. "That Gu worm couldn't be removed."

Yan Xiu asked again, "What Gu worm was she afflicted with?"

"Longevity Gu, a semi-finished Longevity Gu," Zhuo Yongqi's lips trembled. "Our family found many Gu Masters, but none could remove it."

"A semi-finished Longevity Gu..." Yan Xiu mused.

Judging by its name, it was a very precious Gu worm.

However, this was merely a concept, an idea proposed by a Gu-controlling family thirty years ago. Whether they actually refined it, no one knew.

Later, that family suffered an accident, with heavy casualties. It was too chaotic at the time, and no one knew who was responsible. To this day, only one descendant of that family remains, around eighty years old, likely not having much time left.

In their conception, this Gu worm could prolong life and, by keeping it within the body, could repair hidden injuries and chronic illnesses.

"Where did you obtain the semi-finished Longevity Gu?" Yan Xiu asked with great curiosity.

Zhuo Yongqi hesitated for a moment.

Seeing his reluctance to answer, a smile curved Yan Xiu's lips. "Mr. Zhuo's reaction makes me suspect that you have some connection to the massacre thirty years ago?"

Zhuo Yongqi quickly shook his head. "No, no, no, it has nothing to do with me. This semi-finished Longevity Gu was given to me by the Xu family."

"The Xu family?" He recalled correctly that the Gu-controlling family was indeed named Xu.

"It was a branch of that family. They found the hidden semi-finished Longevity Gu. Later, one year when my daughter had a birthday, they wanted me to do them a favor and gave me this."

"Why give such a precious item to you?"

"Because this semi-finished product has no special effect at all." Not only did it have no effect, but it burrowed into my body and couldn't be removed. Every time I thought about it, Zhuo Yongqi couldn't help but blame the Xu family.

He never dreamed that after more than ten years, the Gu worm would leave on its own, but his daughter was gone!

"Thank you for your cooperation, Mr. Zhuo. We will now perform an autopsy on Zhuo Ran to further confirm the cause of her death."

Zhuo Yongqi didn't want to cooperate, but he didn't have the final say in this matter.

The autopsy results came out quickly and were somewhat unexpected.

From the dissection of Zhuo Ran's heart, it was clear she had severe heart disease before her death. However, according to the statements of Zhuo Yongqi and his wife, Zhuo Ran had undergone physical examinations more than twice a year, and all the results were normal.

If her heart hadn't suddenly deteriorated within an hour, it must have been related to the Longevity Gu, the semi-finished product in her body. These semi-finished Gu worms might not be as useless as others thought.

This incident ultimately led to one conclusion: because the Gu worm left, Zhuo Ran died of a heart attack.

"So, was it the backlash from the interruption of this ritual that stimulated the Gu worm to leave her body on its own?" Fang Chuan asked, looking at the autopsy report with confusion.

"There's another possibility," Yan Xiu said. "The Gu worm was taken by the Gu Master."

"But didn't Zhuo Yongqi say the Gu worm couldn't be removed?"

Yan Xiu narrowed his eyes. "There's no Gu worm that can't be removed. It's possible that before, it just hadn't reached the age where it could leave its host body."

"The Xu family?" Fang Chuan understood immediately.

Since the Gu worm was sent by the Xu family, it was highly likely they were controlling it.

"I remember one of the accomplices in Zhuo Ran's case also had the surname Xu. What a coincidence."

"Even more coincidentally, I have three more similar cases," Yan Ling said, walking in and throwing a case file to Fang Chuan.

Fang Chuan raised his eyebrows after opening it. "The three deceased all had severe internal organ damage before their deaths?"

Yan Ling nodded. "We suspect that these semi-finished Gu worms might have serious side effects, such as damaging internal organs, but they can also replace the organs and allow people to live normally. Once they leave the human body, that person cannot survive."

"Are there any suspects?" Fang Chuan asked.

Yan Ling shrugged. "There weren't any before, but now there are."

In previous cases, the deceased were all ordinary rich people who had bought methods to prolong life through some unsavory channels. When the time came, the Gu worms were removed, and they died.

However, the sellers might not have lied. Those who bought the methods to prolong life did live a little longer than before, but their quality of life was reportedly very low.

Only in Zhuo Ran's case was there a lead pointing to the Xu family.

"I'll have someone investigate the Xu family," Yan Ling said with a smile at Fang Chuan.

Fang Chuan closed the file. "That works."

Although Yan Ling seemed to be trying to take over the case, Fang Chuan didn't really care. The Xu family had been planning for over a decade, and investigating them would be too difficult. It was better to let headquarters handle it.

Zhuo Ran's death was not announced to the public. Even Liu Mumu didn't know. There were rumors at school that Zhuo Ran had been arrested for breaking the law, but not many believed it. Even those who were at the birthday banquet that day knew the truth, and there were only a handful of them.

More people believed that she had to drop out due to health reasons.

Xu Anze, on the other hand, was not as famous as Zhuo Ran. His departure only caused a few days of discussion among students in the same department.

Time always passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, Liu Mumu had been at the university for several months. It was summer when she first came to Qing City, and now it was winter.

The temperature this winter was only comparable to late autumn compared to her hometown in the north.

But she still habitually wrapped herself up like a bear. This was the last stubbornness of a northerner. No one could make her give up her thermal pants and down jacket.

Not even the warmest winter.

Of course, none of this bothered her. The only thing that could trouble students was exams.

At the end of the semester, they officially entered exam week.

The four roommates were frantically flipping through books at their respective spots, especially Xue Lan, who had been sitting at her desk from morning till night.

In her words, she had to keep either love or academics. Since she had lost love, only a scholarship could mend her wounded heart.

In short, she was going all out.

Liu Mumu also studied diligently, but there was one subject that was an insurmountable hurdle for her—Advanced Mathematics.

She had always found it hard to understand why university students had to study Advanced Mathematics. Wasn't that too inhumane?

This semester's Advanced Mathematics, she had studied it, but it felt like she hadn't learned anything at all.

In the end, she could only place her hopes on metaphysics...

During the exam, she would rely on flipping a coin to get some points. Surely the invigilator wouldn't escort her out of the exam hall?

After the Advanced Mathematics exam, Liu Mumu decided that once she finished her last exam, she would go and worship her grandfather, thanking him for forcing her to flip a coin, which saved her Advanced Mathematics score from falling below the passing line.

After the exams, everyone started packing their luggage, planning to go home for the winter vacation.

Liu Mumu's home was in Qing City, so there wasn't much to pack.

On the day of the holiday, Old Dong personally came to pick her up.

After nearly half a year of getting along, Jiang Li was now calm when facing Liu Mumu. Seeing Dong Zhenghao carrying a suitcase and entering with Liu Mumu, she greeted them, "You're back."

Dong Qi, who was half-paralyzed on the sofa, let out a loud "Tch--", fully expressing his disdain for a certain person in the room.

Even though his own mother had fallen, he still stood on the front line against Liu Mumu, absolutely refusing to retreat!

"Xiao Qi is on winter break, right? How were your final exams?" Liu Mumu asked casually.

Dong Qi glanced at her warily. Jiang Li answered for him, "It was okay, he passed all of them."

The Dong family didn't have very high expectations for their child's grades. Or rather, their only precious son's requirement was to pass. Anyway, he would inherit Dong Zhenghao's vast fortune in the future, so academic performance wasn't that important.

"Is that so?" Liu Mumu's lips curved. "How many points did you get in math?"

"Your younger brother scored over 110 in math. This child is smart, just like me," Dong Zhenghao said with considerable pride.

Dong Qi on the sofa shifted restlessly.

"That's truly amazing," she complimented.

This topic had already ended, but during dinner, Liu Mumu asked Dong Yue about her grades again.

She didn't hide anything, telling Liu Mumu her scores in each subject.

Dong Yue's grades were indeed quite ordinary. Her humanities were decent, but her math score barely passed the passing line. Math in the second year of high school only passing was likely at the bottom of her grade.

Jiang Li's face flushed with embarrassment and she couldn't help but scold, "I tell you to study every day, but I don't know how you study. You haven't even passed math, and there's a parent-teacher conference next semester. I'm not going anyway, I'd be too ashamed."

"Exactly," Dong Zhenghao agreed with his wife, tapping his younger daughter with his chopsticks. "You should learn from your younger brother more. He doesn't study much usually, yet his grades are still better than yours."

This is what a descendant of our Old Dong family should be like! Dong Zhenghao thought proudly.

Dong Qi snorted smugly and said to Dong Zhenghao, "Dad, I want a sports car."

Dong Zhenghao hesitated. "You're still too young, and you don't have a driver's license. Why do you want a sports car?"

"I don't care, I want a sports car. I can't drive it now, but I will in a year. Buy it for me!" he whined.

Jiang Li chimed in to help, "The child did well for once. It's just a sports car, buy it for him."

She had her own little schemes. Anyway, the money was all for her son. Spending more now would mean less for Liu Mumu later.

A while ago, Dong Zhenghao had considered buying Liu Mumu a villa. Although he didn't in the end, Jiang Li had kept it in mind.

"Alright, alright, buy it, buy it," Dong Zhenghao finally agreed, unable to resist the persistent pleas of his son and wife.

The family was harmonious, with Dong Yue still excluded.

After dinner, Liu Mumu suddenly took out a coin and pushed it towards Dong Zhenghao.

Dong Zhenghao was a little surprised. His daughter was actually offering to tell his fortune? This was extremely rare.

"Dad, shake a hexagram for me, I'll divine for you."

"Divining for what?"

"To see if your younger brother is your biological son."

"What do you mean?" Before Dong Zhenghao could speak, Jiang Li almost jumped up.

"Mumu, what are you saying?" Dong Zhenghao rarely looked displeased, his face darkening, but he didn't dare to go too far. "Don't say such things again."

Liu Mumu still smiled, her fingers playing with the coins on the table. "Let's analyze this. Your two daughters' math scores are around the passing line, but your son scored almost perfect. Who do you think inherited your math skills?"

Dong Zhenghao stiffened.

Liu Mumu continued, "Dad, you should be honest."

Alright, Dong Zhenghao admitted, he had no skill in math.

He only had an elementary school level.

Liu Mumu looked at Dong Qi, who was smugly pleased about getting a sports car: "I'm not questioning my brother's identity, I'm just questioning his grades."

"What do you mean? Qi Qi's report card is still with me."

Her son had finally gotten a high score, and Liu Mumu was doubting it. Jiang Li went upstairs directly to retrieve the report card her son had given her.

She slapped the report card on the table. "Can this kind of thing be faked? I know you don't like Qi Qi, but he's still your younger brother..."

Liu Mumu moved the report card in front of Dong Yue and asked her, "Was your junior high report card like this?"

Dong Yue was silent for a moment, then glanced at Dong Qi.

Dong Qi was glaring at her fiercely.

Dong Yue lowered her eyes. "The paper quality is different."

"What did you say? Fake?" Dong Zhenghao stood up abruptly and snatched the report card.

"To confirm its authenticity, it's best to ask the homeroom teacher," Liu Mumu interjected at the right time.

Because of his busy work schedule and Dong Qi's poor grades and troublemaking in the past, the couple rarely contacted his homeroom teacher. The teacher also knew their attitude and usually contacted Dong Zhenghao's secretary for any matters.

Dong Zhenghao got Dong Qi's homeroom teacher's phone number from his secretary and called.

Ten minutes later, after hanging up the phone, Dong Qi had already disappeared somewhere.

The score was confirmed. He only got eleven points in math, not over 110.

As expected, he was Dong Zhenghao's biological son, not a single mistake.

Finally, Dong Zhenghao dragged Dong Qi out of the bathroom in his room.

After using the rolling pin last time, he probably felt it had a good feel, so this time he went straight to the kitchen to find the rolling pin before looking for the person.

Last time Dong Qi didn't run because he had a fractured bone, but now that he's completely recovered, there's no way he'd stay put and take a beating.

Father and son, one running and one chasing, Liu Mumu took a tub of ice cream from the refrigerator and gave Dong Yue a spoon.

Dong Yue whispered, "Mom bought this for Dong Qi."

It was Dong Qi's favorite flavor.

"Someone who got only eleven points in math doesn't deserve ice cream." Liu Mumu scooped a large spoonful, very satisfied. The house should be this lively.

In the end, Dong Qi was slightly inferior. He slowed down on the stairs and was caught by his dad on the landing in the middle, where he received a severe beating.

He cried out for his parents and wailed, mixed with curses directed at Liu Mumu and Dong Yue.

"You dare curse your sister? Your sister's math score at least passed, but yours? Eleven points, how did you even get that?" Dong Zhenghao's face turned red and his neck bulged with anger. He felt like his face was completely disgraced by Dong Qi.

Their homeroom teacher had even very tactfully told him that Dong Qi had scored last in the entire school.

With such a score, he actually had the nerve to ask him for a sports car!

Thinking of this, Dong Zhenghao's arm, which was wielding the rolling pin, gained more strength.

"How did you know his math score was fake?" Dong Yue quietly asked Liu Mumu.

Liu Mumu took a bite of ice cream and replied, "He just doesn't look like a smart person."

Besides the facial features, there was another very important reason. Liu Mumu absolutely could not accept that even fortune-telling couldn't save her math, yet Dong Qi was so much better than her!

Could she possibly be dumber than Dong Qi? Absolutely not.

As expected, genes don't make mistakes.

Dong Zhenghao's stick-and-rod education lasted for an hour. The villa was filled with wails and cries. The sports car was gone, and the vacation was gone too. Next, he would be confined at home waiting for a tutor to teach him math.

Dong Qi was completely on the verge of a breakdown. Taking advantage of the fact that everyone was back in their rooms sleeping at night, he quickly packed his game console and computer, deciding to run away from home.

The next morning, Jiang Li woke up and found her son's room empty. The bed was even cold, which scared her into quickly calling Dong Zhenghao.

The couple made a fuss, waking up the entire family.

Jiang Li was anxious to check the surveillance cameras. As soon as she stepped out, she noticed that the Zhang family next door was also in a commotion. Upon asking, she learned that their eldest grandson, Zhang Yang, was also nowhere to be found.

After returning from checking the surveillance, Dong Qi and Zhang Yang had left the community together. Especially Dong Qi, he was dragging a suitcase, clearly looking like he was running away from home.

"It's all your fault. Why did you hit him? It was just eleven points on an exam, what's the big deal? You angered the child so much that he ran away from home," Jiang Li couldn't help but blame Dong Zhenghao.

Before Dong Zhenghao could speak, Liu Mumu interjected, "You don't necessarily have to blame Dad. If a young tree grows crooked, it's probably because it hasn't experienced the harshness of society. Look at Yueyue and me, we're very normal."

Jiang Li thought to herself, Can you two be compared to my son? Dong Zhenghao nodded, "Mumu is right. It's your fault for spoiling him too much."

"Now is not the time to talk about that. Where did the children go?" Zhang Yang's grandmother anxiously interrupted their conversation.

"Mom, why don't we call the police first?" said the Zhang family's daughter-in-law, Zhang Yang's stepmother.

Before anyone else could react, the old lady slapped her. "If you hadn't angered Yangyang, would he have run away and not come back? If something happens to my grandson, you'll be sorry."

The Zhang family's old lady's unreasonable behavior was exactly like Dong Zhenghao's mother back then.

Jiang Li felt a bit sympathetic. She pulled the Zhang family's daughter-in-law aside and tried to persuade her, "Auntie, those two children are so old now, and they have money with them. Nothing major will happen."

She had been too anxious for a moment. Calming down, she thought that her son wasn't a few-year-old child who could be easily abducted.

The old Mrs. Zhang's anger had not subsided. She glared fiercely at her daughter-in-law, but her attitude softened a bit when facing Jiang Li. "According to you, we don't need to call the police yet?"

"No, I'll call some relatives first. Otherwise, when my unfilial son uses his credit card, I'll know where he is."

Jiang Li felt that her son probably wouldn't go too far.