Chapter 28 The Most Wok Hei and Delicious Dried…

Bai Yuanzhi looked at Duoluoxi with a faint smile.

However, there was not a trace of warmth in her smile.

Zhou Weihao also kept asking Duoluoxi, “Why are you here? Why are you dressed like this…”

Duoluoxi opened her mouth but couldn’t utter a single word.

Her eyes were filled with terror, and her body trembled slightly.

After a long pause, Duoluoxi forced a weak smile, “Ahao, I… I have something to do… I need to leave now.”

As soon as she finished speaking, she immediately turned around, intending to leave as quickly as possible.

But her legs were so weak.

She couldn’t take a single step.

Zhou Weihao said, “Since you’re leaving… let me take you back.”

Bai Yuanzhi said to Zhou Weihao, “Mr. Zhou, you really should send her away from here as soon as possible.”

Upon hearing this, both Zhou Weihao and Duoluoxi turned their heads to look at Bai Yuanzhi.

Zhou Weihao frowned, “Ah Zhi, why are you acting so strange today?”

Duoluoxi stammered, “Bai… Bai Yuanzhi… you… don’t talk nonsense!”

Bai Yuanzhi said to Zhou Weihao, “Mr. Zhou, I just think that if you don’t leave soon… you might find it difficult to face Mrs. Xu later.”

Zhou Weihao: ???

He was utterly confused.

Bai Yuanzhi glanced at Duoluoxi and said to Zhou Weihao, “Mr. Zhou, if you don’t understand what I’m saying, I’m sure Duoluoxi knows.”

“As an outsider to the two of you, I won’t get involved! Ms. Duoluoxi, please explain it to Mr. Zhou yourself!”

With that, Bai Yuanzhi left.

Mrs. Xu’s assistant, Linda, was maintaining order at the venue.

Bai Yuanzhi walked over and whispered a few explanations to Linda.

Linda’s eyes widened instantly, “…Really?”

Bai Yuanzhi nodded and handed over an item she had stored in her bag, adding, “The residual juice in this cup likely contains some kind of poison. Besides my fingerprints, the cup should also bear the fingerprints of the poisoner.”

“Although I don’t know if Mr. Chen’s incident earlier is related to this cup. But since this cup was found near where he had the accident, I think it’s a very important piece of evidence… Please keep it safe.”

Yes,

Once Bai Yuanzhi figured it out, she immediately realized the strangeness of that glass of orange juice.

So, when she and A Yao entered that dark room for the second time to hide, she picked up that glass.

Fortunately, there was still a small amount of juice left in the cup.

She wrapped it carefully with a handkerchief and stored it in her small bag.

At this moment, Linda took the glass from Bai Yuanzhi and said, “Thank you, Miss Bai. I’ll keep this evidence safe.”

With that, Linda carefully held the handkerchief-wrapped glass and hurried away.

Meanwhile, Duoluoxi, not far away, witnessed the entire scene.

Although the glass Bai Yuanzhi handed to Linda was wrapped in a handkerchief, it wasn’t hard to guess its shape…

Duoluoxi felt her head buzzing!

She certainly guessed what was going on.

She was terrified and quickly pushed away Zhou Weihao, who kept asking her why, and rushed over to Bai Yuanzhi, “Bai Yuanzhi, what are you doing? What did you just… give her?”

As she spoke, Duoluoxi pointed at Linda’s retreating figure.

Bai Yuanzhi said coldly, “Ms. Duoluoxi, aren’t you overstepping your bounds?”

Duoluoxi grew anxious. “You—”

Bai Yuanzhi continued, “Unless you believe that what I gave Linda has something to do with you… otherwise, what right or standing do you have to question me?”

Duoluoxi was momentarily speechless. “You, you—”

Zhou Weihao had also followed Duoluoxi over. “Duoluoxi, what’s wrong with you?”

Seeing Duoluoxi looking utterly flustered, he had no choice but to turn to Bai Yuanzhi. “Ah Zhi, what exactly happened? Tell me quickly!”

Bai Yuanzhi looked at Duoluoxi, smiled, and said, “Ms. Duoluoxi, I think… you’d better tell Mr. Zhou everything in detail. After all, you’ve caused such a huge mess, and perhaps only Mr. Zhou can help you now.”

Duoluoxi’s face turned deathly pale, her lips trembling uncontrollably.

She didn’t know where things had gone wrong.

She had planned everything so meticulously!

—She had hired a group of people in advance, instructed them to hide on another floor of the venue, given them detailed instructions, and told them to wait for the right moment to act.

—She had purchased veterinary anesthetic, prepared a spiked glass of juice, and tricked an unsuspecting waiter into delivering it to Bai Yuanzhi.

—She had even changed into a waiter’s uniform herself so that once Bai Yuanzhi drank the juice and passed out, she could immediately rush over, support her, and use the excuse of “taking the guest to the restroom to freshen up” to escort Bai Yuanzhi to the women’s restroom.

—Then, she would have the men hurry over to carry out their plan.

—To make things easier for them, she had even prepared a sign that read, “Restroom out of order, please use the one upstairs,” to prevent other guests from entering.

Duoluoxi bit her lower lip.

She thought everything had been going smoothly.

So smoothly that—

Bai Yuanzhi had actually taken the spiked juice and walked into the corridor leading to the restroom on her own!

Duoluoxi was overjoyed!

She immediately placed the “Restroom out of order, please use the one upstairs” sign at the entrance of the corridor to block other guests from entering,

then hurried off to find the men.

After that, Duoluoxi sat back and waited for the results.

She was both anxious and expectant… hoping to see Bai Yuanzhi humiliated!

Imagine, a young woman desperate to climb into high society, found naked and unconscious in the men’s restroom at a gathering filled with distinguished guests.

Hah,

from that moment on, Bai Yuanzhi would never be able to rise again!

But Duoluoxi never expected,

that while there was indeed commotion in the restroom,

Bai Yuanzhi emerged completely unharmed and was with Zhou Weihao!!!

This—

where had things gone wrong?

Duoluoxi suddenly realized that if it wasn’t Bai Yuanzhi who had been harmed, then it must have been someone else…

But everyone at the event was either wealthy or influential,

and no matter who had been harmed,

the consequences were something she could never bear.

At that moment, Duoluoxi had to admit—what Bai Yuanzhi said was indeed true.

But no matter what, Duoluoxi couldn’t show weakness in front of Bai Yuanzhi.

She calculated in her mind, thinking that she should at least find a more secluded place to tell Zhou Weihao everything in detail.

She still had great confidence in Zhou Weihao,

believing that he would definitely help her handle this matter.

So she pleaded with Zhou Weihao, “Ahao, maybe… we should leave first!”

Though she said this, Duoluoxi instinctively glanced at Bai Yuanzhi.

She felt both ashamed and flustered, afraid that Bai Yuanzhi would see her true thoughts.

Little did she know—

She saw Bai Yuanzhi’s exasperated expression.

Duoluoxi was stunned for a moment.

She stared at Bai Yuanzhi in disbelief.

After a long while,

Duoluoxi finally confirmed that Bai Yuanzhi’s expression seemed to say: Do you really think others are fools?

Soon, Duoluoxi understood why Bai Yuanzhi wore such an expression.

Because—

Linda, Mrs. Xu’s most capable assistant, hurried over and said to Bai Yuanzhi, “Miss Bai, Mrs. Xu would like to see you.”

Linda then said to Zhou Weihao, “Ah, Mr. Zhou is here too, that’s perfect—I won’t have to make another trip. Mr. Zhou, Mrs. Xu hopes you can accompany Miss Bai.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Linda noticed Duoluoxi standing frozen nearby.

Indeed, Duoluoxi, feeling inferior, had never been willing to attend such occasions with Zhou Weihao.

Most people in high society had never met Duoluoxi, only heard of her.

Otherwise, Duoluoxi wouldn’t have dared to show up today.

But Zhou Weihao and Ming Jiayao were close friends,

Mrs. Xu was Ming Jiayao’s aunt,

Because of this connection,

Both Mrs. Xu and Linda had met Duoluoxi and recognized her.

Linda’s sharp and perceptive eyes darted between Bai Yuanzhi and Zhou Weihao before settling on Duoluoxi, who was wearing a waitstaff uniform.

“So Ms. Duoluoxi is here too,” Linda said with a professional smile. “It’s quite noisy outside right now. I suppose Ms. Duoluoxi would also like to find a quiet place? Why don’t you join us?”

Duoluoxi was already scorched by Linda’s all-knowing gaze, feeling utterly exposed!

She nervously fiddled with the hem of her waitstaff uniform, flustered, and nodded.

And so, Bai Yuanzhi, Zhou Weihao, and Duoluoxi followed Linda away.

Linda led the three of them to an empty office upstairs, served them tea, offered a few comforting words with a smile, and then left.

Zhou Weihao was the first to lose his composure.

He first asked Bai Yuanzhi, “Ah Zhi, what exactly do you know?”

Then he asked Duoluoxi, “Duoluoxi, what on earth have you done?”

He wasn’t stupid.

He could tell from Bai Yuanzhi’s words and Duoluoxi’s expression:

Duoluoxi must have done something bad…

Probably related to the incident Bai Yuanzhi mentioned about “a female corpse in the women’s restroom.”

So!!!

Is this true?

How could it be!

Duoluoxi is clearly an introverted, sensitive, and kind woman.

How could she possibly harm anyone!

It must be Bai Yuanzhi exaggerating.

But if Bai Yuanzhi was lying,

Then why did Duoluoxi look so guilty?

Could it be that Duoluoxi really… killed someone?!

The more Zhou Weihao thought about it, the more uneasy he became, so he pressed Duoluoxi, “What exactly happened? Tell me now!”

Duoluoxi trembled under his pressure, her lips quivering.

Bai Yuanzhi, standing nearby, kindly advised Zhou Weihao, “Mr. Zhou, I see the office next door is also empty. Why don’t you two go there to talk? In my opinion, it’s probably because I’m present that Ms. Duoluoxi doesn’t want to speak.”

Hearing this, Zhou Weihao was taken aback and cast a puzzled, questioning look at Duoluoxi: Was what Bai Yuanzhi said true?

Duoluoxi threw herself into Zhou Weihao’s arms. “Ahao, let’s… let’s go next door to talk, okay?”

Zhou Weihao shuddered all over!

He looked at Bai Yuanzhi in disbelief.

It seemed that,

although Bai Yuanzhi was sparing with words, she had hit the nail on the head!

So when she said earlier… that a body had been found in the women’s restroom, did it really have something to do with Duoluoxi?

He stared blankly at Duoluoxi,

then was pushed and pulled by the tear-streaked Duoluoxi out of the office and into the next room.

Bai Yuanzhi sat alone in the office, waiting for a while.

Soon, Mrs. Xu arrived.

Seeing only Bai Yuanzhi in the office,

Mrs. Xu was momentarily stunned and asked Bai Yuanzhi, “Weren’t Ahao and Duoluoxi supposed to be here too?”

Bai Yuanzhi pointed toward the neighboring office.

Mrs. Xu frowned.

Bai Yuanzhi said, “Mrs. Xu, if you have anything you want to ask, go ahead!”

Mrs. Xu nodded. “Ah Zhi, could you tell me exactly what happened, step by step?”

Bai Yuanzhi didn’t hide anything either.

Starting from when someone gave her a glass of orange juice,

she recounted how she wanted to go to the restroom but was pulled into a dark room halfway by Chen Shuojie. After she splashed the orange juice in Chen Shuojie’s face, he collapsed and didn’t get up.

At the time, she was too panicked and only focused on escaping, so she ran away.

It wasn’t until someone mentioned that a body had been found in the women’s restroom that she began to suspect that the “body” might be Chen Shuojie…

She also wondered if the orange juice had been poisoned, so she ran back, picked up the glass, and handed it to Linda.

As for the rest, she didn’t know.

Yes,

Bai Yuanzhi deliberately omitted A Yao’s presence.

She was gambling.

Betting that Duoluoxi’s glass of orange juice wouldn’t be lethal,

and also betting that neither Chen Shuojie nor Mrs. Xu wanted to escalate the matter… so they wouldn’t report it to the police.

As long as no police report was filed, A Yao’s presence could be erased.

That way, it wouldn’t cause trouble for A Yao.

Of course, if they did report it to the police,

Bai Yuanzhi would tell the truth,

but she wouldn’t admit that she knew the waiter who saved her. She would use excuses like “fear” and “being too nervous” to obscure A Yao’s involvement.

After hearing Bai Yuanzhi’s account, Mrs. Xu felt a headache coming on.

—She had personally witnessed Chen Shuojie harassing Bai Yuanzhi, so what Bai Yuanzhi said was likely true.

So, what happened after Bai Yuanzhi left Chen Shuojie?

How did Chen Shuojie, who was already unconscious at the time, manage to get from the dark room to the women’s restroom, and how did he end up… completely naked?

Thinking about it now, the problem likely lay in that spiked glass of orange juice.

Just then, Linda came over and knocked on the door. “Mrs. Xu—”

The shrewd female assistant wore an expression of hesitation.

Mrs. Xu, already irritated, spoke with a less-than-friendly tone and attitude. “Go ahead, there’s nothing left to hide. Ah Zhi is also involved in this.”

Linda whispered, “After the incident, several guests kindly helped track down suspicious individuals. With the building security’s assistance, five men who appeared panicked and flustered were discovered. The security personnel managed to extract some… potentially valuable testimonies from them. Mrs. Xu, would you like to question them personally?”

Mrs. Xu froze. “What? You mean—this is related to Shuojie’s matter?”

Linda nodded repeatedly.

Mrs. Xu immediately stood up and turned to Bai Yuanzhi. “Ah Zhi, I’m sorry to trouble you to wait here a little longer. I’ll be back soon.”

Bai Yuanzhi nodded good-naturedly. “Of course, Mrs. Xu.”

However—

Mrs. Xu was unable to leave.

Because Zhou Weihao, his face pale, brought Duoluoxi over from the neighboring office.

“Mrs. Xu, please wait,” Zhou Weihao said hoarsely. “I… I already know what happened… I think you might need to… set other matters aside for now and listen to me first.”

Mrs. Xu frowned, looking at Zhou Weihao, then glanced puzzledly at Duoluoxi, who was wearing a server’s uniform and had tear-stained cheeks.

Despite feeling deeply ashamed,

Zhou Weihao honestly recounted all of Duoluoxi’s arrangements.

Of course, he couldn’t bring himself to mention his agreement with Bai Yuanzhi, only saying that Duoluoxi had misunderstood his relationship with Bai Yuanzhi…

Mrs. Xu widened her eyes in shock, staring at Duoluoxi in disbelief.

Duoluoxi was mortified with shame and anger.

Covering her face with her hands, she sobbed quietly, not uttering a single word from start to finish.

Mrs. Xu asked anxiously, “So, you mean the orange juice was spiked with veterinary anesthetic? Good heavens, no wonder Shuojie still hasn’t woken up! You… you really have… quite the nerve! Using animal drugs on a person! Aren’t you afraid of killing someone?”

Zhou Weihao and Duoluoxi were utterly ashamed.

Mrs. Xu pressed on urgently, “Zhou Weihao! Tell me quickly, what exactly did you give Shuojie? He’s already been taken to the hospital. We must inform the doctors immediately about the drug he was given so they can figure out how to save him… Hurry up and tell me!”

Zhou Weihao handed the small medicine bottle he had been clutching tightly to Mrs. Xu.

Bai Yuanzhi, standing beside Mrs. Xu, took advantage of her sharp eyesight to quickly glance at the bottle, catching a glimpse of a line of small text:

【Potent anesthetic for large livestock such as cattle and horses weighing over 500 lbs. Dosage should be determined by a qualified veterinarian.】

Mrs. Xu took the reading glasses from Linda and finally read the words on the bottle, her face turning livid with anger.

She handed both the glasses and the bottle back to Linda, instructing her to call the hospital immediately…

Then—

Mrs. Xu said to Zhou Weihao, “Ahao, you’re practically a child I’ve watched grow up. How could you—”

As she spoke, Mrs. Xu glanced at Duoluoxi, her eyes filled with disgust.

She continued addressing Zhou Weihao, “I believe you’re aware of Shuojie’s background. He lost his mother at a young age, and his father never remarried. Not only does the Xu Family cherish him, but the Chen Family also treats him as their most precious treasure…”

“In my opinion, regarding this matter, you should… go back and discuss it with your parents first! Later, we’ll arrange a time for the three families to sit down together and properly discuss how to resolve this.”

After a pause, Mrs. Xu said, “Of course, whether the three families can sit down and have a proper conversation depends on Shuojie’s recovery.”

“He’d better be fine!”

“If anything happens to him…”

Mrs. Xu cast a cold glance at Duoluoxi and finished her sentence to Zhou Weihao, “…then you’ll have to face the consequences!”

With that, Mrs. Xu stood up, ready to leave.

Bai Yuanzhi called out to stop her, “Mrs. Xu, please wait—”

“As you mentioned, I am also one of the parties involved, so how do you plan to handle me?”

Yes, Bai Yuanzhi had deliberately shown her face.

If she wanted to avoid trouble and keep the peace, she should have kept a low profile at this moment.

Only by doing so would she avoid offending the Zhou, Chen, and Xu families.

After all—

To be honest, even if Chen Shuojie had harassed Bai Yuanzhi, Chen Shuojie had already taken the fall for it.

But fortune favors the bold!

If Bai Yuanzhi didn’t show her face or take a stance now, she would be marginalized.

No matter how the Zhou, Chen, and Xu families negotiated or what they discussed… it would have nothing to do with Bai Yuanzhi.

If the three families failed to reach an agreement, Bai Yuanzhi might even become the target of their anger!

So, Bai Yuanzhi preferred to seize this opportunity to properly extort these three families.

Mrs. Xu stared at Bai Yuanzhi for a while, her expression unreadable.

She simply nodded slowly and said to Bai Yuanzhi, “In that case—”

“Alright, then I will also invite Miss Bai to join us in the future.” After adding this, Mrs. Xu turned and left.

Linda followed behind Mrs. Xu and hurried away as well.

In the empty office, only Bai Yuanzhi, Zhou Weihao, and Duoluoxi remained.

Bai Yuanzhi pretended to say to Zhou Weihao, “Mr. Zhou, I’m sorry, I’ve done my best.”

Zhou Weihao was startled!

Only then did he realize—had Ah Zhi stepped forward just now for his sake?

After all, even if Chen Shuojie had taken the fall and something happened to him, it was still a fact that Chen Shuojie had attempted to harass Bai Yuanzhi.

If Chen Shuojie really suffered consequences and the Chen and Xu families insisted on holding the Zhou family accountable,

then Bai Yuanzhi could also use the incident of Chen Shuojie harassing her to lessen the Zhou family’s responsibility.

At this moment,

in Zhou Weihao’s heart,

the moral character of Bai Yuanzhi and Duoluoxi was clearly contrasted!

Zhou Weihao closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again, and said gratefully to Bai Yuanzhi, “Ah Zhi, thank you!”

Bai Yuanzhi picked up her bag, “Alright, it’s getting late, I should take my leave. If anything comes up later, Mr. Zhou, I’ll do whatever I can.”

With that, Bai Yuanzhi also left, chin held high.

In the office, only Duoluoxi and Zhou Weihao remained.

Zhou Weihao didn’t want to speak.

The empty room echoed with Duoluoxi’s restrained sobbing.

Zhou Weihao suddenly felt extremely tired…

He didn’t want to speak, move, or face Duoluoxi.

Duoluoxi whispered softly to Zhou Weihao, “Ahao, let’s go home!”

Zhou Weihao remained silent for a long time.

Duoluoxi grew a little afraid and whispered softly, “Ahao, let’s go… let’s go home, I’ll cook for you.”

Zhou Weihao said wearily, “You go back first, I want to be alone for a while.”

Duoluoxi bit her lower lip, “Then I’ll stay here with you.”

Zhou Weihao felt even more annoyed.

He stood up and walked toward the door.

Duoluoxi quickly chased after him, “Ahao! Where are you going… are you… are you angry with me?”

“But Ahao, I really didn’t know this would happen.”

“Clearly I… I just wanted to teach Bai Yuanzhi a lesson. I don’t know why Chen Shuojie got involved!”

“Ahao, I really didn’t mean to do anything to Chen Shuojie! Please, don’t be angry with me, okay?” Duoluoxi pleaded meekly.

Her explanation only made things worse.

The more she explained,

the more displeased Zhou Weihao became.

He frowned and questioned her, “So you think that since you weren’t targeting Chen Shuojie, and he just inexplicably became the scapegoat… that means you’re not at fault?”

 

“But Duoluoxi, have you ever considered that your original motive towards Ah Zhi was criminal in itself?”

“If Chen Shuojie hadn’t taken Ah Zhi’s place today and fallen into your trap…”

“If it had been Ah Zhi who was caught, wouldn’t her entire life… have been ruined by you?”

Upon hearing this, Duoluoxi grew furious. “So what? In the end, you’re still feeling sorry for Bai Yuanzhi, aren’t you?”

“Ahao, haven’t you realized? Ever since this Bai Yuanzhi appeared, you’ve become… increasingly impatient with me!”

“You only blame me for doing bad things, but have you ever thought that if you hadn’t shifted your affections elsewhere, would I have targeted Bai Yuanzhi like this?” Duoluoxi accused recklessly.

Zhou Weihao felt even more agitated and confused.

“Duoluoxi, I don’t want to argue with you right now! I want… to find a place to be alone. Let’s both calm down!” With that, Zhou Weihao quickly walked away.

Today’s incident had dealt him an enormous blow!

The various realizations over this period had already shaken the foundation of his feelings for Duoluoxi.

And today’s incident…

left him utterly disheartened.

—This is about the most basic moral compass, for goodness sake!

If two people don’t even share the same understanding of good and evil,

how are they supposed to spend the remaining ten thousand days and nights of their lives?

Zhou Weihao left the Xu Building in a daze.

He stood blankly by the roadside, somewhat lost, unsure where to go.

“Brother Hao!”

A familiar voice called out.

Zhou Weihao turned around and saw his good friend—Ming Jiayao!

“A Yao, didn’t you say you were going to catch a flight? Why are you still here?” Zhou Weihao asked, both surprised and delighted.

Actually, Ming Jiayao had been waiting for Zhou Weihao here for a while.

To wait for him, he had been hiding around the street corner,

even when he saw Bai Yuanzhi walk out of the building with his own eyes, he desperately restrained himself from calling out to her.

Because—

he had just received some news… that should be very important to Zhou Weihao.

Ming Jiayao decided to resolve Zhou Weihao’s matter as quickly as possible first, then, before leaving Hong Kong City, seize the time to find Bai Yuanzhi for a late-night snack.

He had even decided on the snack—he would treat her to the most wok-hei-filled and absolutely delicious dry-fried beef hor fun in all of Hong Kong City!

“Brother Hao, I have something very important to discuss with you,” Ming Jiayao grabbed Zhou Weihao and pulled him into the car parked nearby. “Come with me!”