Mu Chenyan saw the surprise written all over Wen Ya’s face.

They had not seen each other for three years, but Wen Ya still looked as pretty as before. She did not look thin anymore as she had gained some weight due to her pregnancy.

“Wen Ya, it’s really you!” Mu Chenyan could not hide her excitement when she noticed that Wen Ya was also expecting a child. Her pregnancy seemed quite far along.

“Chenyan… When did you return…” Wen Ya still seemed dazed from the shock.

“I came back recently!” Mu Chenyan grabbed and held Wen Ya’s hands in her excitement. “I couldn’t contact you. I heard that you went to East City…”

Yuan Xuan came over and greeted Wen Ya when he saw the two women holding each other’s hands after he finished paying. He picked up Yan Muyu and turned to Mu Chenyan saying, “I’ll take our son home first. Why don’t you two take your time catching up?”

Mu Chenyan nodded and instructed, “Don’t let Muyu eat anything cold at home.”

Wen Ya looked on as Yuan Xuan left with their son. Her soft voice was tinged with envy when she said, “Your boy is so big now!”

“He’s three years old!” Mu Chenyan could not help the questions that popped up in her head when she looked at Wen Ya’s belly. She was too afraid to ask any questions though.

“Zheng Shuyan is the father of my child.” Wen Ya had probably sensed the endless stream of doubts in Mu Chenyan’s mind. Her hand caressed her underbelly when she spoke.

*

The sun was setting in the west in the evening. It illuminated the ground in a glorious golden glow.

The women found a quiet coffee shop. They both ordered fruit juice because they were pregnant and sat at a table that was next to the window. It seemed like time had turned back to more than a decade ago when they were both still studying.

Mu Chenyan’s personality was cheerful and optimistic at that time while Wen Ya was quiet and calm. These two talented women were kindred spirits. They had formed a profound friendship with each other when they were studying in England.

Wen Ya had gone back home all of a sudden, and then came the news of her getting married. Mu Chenyan had never expected that a significant amount of her pride would be worn down during the years that both of them spent in the Yuan household.

They realized that numerous things had changed as they sat together in silence once again.

“Did you really marry Zheng Shuyan?”

Mu Chenyan remembered that Wen Ya had this plan in the beginning before she left. However, she never thought that this woman would be determined enough to keep her word.

“Yes!” Wen Ya sounded faintly sheepish as she nodded. She murmured, “Once his sentence ended, I sent an application to the relevant department so that I could marry him. I went there many times. They kept refusing to approve it because of Zheng Shuyan’s unique circumstances.

“Later, I was very grateful to Yuan Tian and Yuan Xuan because they pleaded on behalf of Zheng Shuyan. Fortunately, Zheng Shuyan showed that he had reformed when he worked in the prison’s hospital. His excellent behavior in prison also allowed him to gain some rights. I could only marry him because of that…

“We had a very simple wedding. Once a month, we could, umm, meet in the prison’s hospital…” Wen Ya blushed when she said this. Mu Chenyan realized what she meant by “meet”. She also understood that this was how Wen Ya became pregnant.

Mu Chenyan sighed in relief when she heard this. Wen Ya’s life could not be described as pitiful alone anymore.

Wen Ya did not have any children with Yuan Zhe despite being married to him for so many years. He had even treated her with disdain and abused her because of that. Her current circumstances were definitely a good thing.

Mu Chenyan’s gaze turned gloomy. The inferences that she made three years ago still plagued her mind now. However, she could not bear to mention these things when she saw the contented expression on Wen Ya’s face.

They chatted for some time before Wen Ya suddenly asked, “Now that you’re back in Luo Hai, did you return to your old job?”

Mu Chenyan was shocked. She said, “it’s a bit different now. I had studied ichnology under Professor Shen Muchen at University A. I’m working at the forensic department at the public security bureau.”

Mu Chenyan saw Wen Ya shiver. It seemed like she was very much in awe when Mu Chenyan mentioned the forensic department.

“I admire you very much. You’ve always followed your dreams. No one would’ve expected you to work in the forensic department with the subject you’ve majored in college.” Wen Ya exclaimed from the bottom of her heart. Her long eyelashes fluttered. She looked like she still had something to say, but she was too afraid to continue.

Mu Chenyan stared at Wen Ya and asked out of the blue, “Wen Ya, do you regret it?”

Wen Ya was dumbfounded when she heard the question. The two women looked each other in the eye.

“What are you referring to?”

“The incident with Zheng Shuyan!” Mu Chenyan was not trying to expose the entire situation. She would definitely drop this subject if Wen Ya kept pretending that they were not on the same page.

Wen Ya looked anxious. Her hands trembled when she picked up the glass of fruit juice at the side of the table.

Wen Ya drank a mouthful of fruit juice and avoided Mu Chenyan’s gaze.

Mu Chenyan remembered that Wen Ya’s emotions should not be provoked as she was pregnant. She comforted her by saying, “It’s in the past. Just pretend that I never said anything if you’re unwilling to bring it up…”

“Chenyan, did you discover something?”

Wen Ya gave a bitter smiled. Her eyes seemed dazed, and they were filling up with tears. She could not run away from her problems forever. It looked like she had prepared herself.

Mu Chenyan did not want to lay everything out in the open yet. She answered Wen Ya’s question by remaining silent and simply staring at her.

“Honestly, so many years have passed, but I have no one to talk to it about. It’s truly depressing for me to suppress it in my heart all this time!”

The corners of Wen Ya’s lips curled upward, but she looked rather miserable. She seemed relieved to finally be able to mention this.

Mu Chenyan remained silent and continued to stare at Wen Ya. The other woman’s expression was enough to confirm all the suspicions in her heart. What else did she have to say now?

“Chenyan, how did you find out?”

“What do you mean?”

“How did you know that I was involved in Yuan Zhe’s death?” The corners of Wen Ya’s lips curled up to reveal a mocking smile. She had said it so casually as though she was discussing someone else’s problem.

“So you’re admitting that you murdered Yuan Zhe!”

Mu Chenyan exposed the truth in a straightforward manner when she noticed that Wen Ya was not hiding it anymore.

Wen Ya was not in a hurry to defend herself. Her chest that had indicated her anxious breathing had actually calmed down instead. She had kept this secret in the depths of her heart for several years. Now that it could finally spit it out, she could not do it any faster.

There was finally someone who would listen to what she had to say today. Wen Ya did not panic at all. Rather, she felt more relaxed than she had ever been.

Wen Ya glanced at Mu Chenyan and gave a faint smile. “You’re right. I was the one who poisoned him!”

Wen Ya felt that her meeting with Mu Chenyan today had turned into a court trial.

Mu Chenyan reached her hand out and held the other pair on hands on the table that was as smooth as jade. Her hands were quivering and cold to her touch.

“Wen Ya, I was merely speculating, but I had known three years ago.”

Wen Ya could not seem to believe her. “Three years ago?”

Mu Chenyan nodded. “I didn’t turn you in at that time, and I’m obviously not going to do it now.”

Mu Chenyan was telling the truth. The thought of reporting Wen Ya to the police had really never crossed her mind. Nonetheless, this went against her duty as a member of the criminal police.

This had nothing to do with justice.

Mu Chenyan felt that once everyone removed their figurative halos, their malicious intentions would show that they had always been there all along.

If she was given the choice, she would have wished for Yuan Zhe’s death as well.

After all, that man was completely devoid of goodness. On the contrary, he had done all kinds of evil deeds.

However, that devil was previously backed by the Yuan Family’s influence. It would be difficult to punish him if it was not for this accident.

Wen Ya sighed. The glimmer in her eyes was suddenly tinged with resentment. She bit her lip and murmured, “You already knew that the water filter system at home had two separate inlets for hot and cold water.”

“That’s why you placed the poison pellet in the Y-shaped hot water inlet!” said Mu Chenyan bluntly.

Wen Ya smiled and nodded. “Yes, you’re very smart.

“Yuan Zhe washed the tea set and boiled the first pot of coffee with cold water. The cold water came from the left side of the Y-shaped inlet. Both of the reporters were safe because the first pot of coffee was not poisoned.”

Wen Ya released a drawn-out sigh of relief when she said this. It seemed like her body had been emptied of any burden as she leaned against the sofa.

Mu Chenyan glanced at Wen Ya’s eyes as incomprehensible hatred flashed through them.

“Yuan Zhe would definitely use the mint flavored sugar cubes for the second pot of coffee. He had previously mentioned that coffee that was brewed again wouldn’t taste good with the sugar cubes. He would always use hot water to boil the roasted coffee powder before adding the sugar cubes.”

Mu Chenyan listened and realized that Wen Ya had observed Yuan Zhe’s habits in life carefully.

“Yuan Zhe turned the water valve toward the right when he wanted to boil the second pot of water. The hot water flowed out of the right side of the Y-shaped water inlet and allowed the poison to be mixed with the pot of coffee.”

Mu Chenyan understood why the second batch of coffee contained poison now.

“Zheng Shuyan thought of me immediately when he heard that something had happened in the Yuan household…” Wen Ya covered her face miserably when she said this. “I stole the poison from his laboratory. Zheng Shuyan rushed to my office at once and spoke to me when he discovered that Yuan Zhe was poisoned to death. He gave me that box of sugar cubes.”

Mu Chenyan’s inference was nearly accurate.

“Am I wrong to assume that Zheng Shuyan was planning to use that box of sugar cubes to kill Yuan Zhe?” Mu Chenyan quietly asked.

Wen Ya nodded tearfully. She said, “Yes, he had originally planned to bribe the servants at home to place the sugar cubes that were injected with poison in our house. He knew that I would never use those flavored sugar cubes.

“However, I took matters into my own hands before he carried out his plan. That’s why he gave me the sugar cubes so that I could put it on the wine rack when I returned to Peace Mansion.

“I didn’t know that the sugar cubes were poisoned at that time. I had returned to the crime scene at Peace Mansion and pretended to take something inside. It was then I placed the sugar cubes near the wine rack. The police officers were only paying attention to whether I took anything from the scene, but they did not care about the items that I had brought inside with me.”

Mu Chenyan remained silent. She continued listening attentively to Wen Ya as she quietly retold the story.

“Zheng Shuyan did this to shift the police’s focus onto himself. He wanted to ensure that everything would go smoothly when he turned himself in later.”

Mu Chenyan pondered before she asked, “Did Zheng Shuyan instruct you to lead Su Qingcheng there so that she would discover the box of sugar cubes?”

Wen Ya covered her face and sobbed. “Yes. The police had failed to discover that box of sugar cubes. Zheng Shuyan called me using a public phone and told me to lead the police there so that they would discover the sugar cubes. If I knew at that time that he was planning to surrender himself and take the blame for the entire situation, I would never have…”

Mu Chenyan’s heart was filled with sorrow for these two miserable lovers after hearing what Wen Ya had said.

“Wen Ya, you have to pay a life for a life. You should already be aware of consequences like this!”

Wen Ya raised her head from the crook of her elbow where it was buried. She looked at Mu Chenyan and lamented, “Yes, I had already prepared myself to accept these consequences the moment I poisoned him. I just never thought that Zheng Shuyan would sacrifice himself for me…”

Wen Ya started crying again. Mu Chenyan consoled her right away when she remembered that pregnant women like her were not supposed to be emotionally burdened. “Wen Ya, you must control yourself for the sake of your child.”

The woman was on the verge of an emotional breakdown, but these words were enough to sober her up. She wiped her tears away, and her swollen red eyes peered at Mu Chenyan. She murmured, “How did you realize that it was me?”

“Three years ago, you asked me to return to Peace Mansion to take some of your personal belongings for you while you were hospitalized. Do you still remember that?”

Wen Ya pondered for a while before she realized that this had certainly happened.

“When I went to Peace Mansion, Little Cui went upstairs to take the things that you wanted while I sat downstairs and waited. I discovered that the Japanese banana tree in the garden had died when I was there!”

Wen Ya’s complexion turned ashen when the Japanese banana tree was mentioned. She remembered that her first child was buried under that tree.

“You probably know why that tree is dead.”

Mu Chenyan smiled faintly. “Wu Huai had actually wondered if someone had done something to the water inlet. That was why he took the water samples, but nothing showed up during the laboratory tests. You’ve vomited the first time you returned to the crime scene. After that, you’ve requested to wash the remnants away from the ground under the Japanese banana tree. The remaining poison inside the water filter system was removed when you took the water from there.

“Since you took too much water, you watered the plants around the Japanese banana tree as well. However, you underestimated the strength of the poison. A little while later, the Japanese banana tree and the surrounding plants all died.

“When I went to Peace Mansion, Little Cui complained that the Japanese banana tree was dead. I immediately recalled your previous actions and made a mental connection between them. That allowed me to reach this conclusion!

“I took a sample of the soil back with me. I asked Su Qingcheng to get it tested in the laboratory when she went to the forensic department. Later, they found traces of M36n in the soil sample.”

Wen Ya could not help but admire Mu Chenyan’s meticulous thought process when she heard this.

She knew that Wu Huai was experienced in solving cases like these. She had to ensure that the poison was carefully administered. Otherwise, it would be impossible for her to escape once the traces of the poison were discovered in the water filter system at home.

She thought of every possible way to use more water when she returned. This would lessen the amount of poison that remained. It was also another reason why Wu Huai failed to see any results despite having instructed his staff to take samples of the water several times already.

However, Mu Chenyan was a logical and highly intelligent person. She had made those inferences just by noticing that the Japanese banana tree had died.

“Chenyan, please give me some time. Let me give birth to this child and…”

“Your child will need his mother to take care of him once he’s born!” Mu Chenyan interrupted Wen Ya, but her gaze was much gentler now.

Wen Ya was stunned. She whispered, “Aren’t you going to turn me in?”

“I work for the forensic department now, but I’m not God. On the contrary, I have a selfish side.”

The corners of Mu Chenyan’s lips tugged up into a small smile when she said this. “I’m rather evil too!”

It would probably be impossible for Yuan Zhe to pay for his sins even if he died a hundred times over. His fate could only end in the same way. The only problem was deciding who would be the one punishing him.

Zheng Shuyan had already paid the price for his crime.

If Mu Chenyan claimed that all this was because of justice, then why did justice not help Wen Ya to get away from that demon a long time ago? Why did it force her onto the road of no return?

This kind of thinking would make everyone else would believe that her Three Worldviews were skewed, so she could not speak anything about it.