Poisoning

Wen Jia and Luo Heng were both very busy with work, and business trips were commonplace for them. They rarely came home, but each time they did, they would bring gifts for their family. Luo Heng affectionately hugged Wen Yan, asking about her well-being. Wen Jia played chess with Wen Ling, while Grandpa gave her pointers and casually inquired about her work. "You finally come back, and you're still talking about work," Grandma scolded him, but her eyes were still smiling. The family was enjoying a harmonious time together.

At the dinner table, the family chatted and laughed. Luo Heng kept mentioning that Wen Yan was too thin and kept putting food on his plate. Wen Yan hadn't experienced such a warm atmosphere in a long time and was quite uncomfortable. He listened quietly to their conversation, but his eyes welled up with tears.

Wen Yan was an orphan in the original world. Abandoned at birth and sent to an orphanage, he was adopted by a couple when he was three years old and enjoyed a few years of happy parent-child time. However, fate was not kind to him. When he was eight years old, his adoptive parents went bankrupt, fell ill and never recovered, and passed away a few years later.

He started taking on various part-time jobs from junior high school onwards, delivering newspapers and mail, working as a shop assistant, distributing flyers, and working as a waiter. With meager wages, government subsidies, and school scholarships, he barely managed to finish junior and senior high school.

He finally got into university, only to be transported to this world – what a cruel twist of fate! Now he has a loving family, a harmonious home atmosphere, and endless money. He no longer has to live alone in an empty house or worry about making a living. It's a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

Wenyan's room was large, containing a study, a bathroom, and a dressing room. The bathroom and dressing room were packed full of things, but the study was empty, containing only a desk and some fashion magazines.

Pulling open the drawer under the desk, there was a large photo album inside, spotless, suggesting the original owner frequently looked through it.

Besides family photos, there were also childhood photos of him, Long Chen, and Su Jibai.

Young Wen Yan, still dressed as a boy, followed Long Chen with her eyes and leaned towards him. Long Aotian, on the other hand, looked impatient, his lips pursed. Su Jibai wore his unchanging smile as he looked at the camera.

The Long, Wen, and Su families are the three major families in the book, and they often have personal and professional interactions. Therefore, the three of them should be considered childhood friends who grew up together.

Su Jibai's attitude towards Wen Yan was more like that of a classmate than a childhood friend, suggesting they weren't really close. Long Chen and Su Jibai were good buddies, while Wen Yan had absolutely no connection with either of them.

Looking through the original owner's chat history with them, it was all one-sided harassment of Long Chen by him, while his interactions with Su Jibai stopped last year. He would send messages every day asking if he had eaten, slept, how he was feeling, and whether he wanted to go out with him. Given Long Aotian's personality, he probably would have blocked him long ago.

The original owner and his girlfriends had a small group chat. After seeing last week's chat history, Wenyan understood why the original owner had cursed Su Jibai. Last semester, Liu Xirou accidentally bumped into the original owner. Although the "white lotus" (a term of endearment for a seemingly innocent but actually manipulative woman) had apologized and the original owner was unharmed, he seized on the incident, insisting that Liu Xirou had deliberately bumped into him, and even embellished the story, as if Liu Xirou were some heinous criminal.

Su Jibai, who happened to be passing by, witnessed the whole thing. As the female lead's guardian angel, he naturally had to speak up for her. Enraged, the original owner of this body cursed and swore, completely ruining her good image at school and becoming known as a scheming woman.

Wen Yan turned off her phone, once again feeling worried about his future.

Many people think apples are a boring fruit, but Wenyan particularly likes them. Their sweet aroma and crisp texture are simply irresistible to him.

He finished one apple, then peeled, chopped, and cored another, placing it on a paper towel. Mosa was overjoyed; Yan had forgiven her last night, and she could finally speak again.

The sweet aroma of apples wafted over, and Mosa looked at the apples on her table, asking curiously, "Who put these apples here?"

Wen Yan turned around and smiled faintly, "I put it here for you to eat."

He placed the apple slices on the three of them's seats; it was a small token of his appreciation for their support yesterday. He also wrapped the handkerchiefs Luo Heng had brought back from her business trip into small gifts, intending to give them to them in person.

While eating an apple, Mosa asked him, "Wenyan, didn't you used to hate eating apples?"

She recalled, "Whenever there was a class activity, you would never eat the apples in the fruit slices that were handed out."

"Why did you think of bringing apples for us to eat today?"

Oh no, the original owner didn't like apples?!

He said with a wry smile, "It's nice to change things up once in a while."

The system's cold voice rang out: "OOC, deduct five points."

Wenyan Petroleum is stuck in place. You only get five points for completing a task, but you lose five points for each out-of-character moment? Is there no justice in this world?

"So sweet!" Mosa quickly finished the apple and was looking at the handkerchiefs Wenyan had given them. "They're so delicate. Did your mother bring these back too?"

It seems the original owner often gave them gifts before. Wen Yan breathed a sigh of relief; this was the right choice.

Wen Yan nodded, looked up at the sky outside the window at a 45-degree angle, and was immersed in the sadness of the points deducted.

A few minutes before the bell rang, Lin Pianyue and Sang Nuo arrived at the classroom. They excitedly took pictures with their handkerchiefs. "Wen Yan, take out your handkerchief too, let's take a picture together."

Wen Yan took out a handkerchief from her breast pocket and let them handle it as they pleased.

After delivering breakfast to Long Chen, Liu Xirou sat down with a smile, "Hi, classmate."

This time her words were not in vain. Wen Yan smiled and said, "Hi, Xi Rou, did you sleep well last night?"

Upon hearing this, both Long Chen and the Cannon Fodder Team shuddered. Long Chen was disgusted by Wen Yan's hypocrisy, while the Cannon Fodder Team was simply unaccustomed to it.

Wen Yan, who usually mocked and ridiculed Liu Xirou, was now being so enthusiastic towards her in an attempt to win her over, which truly astonished everyone.

Long Chen snorted coldly: "Is he getting into acting again?"

A gentle expression appeared on Wen Yan's face. Su Jibai's lips curled up. "You acted really well, didn't you?"

"He's so disgusting, I just want to beat him to death." Long Chen slammed the lunchbox shut.

This time, Wen Yan wasn't acting at all. He discovered that Bai Lianhua was not only gentle but also very talkative. She told him many interesting stories about her part-time job, proving herself to be a witty and humorous person.

At first, Wen Yan could still have a friendly conversation with her, but whenever Liu Xirou mentioned Long Chen, according to his character, his expression could only turn into a forced smile, making his face twitch.

"It's so nice chatting with you, my deskmate," Liu Xirou said, her eyes sparkling. "Let's go have lunch together."

Long Chen must be here too. Wen Yan nodded, "Okay."

During break, Liu Xirou took her thermos to get some warm water. Seeing her leave, the three of them immediately sat down and said indignantly, "Wenyan, you've really had a hard time, having to be so hypocritical with such a disgusting person."

"Yeah, I feel like throwing up just looking at her face. Wenyan, it's amazing that you can still laugh."

"No pain, no gain. How else can you catch a dragon?"

Wen Yan accepted their praise with a smug look on his face. Disgusting and hypocritical words should be used to describe him. It has to be said, the "cannon fodder group" had an excessively high opinion of him; they could even turn black into white.

A stack of exercise books landed on the podium with a thud. Liu Xirou picked up the thermos cup that was on it, walked down, and said with a smile, "Could you get me some warm water, deskmate? I still need to go to the office to help the teacher record the grades."

The water dispenser and the office are at opposite ends of the floor. It seems Liu Xirou was called away by the teacher and hasn't been able to get water yet. Wen Yan, of course, wouldn't miss this opportunity to curry favor, and readily agreed.

As soon as Liu Xirou left, the cannon fodder group breathed a sigh of relief. They had thought Liu Xirou had overheard their conversation and was about to settle scores with them. Although they were usually domineering and arrogant, even ordinary people would feel embarrassed if they were overheard talking badly about others.

Mosa couldn't help but roll her eyes. "How impressive! Just because you do chores for the teacher, you can order your classmates around to fetch water?"

Lin Pianyue sneered, "Let's add something to her water so she'll learn her lesson."

Sanno blinked. "Isn't there a lot of chalk dust on the podium?"

"Stop!" Wen Yan sighed, rubbing her forehead. No wonder they were the cannon fodder squad; they always seemed intent on doing the most obviously bad things. "I want to build a good relationship with her, not poison her. Helping her with a small favor is a good way to get closer to her, isn't it?"

"Don't try anything funny." Wen Yan shook her head, picked up her thermos, and walked out of the classroom.

The three looked at each other, then sat back down in their seats with long faces.

Liu Xirou returned just before class was about to start, her forehead still damp with a thin layer of sweat. She drank large gulps of water and said contentedly, "Thank you, deskmate, I was so thirsty."

Wenyan couldn't help but ask, "You went to help out, but the teacher didn't even give you a glass of water? That's so inhumane."

"I had a small drink in the office, but I'm still so thirsty." Liu Xirou's eyes lit up as if she remembered something. "Hey deskmate, you did really well on your math test, you got 128! That's awesome!"

Wen Yan didn't show it on his face, but he was secretly delighted. He had always been one of the top students in his class since he was a child, and he had seen all kinds of exam questions in his senior year of high school, so this math exam was a piece of cake for him.

The system suddenly popped up: "OOC, Wenyan's grades are very poor, deduct five points."

These words struck Wen Yan like a bolt from the blue. He was speechless with grief. Was it wrong to do well on a test?!

Seeing Wen Yan laughing and about to cry, Liu Xirou asked with concern, "Classmate, what's wrong?"

Wen Yan waved her hand, "It's nothing, I'm just too happy."

He lost ten points in just one morning, and he's fed up. Why should he get five points for a single task, especially since the tasks aren't even that simple? And losing five points for each instance of out-of-character behavior is just too unfair.

Wen Yan complained, "System, do you have any humanity left? I'm already at a negative five points. You neither provide me with specific information about the original owner of this body, nor do you stop my behavior in time. What do you mean by this?"

System: "Sorry, learning to search for information is also one of the ways to test the host."

"The next mission is about to be launched. Please prepare, host."

Judging from the system's approach, the task is bound to be very difficult, but the corresponding bonus points will also be high. Wenyan, who was penalized to negative points, has risen from the ashes; let the storm rage on!

The teacher was explaining the major math exam questions from yesterday's opening day. Logically, Liu Xirou should have been listening attentively and taking notes, but she was lying motionless on the table.

A sense of foreboding welled up in Wen Yan's heart. He lowered his head and asked, "Xi Rou, are you alright?"

Liu Xirou's voice was barely audible, "I feel a bit of a stomachache, and my head is spinning."

Wen Yan brushed aside her hair and saw fine beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. Her face was pale, her eyes were closed, and her lips were purple.

Wen Yan was startled. After calling her several times without getting a response, she quickly raised her hand to indicate, "Teacher, Liu Xirou has fainted!"

The teacher's voice stopped abruptly, and she stepped down from the podium, asking nervously, "What happened?"

Long Chen strode to Liu Xirou's side, his eyes blazing with fury. He gave Wen Yan a warning look, then picked her up and left.

It's inexplicable. Although Liu Xirou was the original owner's rival in love, he wouldn't go so far as to kill her, would he? Besides, Wen Yan has been trying to please her these past two days, how could he suddenly harm her?

Ultimately, it's because the original owner had such a bad reputation, Wen Yan said, pursing her lips.

The classroom buzzed with discussion. Seeing Long Chen's attitude towards Wen Yan, they speculated whether Wen Yan had drugged Liu Xirou. The teacher tapped the blackboard, "Long Chen has already taken Liu Xirou to the school clinic, everyone don't worry. Let's continue the lesson."

Wen Yan took out his phone and sent a message to Long Chen: "How is Liu Xirou? Is she alright?" He had just seen Liu Xirou and she looked very weak, like she had acute gastroenteritis. But Liu Xirou had a very regular lifestyle, and he had heard that her mother was a nutritionist. She should have eaten healthily since she was a child, so how could she have stomach problems?

Her lips are black; could she be poisoned?

Wen Yan sent another message to the Cannon Fodder Team, "You guys didn't do anything bad, did you?" The three of them had just said they wanted to teach Liu Xirou a lesson, and Wen Yan was really afraid that they had done something stupid by using such a strong tactic.

The three quickly replied, "Of course not."

“Now that you’ve mentioned it, Wenyan, we’ve given up on that idea.”

"She's been so high-profile lately, there's no guarantee someone won't try to get her."

Looking around, Wen Yan couldn't think of anyone else besides the four of them who had a grudge against Liu Xirou. In the original book, Liu Xirou was gentle, beautiful, and academically excellent—the undisputed campus goddess. She got along well with everyone and had never been known to have any enemies.

Half an hour later, Wen Yan sent another message to Long Chen. The red exclamation mark and the friend request message indicated that he had been blocked.

Good heavens, Long Aotian really thinks he's the murderer. Wen Yan sensed something was wrong and asked, "System, the task you mentioned isn't to find out who harmed Liu Xirou, is it?"

The system's mechanical voice sounded, "Congratulations, host, for triggering the mission: investigate the poisoning of Liu Xirou."

"That's it? Not even a single clue?" If the system had a physical form, Wen Yan would really want to beat it up.

The system disappeared again, leaving Wenyan with no choice but to accept the mission. This storm had come on far too suddenly.

Many people saw Long Chen carrying Liu Xirou outside, and a crowd gathered outside the classroom to watch the spectacle, discussing who was the murderer who harmed Liu Xirou. Without exception, their suspicions were all directed at Wen Yan.

The scrutinizing and questioning gazes were like needles piercing him. No matter how much he pretended to be indifferent, he was still somewhat uneasy inside. If they couldn't find out who was the murderer who harmed Liu Xirou, he would definitely have to take the blame.

This only made matters worse for their already poor reputation.

Mosa, Sanno, and Lin Pianyue, having done nothing wrong, went outside the classroom aggressively and chased away the onlookers.

Liu Xirou was perfectly normal in the morning. When she went out during the long break, her face was rosy and she showed no signs of poisoning. It was only after she returned from the office that she became abnormal.

Just as Wen Yan was about to get up to go to the office to look for clues, her shoulder was gently pressed. When she looked up, a gentle and refined face came into view. Su Jibai said, "Long Chen took Liu Xirou to the hospital emergency room. The doctor said it was poisoning and they have already given her a stomach lavage."

Poisoning? Wen Yan's pupils constricted sharply. The apple core contained poison. There was no trash can in the classroom; he had wrapped the apple core in a handkerchief and placed it under his drawer that morning. He reached for it, and it was gone.

Wen Yan, who never eats apples, actually ate one this morning. Coupled with his previous actions of making things difficult for Liu Xirou and even fetching water for her, if people knew that Liu Xirou had been poisoned, he would definitely be considered the prime suspect with irrefutable evidence.

He hurriedly unscrewed Liu Xirou's thermos cup. Liu Xirou had drunk all the water inside, leaving only a few drops.

Wen Yan's eyes grew more serious. He took Su Jibai's hand and said, "I didn't poison you. Don't tell anyone else about this yet."