Chapter 28
“What were you up to just now, Yu Chencheng?” He Zhen noticed the juice stain at the corner of Yu Chen’s mouth. There was a teasing note in his voice, and he already knew the answer in his heart.
“Nothing at all.” Yu Chen’s eyelashes trembled guiltily. Sitting on the sofa, he swung his little legs and shook his head as if he had no idea what He Zhen was talking about.
Li Huan lifted his eyes toward the refrigerator and instantly understood. After wiping Yu Chen’s mouth clean, he sat down beside Xiao Yu’s butler and stopped disturbing the children while they played.
Among all the players at the murder mystery game, He Zhen and the others were the youngest. When the staff handed them the plot summary, one of them joked, “If there are any characters you don’t recognize, you can ask me for help.”
Puffing out his cheeks, Yu Chen said in a boastful little tone, “No need. My boss is super smart. He knows every single Chinese character.”
The staff member in charge of guiding them could not help pinching Yu Chen’s round little face. “Oh? He knows every character? Your boss is really amazing.”
Yu Chen was immensely proud. Hugging He Zhen’s arm, he rubbed against it hard, showing off how close the two of them were.
He Zhen’s ears turned red from the praise. Taking on the role of reader, he began reading the script aloud to the group. “The script is called Mid-Autumn Family Feast. It tells the story of a household in the Song Dynasty. After celebrating Mid-Autumn Festival, they all die under mysterious circumstances…”
Though Yu Chen had claimed he was not afraid of ghosts, as the story unfolded, he still grew so scared that he shrank into He Zhen’s arms like a plump little quail, too frightened to even open his eyes.
“So we have to figure out the real reason this family died?” Xiao Yu stroked his chin in an effort to look cool. “Maybe there was something wrong with the food.”
Fang Jingrao nodded. “Definitely!”
“How could there be something wrong with the food? I don’t believe it!” Yu Chen said to the staff member, “Boss! Please serve us the dishes from that day.”
The staff member hesitated. “Uh… we don’t have them.”
Tilting his little head, Yu Chen pressed him, “If you don’t bring out the big crab, the big pork knuckle, and the giant meatballs, how are we supposed to know whether they were poisoned?”
The staff member scratched his head anxiously. “Little friend, those dishes really can’t be served.”
Spreading out his hands, Yu Chen declared, “Then we’ve solved the case! The murderer is that plate of pork knuckle.”
The corners of the staff member’s mouth twitched visibly. “You guessed wrong. The murderer is not that plate of pork knuckle.”
Yu Chen pressed on, “Then bring the pork knuckle over. Otherwise we don’t believe you.”
That logic amused Li Huan so much he laughed out loud. After giving it serious thought, the other children also felt that what Yu Chen said somehow made sense, and they all began chirping at the staff member for the Mid-Autumn feast dishes.
“How about this, kids.” The staff member put on a stern expression. “I’ll give you a free hint, and then you stop asking me for pork knuckle, okay?”
As the lead debater of the discussion, Yu Chen naturally had absolute authority. “Okay then.”
“The first clue is this: have a glass of the juice in the fridge. After you finish drinking, count how many glasses of juice are left. That number is the number of murderers, and it is also the password to the room next door.”
After saying that, the staff member smiled as he looked over this group of little children who had no idea what they were getting into.
In this murder mystery game, the hardest clue to crack was the number of murderers. There were actually four murderers in the story, but his coworker was secretly working with him from inside the fridge to mislead players into thinking there were five. Many children got scared and ran away at this very stage.
Who would not be frightened by a mysteriously extra glass of juice?
Just as he was wondering when these kids would finally get scared off, that chubby child who had argued with him earlier suddenly said, “No need to look, everyone. There are four cups inside.”
The staff member froze. “How is that possible?”
“How is it not possible?” Yu Chen poked his fingers together, terrified that the others might find out he had drunk six cups of juice. “Go look if you don’t believe me. There are four cups left.”
He Zhen spoke up. “I believe you. No need to check.”
Embarrassed, Yu Chen kissed He Zhen’s palm and stuck to him like a sticky rice cake. “You’re so nice~”
The staff member shuddered from the mushiness and immediately ran into the kitchen to open the refrigerator.
Inside the refrigerator, his coworker’s resentful eyes slowly met his own.
He asked, “What exactly happened?”
His coworker said pitifully, “That chubby kid drank six of my drinks! And he wasn’t scared at all. He probably thought it was a gift from heaven!”
Silently, the staff member closed the fridge door and sighed at Yu Chen’s back.
The first real code-breaker of the game had probably arrived.
Usually, very few children could get past just this stage.
With Yu Chen’s godlike assist, the group easily opened the password lock to the room next door.
It was a death scene from a Mid-Autumn family banquet.
Nine people were slumped around a huge round table.
And the murderers were hidden among them.
“Why would the murderers also die?” Xiao Yu voiced his confusion. Feeling a little dizzy, He Zhen sat in a chair and quietly studied the lifelike plaster figures before him. “Maybe when they poisoned the others, they accidentally poisoned themselves too.”
At first Yu Chen had been scared by the ferocious expressions on the wax figures, but once he remembered they were fake, he tiptoed closer.
The staff member had been watching Yu Chen the whole time, thinking that this chubby little boy really had strong nerves. He was actually pretty brave.
Yu Chen stopped in front of a man in blue robes whose arms were full of silver ingots, picked up a gold ingot, and asked, “Uncle, can I take this with me?”
The staff member nearly fainted from anger. “No, you cannot!”
“Oh.” Yu Chen obediently put the gold ingot back. “When my uncle gets old, all his teeth will definitely fall out. I wanted to use this to make him a big gold tooth!”
Li Huan had been smiling, but after hearing that, he immediately pressed his lips together awkwardly.
“I know who the murderers are now.” Yu Chen patted the dirt off his hands and puffed out his chubby cheeks. “It’s these four!”
He Zhi’an and Xiao Yu immediately crowded around him and asked together, “Why?”
The staff member squeezed forward too. He discovered that the four people Yu Chen pointed out really were the ones who had intended to commit murder that night. But to clear the game, they also had to explain why the murderers had all died together.
Yu Chen pointed at the pouches hanging from their waists. “They’re carrying bags because they wanted to pack up the leftovers and take them home to eat! So they’re not the hosts. They’re guests!”
Xiao Yu walked over and counted. Sure enough, there were four people carrying bags. He could not help seeing Yu Chen in a whole new light. “Yu Chen, you’re really smart.”
Yu Chen smiled proudly and asked the staff member, “Did we get it right?”
The staff member nodded with difficulty. “Sort of. But you still have to tell me why these murderers also died.”
Yu Chen gave a mysterious smile. “They starved to death.”
The staff member: “???”
Yu Chen pointed at the bowls in front of them. “Look at their bowls. There’s barely any food in them. They probably starved to death.”
He Zhen’s train of thought had been completely led astray by Yu Chen. Originally, he had guessed the murderers’ bags were for carrying off gold and silver, but after hearing Yu Chen’s reasoning, it did sound a little plausible.
The staff member felt a lump of frustration in his chest, but forced himself to stay calm. “They did not starve to death! That answer is wrong!”
In the actual script, after killing their employer, the four murderers had planned to eat their fill and then leave with the gold and silver. But one of them became greedy and took this chance to poison the other three, hoping to keep all the wealth for himself. Unexpectedly, all four had their own schemes, and each secretly poisoned certain dishes and drinks. By pure accident, they all ended up consuming the poisoned food and wine.
“Could it be that these four wanted to rob the place?” He Zhen offered his reasoning. “And then they argued over how to split the loot?”
Xiao Yu said seriously, “What He Zhen said makes sense too. So the four murderers fought each other?”
Yu Chen slapped his forehead. “Look at their expressions. They look just like me when I get a stomachache after eating something bad.”
When it came to eating, no one had more experience than Yu Chen. And honestly, this time even the staff member nodded in agreement with Yu Chen’s reasoning.
This chubby child really was observant. He was actually quite meticulous.
“But why would they eat poisoned food? Didn’t they poison it themselves?” Xiao Yu asked in confusion.
“I know!” Yu Chen beamed and looked at the staff member expectantly. “Because with money, you can buy lots of delicious food. The murderers all poisoned each other so they could buy even more yummy things. Then one person could have four shares of tasty food. Was I right?”
Though the staff member was extremely unwilling, he still nodded stiffly. “Congratulations. You’ve cleared the level.”
He Zhen was delighted. He patted Yu Chen on the head. “Yu Chencheng, you’re really smart.”
And just like that, a completely bewildered Xiao Yu went home clutching 8,888 yuan in cash after clearing a murder mystery game that had nothing whatsoever to do with actual deduction.
After the murder mystery game was over, Xiao Yu, having received his prize, invited Yu Chen and the others to the rooftop terrace of his family villa for an outdoor barbecue.
It was Yu Chen’s first time eating BBQ. With one skewer in each hand, he took only ten minutes to become the undisputed number one in empty skewers.
By contrast, He Zhen looked drained from beginning to end. He had not touched a single bite of meat in his bowl, and his whole body radiated fatigue. His complexion was paler than usual too.
Usually, even though He Zhen himself did not eat much, just watching Yu Chen eat heartily would put him in a good mood. But today, He Zhen did not even have the energy to watch Yu Chen.
“Boss, what’s wrong?”
Noticing something was off, Yu Chen quickly put down his skewers. “You look so tired.”
Resting his chin on his hand, He Zhen murmured quietly, “I had a nightmare yesterday.”
“What kind of nightmare?” Yu Chen slept like the dead, so when He Zhen got up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom or moved around, he normally never noticed.
“Nothing much. Just some scary things.” He Zhen closed his eyes and leaned weakly against the chair.
“I won’t sleep tonight.” Seeing He Zhen looking as if he were sick, Yu Chen lost all interest in food. “I’ll protect you tonight. Then you won’t have nightmares anymore.”
He Zhen gave him a faintly disdainful look. “You’ll protect me? You sleep even more soundly than a little pig.”
Xiao Yu and Fang Jingrao laughed. Fang Jingrao said, “Boss, did you dream about ghosts? Could it be because of that murder mystery game we played?”
He Zhen replied, “No.” At the mention of it, his heartbeat involuntarily sped up. “It’s just… things I can’t really describe. Sometimes, I hear someone talking by my ear.”
“But I wasn’t talking?” Yu Chen frowned with his chubby little face, blaming himself. “Boss, was it because I talk in my sleep and disturbed you?” His plump white hand covered his mouth. “From now on, I’ll sleep with my mouth covered.”
After a moment’s hesitation, He Zhen said, “It wasn’t you talking.”
He Zhi’an looked utterly confused. “Then was it Uncle Li?”
He Zhen shook his head. After a pause, he said, “That voice… sounded like my mom.”
That sentence completely terrified the other children.
Everyone knew that He Zhen’s mother had died a long time ago.
Though Yu Chen was scared too, he still bravely grabbed He Zhen’s hand. “Boss! Auntie must miss you. Did you talk to her?”
“Talk to her?” He Zhen’s pale brown eyes flickered with hesitation. “I didn’t think of that.”
Yu Chen smiled brightly. “Next time, you can talk to Auntie and tell her my name is Yu Chen. I’m your little brother.”
A trace of uncertainty appeared in He Zhen’s light brown eyes, but after a moment, he nodded firmly. “Okay!”
To the servants in the Xiao household, that conversation sounded rather explosive.
Chatting with your dead mother in the middle of the night?
Were kids these days really this brave?
After thinking for a bit, Xiao Yu offered his suggestion. “He Zhen, do you want to go to the hospital?”
He Zhen replied, “Mm. Dr. George is coming to my house the day after tomorrow.”
Fang Jingrao handed the skewer he had just grilled to Yu Chen, but Yu Chen slowly shook his head. “I’m not eating anymore.”
Fang Jingrao scratched his head. “Your appetite is really small today.”
Yu Chen drooped his little head, his eyes full of worry. “Boss isn’t feeling well. I can’t eat.”
Hearing that, He Zhen forced himself up a little. “Yu Chencheng, I’m fine. Eat your food.”
Pouting, Yu Chen said listlessly, “Boss, I’m not eating. I’ll go home with you and keep you company, okay?”
He Zhen nodded. He really did feel terrible. He was so sleepy and exhausted that all he wanted to do was sleep.
When they got home that afternoon, He Zhen fell into a deep sleep. At dinner time, Yu Chen called beside his ear for ages, but He Zhen still did not wake up.
Yu Chen was very worried about He Zhen’s condition, so he called over Li Huan, who happened to be off duty that day, and repeated everything that had happened.
After hearing it, Li Huan’s expression turned even more serious. After comforting Yu Chen a little, he took out his phone and called for Dr. George to come earlier.
Ever since Yu Chen had come to the He family, He Zhen had fallen sick only a handful of times. The last time he had a serious cold was three years ago, when Yu Chen had just arrived.
Seeing He Zhen lying there on the bed, thin and small, with no response at all, Yu Chen secretly wiped away his tears. No matter how Li Huan coaxed him, he refused to eat dinner. He would only feel reassured after Dr. George came and prescribed medicine for He Zhen.
About two hours later, Dr. George’s assistant hurried over. George himself was in England and could not arrive until the morning after tomorrow at the earliest.
The assistant’s surname was Li. After drawing a simple blood sample from He Zhen, he woke him up. Yu Chen quickly climbed onto the bed and leaned close to He Zhen’s ear. “Boss, the doctor is here. You have to answer his questions properly, or he won’t be able to give you medicine.”
Propped against the headboard, the color in He Zhen’s face had faded even more. He struggled to lift his exhausted eyelids, then suddenly asked, “Who’s talking?”
Doctor Li’s heart sank. He had a bad feeling about this.
Yu Chen answered innocently, “Boss, it’s me talking. Do you still remember me?”
He Zhen slowly looked at Yu Chen, parted his lips weakly, and said, “I heard it. I heard my mother’s voice.”
“Ah!” Yu Chen was just about to speak when Li Huan gently picked him up. “Chencheng, let Doctor Li examine Xiao Zhen first.”
Yu Chen nodded, his little face full of anxiety.
Doctor Li took out an assessment form and a pen and began asking He Zhen questions according to standard procedure.
Time seemed to slow all of a sudden.
Yu Chen waited and waited, but the doctor still had not prescribed anything for He Zhen.
He Zhen was already in poor spirits to begin with. After holding on for an hour, his pupils gradually unfocused, and in the end he simply fell asleep again without responding anymore.
Pushing up his glasses, Doctor Li said to Li Huan, “I have a few suspicions about the young master’s illness, but I need to rule out pathological causes first. We’ll have to wait for the blood test results.”
Li Huan nodded. “Thank you for your trouble.”
Yu Chen anxiously tugged at Doctor Li’s coat. “Doctor Uncle, when can my boss take medicine?”
Doctor Li touched his chubby little face. “I still don’t know exactly what illness the young master has, so he can’t take medicine casually.”
Yu Chen began sobbing softly, so anxious that even his voice changed. “Then when will Boss get better? He’s already unconscious!”
Doctor Li tried to soothe him. “Don’t worry. The young master will get better very soon.”
After Doctor Li left, Yu Chen sat at He Zhen’s bedside with tearful eyes, feeling so miserable that he could not eat a single bite.
Pouting, he could not understand how his boss, who had been perfectly fine, had suddenly gotten sick.
When people caught a cold, did they not just get a runny nose?
Then why had Boss become like Sleeping Beauty, unable to wake up once he got sick?
Late that night, Li Huan slept in He Zhen’s room with Yu Chen.
Yu Chen shared a bed with He Zhen, while Li Huan made do on the sofa.
At two in the morning, the clock chimed.
He Zhen suddenly opened his eyes. His forehead was covered in cold sweat. “Yu Chencheng! Yu Chencheng, where are you? My mother is calling me.”
That night, Yu Chen had behaved especially well when sleeping. He had deliberately forced himself to stay alert, swearing he would protect He Zhen until dawn. So the moment He Zhen jolted awake, Yu Chen sprang upright like a little carp.
“Boss! I’m here!”
Hearing the sound, Li Huan hurried over too.
“Xiao Zhen, do you want some water?”
He Zhen licked his dry lips, his eyes vacant. “Someone is talking to me! Someone is talking to me!”
He covered his ears and shook his head desperately, as though trying to fling the voice away. But no matter how much he struggled, the voice still clung to him.
There was a woman’s voice, and a man’s voice too.
Yu Chen pursed his lips, and tears fell in a broken line onto the blanket.
As Li Huan held the struggling He Zhen, the worry in his eyes deepened. Tomorrow, he absolutely had to report this to Old Master He. This was no simple matter.
After a whole night of turmoil, Li Huan coaxed He Zhen for a long time before he finally drifted into a light sleep.
Yu Chen sat on the bed sniffling, his big eyes red like a little rabbit’s. It was not until dawn that he finally dozed off.
As soon as day broke, Li Huan reported everything to Old Master He.
Although Old Master He was not feeling well himself, he still came by car to White Rose Manor. At the same time, Doctor Chen rushed over with the test results.
“What? Why would He Zhen have taken this kind of drug?” Old Master He flew into a rage after hearing Doctor Chen’s report. “Can you tell how long he’s been taking it?”
Doctor Chen speculated, “This chemical compound can cause incoherent speech, auditory hallucinations, and visual hallucinations. With long-term use, a person’s mental state will deteriorate. Judging from the young master’s current symptoms, he probably hasn’t been taking it for more than a month.”
Old Master He exploded immediately. “Investigate! Find out everything!”
Li Huan nodded and urgently summoned all the bodyguards in the manor, lining up all the staff in the hall to be questioned.
When Yu Chen heard that someone had poisoned He Zhen, he clung to him in fear. He had thought the only truly bad people in this book were He Jingtai and He Jingcheng. He never expected that a bad person could be hiding right inside their own home.
The entire manor fell into chaos.
This investigation was extremely strict. Everyone’s online medication purchase records were pulled up, the servants who took care of He Zhen personally were questioned separately, and the kitchen and other places were searched even more rigorously.
Ever since the disturbance in the middle of the night, He Zhen had not woken up again.
Old Master He had a splitting headache. He was trembling with rage, determined to drag out whoever had poisoned him.
Looking over tiredly, he noticed that Yu Chen had been holding He Zhen’s head in his arms the whole time, pressing his little head tightly against him.
According to Li Huan, from last night until now, Yu Chen had not eaten a single bite. His eyes were swollen from crying.
Old Master He felt a deep ache in his heart, and a great deal of guilt.
It was all his fault. He had not taken proper care of He Zhen.
He Jingyue had been his most beloved son, but after suffering that son’s betrayal and becoming bedridden from lingering illness, he had ended up giving his neglect to his young grandson instead.
He Zhen looked far too much like He Jingyue. Even their temperaments as children had been exactly the same. Because He Zhen had not wanted to get close to him, he had used the excuse of toughening the boy up and neglected him in return.
But he had forgotten that He Zhen was only a child.
Old Master He’s eyes slowly reddened. He said to Yu Chen, “Child, go eat something. Xiao Zhen will not wake up for a long time.”
Yu Chen pouted miserably. “Grandpa, how long? Chencheng wants to wait until Boss wakes up and eat with him.”
Old Master He’s voice caught slightly. “Grandpa doesn’t know either.”
Burying his chubby little face in the pillow, Yu Chen whimpered. Only after Old Master He persuaded him again did he finally twist his little bottom and go look for something to eat.
A moment later, Li Huan and the assistant reported the investigation results to Old Master He.
At present, none of the food or water sources in the manor had any issues. Samples of all three of He Zhen’s daily meals had also tested normal. The next step was to examine tableware and personal items.
Glancing at Yu Chen, who was eating a sausage, Old Master He’s assistant voiced his opinion. “If we want to narrow the range and quickly find the poisoned carrier, we could try drawing young master Yu Chen’s blood.”
Logically speaking, He Zhen and Yu Chen ate and slept together. Even He Zhen’s nutritional supplements were shared with Yu Chen. If someone wanted to poison him, it should not have affected only He Zhen.
Old Master He looked toward Li Huan, as though asking for his opinion.
“Take my blood!”
Yu Chen rolled up his little sweater without hesitation, exposing his plump little arm. “As long as it can save Boss, Chencheng isn’t afraid of pain!”
Old Master He was moved. “Thank you, little chubby Chencheng.”
Yu Chen pursed his lips solemnly and followed the doctor off for the blood draw.
Very soon, the results came back.
There were no abnormal substances in Yu Chen’s blood at all. He was perfectly healthy. This made the direction of the investigation much clearer: they needed to focus specifically on things only He Zhen had eaten or used on his own.
During this time, He Zhen woke up once. After seeing that both Grandpa and Yu Chen were there keeping watch over him, he drifted back to sleep with peace of mind.
And so two days passed.
At last, the investigators found the same compound in He Zhen’s cup. The manor’s drinking water all came from the same pipeline, and no one else had been affected, which meant the problem lay with the cup itself.
But even after replacing the cup, He Zhen’s condition did not improve. Instead, his mental state only worsened, and even the IV drips were useless.
Because of his anxiety and anger, Old Master He’s usually well-controlled blood pressure suddenly shot up. In the middle of the night, four or five doctors had to be called in to treat him.
News of He Zhen’s illness had been tightly sealed off. Before the truth came out, Old Master He remained wary of all his children. So this time, when he himself fell ill, not a single one of them came to visit.
Because He Zhen’s condition kept relapsing, Yu Chen had literally lost three pounds. His little bottom had visibly flattened.
When Dr. George conducted a follow-up examination, the test results stunned everyone.
After several days of investigation, the abnormal substance in He Zhen’s body had not decreased in the slightest. On the contrary, it had only increased.
Old Master He was furious.
That meant someone was still poisoning He Zhen right under his nose.
For the past several days, Li Huan had stayed up day and night taking care of He Zhen, hoping only that the child would recover soon. When he saw the test results, Li Huan nearly broke down. Holding Yu Chen, who was crying his eyes out, he choked up slightly.
“At present, there is only one solution.” Old Master He’s assistant, He Heng, spoke slowly. “Temporarily take the young master away from here and let him recuperate somewhere else. It would be best if only Butler Li goes with him.”
“But…”
Although this method was the fastest way to get He Zhen effective treatment, it only addressed the symptoms, not the root of the problem.
The moment Yu Chen heard this, he grabbed his little backpack and ran back to the family quarters. In a rush, he stuffed all his luggage and toys inside, terrified that Li Huan might leave him behind.
As he cried, Yu Chen smacked his own little head.
There was just too much plot in this book!
No matter how hard he tried to think, he could not remember how exactly He Zhen had been poisoned. Maybe the author had never described it, or maybe it was something beyond the original plot. Yu Chen’s little shoulders trembled as he kept cursing those villains under his breath.
Inside the bedroom, Li Huan was packing He Zhen’s things. When he saw Yu Chen standing in the doorway with a tiny backpack on his back, he waved him over. “Don’t worry, Chencheng. Wherever Uncle goes, I’m taking you with me.”
Yu Chen nodded hard, put down his little backpack, and started helping Li Huan pack He Zhen’s luggage.
Turning his head, he looked at He Zhen, who was growing thinner by the day. His throat had gone hoarse from crying, so dry he could barely speak.
Walking over to He Zhen, he gently touched his cheek. “Boss, let’s leave together. I’ll stay with you forever.”
The more Yu Chen spoke, the sadder he became. Sniffling and sucking in his runny nose, his throat grew even drier from all the crying, and he wanted to pour himself a cup of water.
All the cups in the room had already been destroyed, so Yu Chen had no other choice. He planned to drink straight from the tap instead. It was not as if this was the first time he had done that.
On either side of the large bed stood a direct-drinking water dispenser. They had built-in filter cartridges and could draw drinking water directly from the kitchen supply. Each child had one, which made it very convenient for late-night drinks.
Because Yu Chen usually liked to put his mouth right on the spout and suck from it, He Zhen never allowed Yu Chen to use his dispenser, and Yu Chen had even argued back about it before. But today Yu Chen was too tired to care about He Zhen’s rules. Sneaking a glance at him, he leaned toward He Zhen’s faucet.
Tilting his little head with practiced ease, Yu Chen opened his mouth and was just about to suck on the water spout when he suddenly noticed countless tiny white particles stuck to the inside of the narrow pipe.
His eyes widened. He quickly picked at them, and seven or eight little pellets that looked like medicine balls immediately tumbled out.
A serious look suddenly came over Yu Chen’s chubby little face. Clutching the small pellets in both hands, he hurried to Li Huan. “Uncle! What is this? I picked it out from Boss’s water faucet!”
“The faucet?”
In the middle of packing, Li Huan took the pellets and examined them closely. Urgency flashed in his eyes. “Chencheng! Hurry and tell Grandpa!”
