It wasn't until the middle of the night, when the monitoring page was shut down, that Xiang Jingchen called out to Yan Xi. Yan Xi looked at Xiang Jingchen; she hadn't actually fallen asleep. Her mind had been racing, wondering if the current Yao Wanqi wasn't the real one, then where had the genuine Yao Wanqi been hidden by old Mr. Yao?
Yan Xi never would have imagined that Yao Wanqi would commit suicide.
Yan Xi assumed that old Mr. Yao had hidden Yao Wanqi away, intending to use her to threaten Yan Xi.
Xiang Jingchen glanced at Yan Xi. Seeing that the surveillance had been turned off, he finally spoke. "Sister, this room has surveillance. When you were talking to me this afternoon, it was on, so I couldn't respond. Actually, I also noticed something was off with Auntie when I returned. A few days ago, Auntie was still delirious. She told me you were in danger and asked me to save you, which is why I left the Yao family to find you in Yancheng."
Hearing Xiang Jingchen's words, Yan Xi couldn't help but frown. A complex mixture of emotions churned within her.
Yao Wanqi had truly been a dedicated mother. If old Mr. Yao hadn't given away Yan Yi and Yan Xi back then, Yao Wanqi would surely have taken excellent care of them, and they would have been the happiest children. But now, with Yao Wanqi in trouble, Yan Xi couldn't stand by and watch her suffer.
"Jingchen, you also know this Yao Wanqi isn't real, and you noticed something was wrong, didn't you?"
"Yes, I actually sensed something was off when I returned to the Yao family that day. It's just that you were talking so warmly with her, and I didn't want to interrupt. Besides, many people were present, and I didn't want them to know I had discovered the problem, so I didn't say anything."
Hearing Xiang Jingchen say this, Yan Xi's heart felt even heavier. She lowered her head, utterly unaware of Yao Wanqi's whereabouts and deeply worried for her safety.
Yan Xi looked at Xiang Jingchen and asked, "So, does that mean you know about that organization too?"
"Sister, I really don't know about that. I've been abroad for several years; I haven't had the time to inquire about news back home. Besides, I never would have imagined that Auntie's dementia was drug-induced, so I wouldn't have investigated it."
Hearing Xiang Jingchen's reply, Yan Xi frowned. It seemed impossible to get any information about the organization from him.
"Sister, let's search this room thoroughly. I believe if Auntie is in trouble, she must have left us some clues to rescue her."
Xiang Jingchen's words resonated with Yan Xi. She thought the same thing. In the dead of night, while everyone else slept, Yan Xi and Xiang Jingchen began searching for any clues Yao Wanqi might have left behind.
Yan Xi recalled the secret room she had found before. Suddenly, she tugged Xiang Jingchen's sleeve. "I know a place that might have clues. I'll take you."
With that, she led Xiang Jingchen to the master bedroom of Yao Wanqi's room. Yan Xi moved the bed aside, lifted a floorboard, revealing a hole that looked like a secret room. Inside was a large jar filled with folded paper stars.
Xiang Jingchen said casually, "Even though Auntie was delirious, she always had this hobby of folding paper stars. I used to buy thousands of packs of star paper for Yao Wanqi, enough for her to fold stars for a year with each purchase." He didn't think much of these stars.
Yan Xi looked at Xiang Jingchen, her expression changing. Xiang Jingchen noticed her unusual demeanor and asked, "Sister, what's wrong?"
"Last time, I found many stars, and when I opened them, I discovered a secret. These stars are all freshly folded by my mother."
"I know, she folds many stars every day." Xiang Jingchen thought Yan Xi was just too eager for clues and was getting overly excited. He was used to Yao Wanqi folding stars daily; these few stars didn't surprise him at all.
Seeing that Xiang Jingchen didn't believe her, Yan Xi explained further, "It's not what you think, Jingchen. Didn't I just tell you? I took away the stars last time. These stars are newly folded, and there must be some clue inside."
Without waiting for Xiang Jingchen's objection, Yan Xi began to unfold the stars. With so many stars, perhaps guided by Yao Wanqi's spirit or through sheer luck, Yan Xi opened one star and found writing inside.
Yan Xi excitedly grabbed Xiang Jingchen's hand. "Look, there are names of Chinese herbs here." Since it was late and they didn't want to be detected, they hadn't turned on the lights, relying only on the faint glow of their mobile phones. Thus, when Yan Xi opened the star paper, the fluorescent ink was clearly visible.
Seeing that there were indeed words, Xiang Jingchen began to believe Yan Xi. He joined her in unfolding the star papers.
Old Mr. Yao, who had been watching Yan Xi and Xiang Jingchen's every move from the surveillance in his study, could no longer contain his excitement. He knew this would be the outcome. Yao Wanqi had indeed left behind the formula for the drug. He wasn't in a hurry, waiting for Yan Xi and Xiang Jingchen to finish unfolding all the star papers. There were at least a hundred types of medicine.
Xiang Jingchen looked at Yan Xi and asked, "Sister, seeing these names of Chinese herbs, do you know what they mean?"
"I had a double major in college: Business Management and Medicine."
Hearing Yan Xi's reply, Xiang Jingchen asked again, "Then do you know what these Chinese herbs mean?"
"I do, but I'll need your cooperation." Yao Wanqi had left hundreds of Chinese herbs, but many shared the same meaning despite different names, or their names had changed and were no longer in current use. Yao Wanqi likely did this to prevent the secret from being discovered. This was probably the formula for the drug that caused dementia, as Fu Yanting had mentioned.
Yan Xi's heart was filled with mixed emotions. Old Mr. Yao was Yao Wanqi's own father. How could he be so cruel to his own daughter? The Yao family members were truly unfortunate. Yan Xi was now incredibly glad that she had sent Yan Yi abroad early; even old Mr. Yao couldn't find Yan Yi. If Yan Yi had returned to the Yao family with Yan Xi... Yan Xi couldn't bear to think further.
In his study, old Mr. Yao stared intently at the monitor, afraid of missing any detail. Yan Xi categorized the Chinese herbs, removing redundant and duplicate names. Finally, only fifty medicines remained. Yan Xi knew there were still redundancies among these fifty, but from now on, she would have to rely on her own wit to decipher them.