Chen Ling's voice carried an icy composure, his gaze fixed intently on her as though silently gauging whether she had fully understood.
Yaxi, however, seemed lost in thought.
"So that's why this ingredient is slipped into sleep aids and other psychiatric medications. Even if users grow addicted and buy more, they'd dismiss it as a typical side effect. But since hospitals dispense only regulated amounts, users can't get their hands on extra doses without turning to black markets. The producers rake in obscene profits, don't they?"
Chen Ling hadn't expected her to piece it together so quickly.
He had merely hinted at one thread, yet she had already unraveled the entire tapestry.
"All of this has nothing to do with us anymore," Chen Ling said, attempting to downplay the matter. "I'll destroy these pills. Go back to the hospital and refill your prescription as instructed. By the way, could you give me the contact information for the doctor who prescribed them? I'd like to look into something."
He wanted to determine whether this was an isolated act or part of a broader institutional issue.
"Well…" Yaxi tilted her head, feigning reluctance. "I suppose I could share the contact info. But how will you reach out? You don't even own a phone."
She couldn't resist another playful jab at his refusal to accept the phone she'd once offered him.
To her surprise, Chen Ling smiled faintly and moved the bag of sleeping pills aside. Beneath it lay an iPhone—the same model he had used years ago.
Yaxi would recognize that phone anywhere.
Countless times during lunch breaks, she had passed by his classroom and caught him brazenly skipping class.
The school corridors would be eerily silent, deserted, and there he'd be, striding up the stairs with exaggerated nonchalance, phone in hand, taking three steps at a time—always heading toward the rooftop.
Even the top student in the grade secretly brought his phone to school.
His white shirt would flutter as he turned the corner, and Yaxi, drawn like a moth to a flame, would change her destination from the restroom to the rooftop, following him up. It almost felt romantic.
Rare were the moments when Chen Ling allowed himself to loosen up at school, much like when he played in the band: gaming and listening to music on the rooftop, smoking by the lake in the garden, crushing water bottles and dousing himself at the finish line of long-distance races.
And soon, there would be many more such moments—scattered across every corner of the school, moments of intimacy with her.
Yaxi's eyelid twitched as she stared at the phone.
She had a strange premonition that this "soon" was drawing nearer than she had anticipated.
"Where did you get this?" she asked. "You met Uncle Zhang, didn't you?"
Chen Ling nodded.
Yaxi rubbed her temples. Chen Ling was so insistent about destroying the medication and had even asked for the doctor's contact details.
"Looking into it"—if it were just a trivial matter, he wouldn't bother. He was already in a precarious position; why waste energy on something unrelated?
After Christmas Eve, it would be time for Chen Ling and her to return to school. Now he was in a hurry to meet Uncle Zhang and retrieve his phone. Uncle Zhang, the Chen family, the medication… counterfeit drugs?
Chen Youqi had been arrested for tax evasion, but wasn't there another charge mentioned in the news? Selling counterfeit medicinal wine.
A sudden realization struck Yaxi, and she snatched the bag of sleeping pills from his hand. "Chen Ling," she called, her lips curving into a mischievous smile, her eyes sparkling brilliantly.
"The counterfeit medicinal wine your family sold—it wasn't actually counterfeit, was it? It was laced with 'Herong,' wasn't it?"
Suddenly, Chen Ling's heart began to race, and the ringing in his ears grew deafening, almost drowning out Yaxi's next words.
He had intended to dissuade her from taking the medication, so he hadn't planned to lie. He thought she was clever enough to figure it out eventually, but he hadn't expected her to connect the dots so soon.
All he could see was her sly, triumphant grin and her gleaming cat-like eyes.
Seeing Chen Ling stunned, Yaxi pressed her advantage, slowly laying out her reasoning:
"Tax evasion was just the official story. 'Herong' has only recently been discovered, and its effects and consequences haven't been fully understood. Publicizing it recklessly would only amplify its notoriety, encouraging more people to exploit it.
Your family runs high-end catering, and the medicinal wine was perfect for building connections at banquets attended by the elite. But because these gatherings drew influential figures, others saw the business opportunity and sought to collaborate. After all, the production and distribution of 'Herong' required additional resources.
And the person who broke your leg… was one of them, wasn't he?"