That meal tasted like sawdust to Xu Ruyi and Auntie Feng.
Apart from the oblivious Little Pear, the three adults each harbored their own thoughts.
Old He's conversation persistently swept through dangerous territory.
"You'd never seen your father's will before? He never mentioned making one? With so many assets, he never breathed a word, just left them confidently for you and Qin Guan to own jointly. He really did trust Qin Guan completely, didn't he?"
"Trusting his son-in-law, giving so much… no wonder Qin Guan was so heartbroken when your father passed. I heard Qin Guan handled the funeral arrangements then, right? By the way, what about the wheelchair that caused the accident? Did you keep it? Or did Qin Guan throw it away? Throwing it away makes sense; after all, it was the culprit that caused your father's crash."
"I heard Qin Guan also handled all the arrangements after your mother's passing? Relatives said he kowtowed until his head bled, right? Qin Guan truly was a good son-in-law. He treated your mother like his own blood."
"Qin Guan said your father actually knew about him and Qi Min long before. Your father never mentioned it to you, right? Hmm, if true, I can understand. He wanted to spare your feelings. Parents everywhere are like this, preferring to shoulder the pain themselves rather than let their children bear even a little. The heart of a parent, indeed."
Each sentence, each word, poked directly at the most sensitive places in Xu Ruyi's heart.
Xu Ruyi forced herself to endure, responding intermittently.
She was now certain: Old He suspected her. He had been investigating her thoroughly behind the scenes. But she had no idea what exactly he had uncovered.
His constant mentions of her parents—was he probing her motive? Trying to find her weak spot?
Clearly, he had no evidence, only conjecture.
If he had evidence, he wouldn't be sitting here, wasting time with "casual chat," awkwardly imposing on a meal under the guise of friendship, probing bit by bit.
If Old He had found even a shred of evidence – even just about that phone call – Xu Ruyi would likely be having this "chat" down at the station by now.
Her heart filled with trepidation, she finally endured until the meal was over.
Leaving the child with Auntie Feng, Xu Ruyi drove Old He to Jiayuan Residential Complex.
"You seem very close with Auntie Feng," Old He continued his casual conversation once seated in the passenger seat.
"I see she treats you and the child well. Hardworking, capable, keeps the house spotless, even dusting under the child's bed. A rare, excellent nanny."
Xu Ruyi remained silent, waiting for him to continue.
"I heard Feng Zhi is going abroad for two years next semester?" Old He smiled. "Studying abroad is expensive. My son went too; his grandparents covered almost all the costs. Honestly, I wanted to pay—I'm his biological father, how could I let the grandparents shoulder it? But I couldn't afford it. My salary wouldn't even cover his living expenses."
"I'm the one paying for him," Xu Ruyi's heart was in her throat, so she simply admitted it.
"Auntie Feng has been with my family for a long time, took great care of my parents. She raised me since I was little and now takes care of my daughter. With so many years of affection, I practically see her as family, and she feels the same. My father always told me to provide for Auntie Feng in her old age. So, when she faced difficulty, I had to help. When Xiao Zhi mentioned getting the study abroad spot, I told them both: Go, definitely go. Such a great opportunity. As for the money, don't worry, I'll cover it. He can pay me back slowly after graduation."
"Ah, I see. That's good, that's good." Old He nodded, smiling.
His smile was relaxed and open, devoid of any probing intent.
The apartment at Jiayuan Complex had also been tidied up.
In both places, everything related to Qin Guan had been thrown out by Xu Ruyi—she wanted no trace of that man in her sight.
Turning on the lights, the first thing Xu Ruyi saw was the photo of her parents placed on the TV cabinet.
Instantly, her nose stung.
Here, facing her parents' smiling faces, it was always hard to control the surging emotions within her.
But she had to control them.
Old He seemed oblivious to her reaction. He looked around the apartment carefully, commenting seriously on the layout. "This place is really nice. Great light, good airflow. I heard you grew up here? Good, very good!"
He had clearly been here several times before.
"Your parents took quite a few photos, didn't they? They had a good relationship, right? Are these your childhood toys? Was this little piano bought for you too? You can tell your parents truly doted on you, always giving you the best. Such a pity they left so early…"
Xu Ruyi's eyes grew hot.
She knew Old He was deliberately steering the conversation, but she couldn't stop him.
"I remember this is the spot where your mother had her accident. Not long ago we mistakenly thought it might be the crime scene. By the way, when your mother passed, the police didn't come to check, right? Definitely not. I saw in the file you didn't report it, couldn't have reported it. Sudden illness, completely unpredictable."
"I recall Qin Guan mentioning once that your mother collapsed right by this bedroom door."
Old He walked into the bedroom, his gaze sharp as lightning, meticulously scanning every inch.
His eyes naturally landed on the old bloodstain near the bedroom door—the one Qin Guan had kicked open.
Xu Ruyi had not cleaned this bloodstain.
Since Qin Guan's arrest, she hadn't touched any of this. Xiao Zhi had advised that any strange actions should wait until Qin Guan's case was settled to avoid suspicion.
She hadn't repainted that patch of wall.
There was no need to, because throughout the entire interrogation process, Qin Guan had never revealed this detail to anyone—Old He had never asked about it.
During subsequent investigations, officers had asked about the bloodstain. Xu Ruyi had always shaken her head—her mother's death had no evidence to pin on Qin Guan. Why bring it up and complicate things?
Mentioning it would be digging her own grave—having this motive would make the police suspect her.
But now, Old He was asking about it.
Had Qin Guan told him?
Why would Qin Guan say that? Would he admit to this? Prefer to admit killing her mother just to drag Xu Ruyi down?
Impossible. Qin Guan never did things that inflicted far more damage on himself than the enemy—two murders meant a certain death sentence.
Therefore, Old He must have guessed it.
This seemingly disheveled, middle-aged man was no longer fixated on the dead ends of "Zeng Demei" or Xiao Zhi. He had carved a new path, digging from the very source.
Motive.
Xu Ruyi's motive for doing all of this.
"This bloodstain looks like vomit splatter," Old He remarked. It wasn't actually his first time seeing it—the first time was when officers discovered the stain and reported it. Forensic personnel concluded it was over three years old, ruling out any connection to Qi Min, so Old He hadn't pursued it.
This time, he examined it seriously.
He crouched down, studied it for a moment, frowned in thought, then looked up at Xu Ruyi. "Is this the blood your mother vomited the day she died?"
Had he guessed? How? Or had he suspected all along and come today to verify? What was the purpose of verifying?
Xu Ruyi didn't know.
"I recall your mother died of a sudden cerebral hemorrhage. Qin Guan said so too. But… do you believe it?"
He stood up, looking directly at Xu Ruyi's pale face.
What did he mean?
Xu Ruyi forced down the turmoil in her heart, swallowing the grief and fury surging within her.
Old He seemed not to notice, his words piercing deeper into Xu Ruyi's core. "Your mother wasn't even 60 when she passed. Sure, she had high blood pressure and some underlying conditions, but such an accident shouldn't have happened. Didn't you ever suspect… that her death might be related to Qin Guan?"