Chapter 1: Poisoned Chocolate

The company building where Xia Wuyou worked was located in the city center’s CBD. The entire tower housed numerous renowned enterprises and firms. Every morning, as Xia Wuyou arrived at work, she would see a stream of professionals weaving through the building.

Compared to those tall, impeccably dressed, and exquisitely made-up beauties, Xia Wuyou's own appearance was almost pitiable.

“Wuyou, how do you plan to spend Valentine’s Day this year?”

Her colleague Fina, ever the gossip, asked curiously.

“How else? I’m a proud single! I’m my own Valentine. So far, no one has yet caught my eye.”

Without even glancing at Fina, Xia Wuyou raised her chin haughtily, as if she cared for no one.

“Hmph! You say that because nobody’s celebrating with you,” Fina retorted, feeling bored, and wheeled her chair back to her desk, where she touched up her lipstick in a small mirror.

“I had to turn down several dates! I won’t make a move until I’m truly impressed,” she said, her crimson lips moving like those of a regal queen awaiting her courtiers’ homage.

Xia Wuyou shot her a glance. Though a little indignant, she had to admit Fina spoke the truth.

Fine, this Valentine’s Day I’ll treat myself well. I’ll splurge on a gorgeous outfit—if no one celebrates with me, I’ll do it myself!

Suddenly, sirens blared from below—a mix of ambulances and police cars. The office erupted into chaos as everyone rushed to the windows to watch the commotion.

“What’s going on, especially today?”

By the time Xia Wuyou heard Fina’s question, the woman had already dashed to the window.

Always eager for excitement, Xia Wuyou scoffed, but a moment later, she too was leaning over Fina’s shoulder.

“Let me see! Let me see…”

It seemed everyone feared missing out, as if being late to the window would cost them this month’s bonus. They surged like a tide towards the glass.

This Valentine’s Day would not be a dull one, after all.

It turned out that the floor above housed a magazine, staffed with handsome men and beautiful women. The protagonist of today’s drama was their chief editor, the renowned beauty Maggie Wang.

“I heard someone died upstairs!”

Fina’s knack for gossip was something Xia Wuyou never doubted. She had already unearthed the major event at lightning speed.

“Have you seen their devilish chief editor, Maggie Wang? She’s a real beauty! She dresses like a runway model every day—I can’t imagine how much all those gorgeous clothes must have cost!”

Xia Wuyou listened for a while but still didn’t understand what had happened.

“So? What about her?”

“I heard she was poisoned!”

“What?”

“Exactly. What a waste of all her beautiful clothes.”

Xia Wuyou could only marvel at Fina’s focus.

“In broad daylight, someone dared to poison her?”

She muttered to herself.

“I heard she ate poisoned chocolate. It’s Valentine’s Day—of course, people are sending flowers and chocolates!”

Fina grumbled with a hint of envy.

“Maybe she received so many gifts, she couldn’t tell who sent what. She didn’t think much of it and just ate a piece. Who would have thought it would be fatal?”

Perhaps, Xia Wuyou mused wryly, having fewer admirers was actually safer.

Should I, the amateur detective, step in now?

Sure enough, Su Tianmu’s call arrived at just the right moment.

“You’ve heard, haven’t you? There’s been a murder upstairs. We’re conducting interviews—want to come up and listen in?”

His voice was deep and magnetic over the phone.

“Alright, I’ll be right there!”

Xia Wuyou suddenly became serious, smoothing her hair with an affected gesture before striding out of the office.

This time, it was Fina’s turn to gape in astonishment.

“What’s gotten into her? Is she possessed?”

She shivered at the thought.

“Bah, nothing to do with me!”

Remembering someone she knew had died just upstairs left her feeling uneasy, so she quickly buried herself in her work.

“The victim is the magazine’s chief editor, Maggie Wang. Thirty-five, single, with complex social ties but a simple family situation. Her family’s out of town, and she has no relatives here—most of her relationships were work-related.”

Su Tianmu gave Xia Wuyou a brief overview of the situation.

“I’ve heard a bit about her. People say she had many admirers, but she never officially dated anyone,” Xia Wuyou replied, instinctively suspecting a connection between the murder and her suitors.

“The chocolate she ate contained a deadly poison—just one piece was enough to kill her,” Su Tianmu continued. “But we’ll have to wait for forensics to tell us the exact substance.”

“How terrifying! In this day and age, someone still resorts to poison?”

Xia Wuyou shivered, thinking she might avoid chocolate for a while.

“Chief Editor Wang was a decent person. I never heard of her having enemies,”

the junior officer, Xiao Wang, was interviewing a female colleague.

It was clear most people were reluctant to say much, perhaps fearing trouble—better to stay out of it.

“Maybe someone did hate her. She had quite a strong personality,”

an older woman was more forthcoming.

“I often heard the young staff complain that she was a harsh boss,”

she whispered conspiratorially.

“There were even a few unpleasant incidents,”

the woman added, straightening her back and rolling her eyes for emphasis.

“But I’m not afraid of her. She could be sarcastic with others, but not with me—I’m her senior, after all, both in age and experience.”

The more she spoke, the more confident she became, while Xiao Wang took careful notes, not wanting to miss anything.

Other interviews yielded similar responses. Maggie Wang was a strict superior—“strict” perhaps was too mild; “harsh” was more accurate. Several young women wiped their tears as they recounted their experiences.

With all these conflicting impressions, the case grew more complex. Was it a crime of passion, or was it vengeance?