Chapter 3: Suspicious Chocolate

Xiao Wang had made the rounds with his colleagues at the magazine, piecing together their initial impressions of the deceased.

"From everyone's comments, I get the sense that this Wang Meiqi was a very forceful person. Not only did she have a difficult personality, but people's opinions about her character were quite mixed!"

As Su Tianmu read through Xiao Wang's notes, he listened to the account.

"She would steal credit for other people's work and often spoke harshly to others. More than once, she brought young women to tears by publicly criticizing them."

"So, what exactly do you mean by workplace bullying?" Su Tianmu set aside the report, giving Xiao Wang his full attention.

"There was a young woman named Su Ye—I think she came from the countryside."

Xiao Wang took a sip of water and continued.

"Her education wasn't very high, and she was pretty unassuming. People picked on her even more than usual, especially the editor-in-chief."

Xiao Wang's indignation was clear—he despised workplace bullying.

"Apparently, there was a time when Su Ye was supposed to handle an interview assignment. She had almost finished the draft when the editor-in-chief took over, just as the piece was nearing completion. I heard the two of them had a huge argument about it!"

"Even a rabbit will bite if pushed too far," Su Tianmu remarked with distaste.

"Exactly! If it were me, I would have argued back, too."

Then, glancing at Su Tianmu, Xiao Wang quickly added, "But our team leader would never do such a thing. You're the best, Captain!"

He put on his usual cheeky grin, practically begging for a smack.

Su Tianmu shot him a look but didn't bother to respond.

"Tomorrow, let's go speak to Su Ye. Get ready," Su Tianmu instructed.

"Understood."

After Su Tianmu left, Xiao Wang wiped the sweat from his brow and muttered ruefully, "That was close—almost lost my life there!"

Meanwhile, Xia Wuyou had already called Su Tianmu to report her findings, which aligned with Xiao Wang's, though she didn't go into as much detail about Wang Meiqi's private life.

Perhaps people remained conservative, unwilling to discuss others' personal affairs openly.

The "Gossip Station" still had its uses, after all.

Thinking of Xia Wuyou, Su Tianmu couldn't help but smile. His partner was quite resourceful—sometimes she could uncover things even the police couldn't. Shaking his head, he failed to notice the warmth rising in his heart.

Before long, they began a second round of interviews with those around the deceased. To avoid suspicion, Su Tianmu didn't approach Su Ye first, but instead chose another young woman of similar age.

"Don't be nervous. This is just routine—we're just trying to understand the situation," Su Tianmu said gently, seeing that the young woman was a little frightened.

"You and Su Ye joined the magazine at the same time, didn't you? You seem about the same age."

To put her at ease, he made small talk.

"Yes, we started together, but she's much more capable than I am!"

Once she relaxed, Su Tianmu got to the point.

"I see. But I heard the editor-in-chief wasn't fond of her, even criticized her in front of others?"

The young woman was too inexperienced to conceal anything; his questions quickly loosened her tongue.

"Oh, that… It really wasn't Su Ye's fault. She'd almost finished the interview draft when the editor-in-chief noticed the interviewee had won some kind of award. Thinking the article would become popular, she took the credit for herself!"

She pouted, her indignation on Su Ye's behalf as if it had happened to her.

"Thank you for your time. Please contact us if anything else comes up."

Xiao Wang smiled warmly; at such a young age, working far from home was no small feat.

"Hello, what's your name?" Xiao Wang asked, though he already knew.

Su Ye stood before them—a typical southern girl: slender, fair-skinned, quiet, with an air of the girl next door.

"My name is Su Ye, but you can call me Yezi," she replied, her voice as pleasant as her demeanor.

"You want to ask about Editor Wang, right? She was a good person, really, but perhaps too strong-willed."

Before Su Tianmu could even ask, she began speaking on her own.

By now, everyone knew why the police were asking questions.

"Tell me, in what way was she strong-willed?" Su Tianmu tried to read her eyes, but though she looked delicate, her gaze was steady and unwavering. It wouldn't be easy to see through her.

"You've probably heard that she and I had a disagreement," Su Ye said calmly, betraying no emotion.

Her composure surprised Su Tianmu. Judging by her appearance and manner, one wouldn't imagine her as a victim of workplace bullying.

"I was impulsive at the time, and I admit I was at fault. The editor was right—when the interviewee won that award, expectations for the interview naturally increased. I was just an intern; how could such an important piece be entrusted to me? She took over for my own good, so I wouldn't make mistakes later."

It was clear to anyone listening that she didn't believe her own words.

But what was she hiding?

After the interview, Su Tianmu couldn't name the feeling he was left with. It was like gazing at a flower through mist—he could sense something there, but couldn't quite make it out.

Su Ye was not as simple as she seemed.

That was his first impression.

Afterwards, Xiao Wang compiled the new leads.

"Captain Su, here are the results from the analysis of the computers used by the magazine staff—would you like to review them?"

He handed over the fresh report.

"I've already looked through it. With Valentine's Day coming up, more than ten people have online records of purchasing chocolate."

Su Tianmu flipped through the report carefully.

Among the many names, Su Ye's stood out.

She had indeed bought chocolate—but who was it for?