Yulan really had no idea where Xi Mingzhou was.
It was inconvenient for her to use her phone now; previously, she had only been able to call Yue Shi because he was the first entry in her recent contacts.
Yulan shook her head truthfully. "I'm waiting for him, too."
"Let's go to the hospital first. There is a lot to take care of today. You don't need to contact your friend; I already sent the samples to the testing center yesterday. Don't worry."
Shen Zhixing spoke with a sort of magic; even in his calm tone, he always managed to put Yulan completely at ease.
She nodded and whispered, "I'm troubling you again, Uncle."
"You are Mingzhou's girlfriend. It’s the least I can do."
This was the second time Yulan had heard this today. It still felt a bit awkward, but the feeling was so fleeting that it vanished the moment she thought about all the troublesome matters she had to handle.
Yulan had already listed the things she needed to do in her mind.
Her primary goal for the day was to obtain the forgiveness of the people who had suffered from food poisoning. Regardless of the reason, so many people had been harmed after eating her products, and she felt she owed them a sincere apology.
When they arrived at the hospital entrance, Shen Zhixing stepped out of the car first and stood right in front of Yulan.
"What is this?" Yulan asked.
Shen Zhixing replied concisely, "You can hold onto my sleeve, and I will guide you."
Yulan realized what he meant, and she couldn't help but inwardly praise her uncle for being truly thoughtful and reliable.
As soon as they entered the ward, Yulan and the others were surrounded. Everyone was talking at once; the whole room sounded like a cacophony of thousands of ducks.
"My child has suffered such severe harm! Who is in charge here? Give us an explanation right now!"
Just as Shen Zhixing was about to step forward, he felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down and saw Yulan looking up at him. Understanding her intent, he remained silent and quietly took a half-step back.
Yulan took a deep breath and spoke with great sincerity: "Everyone, please quiet down. I am the owner of Yuxue City. My name is Yulan. I know this poisoning incident has caused your children to suffer, and I offer my sincere apologies. But since the incident has already occurred, no amount of 'I'm sorry' can compare to taking concrete action. Therefore, I promise that for anyone who bought milk tea at my shop and suffered food poisoning as a result, I will cover all medical expenses in full and provide compensation of three thousand yuan. If there is severe physical damage, as verified by medical reports, I will take full responsibility—even if it means selling my shop to ensure you are properly compensated. Please rest assured."
When faced with such situations, aside from the initial anger, most people's main concern is how the aftermath will be handled. After Yulan's display of reassurance and compensation, most of the reasonable people fell silent.
However, a few people who were dissatisfied with the compensation continued, "My child is barely twenty, they have their whole life ahead of them! What if there are long-term effects from this poisoning? Three thousand is not enough, absolutely not enough!"
Yulan had already anticipated this. She said calmly, "Before I came here, I consulted with the doctors. It was confirmed that all eight people who were poisoned only suffered mild symptoms; no one even required a stomach pump. If anyone has any objections, I can provide compensation at ten times the price as stipulated by the Food Safety Law."
She paused for a moment before adding, "That would be 800 yuan."
The man who had spoken earlier felt embarrassed. He cleared his throat and argued, "You're talking nonsense! There was a girl who was in so much pain she fainted, had to have her stomach pumped, and was even admitted to the ICU. Don't try to fool me."
Yulan remembered that rumor, but when she had asked the doctors earlier, she had been so overwhelmed with relief that they were only mild cases that she hadn't focused on the details.
Despite her inner doubts, Yulan did not show any signs of fear. She smiled and said, "Where is that family member? The information I have is from the doctor, updated just ten minutes ago."
"It... it was just yesterday, at your shop."
Shen Zhixing’s gaze softened as he looked at Yulan with pride. He reached out and patted her shoulder. "Let me handle this."
Yulan shook her head firmly and whispered, "This is my matter. I don't want to trouble you further, Uncle."
However, her words were drowned out by Shen Zhixing's voice: "The person who led the trouble-making yesterday is the nephew of your supplier, who also happens to be the owner of the shop across from Yuxue City. He has already been taken in for questioning regarding suspected poisoning, malicious competition, and breaking and entering. If you don't believe me, you can go ask at the police station."
He turned his gaze toward the man who had spoken earlier. "Since you were at Yuxue City yesterday, were you among those who smashed the shop?"
The man waved his hands frantically, shaking his head like a rattle. "I wasn't! I was just standing outside watching yesterday, I didn't even step inside!"
Shen Zhixing squinted. "Oh? Is that so? It seems you didn't manage to smash the security cameras yesterday."
The man’s tone turned stiff as he tried to brush it off. "Ah, it’s all a misunderstanding, just a misunderstanding! I see this young lady has a hard time running her business, and I sympathize with her. Let's just settle on this compensation."
Many people present had been at Yuxue City the day before, and they suddenly felt guilty, one by one, they began to chime in in agreement.
Shen Zhixing snorted coldly and called out, "Chen Fang."
Chen Fang entered with a stack of documents. "Compensation contracts. Sign one, and you can collect the money."
The turn of events was so surreal that Yulan stood there in a daze for quite a while before Shen Zhixing called her back to reality. Her first words were: "But isn't the owner of that shop a young woman?"
Shen Zhixing didn't answer, simply taking her hand and placing it on his sleeve.
Yulan understood immediately; this wasn't the place to discuss it.
Once they were in the car, Yulan was still concerned about what she had asked earlier. "The owner of that shop is a young woman, and I even helped her move stock!"
"The one who led the smashing of your shop yesterday was her husband. It was he who swapped the ingredients in your shop, leading to all of this," Shen Zhixing said, then added, "The young woman you speak of was also in on it."
A single sentence drained all the energy out of Yulan. Her shoulders slumped like a Yulan flower wilted by a heavy storm.
"Why? I was always helping her."
Shen Zhixing looked at her with a complex expression. "Blocking someone's path to wealth is like killing their parents. Yuxue City didn't raise prices like the surrounding shops, and your business was booming—it made people jealous."
Yulan pressed her lips tightly together, unable to find a rebuttal.
She was silent for a long time before speaking. "Everything was only resolved today because of your help, Uncle. Once my eyes are healed, let me treat you to a meal."
Shen Zhixing's "no need" caught in his throat. Instead, he circled back and said, "I'll be returning to Beijing the day after tomorrow."
"Ah? But the doctor said it would take at least a week for my eyes to clear up."
Shen Zhixing leaned back against the car seat, looking somewhat exhausted. He took off his glasses, rubbed the bridge of his nose, and said, "Then treat me when you come to Beijing."
It was nearly eleven o'clock after they dropped Yulan off.
Chen Fang checked the GPS, then turned to Shen Zhixing. "Mr. Shen, it looks like we won't make the meeting. Should we reschedule?"
Shen Zhixing had been at the police station assisting with the investigation until three or four in the morning, and had spent the morning waiting for the test reports from Beijing, managing only a short nap before six or seven. Having pushed through until now, he was indeed tired.
He closed his eyes and leaned back against the seat, saying lazily, "No, don't change it. We leave as soon as it's finished."