Chapter 56: For the Sake of Love, Why Bother?

Without a moment’s hesitation, Cen Lian didn’t even have time to explain to Tang Hua what was going on. He immediately grabbed a nearby graduate student to find out the location of the Academic Affairs Office, and then rushed there, dragging a bewildered Tang Hua along with him.

Whether or not they arrested that Yang Yuxuan right away didn't matter much; she was still on campus and couldn't run far. But she had already poisoned Qi Xiaojia. If they couldn't find Qi Xiaojia in time, it might pose a fatal danger.

Cen Lian knew very well that the information displayed by his system was essentially criminal behavior. This meant that the substance Yang Yuxuan administered was definitely not some prank-level medicine, but something that would genuinely cause severe personal injury to Qi Xiaojia.

Much like the gutter oil he saw in the text bubble previously, a restaurant that occasionally used gutter oil would not trigger his system, but long-term, large-scale use of gutter oil constituted a crime—the kind punishable by under five years in prison.

Therefore, under the current circumstances, he had to find a way to prevent Qi Xiaojia from coming into contact with the poison first; otherwise, the consequences would be unpredictable.

What if Yang Yuxuan used Paraquat!

Realizing that Cen Lian had an extremely urgent matter on his hands, the graduate student simply led the way and ran all the way to the Academic Affairs Office.

Tang Hua followed behind, feeling utterly depressed as he watched the two people ahead of him run faster and faster.

Being unable to outrun Cen Lian was one thing, but how could he not even outrun a graduate student?

When they finally arrived at the Academic Affairs Office, Tang Hua suddenly remembered that Professor Yan was in geology, and his graduate students frequently had to go out into the mountains for surveying and fieldwork. How could their physical stamina possibly be poor?

"Police! We received an anonymous tip that someone has poisoned a student named Qi Xiaojia in your school. Please help us figure out which dormitory she lives in as soon as possible." Cen Lian didn't have time to explain further. He showed his police badge to a middle-aged female staff member at the Academic Affairs Office, and she immediately turned nervous, taking only five minutes to find Qi Xiaojia's name on the student roster of the old campus.

Fortunately, there were no duplicate names.

The staff member was equally frantic. After confirming the dormitory location, she began contacting the counselor of Qi Xiaojia's department while running toward the dormitory building without even putting on her coat.

Cen Lian kept pace with her. The graduate student felt a bit awkward, unsure whether he should follow, but ultimately unable to suppress his curiosity, he tagged along behind them as well.

Instead of chasing after them, Tang Hua pulled out his phone and called Yuan Chenxi, telling her and Forensic Doctor Lin to bring the technical investigation team over immediately, along with some common poison testing test strips.

Both involved parties in the case were female, and according to regulations, making an arrest required the presence of at least one female police officer to assist.

Their team only had two female officers in total, and right now, that was just enough.

After listening to the briefing, Yuan Chenxi hung up the phone without saying another word.

Cen Lian and the middle-aged female staff member rushed to Qi Xiaojia's dormitory at top speed. To their surprise, her counselor had arrived even faster and had already managed to get the door opened.

Qi Xiaojia stood at the entrance of the dormitory, looking completely dazed.

"Have you drunk any water or eaten anything in the last half hour?" Her counselor, who looked about the same age as Yuan Chenxi, asked anxiously.

Qi Xiaojia shook her head in sheer bewilderment.

Cen Lian breathed a sigh of relief before glancing up at the top of her head, unable to keep his lips from twitching.

You college students really know how to play dangerous games.

[Name: Qi Xiaojia]
[Gender: Female]
[Age: 20]
[Criminal Record: Incited others to assault Yang Yuxuan in Kang'an City 37 days ago]
[Prison Record: None]

The girl's criminal record did not state that it was an attempted crime, which meant Yang Yuxuan had already been assaulted.

Although it was unclear why Yang Yuxuan hadn't called the police, harboring such deep-seated hatred made her resorting to poisoning much less surprising.

Twenty minutes later, Yuan Chenxi and Forensic Doctor Lin arrived together.

Forensic Doctor Lin held the poison test strips. Although forensic pathologists aren't typically responsible for poison testing, she knew how to use these basic strips.

Qi Xiaojia stood quietly to the side, watching as Forensic Doctor Lin took a sample from her water cup.

Since it wasn't mealtime, Cen Lian deduced that Yang Yuxuan must have poisoned the water.

After a short while, the rapid cyanide test strips in Forensic Doctor Lin's hand yielded a result.

"There is cyanide in the water. At this concentration, if this entire cup of water is consumed, there is a high probability of fatality." Forensic Doctor Lin’s expression remained unchanged. "We can make the arrest."

Terrified, Qi Xiaojia collapsed onto the floor, her mind seemingly blank.

Cen Lian glanced at her without a shred of sympathy.

Soon, a female roommate mentioned that Yang Yuxuan had been there.

"What is this, real-name poisoning?" Tang Hua couldn't help muttering, prompting the graduate student who had guided them earlier to nod in enthusiastic agreement.

Tang Hua cast a sideways glance at him.

"This is the women's dormitory building. I advise you to get out of here right now," he said, glaring at the dormitory manager, who was still lingering around the crowd and hadn't yet noticed this male college student.

The graduate student seized the opportunity and slipped away immediately.

If he got caught by the dorm manager, he would be completely finished.

Yang Yuxuan had already been subdued by the local police officers who arrived shortly after. Since the crime scene was not within the jurisdiction of the Taishan Branch, the case would next be transferred to the Nancheng Branch, which had jurisdiction over Lingxi University.

When Cen Lian saw Yang Yuxuan again, it was inside the interrogation room of the Nancheng Branch.

Li Xiangqian, the captain of the Nancheng Branch Criminal Investigation Brigade, hurried over and instinctively paused when he saw Cen Lian.

"Captain Cen, it's an honor to finally meet you." The middle-aged captain actually managed to squeeze out a smile upon seeing Cen Lian, giving the latter a rather ominous premonition.

You don't hit a smiling person, but people who smile like that usually want a favor.

"Captain Li, you're too polite," Cen Lian replied with a smile as well. "I suppose this case will be left in your hands then."

Li Xiangqian was already aware of the ins and outs of the case. Confirming that Qi Xiaojia wasn't actually poisoned made him let out a sigh of relief.

Given previous precedents, he knew all too well what kind of public outcry would ensue if a female college student were poisoned to death in a school dormitory.

By then, even the provincial authorities would likely intervene.

Although the background and sequence of events of this case were relatively straightforward, with the New Year approaching, no one wanted such trouble in their jurisdiction.

"That Qi Xiaojia also has issues of her own. Yang Yuxuan was assaulted by people she hired," Cen Lian briefly filled Li Xiangqian in on the background. "They're such young girls, and by the time they get out of prison, they'll be pushing thirty."

Li Xiangqian sighed softly, patted Cen Lian on the shoulder, and walked him to the door.

"If you have some free time after the New Year, drop by our branch. We have a case with plenty of surveillance footage that I'd like your help looking over," Li Xiangqian said, cloaking his request in polite phrasing.

Cen Lian understood immediately and responded with equal courtesy, "We're brother units; it's only right."

Li Xiangqian's smile became genuinely warmer.