Gu Yan, as Qin Meimei's accomplice, had already witnessed her own imprisonment. Qin Meimei, eager to shift blame, had immediately announced her incarceration to the world, pinning the crime on Gu Yan. This betrayal left Gu Yan utterly disillusioned, leading her to confess the truth.
When the criminal police used the prospect of a reduced sentence to pressure her into admitting her previous slip of the tongue—referring to another person mentioned by Qin Meimei—she cooperated fully.
However, the information she provided was barely more than nothing.
"According to Gu Yan's confession, Qin Meimei was close to Qin Xinhong within the Qin family. But she has no evidence of the crime, only speculation. That's all the information gathered from the interrogations over the past two days," the person on the other end of the phone reported.
"Alright, thank you," Yu He hung up, murmuring a name, "Qin Xinhong."
She turned to her computer, accessing a website—a private storage space she had developed herself—and pulled up Qin Xinhong's profile.
When she was still part of the Qin family, Qin Xinhong was studying abroad and Yu He hadn't interacted with her much. Her impression was of a refined and sensible young lady from a prominent family.
According to the records, after Qin Meimei returned from her studies abroad, she fell head over heels for a poor young man who was an artist. She brought him back to the Qin family, and he became a live-in son-in-law.
They had been married for ten years, but Qin Xinhong had not conceived. Later, they adopted a son, Qin Jincheng.
Rumor had it that Qin Xinhong couldn't have children but desperately wanted one of her own, so she had consulted numerous doctors.
Yu He's phoenix eyes narrowed. Doctors, and here was one readily available.
It was time to reclaim the identity that Qi Yuanyuan had usurped.
She logged into Tianyi Net and published an academic paper on specialized medicines for various illnesses, based on the preliminary data her family had used for testing the previous night.
Less than a minute after the paper was published, it had garnered over ten thousand views and more than five thousand shares.
"First post! So excited, the Anonymous Divine Doctor has finally published a paper!"
"One-click like, subscribe, and favorite. I'll definitely read it carefully today!"
"Aaaah, I thought I was still dreaming and seeing things. Everyone in the group is sharing it, so it's confirmed."
"Anonymous Divine Doctor, you're a goddess, I'll love you forever!"
"Does the specialized medicine mentioned this time use the Black Spirit Pearl?! Aaaah, where can I buy it? I want to buy some!"
"Want to buy +1"
"Want to buy + ID number"
...
Within three minutes of its publication, the paper was reposted and reported by major media outlets, topping the trending search list.
"Knock knock." At that moment, the bedroom door was knocked. Qin Beiting's voice could be faintly heard from outside, "Sweetheart, it's time to get up, or you'll be late."
Yu He glanced at the time. Seven forty, she'd almost forgotten she was still a student who had to attend school.
"..."
She closed the website, cleared her tracks, and then turned off the computer to open the door.
At the door stood the man, dressed in a slim-fitting white shirt and black trousers, with a gray apron around his chest. The sleeves of his shirt were rolled up to his elbows, revealing a section of his long, slender arm, exuding a capable yet warm and domestic aura.
"Have you washed up? I made you a sandwich," Qin Beiting said, leaning his arm on the doorframe and looking down at Yu He.
Sometimes, Yu He felt that this man was indeed well-suited for domestic life; he had certainly captured her stomach.
But what was going on now?
He was blocking the doorway, preventing her from leaving. The mischievous glint in his phoenix eyes, hidden beneath his gold-rimmed glasses, clearly conveyed: he was up to no good.
"You made it just for me, and you're not letting me eat it?" Yu He looked up at him.
"Good morning. At this hour, shouldn't you give me a good morning kiss?" Qin Beiting asked, tilting his head slightly, his eyes full of anticipation.
Yu He looked at his infuriatingly handsome face. Since leaving the Qin family, she had become somewhat more detached. Therefore, she sometimes couldn't understand why this man's skin was so thick.
Asking for gifts was one thing, but how could he demand a kiss so casually?
Was it because of the glasses?
She tiptoed, looking up and slowly leaning towards Qin Beiting.
Their breaths mingled. Qin Beiting watched the girl's increasingly beautiful face drawing closer. Just as he thought she was about to kiss him, the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose were taken off.
"They are indeed plain glasses." Yu He glanced at the gold-rimmed glasses in her hand, then put them on herself.
Qin Beiting: "..."
"You've learned some bad habits," he said, raising his hand to ruffle her hair.
Yu He's lips curved upwards. "You flatter me, I learned from you!"
Qin Beiting chuckled, gently pushing her head down and kissing her on the forehead. Yu He immediately pushed him away. "I'm still a minor, no dating allowed!"
The line and the tone were very familiar. Wasn't this the warning he had given her before when he was worried she might start dating Lu Chenyu?!
Qin Beiting: "..."
He suddenly felt like he had lifted a rock only to drop it on his own foot.
Seeing him finally at a loss for words, Yu He was in a good mood. Wearing his glasses, she sidestepped him and headed downstairs, not forgetting to remind him, "You look even more handsome without glasses."
Qin Beiting smiled helplessly and turned to follow her downstairs.
—
Meanwhile.
A villa district on the outskirts of North City.
Qi Yuanyuan was in her studio, practicing acupuncture on her assistant for the hundredth time, referencing the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles manual.
At a medical exchange conference, Dean Xiang had mentioned the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles to her and asked for her opinion. She had politely declined, citing a prior engagement and promising to discuss it later.
Upon her return, she had immediately scoured various medical history books and finally found this manual, the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles.
Qi Yuanyuan inserted needles into a few acupoints. After a while, she removed them and asked, "How do you feel?"
The assistant rotated his neck and nodded. "Much better! No more soreness. Sister Yuan, you're amazing!"
"That's good." Qi Yuanyuan smiled and turned to record the acupoints she had used on her desk.
She had finally succeeded after twenty-one attempts at needling for cervical nodules.
However, compared to the Anonymous Divine Doctor, who could resolve a problem with just one session of needling, she still had a long way to go.
She pulled out the papers she had printed from Tianyi Net, all of which were previous papers published by the Anonymous Divine Doctor concerning the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles.
She reread them repeatedly, identifying areas for improvement.
"Miss, Miss Gu Yan is here to see you," the servant said, knocking and entering.
Qi Yuanyuan's brow furrowed slightly. "Why is she here?"
Hadn't she been arrested?
She had been watching the news about the Gu family's ruin over the past two days. What good could Gu Yan possibly want with her at this time? Old Master Gu was dead; did she want her to save Gu Ze?
"She's been released. The Gu family's assets have been sealed, and she has nowhere to go, so she probably wants to seek refuge with you for now," the servant explained.
Qi Yuanyuan recalled that Qin Meimei had promised to help set her up with Qin Beiting, but that plan had failed, and Qin Meimei was now dead.
A flicker of disdain crossed her eyes, but she smiled outwardly. "I'm in seclusion researching medical techniques and cannot see anyone."
"Yes." The servant understood and left.
Qi Yuanyuan returned to her studies, while her assistant, looking at his phone, exclaimed:
"Sister Yuan, has your Anonymous Divine Doctor account been hacked? The media are reporting that you've published a new paper!"