The officer explained, "He was present at the time, but he didn't make a move. He ran off after seeing your father fall from the building. However, we will find him."
Xi Xianya was bewildered. Did her father's death have nothing to do with Zhao Jianhua?
No, even if Xia Ming didn't act, someone else might have been hired by Zhao Jianhua.
While she was lost in thought, the police had already left.
Her mother slumped onto the sofa, unsteady, and said disbelievingly, "How could this happen? How could this happen? So your father was murdered... Old Xi, you died so unjustly and pitifully!"
"Mom, this is a good thing. The police will finally uncover the truth of what happened..."
Before she could finish, her mother fainted.
Xi Xianya, startled, quickly pinched her mother's philtrum. Her mother finally managed to catch her breath.
She then gave her mother some invigorating peppermint oil to smell. Seeing her mother open her eyes, she asked, "Mom, what's wrong? Should I take you to the hospital?"
"I'm fine, just very dizzy. Help me back to my room."
"Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital?"
Her mother shook her head and struggled to stand up.
Xi Xianya helped her into the room, letting her lean against the bed, and immediately went to get her water.
However, her mother closed the door and locked herself in, saying, "Just leave me alone for a while."
Xi Xianya had no choice but to leave her undisturbed and finish cooking the remaining dishes in the kitchen.
When her father was alive, he and her mother were deeply in love. They occasionally bickered, but their arguments only strengthened their bond.
Every time they quarreled, her father could humorously diffuse the situation, making his angry wife laugh.
Her father had passed away at just fifty, too soon. Her mother was devastated. Hearing the police mention the real cause of her father's death earlier had naturally rekindled her mother's grief.
As night fell, Ai Yifeng returned from outside. He sensed that the atmosphere at home was not right; it was unusually quiet.
The dinner table was set with prepared dishes. Xi Xianya sat at the table, lost in thought, not even noticing his arrival.
After returning from the branch company, he had visited Zhang Yuyun's group for the past two days.
The network platform project he had agreed to help Zhang Yuyun with had entered the debugging phase. He had given the group's network engineers a detailed explanation of the platform's operational model, and now he could hand it over to them to manage.
"Xianya, where's Mom? Why are you sitting here spacing out?" He walked over to Xi Xianya's side.
Xi Xianya snapped back to reality and quickly stood up, saying, "You're back. You must be tired. I'll go get you some soup."
"I'm fine. Did Mom go out?" Ai Yifeng stopped her. "No rush, let's eat together when Mom comes back."
"No need to wait for her, let's eat first." Xi Xianya pointed to her mother's room and whispered, "She's locked herself in her room all afternoon. I don't want to disturb her."
"Did something happen?" Ai Yifeng asked worriedly.
"Two police officers came this afternoon. They said they had new evidence and that my father was likely murdered. They wanted to ask us some questions," Xi Xianya sighed. "After the police left, my mom, she just became very upset and didn't even want to talk to me."
Ai Yifeng's heart sank. What was inevitable had arrived.
"How about I go ask Mom to come for dinner? I'll try."
Xi Xianya nodded in agreement.
Ai Yifeng had already seen the surveillance video. The scene of Xi Xianya's father being pushed off the building made him feel a pang of fear.
Xi Xianya's mother was already so distressed after just hearing from the police. It would be better if she didn't see the video.
He knocked on the door and said, "Mom, the food is ready. Come out and eat with us. It's not good to stay cooped up in your room."
"Don't mind me. You all eat," Madam Xi replied, but her voice was weak.
Xi Xianya also came closer and said, "Mom, after dinner, I'll accompany you for a walk to clear your head?"
"Don't worry about me. I don't have much appetite," Madam Xi's tone was firm.
Ai Yifeng was about to say something more, but Xi Xianya stopped him, pulling him to the dining table. She whispered, "Forget it. Let Mom process her grief on her own. When my dad first passed away, she was like this too, always locking herself in her room. Her relationship with my dad was too deep. She has to get through this sadness herself."
Ai Yifeng couldn't persuade her further. He asked Xi Xianya to sit down and said, "You've cooked so many dishes. Don't fuss anymore. I'll bring the soup. And these dishes, I'll heat them up too."
Xi Xianya hummed in response.
They ate dinner in silence, not making much noise, afraid of disturbing her mother's peace.
"What did the police say this afternoon? Are you alright?" Ai Yifeng couldn't help but ask quietly.
Xi Xianya's emotions were complex. It was what she had wanted – for there to be evidence for the police to reinvestigate.
But the thought that her suspicions were correct made her wonder how much pain and unwillingness her father had felt before he was murdered.
Before she could answer Ai Yifeng, tears welled up in her eyes.
"Don't be sad. It's not good for the baby," Ai Yifeng quickly handed her tissues and comforted her. "With the police investigating, you can rest assured. They will surely reveal the truth."
Xi Xianya wiped her tears and said, "I thought there was no hope of finding the truth, but I never expected someone to provide new evidence to the police. I'm happy yet sad, but as long as my father can get justice, I'm willing to do anything."
Ai Yifeng put down his chopsticks and held her hand, saying, "Your father will not die in vain. I will help you follow up on this matter. I'll go to the police station tomorrow to inquire about the progress."
"Yifeng, I'm so glad to have you. Thank you."
"We're husband and wife now, why are you still being so polite?" He gently tapped her forehead. "Eat more. Have a bowl of soup later. You and the baby both need nutrition."
A smile finally appeared on Xi Xianya's face, and she took a large sip of soup.
...
Susu was already afraid of check-ups. Looking at the entrance of the private obstetrics and gynecology hospital, she tightly gripped Tianyi's arm.
"Can we stop with the repeated check-ups? In less than a week, we've seen three doctors, and they all say pretty much the same thing. Is there any point in seeing another one?"
Seeing that she was standing still and unwilling to move forward, Tianyi said, "Just one last doctor, okay? This one was recommended by An Jing. He said this doctor is very skilled with difficult pregnancy-related issues and has extensive experience in obstetrics."
Susu still shook her head unwillingly. "The doctors we saw before were also authoritative. Please thank An Jing for his concern, but I really don't want to do any more repetitive check-ups. I really don't want to see any more."
"Be good, just this last one. Perhaps this doctor can find a way for you to avoid danger." Tianyi was even more worried hearing that all the authoritative doctors said almost the same thing. He just hoped to find a doctor with a different opinion.
"Honey..."