Chapter 59: The Seeds of Hatred

“I can see just how important getting recommended for postgraduate studies is to you! You’ve really racked your brains over this!” Kang chuckled, “But we’ve always been puzzled—why are you so fixated on targeting Xu Wenrui? What matters most to you is the recommendation, yet Xu Wenrui hasn’t even managed to pass all his exams. Why does he unsettle you so much?”

“Because I’m afraid he’ll steal my chance through underhanded means!” Zhuang Fukai, who had been struggling to maintain his composure, became instantly agitated when asked this question. “At first, I just found his constant showboating annoying, but I could tolerate it. By the third year, the question of whether to pursue postgraduate studies or find a job after graduation became more pressing, with almost everyone around me discussing it.

It was around then that Xu Wenrui started making phone calls in the dorm, debating whether to pursue further studies. At first, I thought he was just bluffing—given his grades, it would be a miracle if he got into graduate school. But once, during a phone call, he inadvertently mentioned that job hunting after graduation might be awkward, as he’d end up stuck between not being good enough for the top companies and not wanting the ones that would take him. The companies he liked wouldn’t consider his undergraduate degree.”

“That’s pretty normal, isn’t it? Isn’t that the dilemma most graduates face?” Yan Xue couldn’t see why Zhuang Fukai regarded Xu Wenrui as such a threat.

“The person on the phone must have asked if he could get into graduate school. Xu Wenrui replied confidently that he didn’t need to take the entrance exam—if he wanted, the recommendation spot would be his, no one else’s.”

“Did he say how he was so sure he could secure that spot?”

“He didn’t say outright—it was quite vague.” Zhuang Fukai shook his head, unconsciously gripping his paper cup tighter. “If he’d said it clearly, maybe I could have judged whether to believe him. But since he didn’t, it left me uneasy. Later, he really acted like he had it in the bag, constantly calling people in the dorm to discuss the progress of his recommendation. The more he did this, the more anxious I became, to the point of losing sleep night after night.”

“But your school is so big, it’s not like there’s only one recommendation spot. How can you be so sure he’s competing directly with you, that he’ll threaten your chances?”

“He was talking about me—he didn’t name names, but it was implied. He’s targeted me before. Once, he failed a class, didn’t pass the retake, had to redo the course, and was called in by the counselor. When he came back, he was upset and mocked me for only caring about studies. I just ignored him then. Later, when he talked about the recommendation, he called someone and said that studying hard was pointless—you’d exhaust yourself and still find the spot went to someone else, leaving you in tears.”

“So that’s what led you to think about giving Xu Wenrui some ‘beverage’?” Kang had grasped Zhuang Fukai’s motive and didn’t need to dig further. “You said you added herbal water to his water dispenser? Those small dispensers usually have mineral water bottles on top or you pour water into a transparent tank. Even if you steep herbs, the water would be colored, especially if you boiled it down to a concentrate before adding it. Unless Xu Wenrui was blind, how could he drink it?”

“He was drinking tea at the time. To save trouble, he’d put the tea bag straight into the water tank, so the water gradually turned tea-colored. When he drank it, he’d grimace, probably because it was bitter. I took advantage of times when no one was in the dorm to add the herbal water several times. I knew too much of it could be harmful, so I didn’t do it often—just whenever the recommendation process reached a new stage, I’d add some to his tank, hoping it would make him sleep poorly and run to the bathroom all night, so he’d seem out of sorts and I could affect his performance.”

“So, you gave Xu Wenrui your ‘hometown specialty’ several times?” Yan Xue caught the implication. “What symptoms did he have?”

“He kept running to the bathroom, just as I expected—so often his legs went weak and his eyes blurred. Other than that, not much.” Zhuang Fukai pulled a wry face. “Recently he’s been in poor shape, so I stopped giving it to him. But he didn’t improve, seemed to get worse, and I got really anxious. Later he took leave and went home to rest. I was on edge every day, afraid something might happen to him. On one hand, I felt it couldn’t be my responsibility, but on the other, I was tormented by guilt for having done something so shameful. Then you found Xu Hao to ask questions, and he called me in too—so I panicked.

Actually, when I was in the dorm and he called the police, it scared me half to death. Later I found out he was reporting someone following him—that was a relief.”

He took a deep breath. “You’ve already checked my purchase of the herbal medicine. Honestly, I know what I did was wrong, but I’m certain it had nothing to do with Xu Wenrui’s death. So as long as you can prove my innocence, I’ll cooperate with anything you need. Just ask.”

“Oh, there’s not much more we need from you. What you’ve just told us is pretty much everything.” Kang looked at Zhuang Fukai’s surprised face and smiled helplessly, spreading his hands. “We intended to have a proper conversation with you, but when we met, you got so agitated you collapsed and started foaming at the mouth, so it was straight to the hospital. When you came out, after drawing such a crowd, it was hard to find a suitable place to talk back at school, so we brought you here. At least you can speak freely, and no one will see your emotional reactions.”

“You…you don’t suspect me? You never suspected me?” Zhuang Fukai was stunned; this scenario was clearly outside any he’d imagined.

“Well, not exactly. At first, we thought you were hiding something and did suspect you a bit. But after discovering your herbal medicine purchases, our perspective changed. You seemed more like someone with a guilty conscience than a suspect.”

Kang’s words were true. When they first found Zhuang Fukai had bought large amounts of herbal medicine, both he and Yan Xue were immediately suspicious. Coupled with his earlier tactic of using Xu Hao to divert attention, it was all the more suspicious. But after consulting the forensic expert, their strong suspicion was quickly overturned. According to the forensic report, the worst that herbal medicine could do was what Zhuang Fukai described—cause repeated trips to the bathroom, mild dehydration, or minor gut issues, but nothing life-threatening.

More importantly, the herbal medicine’s compounds weren’t found in Xu Wenrui’s body. That proved he hadn’t ingested the herbs before his death, or if he had, they’d been fully metabolized. So although Zhuang Fukai’s herbal purchases were odd, they truly had no connection to Xu Wenrui’s death.

“Well…since you think Xu Wenrui wasn’t killed by me, why ask about the herbs?” Zhuang Fukai relaxed a bit, but still had many questions.

“We just wanted to understand your mindset. I was curious why you hated Xu Wenrui, and now you’ve answered—his presence threatened your most important life milestone, the postgraduate recommendation.” Kang said casually, “You misled us at first, and today we gave you a scare, so now we’re even!

But I have one more question. Suppose Xu Wenrui hadn’t died and kept declaring he’d compete for the recommendation, making you feel threatened—how far would you go? Don’t be nervous, it’s just a hypothetical. We don’t arrest people for thought crimes.”

“You might not believe me, but if nothing happened to him, I wouldn’t have done anything else.” Zhuang Fukai shook his head miserably. “I’m really not cut out for wrongdoing. Even giving him that herbal stuff to cause diarrhea made me lose sleep, dreaming he’d catch me, accuse me of poisoning, and send me to jail, ruining my life.

I was on edge every day, and my studies suffered. If things kept on, I couldn’t guarantee even steady performance, let alone excel. I realized that hurting him was just as damaging to myself—pointless, and the moral burden was unbearable.

Xu Hao told me he thought Xu Wenrui was just bluffing, that it was impossible for him to succeed. If he managed to get recommended, pigs could climb trees. No matter how open-minded our school was, they wouldn’t be that blind.”

“Just hypothetically—anything’s possible in this world,” Kang asked with interest. “I know the recommendation is crucial for you. If Xu Wenrui really took the spot that should have been yours, how much would you hate him?”

“I wouldn’t have time to hate him. If I failed to get recommended, I’d have to prepare for the winter graduate entrance exams. If I wanted to spend time hating him, it’d have to wait until after the exams. If I got in, I’d feel vindicated, and of course, I’d still dislike him, but he’s not worth the energy to hold a grudge.

I know you want to ask what if I failed the exams—well, then I’d look for a job. If lucky, I’d work hard at a good job; if not, I’d find something just to get by, earn a living, and prepare for the next year’s exams.

Honestly, adding herbal water to his dispenser was just a moment of madness. Xu Hao was right—even if Xu Wenrui was a pile of dog shit, he’d only disgust me for less than a year. Subtract the holidays, the daytime classes when I didn’t see him, and the nights when we’re all asleep, there’s not much left to endure.

Whether he goes to grad school or not, the time he annoys me is limited; he can’t haunt me forever—so what’s the point?”

“I didn’t expect Xu Hao to talk you out of it so much!” Yan Xue was surprised—not because Xu Hao would counsel Zhuang Fukai, but because Zhuang Fukai actually listened and remembered, rather than ignoring him.

“Of course he doesn’t know. No one does, except me and now you. I’d never tell anyone I did this!

He didn’t used to advise me, but later, after I got unsettled by Xu Wenrui’s condition, he said a few things that made me realize how unnecessary it all was. I regretted it deeply.”

After speaking, he suddenly fell silent, his gaze dropping then flicking furtively toward Kang and Yan Xue. Having relaxed after learning he wasn’t a suspect, he now tensed up again.

“Come on, we said today was for an honest, open conversation. If you have questions, just ask—why act so hesitant?” Kang frowned, disapproving but not harsh.

“I…I just wanted to ask…” Zhuang Fukai ventured timidly, clearly worried, “Does what I did count as poisoning? Will I be held responsible and sent to jail?”