She kept staring at the entrance of the coffee shop. It was already noon, and there weren't many people coming for coffee; most went to the restaurant opposite to eat.
The number of people entering and leaving the coffee shop was limited.
There was only a young girl in her twenties, an old man in his sixties, and two middle-aged women. Each of them bought a cup of coffee and left.
Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Shen Qingqing rested her chin on her hand, a thoughtful expression flashing across her face, "Could it be that they didn't show up?"
"They should have," Fu Jingshu didn't know if the other party would come either, but seeing her anxious look, he couldn't help but say, "If they don't come today, it means they are already wary of us."
That would mean they had to abandon this lead.
Shen Qingqing felt a bit impatient, "If we miss this clue, we don't know how long it will take to find another one."
"Why don't I go take a look."
Fu Jingshu stood up to leave, and Shen Qingqing thought for a moment before chasing after him, "I'll go with you."
"You stay here and observe." Fu Jingshu didn't want her to go.
Shen Qingqing knew he was worried about her, so she clung to his arm, "I'll go with you. If we really see him, it'll be easier to apprehend him together."
"Alright."
Fu Jingshu knew that if he didn't let her go, she wouldn't be at ease, so he took her to the coffee shop. However, after searching the entire place, they didn't see any unfamiliar faces.
From the seats they had occupied, they could clearly see all the people in the coffee shop. But later, they only saw those few people who came to buy coffee.
They didn't look around and made no unusual moves. After buying their coffee, they left immediately.
Just then, a waiter walked towards them. Hesitation showed on his face, "Are you... Miss Shen?"
"I am," Shen Qingqing nodded.
The waiter confirmed it was her and breathed a sigh of relief. He handed her a small doll, "A gentleman said last night that I should give this to a Miss Shen today."
"How did you recognize me?"
"Yesterday, he said that a man and a woman would come today, and they were both exceptionally good-looking."
The waiter had been pondering since last night. The moment these two entered today, he had an intuitive feeling that it was them.
Shen Qingqing thanked him and asked, "Could you tell me what the man who came yesterday looked like?"
"I really can't describe him because I didn't see his face," the waiter recalled carefully, "I remember he was wearing a mask and glasses, and also a black baseball cap. But his voice was particularly unpleasant."
It was so unpleasant that one would never forget it after hearing it once.
Shen Qingqing was still unwilling to give up, "Can I see the surveillance footage from last night?"
Even if she couldn't see his face, she could at least see his build and height.
If it was someone familiar, she might recognize him.
The waiter looked troubled, "I wish I could, but I don't have the authority. You'll have to talk to our manager about this."
He gestured towards the back, behind the bar.
There was a middle-aged man intently looking at a ledger.
"That's our manager. His name is Neil Coney."
Negotiating with Neil Coney went smoothly enough. He quickly agreed to let them watch the surveillance video.
This was because Shen Qingqing claimed she had lost something in the coffee shop yesterday.
As it happened, the manager wasn't there yesterday and had no idea Shen Qingqing hadn't been there. As for the waiter, he had already promised Shen Qingqing to keep it a secret.
Therefore, Shen Qingqing was able to watch the video.
The surveillance video did indeed show the man's build, but it was evident that he had deliberately worn very loose clothing.
His physique wasn't clearly visible, but the man's height was exceptionally tall. However, this alone wasn't enough to determine his identity.
Many people around her were tall.
Not to mention others, the three Pei Lie brothers were a good example.
Shen Qingqing returned home disappointed and closed the door, beginning to examine the doll.
The doll was a very ordinary one, just made to look lifelike and wearing a beautiful dress, the kind little girls would like.
However, the more realistic it was, the more eerie it looked.
Shen Qingqing stared at the doll for a while and felt uncomfortable. She had disliked such things since she was a child, finding these dolls very strange.
Fu Jingshu brought in a glass of water and in the next second, a strange melody began to play from the room, instantly creating a terrifying atmosphere.
Shen Qingqing frowned and instinctively threw the doll onto the bed. Fu Jingshu, standing nearby, walked over and directly tossed the doll onto the floor.
Immediately afterward, a voice came from inside, a cold and hollow voice.
"You can't catch me."
Shen Qingqing looked over with sharp eyes. Hearing this, if she still didn't understand that this was all a trap, she would have lived in vain!
"There's a mastermind behind this!"
So they had known about this all along and had been playing them, setting a trap!
Her expression was blank, and the aura around her was extremely oppressive.
Fu Jingshu said calmly, "I knew something was wrong as soon as we didn't see him at the coffee shop."
Shen Qingqing took a deep breath, trying to quell the anger in her heart. She immediately thought of something, "If the other party knew everything, someone must have leaked the information."
"You mean... there's a mole."
Shen Qingqing nodded, "Yes, someone must have sent him the message."
"But this mole won't be easy to find."
They hadn't hidden their visit to the hospital, and many people knew about it. If the person behind this had arranged all of this, then knowing about her allergy would allow him to predict her every move.
But this would make the task exponentially more difficult.
Shen Qingqing shook her head, pushing away the chaotic thoughts in her mind, "No, no, we can't think like that. Insignificant figures are definitely not the ones we're looking for."
The person behind this was powerful and resourceful, and could not be of simple identity. Not everyone who appeared at the crown prince selection assembly was suspicious.
People she had never met before were unlikely to be involved.
The fact that he only sent this doll to provoke them showed that he greatly enjoyed the game with her. Such a person would never be content to be unknown, or even unnoticed!
Perhaps he was right in front of her, or at least, he had appeared openly before her!
Shen Qingqing's eyes suddenly opened, "This person must be by our side!"
Fu Jingshu pondered for a moment and said, "If that's the case, then the doctors who treated you at the hospital, the nurses who brought you medicine, the three princes of the royal palace, and the two elders are all suspects."
"The elders shouldn't be," Shen Qingqing ruled them out purely based on their age. There was another reason: the two elders were much older than Pei Xi. They had also been fierce opponents of Pei Xi's ascension to the throne.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.
Shen Qingqing said, "Come in."
The door was quickly pushed open. Pei Lie first peeked inside, confirming that the two were in normal condition, before walking in.
"How is your investigation going?"