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CHAPTER 7
PART 2
Xia Qi's coffee shop is located on the pedestrian path of Huanhai Road, right across from Yuehai.
This road has many coffee shops, and Xia Qi's shop is named "Summer Day Cat Café," considered one of the more sophisticated and artistic ones.
The shop is not large, decorated in a Japanese style with mainly white and wood tones.
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It has neatly arranged bookshelves and various potted plants, ample natural light, an elegant atmosphere, and a delicate Japanese-style courtyard at the entrance with only one outdoor table.
Two lazy cats bask in the sun in the courtyard, while others roam freely inside the shop, unfazed by the staff or customers.
The environment and ambiance make it incredibly comfortable. This artsy coffee shop happens to be Su Xiaotong's favorite, and after a quick tour inside, she immediately fell in love with it.
Fan Lin, Han Lei, and others had been here multiple times and seemed quite familiar with the cats, even knowing their names and petting them.
Since it was a weekend, the outdoor tables were already occupied by other customers. Therefore, they sat in the indoor tatami area, which had cushions, low tables, and Japanese screens for a degree of privacy between different tables. Su Xiaotong genuinely liked this place and asked Xia Qi, "Did you personally design the interior and layout of this shop?"
"Yes, before opening the shop, I visited many coffee shops for inspiration and collected materials. In the end, I chose this refreshing and simple style. What do you think?" Xia Qi asked.
"It's excellent, really."
"Haha, I'm so happy to get the approval of a designer like you!"
"I'm not an interior designer; I mainly do packaging and logo design."
"They're all within the design field, with commonalities," Xia Qi said to everyone. "What would you like to drink? We have coffee, milk tea, fruit juice, and sparkling water."
"I'd like milk tea," Fan Wenjing was the first to say. Others also mentioned their preferred beverages. Su Xiaotong ordered a freshly squeezed fruit juice for her son. Xia Qi noted it down and informed the waiter.
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Shortly after, a clean-cut and polite male staff member arrived with a tray, serving the drinks and desserts one by one, then politely asked everyone to enjoy.
Han Lei was almost mesmerized by this long-haired handsome guy. When he left, she whispered to Xia Qi, "Is he a new staff member? He's quite handsome."
"Can't help it, there are at least fifteen coffee shops on this street, and the competition is fierce. Some shops even have maid or anime themes, all staffed by handsome guys and pretty girls. So, when hiring staff now, looks are an important factor."
"Has the coffee industry really evolved to this point?" Su Xiaotong asked.
"Yes," Xia Qi sighed, "I initially thought that opening a small coffee shop wouldn't require too much brainpower, but it turns out we've gotten caught up in the cutthroat competition and industry trends."
"That's right, the 'handsome guy strategy' is a must, along with indulging our personal desires," Han Lei said, nudging Xia Qi with her elbow and giving a mischievous smile.
"What are you thinking? He has a girlfriend... Let's not talk about this anymore; he's coming over."
The male staff member once again delivered the drinks, and Han Lei gazed at the handsome guy. After he left, Fan Lin handed Han Lei a tissue. "Wipe your drool it's about to drip."
The group of women burst into laughter again. Afterward, they chatted, read books, and played with the cats. The two children looked at picture books in the shop and interacted with the cats.
Su Xiaotong gazed out of the window at Yuehai for a while, then turned to Gu Lei and said, "Let's take a walk outside, okay?"
"Sure."
"We'll go for a short walk. Xiaoliang, can you watch over him for a bit?"
"No problem, go ahead." Li Xueli and Xia Qi both agreed.
Su Xiaotong and Gu Lei stepped outside and strolled along the coast of Yuehai.
Under the blue sky and white clouds, Gu Lei's mood was excellent, and he said to Su Xiaotong, "I feel like this place is a paradise. When we decided to buy a house and settle in Yuehai, it was truly the best decision we've made in our lives!"
Su Xiaotong smiled calmly without saying anything. Gu Lei, on the other hand, couldn't contain his excitement and joy, expressing his thoughts incessantly.
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"Since coming to Lishi, good things have been happening one after another. First, we joined the 'big family' and made so many good friends. Xiaoliang's personality has also become more cheerful since being with everyone. The most unexpected thing was Gong Yamei's will. She included us as heirs after knowing us for less than a month. Xiaotong, aren't we incredibly lucky? If we had come to Lishi just one month later, we would have missed out on this opportunity!"
Su Xiaotong walked to a spot with no one around, stopped, looked at Gu Lei, and said, "Actually, I asked you to come out because I wanted to talk to you about this."
"Talk about what?"
"Do you really think this is an absolutely 'good thing'?"
Su Xiaotong shook her head. "Actually, this isn't a significant limitation. We originally planned to settle here permanently, and spending 36 days traveling each year is similar to the typical family's travel plans. Moreover, Lishi is a tourist city with plenty of attractions."
"Yeah, so what are you worried about?"
Su Xiaotong furrowed her brows. "Gu Lei, there's a question I realized during our meal, but I couldn't bring myself to say it in front of everyone. I'm not sure if it's just me who noticed it or if others thought about it too but didn't say anything."
"What's the question?"
"The fact that you're asking this shows that you haven't thought of it. It seems like you've been overwhelmed by the idea of inheriting a massive fortune."
"What exactly is it..."
Su Xiaotong stared into Gu Lei's eyes. "Have you forgotten that after Old Tan came to Li Xueli's house to inquire about us, one thing was certain, Gong Yamei was murdered, and the person who killed her is likely someone she knew well. To put it more bluntly, this killer is very likely someone within the 'big family.'"
"Well, but..."
"But back then, everyone, including Old Tan, couldn't figure out the motive behind the murder. Now, have you figured it out?"
Gu Lei opened his mouth, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Do you think the reason the killer murdered Gong Yamei was to inherit this fortune? But... wait, the will was known only to the lawyer, and the rest of us found out after Gong Yamei's death."
"What if someone knew about it while Gong Yamei was still alive? It's not entirely impossible, right? We've been together for so long, often drinking together. What if one day, after Gong Yamei got drunk, she revealed this to someone among us?"
"Even so, there's no reason to kill Gong Yamei. Regardless of who this person is, if they already knew Gong Yamei would leave a portion of the inheritance to them, why would they resort to murder? They could have simply waited until Gong Yamei passed away and then inherited the money."
Su Xiaotong shook her head. "No, think about it. Gong Yamei is 58 years old. Considering the average lifespan of the elderly is around 78 years now, there are at least another 20 years left, not to mention if she lives longer, maybe into her 90s or even over a hundred. In that case, we're talking about waiting for another four or five decades. Plus, the will stipulates that the money is to be paid over twenty years. If someone starts inheriting this fortune at the age of seventy or eighty, what's the point?"
"True, at that age, the quality of life is likely to decline, with more dietary restrictions and a farewell to most recreational activities. Even if they receive a large sum of money, it wouldn't have much meaning."
"Exactly. Moreover, waiting this long poses another risk, what if during these decades, something unpleasant happens, causing the relationships within the 'big family' to deteriorate, or even lead to a complete breakup? Would Gong Yamei still be willing to leave the inheritance to everyone? Attorney Feng mentioned that Gong Yamei could modify her will at any time."
"Yeah."
"So, the killer didn't have the patience to wait for that day, and they didn't want any unexpected complications. Instead, they killed Gong Yamei, pretended to be unaware when the lawyer read the will, acted surprised, and could then inherit this massive fortune in advance."
"Ah... If that's the case, this person is really terrifying. Since Gong Yamei trusted them enough to tell them about this, they must have had a special desire for money. Or they urgently needed the money to change their life."
Gu Lei thought for a moment. "During lunch, everyone talked about what they'd do once they received the inheritance. Wang Xingxing mentioned buying a sports car; Fan Lin, Han Lei, and Xia Qi planned to go shopping for clothes and bags, these things obviously aren't necessities, and there's no need to commit murder for them. Yuan Dong and Shen Fengxia even said they were content with their current lives, and the money wouldn't mean much to them. So..."
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"Exactly, only Li Xueli was dissatisfied with her current situation. It's evident why, due to the house she lives in. She openly admitted that she would use the money to buy another property in the community. As for the haunted house, it doesn't matter whether she sells it or not; she'll inherit over twenty million, and that house can just be left alone."
"Xiaotong, following your analysis, isn't it obvious who the killer is?"
"Not necessarily," Su Xiaotong said. "Who knows if the others are telling the truth about their real situations? Perhaps someone is concealing their true circumstances, so we can't be sure."
"If that's the case, once they receive the first sum of money, if someone's actual intentions don't match what they previously stated, it will reveal their true colors."
"Yes, but that will take at least a month."
Gu Lei fell silent for a while and said, "Xiaotong, getting back to the original question, what's the downside of this situation for us?"
Su Xiaotong looked at him. "We have a cunning and ruthless murderer among us. We don't know who they are, but we have to have meals with them every day, chat with them. Our son also has to spend time with such a person every day. Do you think this is a trivial matter?"
"What do you want to say?"
"Nothing..."
"You want to say, like we are?"
Gu Lei displayed an awkward expression. "You told me not to bring it up again."
"Gu Lei, our situation is different from this person, you know that, right?"
"Of course."
They fell silent for a moment. Su Xiaotong uttered four words, "Extremes beget reverses."
"What?"
"Didn't you just say that since we moved to Lishi, we've had a string of good luck? I'm worried that extremes beget reverses. There's an old saying, 'Misfortune is what fortune depends on, and fortune is where misfortune hides.' Behind this series of good fortune, there might be some impending disaster..."
"Xiaotong, don't say such things to scare yourself."
"I hope I'm just being overly cautious."
Gu Lei put his arm around Su Xiaotong's shoulder. "Don't think too much. Regardless of what happens, I'll always be by your side, protecting you. And, of course, little Liang too. I won't allow anyone to harm you both. Remember the promise I made at the beginning?"
Su Xiaotong looked at Gu Lei and nodded, touched. After a while, they walked towards Xia Qi's coffee shop together.
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