Back to the Past: The Rise of the False Heiress Marrying the True Tycoon
Chapter 1191: Innocent Person

Chapter 1191: Innocent Person

When Lin Miao, Gu Shan, and Zhang Mei had first set their plan into motion, Lin Miao had been exceedingly cautious, making sure to leave herself untouched by the fallout.

She told the truth—at least, her version of it—with impressive composure.

“I wasn’t home that day,” she said, her tone unflinching. “There was a seminar at the university. I went as part of the audience. You can ask any of the attendees—plenty of people saw me there.”

Captain He gave a small nod and gestured for an officer to take notes. “Mm. And recently, have you heard anything… unusual from your parents?”

Lin Miao looked down, her gaze turning chilly. The things she’d heard from Gu Shan and Zhang Mei lately were nothing but sarcasm laced with venom. Icy ridicule and barbed words, from the two people who claimed to be her biological parents. The very idea made her stomach turn.

“I’ve barely gone home these past few months,” she said, her voice tinged with quiet bitterness. “Ever since I failed in my investments, my parents have had a lot of… opinions. Unless absolutely necessary, I avoid going back. So no—I haven’t heard any strange talk from them. And Captain He,” she added, fixing him with a cool stare, “you’re not suggesting I had something to do with this incident, are you?”

Captain He didn’t respond, but his expression said enough.

“The food poisoning situation is… peculiar,” he finally said. “Your parents insist the white fungus soup they drank had been left over from the night before. But according to the Lin family, that batch of soup was freshly prepared in town and brought into the city that very day. Others from the Lin family drank from the same batch—on the road, no less—and none of them felt unwell. Only the portion given to your parents turned out to be poisonous.”

He paused, watching her reaction closely before continuing, “Originally, this case wasn’t even under my jurisdiction. But now that the Lin family’s biological daughter has filed an official complaint and requested a joint investigation, I can’t pretend not to see it. It’s quite clear someone has meddled in this from behind the scenes. We don’t yet have evidence to name names, but as the Gu family’s biological daughter, it’s difficult for us to believe you’re entirely in the dark.”

Lin Miao’s eyes narrowed, her expression frostbitten. Still, she held her ground.

“I truly know nothing,” she replied firmly. “I only rushed back after my father was taken to the hospital. I sincerely hope, Captain He, that you won’t drag an innocent person like me into this mess. That being said, I won’t hide anything. My parents have long been jealous of the Lin family. Whether or not they did something behind the scenes—I honestly have no idea.”

Captain He was silent for a moment, then said, “The investigation is still ongoing. And to be fair, we don’t have any evidence proving your involvement. No need to be overly tense. This is just standard procedure. However, there’s another matter I find curious. According to your adoptive mother, on the very day Lin Cheng had his accident, he was barely in the hospital before you arrived with a thousand yuan, saying it was for his emergency treatment. How, may I ask, did you find out about the car accident so quickly? And how did you have the money ready?”

The car accident involving Lin Cheng had been a mess—Captain He knew it well. It happened at the crack of dawn. A hit-and-run. Poor lighting, general chaos. No one had seen the license plate of the fleeing vehicle, and they still hadn’t managed to track down the driver. Most likely, the Lin family would just have to accept their misfortune.

But then Gu Zi returned from the capital, bringing with him a nugget of information he’d somehow gleaned from An Yun—that Lin Miao had known about the accident almost immediately. To Captain He, that had been a red flag. He had a growing suspicion that Lin Miao was not only involved in the food poisoning incident, but perhaps also connected to the car crash.

Upon hearing the question, Lin Miao’s pupils flickered with unease. But she’d been to prison once—she’d learned to stay composed under pressure.

Her face quickly settled back into calm, and she replied smoothly, “I was just passing by and happened to see Lin Cheng being taken to the emergency room. That’s how I knew he was hurt. It was an urgent situation. I’d originally planned to go for a health check-up that day, but I cancelled it. So I thought I’d give him the money instead.”

Captain He pounced. “A thousand yuan? What kind of check-up requires you to carry that much cash around?”

Lin Miao had answered too quickly, and now her story began to unravel. She corrected herself hastily. “I was actually going to visit a friend who’s sick. He needs money for treatment, so I brought some cash with me. I thought I’d lend him what he needed.”

The moment the words left her lips, unease began to creep in. But Captain He was relentless, his expression as impassive as ever, his voice firm with procedural coolness.

“What friend?” he asked. “Can this friend come forward and confirm your story?”

“He can’t,” Lin Miao replied at once. “His health is poor—he couldn’t handle your questioning. And besides, his needing to borrow money is a private matter. I can’t share more details. As for the money I gave the Lin family—it was purely out of kindness. It wasn’t even used in the end. You really shouldn’t twist my intentions like this. It’s utterly inappropriate.”

She drew herself upright then, her voice rising in protest. “Whether it’s the food poisoning or Lin Cheng’s accident, unless you can produce concrete evidence, I expect you to stop making baseless assumptions. I’m happy to cooperate with any legitimate investigation, but if you try to smear me without proof, I won’t stand for it. Are you telling me… the Lin family actually suspects I was involved in the car crash?”