Chapter 49

Love Lake 4, The Lake of Love

Liu Qin's eyes widened in shock, "Someone is trying to harm us?" she asked, "Who would want to harm us?"

Anger gestured for her to calm down, and then turned to Meng Qiang, "By the way, that night, Liu Qin said you were tossing in bed and told her not to resist him... Do you remember anything about that?"

Meng Qiang frowned in confusion, turning to Liu Qin, "What do you mean, 'don't resist him'?"

"You said it yourself that night," Liu Qin replied. "You were acting perfectly normal then."

"Normal?" Meng Qiang was even more puzzled. "When did this happen?"

"It was back in November... ah, on the 11th, Singles' Day. You even joked about how lucky you were not to be single anymore," Liu Qin finished, only to see Meng Qiang's mouth agape, looking at her in disbelief, as if he had been greatly shocked. "How is that possible?"

"What's wrong?" Mo Fei, noticing Meng Qiang's odd behavior, asked, "What happened?"

"I... I wasn't home that day," Meng Qiang said. "I had business and didn't return until the next morning. Don’t you remember?"

Liu Qin, puzzled, responded, "No, you came home after work that day, and... it wasn't until the next morning that you left."

"I texted you, and you replied with 'Okay, my dear,'" Meng Qiang insisted. "You were quite distant during that period, so I was especially happy to receive that message."

"What? I never got any text from you; don’t make things up!" Liu Qin retorted angrily.

"I've kept every single text you sent!" Meng Qiang declared loudly. "I even bought a phone with large storage to save them all whenever it gets full!"

Mo Fei and An Ge'er exchanged glances, watching as Meng Qiang pulled out his phone and scrolled through the dates. Finally, he found the message, unmistakably sent from Liu Qin's phone – 'Okay, my dear, I will take good care of myself.'

"Ah!" Liu Qin screamed after a brief glance at the phone and threw it away, exclaiming, "That wasn't me!"

Jiu Yi frowned, beginning to doubt Liu Qin's mental state, but An Ge'er said calmly, "Don't panic. To be precise, you didn’t send this."

Liu Qin, shocked, asked, "Then... who sent it?"

An Ge'er smiled slightly, glancing towards the door.

At that moment, the doorbell rang. As everyone looked, they saw someone standing at the entrance. Mo Fei recognized the person as Xia Fan, a fortune teller, and the twin brother of An Ge'er's personal doctor, Xia Qi.

"An Ge'er," Xia Fan walked in, saying, "I found what you were looking for, but it wasn't easy."

An Ge'er smiled faintly, reaching out his hand. Xia Fan handed him several sheets of paper filled with writing... seemingly some kind of documents.

An Ge'er took the documents, glanced over them, nodded, and said, "This is indeed it, thank you."

Xia Fan shrugged and took a seat to the side. Mo Fei briefly introduced him to everyone, and after exchanging casual greetings, Jiu Yi eagerly asked An Ge'er, "Do you have any leads? Tell us quickly."

An Ge'er nodded slightly and said, "Actually, after hearing Jiu Yi's description last night, I already had an idea of what really happened."

Everyone was astonished. Liu Qin, in tears, leaned into Meng Qiang's arms and sobbed, "Am I going crazy? Am I?"

Mo Fei also remembered something from the night before. When he came back from his shower, he had seen An Ge'er hanging up the phone. Was An Ge'er calling Xia Fan then?

An Ge'er gave a slight smile, addressing the almost distraught Liu Qin, "Don't worry, you're not crazy. You couldn't be more sane. This is just a plot."

"A plot?" Meng Qiang was puzzled.

"Yes, I've said it before, someone is trying to harm you," An Ge'er explained.

Meng Qiang, feeling helpless, said, "Although I was quite reckless in my youth, I've been a decent person. I can't think of anyone who would go to such lengths to harm me... and it's even less likely for Qin Qin."

Liu Qin nodded in agreement.

An Ge'er turned to Jiu Yi, "Do you remember when I asked you about the origin of Love Lake?"

Jiu Yi nodded. Liu Qin and Meng Qiang exchanged glances, saying, "It's because those who visit there rarely end up divorcing."

An Ge'er chuckled, "Ah, that place is a honeymoon destination, and the name 'Love Lake' itself is just a marketing gimmick concocted by businesses. It’s a strategy to attract married couples for their honeymoons, suggesting that divorce rates are lower among those who visit."

Liu Qin and Meng Qiang frowned.

"An Ge'er," Mo Fei asked, "does this have something to do with the origin of the name 'Love Lake'?"

An Ge'er nodded, "Nowadays, few people know the true origin of the name 'Love Lake'. Even locals, if they know, rarely speak of it, as the lake has become a major economic source for the area. Many locals work in the lakeside tourist sector, right?"

"Yes," Liu Qin nodded, "it is indeed a small town."

"A honeymoon destination famous for its low divorce rate is absurd," An Ge'er smiled. "After all, marriage is a common occurrence, and divorce is less so. Everyone marries, but only a few divorce. Thus, such marketing works for any honeymoon spot, but it's mainly the name 'Love Lake' that people believe in."

Everyone nodded, finding the reasoning sound.

"This is based on an old local news story," An Ge'er continued, "which explains the origin of Love Lake."

The group exchanged glances, listening intently as Anger continued his story.

Back then, the lake wasn't known as Love Lake. Life was tough for the locals, who relied solely on lumbering and fishing. Many couldn't afford to marry... so they pooled their money to buy brides.

The crowd frowned, and Jiu Yi remarked, "What they bought... were those kidnapped girls, right?"

"Yes," Anger nodded, "Some of the young women were pitiful. Abducted at the age of fifteen or sixteen, they were sold to the countryside to bear and raise children."

The group felt a sense of helplessness. People from wealthy areas bought women from poorer regions as playthings, while those from poorer areas bought women abducted from wealthy places for wives... What a ludicrous world.

"At that time, there was an unfortunate fifteen-year-old girl, let's call her A," Anger said. "She was kidnapped and sold here, to a farmer for marriage and to manage his household. However, she was unable to bear children, and thus, often faced abuse. Once, her husband, while fishing by the lake, tragically fell into the river... and died.

Everyone frowned, and Liu Qin asked, "Why didn't she run away?"

"Foolish," Meng Qiang whispered, "If the entire village was complicit in buying people, it meant they were all breaking the law... If one escaped and alerted the authorities, the whole village would be doomed."

Liu Qin nodded, paying close attention as Anger continued his tale.

"Young A became a widow at a tender age. Being literate and smart, she proposed to the village chief that they could turn the beautiful lake into a tourist attraction, a much better prospect than fishing and farming," Anger explained. "If funds were insufficient, they could draft a proposal, apply for grants, and seek wealthy investors."

"That's a brilliant idea," Mo Fei agreed, nodding.

Anger continued, "The village chief was persuaded by her and indeed implemented the plan. Within a couple of years, the village had developed into a tourist destination, with growing publicity. Gradually, many visitors were attracted by the scenic beauty and delicious seafood, improving the villagers' lives significantly."

Everyone nodded, and Liu Qin asked, "And what about the girl? Did her life get any better?"

"Yes," Anger nodded, "She was regarded as a great benefactor in the village, so everyone treated her quite well. However, her freedom was still restricted, as any negative publicity could devastate the tourism business."

"Indeed," Jiu Yi chuckled dryly, "Who would want to vacation in a place known for human trafficking?"

"At that time, A was only twenty, young and beautiful," Anger said. "Like any girl, she dreamed of marrying a charming prince, but she was surrounded by rough men from the village."

Jiu Yi shrugged, "Such a tragic situation."

"And then, at that moment, she stumbled upon something," Anger revealed, "Something that would change her fate."

"What was it?" the crowd asked, curious.

"This is a special product from the shores of Love Lake," Anger said as he passed the last piece of information for everyone to see.

Liu Qin and the others took it and saw it was an introduction to a plant resembling a small tree, laden with many lychee-like fruits.

"This plant is a local specialty of the Love Lake area and also a specialty of Yunnan. Its scientific name is Xiao Shaozi," Anger paused, then added, "It's commonly known as the 'Devil's Fruit'."

"Devil's Fruit?" the group asked, puzzled.

"Yes," Anger continued, "In the plant world, there are countless species that can induce hallucinations. For instance, there's a Sherlock Holmes story where the Devil's Snare is burned near the deceased, causing them hallucinations leading to death. To outsiders, it appeared as if they were scared to death by the devil. There's also the peyote cactus from South America, colloquially known as 'magic ball'; the Aztecs' use of 'heavenly blue'; the common red toadstool mushroom; the Indian mandrake, also called 'hell's bells'; the wormwood used in absinthe, cannabis, and the death cap hallucinogenic mushroom... among others."

Mo Fei sighed, realizing Anger's mind was indeed filled with unsettling knowledge, just as Os had said.

"The infamous Aum Shinrikyo cult used extracted hallucinogens from such plants to brainwash most of its followers," Anger explained, "And among all these hallucinogens, the Devil's Fruit, or Xiao Shaozi, is the easiest to consume accidentally."

The group looked again at the picture, remarking, "True... it does look like a lychee."

"Most city folks, lacking common knowledge, think it's a wild lychee," said Anger. "Moreover, when this fruit is peeled, cooked, and eaten, it's hard to detect, as it's said to taste similar to chestnuts... quite delicious, in fact."

At this point in the story, Liu Qin and Meng Qiang's eyes widened in shock.

"What's wrong?" the others asked, looking at them puzzled.

"When we were at Love Lake, our favorite dish was chestnut fish cubes!" Meng Qiang exclaimed. "Qin Qin loved it, so we often ordered it... We still eat it frequently because it's a signature dish of the hotels around Love Lake, and we often order it for delivery... Oh my God."

"Could it be a case of mass poisoning?" Mo Fei grew anxious.

"Don't panic," Anger waved his hand, "I haven't finished yet. It's not about mass poisoning, but rather, something was done to your food."

While everyone breathed a sigh of relief, they became even more curious. What exactly was going on?

"Anger, please continue with the story," urged Jiu Yi.