Era: You're asked to cook a home-style dish, but you cook Wellington.

Zou Li's lips trembled, his eyes filled with panic and shock.

This was his deepest vulnerability, which Gao Yang had revealed in a single sentence.

Is that his only concern in this world? That's why he didn't take such a risk. He can be indifferent to himself, but he can't ignore her life or death.

"How did you know?"

The shock in Zou Li's eyes was slowly replaced by helplessness and pleading.

In fact, at the time of the incident, he kept regretting it and questioning himself why he couldn't control his impulse.

But the reality is right here.

Perhaps unable to get over it, he confessed to his crimes in just a few words after being seen through.

He wanted to take all the blame upon himself and make Qin Wanshan treat his old flame well.

For some reason, Gao Yang knew his biggest secret.

He looked at Gao Yang, his lips trembling, unable to utter a word for a long time.

Gu Jingzhou and Xu Qinyun looked at Gao Yang as if he were a monster.

They looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock.

What does this mean? He guessed the deepest secret in someone's heart in just one sentence. Are you sure he didn't have some kind of script?

Only Gao Yang understood that he had made the right bet.

After all, Zou Li was of a certain age, with no parents, no children, and had never married.

Logically speaking, he shouldn't have any ambitions; he's just trying to survive one day at a time.

The problem is that he needs money and fame; it's obvious he has connections outside.

So he tested the waters, and to his surprise, his gamble paid off.

However, these thoughts only lingered in Gao Yang's mind for a moment.

The next moment, he composed himself and stared straight into Zou Li's eyes.

"I'll find out if I want to, but you're probably not so lucky."

"Your actions constitute intentional homicide. Do you know how long you could be sentenced for that alone?"

"You'll be spending the rest of your life in prison. Do you think your old flame will still stay with you?"

A slight smile appeared on Gao Yang's lips, a smile that seemed to be both mockery and pity.

This expression, when seen by Zou Li, was like adding fuel to the fire in hot oil, deeply stimulating his nerves.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

Zou Li struggled to break free from his restraints, shouting excitedly as he tried to stand up.

Unfortunately, he was tied to the chair and couldn't break free no matter what he did.

The immense force caused the entire table to rattle, startling the two people next to it.

Gao Yang remained calm and unmoved.

"If you tell me now who instructed you to do this, you will still have a chance to plead guilty and work your way out of trouble. I will then hire the best lawyer to try to get a reduced sentence for you."

"But if you still choose to be stubborn and refuse to say it, then you'll never see your old flame again for the rest of your life."

"Don't tell me you still believe that the guy behind you can take care of your old flame. Who do you think would want to kill you here, so you can never speak again?"

Gao Yang's voice was steady and calm, like a computer screen, without a trace of emotion.

Zou Li was bound to the interrogation chair, his veins bulging, panting heavily, like a maddened wild beast trapped in a cage, slowly catching his breath.

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold. Gao Yang didn't say anything more and just stared at him quietly, leaving only Zou Li still panting heavily.

"I said."

In the end, reason prevailed over Zou Li's emotions. He felt as if all his strength had been drained away, and he slumped in the interrogation chair. The madness in his eyes completely faded, leaving only resignation.

He knew better than anyone that everything Gao Yang said was true.

Qin Wanshan was a ruthless person. He only took a liking to me because of my usefulness. Now that I'm in jail, I'm a hot potato. He'd rather get rid of me than help me. How could he possibly take care of things for me?

Only by performing meritorious service and obtaining a reduced sentence will he have a chance to get out.

Besides, Gao Yang seems honest, not like the kind of cunning and treacherous person who would say one thing and do another.

His hands were clenched into fists, and his teeth were biting his lips tightly.

"All of this was done at Qin Wanshan's behest."

"He approached me at first, saying he had a way to get me into the competition, or even win the championship."

"Then, he gave me a recipe and told me to learn it by following the recipe, which is the roast meat dish I presented in the preliminary round."

"In the following two days, I got into trouble because of this barbecue. Gao Yang and you guys performed so well that Qin Wanshan lost confidence in me and asked me to tamper with Steven's stove."

As Zou Li spoke, tears streamed down his face; he genuinely regretted what he had done.

Gao Yang frowned slightly, sensing that something was amiss.

He recalled Zou Li's expression during the match; it just didn't look right, a stark contrast to his current demeanor.

"Have you eaten anything else in the past two days?"

A not-so-nice thought popped into his mind.

"Things?"

Zou Li looked up, his eyes flickering slightly as he continued to recall.

"The food wasn't anything special. Qin Wanshan treated me to dinner last night, and I slept very well afterward."

Suddenly, he stopped, and his eyes widened abruptly.

"Now that you mention it, I remember something. When I was sleeping early this morning, I felt a mosquito sting my neck and a dark shadow flashed by, but I didn't pay attention and just went back to sleep."

"When I woke up, I thought I was dreaming."

At this point, Gao Yang immediately understood. Qin Wanshan must have done something to make Zou Li show that sinister and crazy appearance on the field.

His brows furrowed even more.

"How did you feel when you arrived at the stadium this morning?"

Gao Yang then asked a question.

"Do you ever feel irritable and like you can't stand anyone?"

Zou Li trembled, his eyes widened suddenly, and his face gradually turned pale.

"Now that you mention it, I think I did have that feeling back then."

"I remember at the time, the audience was chanting Steven's name, and I was thinking, why didn't they have faith in me? Why is he a master and I'm not? Why can't I win the championship?"

"And then, you all know what happened next."

Zou Li shed two lines of clear tears, her sobs turning into loud crying, like a child who had done something wrong and didn't know what to do.

Gao Yang sighed and did not press the matter further.

He rubbed his temples and leaned back wearily in his chair.

"This is getting a bit troublesome."

"What's wrong?"

Gu Jingzhou frowned and looked at Gao Yang.

"This isn't like you at all."

Gao Yang gave a wry smile: "Zou Li was drugged. I guess it was probably a hallucinogenic drug, which is why he did this. Otherwise, given his personality, he really wouldn't kill someone."

"Hallucinogenic drugs? You mean...?"

Gao Yang stopped the two from continuing and nodded.

Moreover, I know that a certain drug evaporates very quickly in the body, and now that so much time has passed, it has probably been metabolized long ago.

Gao Yang's thoughts were in disarray.

It's so frustrating to know who the culprit is but be unable to arrest them.

Gu Jingzhou and his companion were at a loss; they genuinely didn't understand this aspect very well.

But the next moment, the interrogation room door was opened.

"This is Zou Li's blood test report!"