"Tell everyone," Yang Lingyun said, gesturing for him to speak. "You were on duty in the kitchen the night I was poisoned, correct?"
"Yes, sir," the staff member nodded nervously.
"Then tell everyone here what you saw around the kitchen that night," Yang Lingyun instructed, leaning back in his chair with icy authority.
The staff member hesitated briefly, glancing at the tense group before finally speaking. "I… I did see someone," he said. "I saw Miss Xia Liyan walking near the kitchen area not long before the incident happened. She was lingering around the back door of the kitchen. I thought maybe she was just lost, so I didn't question it, but she was definitely there."
Xia Liyan's eyes widened in genuine shock. She hadn't expected this—she had been so careful. She thought no one had noticed.
