The light from the crystal chandelier shattered into a dizzying array of light spots before Yu Jiuyuan's eyes.

She gripped the Roman column in the banquet hall, her knuckles turning white from the force, and a burning sensation welled up in her throat, as if she had swallowed a wad of burning cotton.

"President, you look terrible." A student council member walked by carrying a tray, looking at her with concern. "Would you like to rest in the lounge for a while? I'll have a waiter bring you a glass of warm water."

Yu Jiuyuan waved her hand, her gaze falling on the young master of the Su family not far away.

The other person was holding a glass of champagne and talking to Lin Yanran. When they glanced over from the corner of their eye, there was a hint of smugness in their eyes.

The dull thud of champagne glasses hitting the carpet was mostly drowned out by the noise of the banquet hall.

When Yu Jiuyuan steadied herself by holding onto the carved pillars, the cold sweat on her palms had soaked through her velvet gloves. A strange heat was rising from the base of her spine, like a snake flicking its tongue, making her breath catch in her throat.

Just now, this person, under the pretext of discussing the cooperation between the student council and the Su Group, personally handed her a glass of champagne. The rim of the glass still had the scent of cologne that he hadn't wiped off, and now it smelled like the sweet fragrance of poison.

Yu Jiuyuan took a half step back and bumped into a cold pillar. The coolness was no match for the fire burning within her.

She recognized the feeling; three years ago at a family gathering in Southeast Asia, a reckless member of a collateral branch tried to use a similar drug to harm her, but she had her bodyguards break three of his ribs.

But this time the drug was much stronger, like magma flowing in my blood vessels, even my retina started to feel hot, and my thoughts started to feel heavy.

[System Alert: Unknown potent drug detected. Central nervous system excitation index exceeds 300%. Continued exposure will lead to permanent damage.]

The cold, mechanical voice slammed into her mind, and Yu Jiuyuan leaned against the wall as she walked towards the lounge. With each step, the heat within her intensified; the silk fabric of her dress brushed against her skin as if setting it ablaze.

She staggered as she pushed open the door to the lounge. She bumped into the Su family's son coming out; upon seeing her, a smug smile flashed in his eyes, and he turned to slip away.

"Stop." Yu Jiuyuan's voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against wood. She grabbed the other person's wrist, her nails almost digging into the flesh. "What did you put in the drink?"

The young master of the Su family grimaced in pain, but still stubbornly insisted, "President Yu is joking. I just came to borrow a lighter."

Yu Jiuyuan stared at his flickering eyes and suddenly smiled.

There was no warmth in that smile, only an icy chill: "The Su family wants to avenge the Lin family? Tell Lin Yanran that using such despicable methods will only make him look more like a groveling dog."

She flung his hand away, the force so strong that he slammed into the doorframe. She locked the lounge door behind her with a soft click, as if completely isolating herself from the outside world.

The velvet fabric of the carved sofa brushed against her arm, bringing a sharp itch. She slumped down, her movements as she ripped open the neckline of her dress revealing an unprecedented level of embarrassment.

The skin around the collarbone was flushed an abnormal red, like a mark from being branded with a hot iron.

She tried to think rationally. The Su family and the Lin family were on good terms. Lin Yanran had been humiliated at the registration desk today. The Su family was trying to use her as a tool to kill her, both to please the Lin family and to destroy her, who was standing in their way.

The method was crude, but it precisely hit her weak spot. She couldn't afford to show the slightest sign of losing her composure at this banquet.

But the internal heat was spreading at an alarming rate, like magma overflowing through ice.

She bit her lower lip, trying to stay awake, but all she tasted was a faint metallic taste of blood. Even the favorability rating on the system panel began to distort and double.

[System Alert: High concentration of alkaloids detected. Continued exposure will lead to permanent damage to the central nervous system. Immediate mitigation measures are recommended.]

The cold, mechanical voice slammed into her mind, and Yu Jiuyuan slumped onto the velvet sofa. She ripped off her gloves in a disheveled manner, her exposed fingers an unnatural red.

The crystal chandelier in her line of sight began to spin, and the oil paintings on the wall twisted into grotesque shapes. She knew she couldn't fall, at least not in this position.

The piano music in the side hall suddenly stopped.

Xie Zhecheng's fingertips hovered over the piano keys. The melody that had been flowing smoothly just moments before was now stuck in a higher key. He frowned and looked toward the banquet hall. He felt that something was wrong. The way Yu Jiuyuan had left earlier was slightly more swaying than usual, like a lily of the valley disturbed by a strong wind.

"President Xie, have you seen Chairman Yu?" Rong Shenghan's voice came from behind, with his usual gentleness, but with an imperceptible tension. "Nianzhi said she was a little cold. When I went to get a shawl, I saw that Su family kid loitering at the door of the lounge."

Xie Zhecheng's movement of standing up created a gust of wind.

As Xie Zhecheng turned around, he caught a glimpse of the sharpness flashing in Rong Shenghan's eyes. This vice president, who always smiled gently, now seemed like a beast whose territory had been violated, his aura turning cold.

"She just went to the registration area." Xie Zhecheng's voice remained calm, but he subconsciously quickened his pace. "Let's go take a look."

He recalled the sly glint in Yu Jiuyuan's eyes when she kissed him twice; he had never seen her lose her composure before.

But at this moment, a sharp unease inexplicably welled up in my heart, like the observed star orbit suddenly deviating from the calculated trajectory.

As the two walked through the crowd, they bumped into Yuan Xu running towards them carrying an incubator. Her white coat was covered in phosphorescent powder from butterfly wings. "Where's A Yuan? The aurora butterflies have suddenly become restless. They only calm down when she's around..."

Before he could finish speaking, a muffled thud came from the direction of the lounge, like a heavy object hitting the door.

The moment the door was flung open, Xie Zhecheng and Rong Shenghan froze simultaneously.

Yu Jiuyuan was curled up on the carpet. The hem of her white dress was scattered messily on the ground, like a flower battered by a rainstorm. She bit her lip fiercely, and blood seeped from the corner of her lips, but she stubbornly refused to make a sound.

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