Chapter 32 Antidote
Chu Yan was startled, but quickly responded, "Okay, Brother Yu."
City A, conference room on the top floor of the Chu Group headquarters building.
The large, circular conference table was filled with the core directors and senior executives of the Chu Group, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere. On the enormous projection screen, the interim results and future plans for the cloud-based intelligent control project were clearly displayed.
Chu Yan stood at the podium, his posture erect and his expression serene. Dressed in a well-tailored dark suit, he shed his campus-style gentleness, exuding a calmness and competence that belied his age. His presentation was clearly organized, with detailed data and rigorous logic. His deep understanding of the project and his foresight of future risks drew the silent nods of many seasoned business veterans present.
Chu Yu sat at the head table, a rare, barely perceptible hint of satisfaction and pride on his stern face. The chairman of the Chu Group, Chu Yu's father, gazed intently at this collateral grandson, his eyes filled with undisguised admiration. He glanced at Chu Yu, who sat beside him, and was clearly pleased with his own opinion.
"To sum up, the cloud-based intelligent control project has achieved its phased goals in terms of technical breakthroughs and market expansion as planned, and even exceeded expectations. In the next stage, we will focus on..." Chu Yan's voice was clear and powerful, echoing in the quiet conference room, controlling the rhythm of the whole meeting.
The report concluded with applause filled with genuine approval. Chu Yan bowed slightly and calmly walked down the stage.
After the meeting, Mr. Chu and Chu Yu stayed.
"Ayan is really getting better and better." Chairman Chu looked at Chu Yan's back as he left the meeting room and said to Chu Yu with emotion, "He's not much worse than you were back then."
Chu Yu, for once, didn't object, merely humming a "hmm," his eyes a complex expression. He was indeed pleased with Chu Yan's excellence, but when he thought of this talented cousin, a complete love-brained man who would willingly be exploited by a vixen like Gu Xu, a wave of paternal worry welled up inside him.
"His family..." Director Chu frowned, obviously having heard of Chu Yan's extremely unreliable parents.
"It's still the same." Chu Yu said succinctly, his tone tinged with a subtle chill. Clearly, he couldn't stand Chu Yan's parents, who were so self-absorbed.
"It's really not easy for this child to grow up like this." Director Chu could only sigh and say, "If you need help in the future, you can consider Chu Yan." This meant that he was preparing to train Chu Yan well. The Chu family was different from the Gu family. Although the Gu family adhered to the wolf culture, the boundaries between the main family and the side branches were clear. The Chu family valued personal ability more. Even if you were a child of the side branch, as long as you were outstanding, you could still get into the core circle of the Chu family.
In the evening, after a day of reporting and socializing, Chu Yan just returned to Chu Yu's top-floor apartment in City A. Before he had time to catch his breath, Chu Yu handed him a brand new casual suit.
"Put it on and go to the bureau with me tonight."
Chu Yan took the clothes and was a little confused: "Which bureau?" He didn't hear that there were other arrangements tonight.
"A few old friends heard I was back and insisted on getting together." Chu Yu said casually as he adjusted his tie in front of the mirror. "I'm going to introduce you to some new people so you can get around City A easily." His tone was casual, but Chu Yan understood that this was Chu Yu's way of introducing him to the truly top circles and broadening his network. Chu Yu's circle of friends consisted of all the second-generation rich, renowned figures in City A and even across the country.
"Okay, Brother Yu." Chu Yan smiled, changed his clothes obediently and followed Chu Yu to the party venue.
The gathering was held at an extremely private and luxurious club. After passing through the heavy security and pushing open the heavy soundproof door, the luxurious atmosphere instantly hit us.
Beneath the enormous crystal chandelier, elegantly dressed people were seen drinking and chatting. A few of the hottest stars, shining brightly on screen, were merely backdrops in the corner, cautiously smiling along.
Chu Yu immediately became the focus of attention as soon as he appeared. Several well-dressed young men with different temperaments came forward with smiles, greeting him familiarly, but their eyes were fixed on Chu Yan with inquiry and curiosity.
"Brother Yu, I finally got you back!"
"Brother Yu, if you don't come back, we'll have to go to S City to arrest him."
"Brother Yu, who is the person next to you...?"
"My cousin, Chu Yan." Chu Yu's introduction was concise and powerful. He pushed Chu Yan in front of him, which in itself carried an invisible declaration.
A flash of understanding and respect flashed across everyone's eyes, and they all enthusiastically shook hands and exchanged greetings with Chu Yan. Chu Yan maintained a perfectly gentle smile, responding appropriately, and naturally blended into this seemingly casual but actually tightly controlled circle.
Chu Yan sat with Chu Yu in the core area for a while, watching them toasting each other, reminiscing and chatting. He picked up a glass of orange juice, leaned close to Chu Yu's ear and whispered, "Brother Yu, you guys chat slowly. I'll go sit over there for a while. You should drink less tonight." They didn't bring a driver.
Chu Yu glanced at him. Since tonight's mission had been completed, he didn't want to bother Chu Yan anymore. He nodded slightly.
Chu Yan, holding his orange juice, walked to a relatively quiet corner sofa and sat down. He didn't really like this overly noisy and flashy environment, but he understood Chu Yu's intentions. So he just sat quietly in the corner and watched the crowd.
Time ticked by. Less than an hour had passed when Chu Yan's phone in his pocket vibrated. It was Chu Yu's exclusive ringtone. He frowned slightly, stood up, and walked quickly towards the core area.
The scene before him made his eyes turn cold instantly.
The atmosphere in the area, which had just been filled with laughter and conversation, was now strangely stagnant and chaotic. A wine glass shattered on the floor, soaking the expensive carpet with wine. Chu Yu leaned against the cold wall, his face flushed, his breathing rapid, beads of sweat oozing from his forehead. His eyes, always cold and sharp, were now filled with a fierce, yet suppressed, lust and anger.
His icy gaze was fixed on a young woman in a corner, scantily clad and wearing voluptuous makeup. The woman's face was pale as she was restrained by Chu Yu's two friends who had reacted.
Chu Yan understood instantly. It was an old-fashioned drugging tactic, a despicable one, and a clear goal.
Chu Yu saw Chu Yan approaching, as if he had found his only support point. His tense nerves relaxed slightly, but his body's reaction became even more violent. He practically gritted his teeth and squeezed out a word, his voice hoarse: "Go!"
Without a word, Chu Yan took a step forward, holding Chu Yu's arm with one hand and resting the other hand on his waist, seemingly casually, but actually firmly supporting his limp body. Chu Yu's scorching heat was transmitted through his thin shirt, carrying a dangerous signal.
He had just taken two steps with Chu Yu when a close friend of Chu Yu, who was also one of the organizers of this party, caught up with a grim expression: "Brother Yu, Ah Yan."
Chu Yan stopped and turned his head, his face still had that gentle expression, but his eyes were as cold as a cold pond, with a condescending and oppressive feeling. His tone was polite but every word was as sharp as a knife: "Young Master Wang, the Chu family needs an explanation for what happened tonight. You guys keep an eye on them, we'll leave first." After that, he supported Chu Yu and strode away without looking back.
Wang Shao also knew that this matter was their problem. He turned around and ordered the security guards who came to lock up the woman. He wanted to see who was so bold as to take action against him.
Chu Yan quickly started the car after stuffing Chu Yu into the passenger seat. Chu Yu leaned back in the chair, eyes tightly closed, breathing heavily like a bellows. Sweat had soaked his temples, and his body trembled slightly uncontrollably, clearly enduring immense pain and suffering.
[System: High concentrations of a mixture of aphrodisiacs and hallucinogens have been detected in the target individual, Chu Yu, resulting in an abnormally slow metabolic rate. Body temperature continues to rise, heart rate is tachycardiac, and blood pressure is abnormally elevated. If effective intervention is not promptly implemented, continued use will cause irreversible damage to the cardiovascular and nervous systems. The optimal intervention window is estimated to be within 30 minutes.]
[Chu Yan: How long does it take to get to the hospital?]
[System: Given the current traffic conditions, it is estimated that it will take at least 45 minutes to reach the emergency room of the nearest tertiary hospital.]
Chu Yan looked at the glaring red traffic line on the navigation system, then glanced at Chu Yu's increasingly abnormally flushed face and painful, suppressed breathing. His brows furrowed tightly. He swerved the steering wheel, the car making a harsh grinding sound as it forced a lane change and drove off the main road.
A few minutes later, the car stopped in front of a five-star hotel. Chu Yan quickly got out, walked around to the passenger seat, and half-carried Chu Yu, who was already beginning to lose consciousness, out. Chu Yu's tall body almost completely leaned on him, and the scorching heat burned Chu Yan's arm through the clothes.
The suite's heavy door closed, isolating everything from the outside world. Chu Yan practically carried Chu Yu into the spacious, bright bathroom. He placed Chu Yu on the edge of the massive jacuzzi and, without hesitation, turned on the cold water tap, sending a stream of icy water gushing down.
"Brother Yu, bear with it for a moment." Chu Yan's voice was unusually solemn. He helped Chu Yu sit in the rapidly accumulating stream of icy water.
A biting chill instantly enveloped his scorching body, and Chu Yu shuddered violently, letting out a muffled groan of pain mixed with a hint of relief. The icy stimulation temporarily suppressed the madly burning fire within him, allowing his chaotic thoughts to regain a bit of clarity. He opened his eyes, and drops of water slid down his soaked black hair, dripping onto his blushing but unusually pale face. He looked at Chu Yan, who was standing by the bathtub. Those eyes, always sharp and deep, were now filled with a rationality that was shaky under the impact of physiological instincts, as well as an indescribable vulnerability and embarrassment.
Chu Yan watched him shiver uncontrollably in the icy water, looking more miserable than ever before, and sighed silently. The drug was too potent. Suppressing it with cold water was only a temporary fix, not a solution. If this continued, Chu Yu's body would collapse first.
Chu Yan squatted down, without any intimacy or awkwardness, only a calmness that was almost professional. He dipped his hand into the icy water...
Chu Yu's body was as tense as a fully drawn bow, and an uncontrollable groan escaped from his throat.
An unknown amount of time passed before Chu Yan's hand finally left the water. The fire within Chu Yu that threatened to consume him was finally suppressed. He leaned against the cold bathtub wall, breathing heavily. Although his eyes were still somewhat vacant, the confusion distorted by lust and drugs finally faded, and his rationality struggled to regain its upper hand.
Seeing that he was awake, Chu Yan stood up. He looked at Chu Yu, who was lying in the bathtub with his eyes closed as if exhausted, his chest heaving violently. His voice returned to its usual steady state, without any emotion in it: "Brother Yu, I'm glad you're awake. You can clean up the rest." After saying that, without looking at Chu Yu's instantly stiff expression, he turned around and walked out of the misty bathroom without looking back, gently closing the door.
The sound of the door lock falling was particularly clear in the suddenly quiet bathroom.
Chu Yu suddenly opened his eyes, staring at the closed bathroom door, then looked down at his own disheveled state. A huge, unprecedented sense of shame and rage instantly overwhelmed him. He was the heir to the Chu Group, yet he was so shameless in front of his own cousin.
He was trembling with anger, and punched the cold, hard edge of the tub. His knuckles instantly broke and bled, but he felt no pain at all. The flames of anger nearly burst through his skull! He would not let the woman who drugged him go! He would make her pay a hundredfold, a thousandfold!
However, what was even more turbulent than his anger, and even more embarrassing than his embarrassment, was the embarrassment he faced when facing Chu Yan. The chaotic and shameful scenes from just now replayed in his mind over and over again. Chu Yan's calm, almost indifferent eyes, his precise yet distant movements... Chu Yu felt a surge of blood rushing to his head, wishing he could sink to the bottom of this cold bathtub forever, never escaping to face reality again.
He scooped up the ice-cold bath water and poured it fiercely over his scalding face, trying to quench the shame that threatened to consume him. He needed time, space, and a chance to calm down completely before he could think about how to face this cousin who had just helped him so much but also humiliated him.
Chu Yu soaked in the icy water for a long time, until the heat in his body completely faded, leaving only the biting cold and exhaustion. He stood up with difficulty, pulled the bath towel around himself, and walked out of the bathroom with a somewhat unsteady step.
The living room was empty.
Chu Yan has already left.
Outside the huge floor-to-ceiling windows was the dazzling night view of City A. The room was so quiet that only the sound of his own breathing could be heard.
Chu Yu looked at the empty room, his tense nerves suddenly relaxing. Then, a wave of even more complex and indescribable emotions surged up. He slowly walked to the sofa, sat down, and buried his face deeply in his hands.
It’s okay to leave...
At least now, he really didn't know how to face Chu Yan.
And where is Chu Yan now?
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