Chapter 22 Drugging
Ling Wei's eyes flickered, and she did not respond to You Jingxuan's question.
He simply turned around silently, blended into the noisy crowd behind him, and soon disappeared from sight.
You Jingxuan stood there, his fingertips unconsciously stroking the cold glass.
Why do I hate Xu Ziqi? This thought resurfaced uncontrollably once again.
Although he knew that Xu Ziqi was not as innocent and harmless as she appeared on the surface, the two families were old friends, had grown up together, and their families were intertwined in many fields.
This "knowing" has remained merely at the level of "knowing" for many years, without ever delving deeper or having any intention of doing so.
In particular, the Xu family was interested in a marriage alliance. Although he had no romantic feelings for Xu Ziqi, his elders were happy to see it happen.
Xu Ziqi also has special feelings for him. If nothing unexpected happens, it wouldn't be a bad idea to accept the marriage and push the You family to new heights.
—To disrupt this delicate balance for the sake of his brother's ex-girlfriend?
He lowered his head, his gaze falling on the melting ice water in the glass. He seemed to be weighing something, or perhaps he was simply gripped by a nameless restlessness.
"Brother Jingxuan! Enjoying wine all by yourself here? Come, come, let me toast you!" A ruddy-faced middle-aged boss patted You Jingxuan's shoulder warmly, interrupting his thoughts.
You Jingxuan quickly concealed all his emotions, and the corners of his lips habitually curved into an impeccable social smile as he raised his glass in response: "Mr. Wang, you're too kind."
He chatted and laughed with people as usual.
Only occasionally, during a break in the other person's rambling, his gaze would unconsciously drift in the direction where someone had disappeared, revealing a hint of absent-mindedness.
The younger brother's ex-girlfriend didn't break up with him because she disliked him as her older brother. That emotional knot is untied. The rest is Hoshino's own business.
As the older brother, is he supposed to protect this on-again, off-again couple and investigate the whole story?
That's meddling way too much.
Mr. Wang, sitting opposite, also noticed that the young patriarch seemed to be in low spirits today. After saying a few polite words and offering another toast, he tactfully took his leave.
Xu Ziqi walked towards Youjingxuan with a heart full of carefully brewed emotions.
She was recently "accidentally" exposed by netizens for her secret social media account, and the detailed love diary entries inside instantly went viral online.
[Waaaaah, what an amazing unrequited love diary! The God of Pure Love collapses to the ground!]
[Insider information! Rumor has it that the two companies are really going to merge! A powerful alliance, I'll keep the key to the deal!]
The online frenzy fueled her smugness, as if public opinion had already paved the red carpet for her.
“Brother Jingxuan,” her voice was so soft it could melt water, tinged with just the right amount of shyness, “Have you seen all that online…? It’s just netizens making a fuss, just messing around…” She hoped for even the slightest flicker of emotion in his eyes.
You Jingxuan's gaze, however, remained calm and even somewhat distant.
He didn't respond to her probing, but instead threw out an unexpected question: "Ziqi, you studied in Haishi in high school, why did you suddenly transfer schools?"
Xu Ziqi's heart sank, and her sweet smile froze for a moment, but she quickly covered it up with an even brighter smile: "Oh, that? Because..."
She fluently delivered her prepared explanation: "My family felt that the international curriculum in Beijing was more suitable for my future development, so they arranged for me to transfer schools. In addition, my grandmother's illness has improved and she no longer needs me to accompany her."
"Why are you suddenly asking this?" she asked innocently.
You Jingxuan's eyes were deep and unfathomable as he slowly nodded, his emotions unreadable.
"I will deal with the rumors circulating online." He said calmly, as if he were handling an ordinary document. "If the rumors are too outrageous, they will affect Huayou's stock price."
He recalled how Hoshino rebelled and left home when his dream was thwarted. At the time, his grandfather forbade him to go looking for him, wanting to bring his stubborn younger brother to his senses.
He was worried, so he sought out Xu Ziqi.
"Grandpa criticized Hoshino's songs as worthless. If you can, please help comfort him." That's what he asked her back then—he felt indebted to her.
The rest of the truth... let my brother decide.
Xu Ziqi's smile was barely held back, and her nails dug deeply into her palms.
The way he looked at her...did he sense something?!
She remembered that damned music video again, and the female lead who stole the show—Ling Wei! Old and new grudges instantly ignited the malice in her heart.
That ant! But now is not the time to deal with her...
The You brothers' attitudes turned cold. She had to seize today's opportunity and capture You Jingxuan! Otherwise, she would really go crazy.
As the celebration drew to a close, You Jingxuan was exchanging pleasantries with several business executives.
Suddenly, a strong dizziness struck, and his body swayed almost imperceptibly.
"Mr. You? Are you alright?" Mr. Zhang, a familiar face on the other end, noticed this and asked with concern.
You Jingxuan steadied himself instantly, a slightly tired smile quickly appearing on his face. He waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, Mr. Zhang, thank you for your concern. I'm probably just a little hypoglycemic from being too busy lately."
Mr. Zhang smiled understandingly and said, "I understand, I understand. The head of Huayou is very busy! Come on, have a piece of cake to tide you over?" He pointed to the exquisite dessert table next to him.
"Thank you for your kindness, Mr. Zhang," You Jingxuan said with a calm smile. "Excuse me, I'm going to get something."
He nodded slightly, turned and left with his usual elegant demeanor, but his pace was a bit faster than usual. At the same time, his sharp eyes quickly swept across the room, searching for Secretary Wang's figure.
However, he was nowhere to be seen in the entire hall. Where had he gone?!
Just a few steps away from the corner, a strange heat surged through his body, and he immediately realized something was wrong—he had been drugged!
This realization instantly alerted him. The celebration was held at a top-tier hotel, with countless reporters with keen senses lurking outside. If a headline like "President Hua You's Banquet Inappropriate Behavior" were to be published, it would be an absolutely devastating scandal.
Moreover, the person behind this wouldn't be so simple as just drugging someone.
Suppressing a sliver of clarity, You Jingxuan slipped into the fire escape.
He leaned against the cold wall, panting heavily, trying to draw on the coolness to suppress the fire within him.
His hands trembled as he pulled out his phone, his fingertips almost unresponsive from the effects of the medication and his nervousness, but he still managed to send a message to Secretary Wang as quickly as possible:
[Parking lot. Come quickly. Do not alert anyone, do not call an ambulance!]
After sending the message, he pressed his forehead against the cold wall, sweat trickling down his temples, his expensive suit lining already soaked with cold sweat.
Footsteps approached.
It was the sound of high heels clicking on the empty staircase, crisp and rapid, approaching from afar, like a death knell.
You Jingxuan tensed up, held his breath, and stared intently at the corner of the stairs.
Who could be the person who "coincidentally" appears at this time?
"Ling Wei?! Wait! Is it really you?!" A female voice filled with surprise and mixed emotions rang out from above the passage, successfully making Ling Wei stop in her tracks.
You Jingxuan's tense nerves relaxed for a moment because of this name.
Ling Wei turned around and looked at the woman chasing down the stairs—Lin Yue.
The "best friend" who was inseparable during high school was the one who chose to protect herself and quickly distance herself when she fell into trouble.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com