The banquet was only about halfway through, with several dishes yet to be served. Aunt Li was glued to her stool, unwilling to move.
Having no other choice, Tan Zhiming and Chu Shenyu helped the man to a guest room in the west wing.
They figured that since Wu Quanquan hadn't had much to drink, he wouldn't be out for the whole night. So, after giving him a few sips of honey water, they let him lie crooked on the kang.
He had only taken a few steps when Chu Shenyu felt dizzy. He grabbed a chair in the outer room to catch his breath. "Brother Tan, I might have had a bit too much to drink just now. It's going to my head. I'm going to rest in here for a bit."
Tan Zhiming smiled and patted his shoulder. "Alright. I'll go tell your sister-in-law to set aside a portion of the remaining food for you."
After saying that, Tan Zhiming brought over a thermos of hot water and told him to sober up in the room.
The moment the man left, Chu Shenyu's slightly hazy eyes suddenly turned ice-cold.
'There's something wrong with the tea!'
The tea Sister-in-law Tan served her guests was brought from the office by Mr. Tan. It wasn't top-grade, but it still left a pleasant aftertaste. Something colorless and odorless had been added to it, and because the dose was quite heavy, one could feel a raw, sour numbness on the tongue after drinking it.
Even though he had noticed it in time and discreetly rinsed his mouth with plain water, some of the drug had already entered his system. Compounded by the alcohol, it began to feel like a burning fire in his body after more than half an hour.
During this time, Wang Xianbing came in to check on him and brought him a glass of honey water.
Chu Shenyu's willpower was formidable, so an outsider wouldn't have noticed anything amiss. He used the time to chug water, trying to speed up his metabolism and flush out the urge.
But this was akin to drinking poison to quench a thirst; his consciousness was gradually fading.
However, he just had to endure the most intense period of the drug's effects, and then he would be fine.
***
Guo Meiyun wasn't faring well either. An unknown fire burned through her body, her consciousness drifting further and further away. It felt like she was utterly exhausted but forcing herself to stay awake, resorting to digging her nails fiercely into her own skin from time to time.
Lin Jin, having just exchanged a few words with Wang Xianbing, walked over and said in a low voice, "That accountant is in the inner room, out cold and hugging a blanket. Mr. Chu is in the outer room looking like he can't wake up either."
She didn't say anything more. Lin Jin and Guo Meiyun had already planned for many different scenarios.
Since they had used a drug, they had to be prepared to be discovered, which meant they needed to pick a good scapegoat.
Zhu Yun was the perfect candidate!
She admired Mr. Chu and disliked anyone associated with the Wang Family, giving her a motive. And since she was helping in the kitchen, she also had the opportunity.
Besides, Zhu Yun used to have a bad reputation in the family courtyard. Her decent skills now weren't enough to erase her notoriety.
'If you had to choose between Zhu Yun and the couple, Wang Xianbing and his wife, who would people subconsciously side with?'
Guo Meiyun was trembling with excitement. Mustering her last bit of fierce determination, she snatched a moment of clarity, bypassed two of the wives, and walked up to Zhu Yun. "Comrade Zhu Yun, I'm not feeling well. Could you help me to a place to rest?"
"Lin Jin is pregnant, and the other wives are all looking after their children. I don't want to bother anyone else."
"We already drank to bury the hatchet. You wouldn't refuse, would you?"
"I'm scared to go by myself..."
Her voice was soft and her expression was utterly sincere. Paired with her weak and delicate tone, it was indeed hard to refuse.
Zhu Yun had been waiting for this moment. Without needing any persuasion, she stood up with an impatient frown, supported Guo Meiyun, and grumbled, "If you can't handle your liquor, then don't drink. This is a gathering for men. What are you doing joining in the fun?"
"And you think you're in the right for causing trouble for people?"
"So when you drank to bury the hatchet with me just now, it was all so you could bother me later? Anyone who didn't know better would think you were hiding some wicked scheme!"
Her words left everyone stunned. They had never seen someone so blunt. She really said whatever was on her mind, never caring what others thought, and lived like she was the boss.
'Just as you'd expect from a country woman. No subtlety at all!'
But Guo Meiyun felt waves of anger rush to her head. 'Damn it,' she thought. 'My plan has barely begun and my escape route has been cut off. This feels like having my teeth knocked out and being forced to swallow them with my own blood.'
But she was already in too deep to back out. She had to see it through to the end. The little guilt she felt had long been burned away.
'No matter the justification afterward, as long as I can get my wish and become intimate with Mr. Chu, then I can also push Zhu Yun to Wu Quanquan, avenging Lin Jin's hatred. It's killing multiple birds with one stone!'
'It's just creating two marriages. Who would really dig into the details?'
She gripped Zhu Yun's hand tightly and staggered toward the side wing.
This area was rather dim. Everyone's attention was on the food, and amidst the conversations and the clamor of children, few would notice which door Mr. Chu and the others had entered, and which one the two women were now entering.
In the original plan, Guo Meiyun was only going to have Zhu Yun escort her to the door. But now, with the added intention of helping her best friend get revenge, she said nothing and let Zhu Yun drag her into the room.
Just as the door opened, Chu Shenyu, sitting in the shadows, snapped his eyes open. He squinted at the two women supporting each other as they headed for the inner room, just as a fierce wave of the drug's effect washed over him.
His memory only captured the two women shoving each other, until finally one was pushed into the room, and the other slammed the door shut with a BANG, dusting her hands off in vengeful satisfaction.
He bit himself hard, clearing his head slightly. He shot forward like a leopard, grabbed the person by the neck, and slammed them against the wall. His vision grew blurrier, and despite his best efforts, he couldn't make out who it was in the darkness before he was bewitched by the alluring scent of flesh under his nose...
From Zhu Yun's perspective, it was like being tackled against the wall by a clumsy husky, who then started gnawing on her like a meaty bone, with no sense of restraint!
'Although the guy in front of me is the 'little fresh meat' I'm so into, and I was mentally prepared to go through with this scene, the real deal was still a shock to someone who, in her memory, was still an innocent virgin.'
A wave of hot hormones, tinged with the faint scent of tea and wine, washed over her. The man's build was tall and sturdy, his muscles firm and supple—truly the kind of embrace, full of security, that women craved.
Zhu Yun, who hadn't even had a drink, felt herself getting drunk on the sensation.
She had no intention of letting their first time be a muddled affair like this. With a CHOMP, Zhu Yun reciprocated, biting down on the collarbone the sultry man had exposed himself.
The sharp pain brought the man back to his senses. He lifted his head in a daze and stared blankly at Zhu Yun. It was a completely different look from his usual cold expression, and it was so handsome and charming it was overwhelming.
Who said only a femme fatale could be deadly? An homme fatale could be just as lethal.
Zhu Yun kept a wooden expression, but inside, she was wailing.
'Don't tell me that in every dimension I do a mission, I have to take my 'face-dog' tendencies to the absolute extreme?'
It was a truth she both loved and hated.
"Mr. Chu, snap out of it," she said. Her voice was soft and delicate with passion, the end of her words carrying a seductive hoarseness. Her foxy eyes glistened with moisture. Even with skin so dark it almost merged with the night, at that moment, she could have taken half of Chu Shenyu's life.