Chapter 17: Poisoned Bloodline
The black car raced through the city like a shadow.
Rain had started again.
The streets were slick with water and flashing lights from passing vehicles.
Inside the car, silence filled the air.
Chen Xinyue sat beside Shen Yichen in the back seat. She could feel the tension radiating from him.
His expression had become colder than she had ever seen.
Assistant Zhao drove faster.
"We'll reach the hospital in eight minutes," he said.
Yichen didn't respond.
His eyes stayed fixed on the road ahead.
Xinyue finally spoke quietly.
"Do you think it was really poison?"
Yichen's voice was calm.
"Yes."
Her heart tightened.
"Who would do something like that?"
He didn't hesitate.
"Someone who wants to destroy the Shen family."
The car sped through a red light.
Thunder echoed across the sky.
Xinyue looked at him carefully.
"You already suspect someone, don't you?"
Yichen didn't deny it.
"Han Zhengliang."
"But he just lost the board meeting."
"That's exactly why he would do it."
Xinyue frowned.
"That seems too obvious."
For a moment, Yichen looked at her.
Then a faint smile appeared.
"You're smarter than most people."
"So… you think someone else is behind it?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
He looked back at the road.
"I don't know yet."
Shen Family Hospital
The car stopped abruptly in front of the emergency entrance.
Doctors and nurses moved quickly inside.
The atmosphere felt tense.
Yichen stepped out immediately.
Xinyue followed.
Before they even reached the door, a middle-aged man rushed toward them.
"Yichen!"
It was Shen Rong, Yichen's uncle.
His face looked pale.
"What happened?" Yichen asked.
"They said Father collapsed during breakfast."
"Symptoms?"
"Severe dizziness… vomiting… loss of consciousness."
Yichen's eyes darkened.
"Poison."
Shen Rong nodded slowly.
"That's what the doctors suspect."
Xinyue looked around.
Several members of the Shen family were already there.
But the mood was strange.
Some looked worried.
Others looked… calculating.
Yichen noticed it too.
He spoke quietly.
"Who was with him when it happened?"
Shen Rong hesitated.
"…Your cousin."
Yichen's gaze sharpened.
"Shen Hao?"
"Yes."
At that moment, the emergency room doors opened.
A doctor stepped out.
Everyone rushed forward.
"How is he?" Shen Rong asked.
The doctor removed his mask.
"We managed to stabilize his condition."
Relief spread through the hallway.
"But…"
Everyone froze.
"…the poison was extremely rare."
Yichen stepped closer.
"What kind of poison?"
The doctor hesitated.
"It's called Night Orchid."
The name sounded strangely beautiful.
But the doctor's expression remained serious.
"It's a slow-acting toxin."
"How slow?"
"Normally… it takes months to kill someone."
Xinyue felt a chill run down her spine.
"Months?"
The doctor nodded.
"But in your grandfather's case, the dosage was suddenly increased."
Yichen's voice dropped.
"Meaning?"
"Someone has been poisoning him gradually."
The hallway fell silent.
Someone whispered,
"Impossible…"
But the doctor shook his head.
"The lab results are clear."
Yichen's fists tightened.
"So this wasn't a sudden attack."
"No."
The doctor looked around carefully.
"This has been happening for a long time."
A Cold Realization
Xinyue suddenly felt uneasy.
"If the poison has been used for months…"
Her voice became quiet.
"…then someone close to him did it."
Everyone looked at each other.
Family members.
Servants.
Business partners.
Anyone could be guilty.
But one name echoed in everyone's mind.
Shen Hao.
Right on cue—
a young man walked down the hallway.
Tall.
Well-dressed.
Confident.
Shen Hao stopped when he saw them.
"Cousin."
His tone sounded calm.
Too calm.
"You're finally here."
Yichen studied him.
"You were with Grandfather this morning."
"Yes."
"What happened?"
Shen Hao shrugged.
"He suddenly collapsed."
"That's all?"
"What else should I say?"
The tension between them grew heavy.
Xinyue watched carefully.
These two men looked similar.
Same sharp eyes.
Same tall build.
But their personalities felt completely different.
Shen Hao smiled slightly.
"You look like you suspect me."
Yichen's voice was cold.
"Shouldn't I?"
Shen Hao laughed softly.
"If I wanted Grandfather dead, I wouldn't do it so slowly."
The statement shocked several people.
Even Shen Rong frowned.
"Hao, watch your words."
But Shen Hao only shrugged again.
Then he looked at Chen Xinyue.
"So… this must be the famous wife."
Xinyue stiffened.
"I've heard a lot about you," he continued.
"Not all of it pleasant."
Yichen stepped slightly in front of her.
"That's enough."
Shen Hao raised his hands.
"Relax. I'm just curious."
His eyes gleamed.
"You caused quite a storm today."
Xinyue held his gaze.
"I didn't create it."
"No?"
"Someone else did."
For a moment, Shen Hao looked amused.
"Maybe."
Then he turned back to Yichen.
"Grandfather wants to see you."
Yichen frowned.
"He's awake?"
"Barely."
"Then how do you know he wants to see me?"
Shen Hao smiled again.
"Because he asked for you before losing consciousness."
Yichen didn't move.
For several seconds he simply stared at his cousin.
Finally he spoke.
"Take me to him."
The VIP Room
The room was quiet.
Machines beeped softly beside the hospital bed.
The old man lying there looked much weaker than usual.
Shen Guowei.
The patriarch of the Shen family.
The man who built the entire Shen empire.
His eyes slowly opened when Yichen entered.
"…You're here."
Yichen walked closer.
"Yes."
The old man looked past him at Chen Xinyue.
"Is that the girl?"
Xinyue bowed politely.
"Yes, Grandfather."
The old man studied her.
Then he chuckled weakly.
"You caused quite a scandal."
Xinyue felt embarrassed.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be."
He coughed slightly.
"Sometimes chaos is necessary."
Yichen frowned.
"You knew about the poison?"
The old man's eyes sharpened.
"Of course."
Everyone in the room froze.
"You… knew?" Xinyue asked.
"Yes."
"Then why didn't you stop it?"
The old man smiled faintly.
"Because I wanted to see who would do it."
The room became silent again.
Yichen's expression turned serious.
"Did you find out?"
The old man's gaze slowly moved toward the door.
Where Shen Hao stood quietly.
For a moment—
no one spoke.
Then the old man said something shocking.
"…Not yet."
Shen Hao smiled slightly.
Yichen looked confused.
"What do you mean?"
The old man's voice dropped.
"The poisoner… isn't in this room."
Xinyue felt relief.
But only for a second.
Because the old man continued.
"…He's much closer than you think."
Yichen's eyes narrowed.
"Who?"
The old man looked directly at him.
Then he whispered a single sentence.
One that changed everything.
"The enemy… is inside the Shen family."
Before anyone could react—
the heart monitor suddenly started beeping wildly.
Doctors rushed into the room.
"His pulse is dropping!"
"Prepare emergency treatment!"
Yichen stepped back as the doctors worked frantically.
Xinyue grabbed his arm.
"Yichen…"
But his eyes had already turned cold again.
Because he realized something terrifying.
If the poisoner was inside the Shen family…
then the war had only just begun.
And everyone around him—
could be an enemy.