At Zheng’s. Ever since coming to work this morning, it seemed like everyone was discussing their boss’s attire.
Normally, the boss always dressed in black, but this time he was surprisingly casual, which only accentuated his long legs, making the receptionists gasp.
“Does it look good?” Zheng Wei reached the top floor and saw Assistant Hou constantly staring at him. He raised an eyebrow and asked Assistant Hou.
Assistant Hou quickly nodded.
“My wife bought it for me,” Zheng Wei chuckled.
Assistant Hou: “…” Feeding him dog food first thing in the morning?
Because of his outfit, Zheng Wei was in an exceptionally good mood. As he sat down, he even took out his phone and, for the first time ever, sent Shen Xiaoyan a message: “Where are you?”
He knew Shen Xiaoyan had to go out for inspiration every day. Although he knew she was an adult, he still felt a lingering worry, and he just had to know where she was.
Shen Xiaoyan didn’t reply with text but directly sent Zheng Wei her location.
Upon seeing the location, Zheng Wei realized it was right next to their group’s building.
“Let’s have lunch together later,” Zheng Wei sent another message, even humming a tune. His mood was incredibly good.
Shen Xiaoyan replied with an “Okay,” and only then did Zheng Wei put down his phone, ready to start working.
After putting down her phone, Shen Xiaoyan waved to order coffee.
There weren’t many people in the coffee shop, so it shouldn't have been busy. However, the coffee took quite a while to arrive. The server who brought the coffee was sweating.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. A colleague wasn't feeling well, so there was a delay with your coffee.” The young man looked very young, possibly a student working part-time. It was clear he was anxious.
Shen Xiaoyan waved her hand, not making a fuss. Instead, she thanked him.
The young man left with a blush. Shen Xiaoyan took a sip of her coffee, but the next moment, her eyes widened.
The coffee here was freshly ground. How could the rim of the cup be stained with a white powder? It wasn’t sugar; the powder was extremely fine, with no granular texture.
For some reason, a chill ran down her spine. As she snapped back to reality, she first frantically gulped down water, then urgently sent Zheng Wei a voice message.
It wasn’t that Shen Xiaoyan was overreacting; it was a terrifying intuition. For some reason, thinking about this coffee sent shivers down her spine. She wanted to go to the restroom to rinse her mouth, but then she thought, if someone had really drugged her, it would be better to stay put. In a place like a restroom, even if she were kidnapped, she might not be discovered.
“Ma’am, are you alright?” The young man who had brought Shen Xiaoyan her coffee saw that she was in distress, as if trying to vomit. He quickly approached her and asked with concern.
“There’s something in your coffee.” Shen Xiaoyan had already taken pictures; this was all evidence. She wouldn’t just let anyone touch her. For now, her body hadn't reacted yet, so she could only sit patiently and wait for Zheng Wei to pick her up.
“Something in it? That’s impossible. It’s all freshly made.” The young man shook his head repeatedly.
Shen Xiaoyan didn’t want to explain anymore. She looked up at the young man and asked, “What exactly happened just now? Besides you, did anyone else touch this cup of coffee?”
She had initially believed the young man, but the prolonged delay seemed to confirm that there was indeed something wrong with the coffee.
“My colleague wasn’t feeling well, so… No, wait, a lady bumped into me just now…”
“Xiaoyan!” As the young man was talking to the coffee shop manager, a tall, sturdy figure rushed in from outside. Upon seeing that person, Shen Xiaoyan inexplicably felt her eyes well up, and her worries finally subsided.
“What’s going on? What’s going on?” Zheng Wei had indeed rushed in. He immediately hugged Shen Xiaoyan and followed her gaze to the white powder.
“Do you feel anything unusual with your body?” Both Zheng Wei and Shen Xiaoyan instinctively thought that it might be an aphrodisiac. So, Zheng Wei handed the matter over to Assistant Hou and quickly took Shen Xiaoyan to the hospital. Even though Shen Xiaoyan had vomited, he was still worried and wanted a thorough check-up.
Zheng Wei didn’t let Shen Xiaoyan walk. He directly picked her up, ran downstairs, placed her in the passenger seat of his car, and sped towards Tongji Hospital.
“Xiaoyan, don’t worry, everything will be alright. I’m right here with you. No other man will appear, okay?”
Zheng Wei was anxious. This feeling made him experience helplessness for the first time. He was truly afraid something would happen to Shen Xiaoyan; even the slightest thing was unbearable for him.
“Xiaoyan, don’t be scared, it’ll be alright.”
Zheng Wei kept driving, but after a while, he realized something. He had spoken several sentences, but Shen Xiaoyan hadn't responded.
Thinking of the strangeness of the situation, he immediately turned his head with trepidation to look at the woman in the passenger seat, his heart breaking.
Shen Xiaoyan was leaning against the passenger seat, tears streaming down her face.
“Xiaoyan? What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere? We’ll be at the hospital soon!” Zheng Wei, disregarding everything else, ran the red light as he drove.
Shen Xiaoyan’s tears kept flowing. Under Zheng Wei’s horrified gaze, she lowered her head, picked up her phone, and showed him the text she had typed.
“I can’t speak.”
As Zheng Wei saw the words on Shen Xiaoyan’s phone, his heart was torn apart. He couldn’t even bear to look at Shen Xiaoyan’s tear-filled eyes. He stopped the car at the hospital like lightning and rushed in with Shen Xiaoyan in his arms.
“Xiaoyan, don’t be afraid, you’ll get better, okay?” Zheng Wei’s voice was no longer calm; it was filled with panic. Even though he was a man and Shen Xiaoyan’s support, he had been comforting her the whole time.
The hospital had already been informed. Seeing Zheng Wei arrive with Shen Xiaoyan, they immediately arranged for her to be admitted.
“Poisoned. She only drank a little, but now she can’t speak,” Zheng Wei briefly explained the situation, his eyes never leaving Shen Xiaoyan.
“Arrange for a stomach pump first!”
While Shen Xiaoyan was being taken inside for a stomach pump by the medical staff, Zheng Wei paced restlessly outside.
Just then, Assistant Hou’s call came in.
“Boss, the surveillance footage has been reviewed. It was Niu Shufang who bumped into the Starbucks sales assistant and took the opportunity to put the drug in. I’ve already contacted the police to arrest her.” Assistant Hou’s tone was very serious. Since Niu Shufang was willing to take the risk of being caught on camera, the drug must not be ordinary.
“Assistant Hou, Xiaoyan can’t speak right now. Instruct the research institute to investigate the direction of this muting drug.” Zheng Wei felt the words were heavy. He rubbed his brow, his voice filled with a deep sigh.
Assistant Hou hadn't known the full extent of the situation. Hearing Zheng Wei say this, he felt a pang in his heart.
“Boss, I’ll go do it immediately!”
“Regarding Niu Shufang, I want her to never get out for the rest of her life!” Thinking of the perpetrator, Zheng Wei issued a death order.
Even if Niu Shufang died ten times over, it wouldn’t compensate for the harm done to Shen Xiaoyan.
…
“Mr. Zheng, do you know where this drug came from? Was it bought online? This drug is too toxic. The drug in Madam’s body is almost gone now. She must have vomited earlier, but the speaking problem still persists. We can only observe for now. If it doesn’t recover, we may have to consider other options!” As soon as Zheng Wei hung up the phone, the inner examination ended.
Hearing this, Zheng Wei immediately shook his head. He placed his hand on his chin and paced back and forth, telling the doctors, “Prepare the alternative plan now. I want it to be comprehensive! Also, I will contact international experts!” Zheng Wei never fought a battle unprepared.
“Xiaoyan!” After giving instructions, Zheng Wei went forward and hugged Shen Xiaoyan.
The hospital arranged a luxurious private room for them. Zheng Wei carried Shen Xiaoyan in and relayed what the doctors had just told him.
Shen Xiaoyan nodded, took out her phone, and typed for Zheng Wei to see: “Don’t worry.”
“How can I not worry? This is my fault. It’s because of me that this happened, and I even agreed to let you go out alone! This won’t happen again!” The matter with Niu Shufang was indeed because of him. If it weren't for him, Niu Shufang wouldn’t have targeted Shen Xiaoyan.
Thinking of Niu Shufang, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in Zheng Wei’s eyes.
Since she dared to lay a hand on his woman, then the Niu family should be prepared to bear the consequences!
“Since there’s no more poison in your body, you should be able to speak soon.” Shen Xiaoyan felt the same way. Fortunately, she had vomited quickly; otherwise, she couldn’t imagine.
“Good girl.” Looking at her typing on the phone, Zheng Wei helped Shen Xiaoyan onto the bed and lay down beside her, pulling her into his arms.
During the day, Shen Xiaoyan couldn’t lie still, but the man beside her held her tightly, his body even trembling slightly.
“I’m fine, don’t be scared,” Shen Xiaoyan typed again, seeing him like this.
“Yes, I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ll make the Niu family pay!” Zheng Wei said, his voice muffled, his head resting on Shen Xiaoyan’s neck.
Seeing him like this, Shen Xiaoyan reached out and hugged him. She felt that Zheng Wei seemed very insecure right now.
…
The research institute’s results came out quickly. Coupled with the police’s interrogation of Niu Shufang, they learned that the drug was a muting drug Niu Shufang had bought online. Its effect was extremely potent, and crucially, there was no antidote.
The extent of the drug’s damage was far greater than the hospital had initially anticipated. Although Shen Xiaoyan had vomited earlier, it was unfortunate that the drug had indeed come into contact with her throat.