Watching them from a distance, Zhong Ming nudged Zhen Han’s arm and asked somewhat gossipingly, “Say, who do you think is more deeply involved between the two?”
People who know Meng Ting feel that he has changed a lot, but the same goes for Yan Sui. His previous cold demeanor made them think he would grow old alone. Otherwise, who would allow his biological mother, who was obviously sick, to arrange his own marriage?
“My brother,” Zhen Han almost instinctively said.
And this question might really be something only he can answer. He knows Yan Sui and has interacted with Meng Ting more than Zhong Ming and the others. His gaze fell on Meng Ting, a hint of a smile passing through his eyes.
“Sister-in-law has a straightforward personality. If he really gets hurt, he will just leave and not cling on.”
Meng Ting’s world is too simple, with very few transitional zones. Love or not love, like or dislike, the divisions are very straightforward and clear. It might hurt like hell, but it won’t be tangled.
The more he understood someone like Meng Ting, the more he felt that he was suited for Yan Sui. You should know that what Yan Sui hates the most is complexity——the complexity of human nature. Sometimes, he even hates himself.
“My brother is not like that. Look at him now; he’s so calm and restrained… If sister-in-law dares to think about escaping, he will definitely…”
“What?” Zhong Ming tilted his ear to listen to Zhen Han, the more he listened, the more sense it made, but suddenly Zhen Han’s voice disappeared.
“It’s impossible for him to let the person go… As for how far he will go, no one can predict.” Yan Sui’s ferocity is deeply hidden, but when it truly erupts, it is also very terrifying.
Zhen Han saw Zhong Ming’s frightened look and raised his hand to pat his shoulder.
“Don’t worry, my sister-in-law is a bit special. He defends my brother more than anyone else. It’s a bit difficult to drive a wedge between them.”
He merely stated some well-known facts, and yet Meng Ting has already categorized him as someone who loves to speak ill of Yan Sui. What could make Meng Ting sad was not someone else’s scheming but rather his own realization that Yan Sui might truly not love him anymore. Only then would he consider leaving.
But to make Yan Sui change his mind and fall for someone else, Zhen Han thought it would be even harder.
“Mr. Yan, our family’s elder has requested your presence in the study.”
While Yan Sui and Meng Ting were talking on the side, the Gu family’s housekeeper came to invite him.
Yan Sui nodded to him, then looked at Meng Ting, seemingly hesitating whether to take him along.
The Yan family and the Gu family have business dealings, and the patriarch of the Gu family came to invite them. In the past, it was always just the two of them discussing matters. Bringing Meng Ting along was somewhat abrupt, but it wasn’t impossible. It was just that the topics they discussed were quite dull, and he was afraid Meng Ting would be bored.
“It’s okay, I’ll wait for you here.” Meng Ting opened his mouth before Yan Sui did; he smiled at him, then squeezed his thumb.
Yan Sui held Meng Ting’s hand tightly and thought for a moment before nodding. He looked at the Gu family’s housekeeper and said, “Wait a moment.”
After saying this, he led Meng Ting over to Zhen Han and Zhong Ming, instructed them several times, and then followed the Gu family’s housekeeper away.
Meng Ting didn’t feel like he needed anyone to watch over him, but he understood Yan Sui’s concern so he didn’t refuse.
“Little Sister-in-law, what do you want to eat? I’ll get it for you.” Zhen Han and Zhong Ming took Meng Ting to the sofa in the corner of the living room and said this to him. The two of them had been given important tasks by Yan Sui, so they naturally couldn’t neglect his precious darling.
Meng Ting hesitated for a moment and shook his head. “I’ve already eaten a lot just now. Nanny Wang even prepared delicious late-night snacks for me and Yan Sui. I’m too full now, and I won’t be able to eat when I get back.”
Actually, it wasn’t that he couldn’t eat, but that Yan Sui would worry about him having indigestion and wouldn’t let him eat too much.
The overly simple reason made Zhen Han and Zhong Ming unable to help but smile.
“Alright, then we’ll stay here with you and wait for my brother,” Zhen Han said, waving to the passing waiter. “Two glasses of wine, and bring over a glass of juice.”
Before leaving, Yan Sui specifically instructed not to let Meng Ting drink alcohol, and naturally, Zhen Han and Zhong Ming didn’t dare to forget.
Not long after, the waiter brought the drinks over. Meng Ting picked up the juice, took a sip, then frowned and put it down.
As a doctor, Zhen Han was very observant. It was clear that Meng Ting didn’t put it down because he didn’t want to drink it, but because he sensed something and didn’t take another sip.
“What’s wrong?”
“Besides the juice, there’s also the taste of medicine…”
He hated and couldn’t tolerate that taste the most. He stood up and headed straight to the bathroom he had been to once before.
Zhong Ming and Zhen Han also stood up to follow, but after taking a few steps, Zhen Han paused and looked at Zhong Ming and said, “You go.”
Zhong Ming went to check on Meng Ting, while Zhen Han picked up the glass of juice and, after a moment’s thought, went to find Gu Lang with a dark expression. If someone was trying to harm Meng Ting, this glass of juice would be the evidence.
Meng Ting held on until he reached the bathroom, which was already his limit. He leaned over the toilet and started throwing up violently.
He vomited everything he had eaten at home for dinner and at the banquet earlier, and even after there was nothing left to throw up, he was still retching. His face quickly turned pale, and nothing else came out for a long time.
Zhong Ming, who had followed him, couldn’t help much and could only anxiously ask, “Are you feeling any better?”
“How outrageous! They actually dared to drug you right under our noses!” Especially with such a drug that induces vomiting and makes one feel so miserable.
The more Zhong Ming thought about it, the more terrifying it seemed. “Is it an aphrodisiac? I’ll call the emergency services right away.”
Meng Ting didn’t hear what Zhong Ming said at all. He restrained the stiffness in his limbs, stood up, turned on the faucet, rinsed his mouth, and washed his face.
Gu Lang and Zhen Han arrived and almost simultaneously asked, “How is he?”
“He should have vomited everything out,” Zhong Ming told Zhen Han and Gu Lang, his anxious expression unchanged. He felt that Meng Ting’s condition was quite abnormal; he had suddenly fallen silent, looking even scarier than Yan Sui with a dark face.
Zhong Ming patted his thigh and looked at Zhen Han. “What’s wrong with the juice?”
“It’s been sent for testing.” Zhen Han, a pet doctor, knew a bit about pharmacology. But if one could tell what kind of drug it was just by smelling or tasting it, that would be too incredible; he didn’t have such a talent.
“Barbiturates[mfn]巴比妥類 (bā bǐ tuǒ lèi): Barbiturates are a class of depressant drugs that are chemically derived from barbituric acid. They are effective when used medically as anxiolytics, hypnotics, and anticonvulsants, but have physical and psychological addiction potential as well as overdose potential among other possible adverse effects. They have been used recreationally for their anti-anxiety and sedative effects, and are thus controlled in most countries due to the risks associated with such use.[/mfn],” Meng Ting suddenly spoke up, directly naming the scientific name of the substance in the juice.
“What is that?” Zhong Ming and Gu Lang had no idea what Meng Ting was talking about, but Zhen Han definitely knew.
“The main ingredient of a sedative…” Zhen Han said, trying to reach out to grab Meng Ting’s arm, but he avoided it. He didn’t dare to insist and softened his tone even more. “Sister-in-law, let’s go see a doctor first. Gu Lang has already sent someone to call my brother.”
“Can we find out who did this?” Meng Ting looked up at Zhen Han, his face unusually pale, making his pupils appear particularly dark.
“We’re investigating, but it will take some time.”
Gu Lang also chimed in. They were all quite confused; sedatives were used to treat mental illnesses, so what did it mean to give one to Meng Ting? But no matter the reason, the person who drugged him had crossed their taboo and touched Yan Sui’s inverted scale[mfn]逆鱗 (nì lín): (figurative) personal grievance; trigger; pet peeve; taboo topic (especially that of a powerful person); From Han Feizi, Chapter 12 (《韓非子·說難》): 夫龍之為虫也，柔可狎而騎也；然其喉下有逆鱗徑尺，若人有嬰之者，則必殺人。人主亦有逆鱗，說者能無嬰人主之逆鱗，則幾矣。, The dragon, being a creature, may be tamed, played with in close quarters, and even ridden. However, below its throat are the inverted scales, each spanning one chi. The dragon would kill anyone touching them. A prince of men has those inverted scales too. Persuaders might have a chance at success, provided that they can avoid touching the inverted scales of the prince.[/mfn].
Meng Ting lowered his head and followed them, raising his hand to press on his abdomen, his brows furrowing even deeper. The feeling of nausea was still overwhelming, but he also knew that he had nothing left to vomit.
Walking from the bathroom to the lounge, Meng Ting’s face looked even worse.
Gu Lang and Zhen Han all felt distressed just watching him like this. They couldn’t imagine how distressed Yan Sui would be when he returned.
“I don’t need to see a doctor. I’ll be fine after resting for a while.”
Meng Ting was currently rejecting even the slightest touch from Zhen Han, let alone being examined by a Western doctor. Although Meng Ting’s voice was not loud, the rejection was clear to them. They were not Yan Sui, so they couldn’t force him even if they wanted to.
Zhen Han and Gu Lang hesitated a bit, and the doctor was also unsure whether to step forward. Just then, the lounge door opened. Meng Ting instinctively looked up, but the person who came was not Yan Sui; it was Meng Qi.
“What’s going on…” Meng Qi’s gaze swept around, seemingly surprised to see so many people here. His eyes fell on Meng Ting. “Little Seventh… what happened to you?”
Meng Ting knew the person who came was not Yan Sui, and his gaze dropped again, landing on his slightly trembling hands, the darkness in his eyes continuously expanding.
“Why are you here?” Zhen Han frowned and asked Meng Qi. They had been sitting in a rather secluded corner, and he had not disturbed anyone while looking for Gu Lang. Meng Qi and his friends were drinking in the courtyard, and they had only sent someone to inform Yan Sui. How did he end up here?
Zhong Ming and Gu Lang also stood up; their gazes, along with Zhen Han’s slightly questioning tone, fell on Meng Qi. Meng Qi paused, his brows furrowing even deeper. “A servant from the Gu family came to tell me that Little Seventh wanted to discuss something with me and asked me to come to the lounge.”
Zhen Han looked at Meng Qi, his expression suddenly turning even worse.
What sedative… It was meant to make Meng Ting sleep and then lure Meng Qi over… The label of brotherly incest could easily be pinned on them. The scheming behind this was truly disgusting, truly malicious!
Zhen Han figured it out, and so did Zhong Ming and Gu Lang. But before they could say or do anything, Yan Sui, who had been outside the already open door, finally arrived.
He strode over, his gaze landing on Meng Ting, and his expression instantly turned icy. Meng Qi instinctively stepped aside, and Zhen Han and the others also consciously stepped away from Meng Ting, allowing Yan Sui to approach.
Hearing the footsteps, Meng Ting slowly raised his eyes to look at him and called out, “Yan Sui…”
His tone was calm, his gaze steady, but it was no use. No matter how well he pretended, his expression revealed everything. He was uncomfortable——very, very uncomfortable.
Yan Sui sat down and directly pulled Meng Ting into his embrace, holding him tightly, leaving no room for hesitation or rejection.
Meng Ting’s body stiffened slightly, and then he raised his hand to wrap around Yan Sui’s waist, burying his face in his neck.
His body was still very stiff, with an indescribable rigidity from his limbs to his abdomen; that feeling of being unable to breathe still persisted, but it was somewhat alleviated by being next to Yan Sui.
[dropdown title=”List of Idiom in Chapter 049.1″]
翻天覆地 (fān tiān fù dì): sky and the earth turning upside down (idiom); fig. complete confusion; everything turned on its head; to undergo an earth-shattering change; earth-shattering; world-shaking.
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