Chapter 41 It Is Only Fair That You Suffer as Much as Gardenia

We arrived at the hospital.

In the hospital room, Zhou Zhizi was fast asleep, looking just like Sleeping Beauty.

Unfortunately, she was merely a man-eating flower in disguise.

Our arrival woke her up.

When she saw Zhou Chenyan, her face first blossomed into a bright smile, but upon seeing me, she shrank back timidly beneath the covers.

She acted as though I were some ferocious beast.

Zhou Chenyan patted her shoulder. "Don't be afraid." When he looked back at me, his gaze was much colder.

"Apologize to Zhizi."

"You still don't believe that I wasn't the one who drugged her." I glanced at the time. Zhou's mother should have woken up by now.

It might just take some time to investigate.

If I could only buy some time...

"All you have to do is check the source of the medication, and you'll know I never bought anything like that."

Instead, Zhou Chenyan simply tossed a delivery receipt and an empty box straight at me.

"This is the express delivery you signed for. It clearly says 'aphrodisiac,' and it was even shipped from abroad."

That's impossible!

I looked at it carefully. "I never received this package, nor did I sign for it."

"Still making excuses." Zhou Chenyan looked away, utterly disgusted with me. "A domestic helper saw with her own eyes that this box appeared in the trash can of your room!"

How could that be?

I was certain that I hadn't lost my memory, hadn't accepted any deliveries, hadn't bought anything, let alone had a mysterious box appear in my room...

I jerked my head up and locked eyes with the person standing right behind Zhou Chenyan.

She gave me a faint smile.

"You..." My hand holding the box trembled slightly. I had been too busy guarding against Zhou Zhizi pulling tricks at work, and had forgotten she could frame me right at home.

"What a clever trick."

If I hadn't mentioned this matter to Zhou's mother last night...

I would truly have had no way to clear my name now.

"Ayan, Yanyan-jie only did this because she loves you too much." Zhou Zhizi pleaded for me in a soft, gentle voice. "Please don't blame her. I'm not actually upset."

"Don't speak up for her."

The more understanding she pretended to be, the more Zhou Chenyan loathed me.

"Apologize to Zhizi right now, and this matter will be considered settled. Otherwise... the police station should be very interested in your poisoning incident."

"Zhou Chenyan, can't you trust me just once?"

I asked softly.

His eyes were indifferent. "After everything you've done, how do you expect me to trust you?"

There was no reasoning with him, so I stopped wasting my breath and checked the time. "Give me one hour, and I'll give you a result."

Even if I couldn't rely on Zhou's mother, I still had other strategies.

It would just take a little time.

Zhou Chenyan said coldly, "The evidence is conclusive. Even if I give you an hour, could you possibly destroy the evidence?"

"Even a death row inmate is granted waiting time before execution."

"I'll only give you half an hour."

He said stingily.

Half an hour would have to do, better than no time at all.

I thought about calling Zhou's mother, only to realize that I had rushed out and hadn't brought my phone at all. I couldn't even leave the room.

The moment I made a single move, Zhou Chenyan would fix his eyes on me.

His look seemed to say: Planning to run?

I could only stay put and behave.

Time ticked away, feeling exceptionally slow. After half the hour had passed, the hallway outside remained dead silent.

A nurse walked past on occasion.

No one came in, however.

Zhou Chenyan sneered, "Time's up. Where's your evidence?"

My lips quivered, and Zhou Chenyan grew impatient.

"You don't have any evidence at all, do you?"

He strode toward me.

I retreated step by step until I hit the door. He grabbed my wrist with a tight grip that I couldn't shake off no matter how hard I tried.

He dragged me right out of the room like that.

He brought me back to the club we had visited yesterday, booking a private room, but left the lights off. Without any windows, the interior felt dim and gloomy.

He dumped me onto the sofa.

The fall left me dizzy. By the time I managed to climb back up, he was already blocking my path. Knowing I couldn't escape, I could only curl inward as much as possible.

"What are you trying to do?"

He ordered a bottle of alcohol, opened it methodically, poured some into a glass, and then produced a tiny pill from his sleeve.

White and seemingly very small.

My vigilance spiked. "What are you doing? Are you trying to poison me to death?"

"Don't worry, you won't die just yet."

He loosened his grip, and the pill dropped into the drink with a soft splash. A cluster of tiny bubbles rose to the surface before the pill completely dissolved.

He pressed toward me, holding the glass.

I retreated repeatedly. "Don't come near me, Zhou Chenyan, have you lost your mind?"

"This is the only way to make you learn your lesson."

He reached out to grab me. I tumbled off the sofa and scrambled desperately toward the door, only to be yanked back by the person behind me and forcibly fed the drink.

Refusing to swallow, I shook my head frantically, spilling the liquid everywhere.

Even so, a portion of it found its way into my mouth.

He pinned me down, wiped the corners of my mouth with a tissue, and laid me back onto the sofa with unprecedented gentleness.

It was a gentleness that sent a chill straight through me.

"After today, whatever happened between you and Zhizi is wiped clean. Enjoy yourself."

I struggled to catch his sleeve, wanting to tell him I hadn't done it and begged him not to treat me this way... but he gently peeled my fingers away.

Having almost no strength left, I was practically at his mercy.

He lowered his head and planted a kiss on my forehead.

Then he slowly retreated.

I tried to get up, but found my limbs growing weak, while my forehead burned with a searing heat, feeling precisely like a high fever.

On top of that, an intense thirst consumed me.

Yet apart from that bottle of wine, the table was entirely bare.

Though Zhou Chenyan hadn't tampered with the bottle itself, I didn't dare touch it either. Parched and dizzy, I stumbled toward the door, desperate to open it.

Before I could reach the threshold, my vision blurred, and tripping over something, I collapsed onto the soft carpet.

Faint voices drifted in from outside.

"What? You want me to come over right now?"

"But President Zhou told me to keep an eye on what's inside."

"It's fine, she's already in that state, how could she possibly run out? Hurry up, they're waiting for you urgently over there. If you're late and that person gets displeased, you're going to be in deep trouble."

"I understand..."

So, even if I had made it to the door, I wouldn't have been able to escape.

Guards were stationed right outside.

Would they help me? Why would they help me? Were they even meant to help me at all... My tangled, fogged-up brain couldn't process any of it.

All I knew was that I had to flee.

I had to get away from this place. This was Zhou Chenyan's territory, and danger lurked around every corner.

I bit down hard on the tip of my tongue, and the sharp pain cleared my head slightly.

Stumbling toward the entrance, I managed to shove the heavy door open, but instead of the bright corridor lights I expected,

all that met my eyes was a dark shadow.

An unfamiliar presence washed over me.

Instinct screaming danger, I tried to slam the door shut, but just like when it was opened, the heavy portal felt as unyielding as a boulder.

A hand shoved my shoulder from behind, and my legs gave out, causing me to slump limply onto the floor.

The shadow seemed to step inside.

The light from the corridor finally cut through the doorway. Caring about nothing else, I tried to crawl out, only to watch the door slam shut right before my eyes.

A devilish voice whispered in my ear.

"I never expected to find a beauty hidden in here. Today is certainly my lucky day."