Chapter 354: Malice
Chapter 354: Chapter 354: Malice
Sixth Miss Bai declared with absolute certainty that Ning Xuan was of their Bai Family bloodline. She spoke with such conviction and detail that it didn’t sound like a lie, stirring a variety of thoughts among the watching young ladies.
Seeing this, Jin Shanshan sneered, "Bai Xiwen, the Seventh Young Master Bai, was disowned by your Bai Family long ago. Everyone knows Ning Xuan grew up on a Low-class Star and only came to the Central Star after she came of age. What, now that Ning Xuan has made a name for herself, the Bai Family wants to claim her as kin?"
"That’s our Bai Family’s business and has nothing to do with you. My sister and I have things to do, so step aside." Bai Xiuzhu didn’t want to waste any more time here. She was afraid that if Chen Nan arrived, her muddle-headed older sister would cause another problem.
"Thinking of leaving today? It won’t be that easy," Jin Shanshan said.
Covering the swollen corner of his mouth, Chen Hao took a moment when no one was looking to secretly send a message to Chen Nan. "I’m fine. Don’t come."
Back when Chen Nan lived with the Chen Family, out of all his siblings and cousins, he was only really close with his older brother Chen Hui and Chen Hao. He knew from the sound of Chen Hao’s voice earlier that something was wrong, so even after receiving this message, he wasn’t reassured.
However, Chen Nan was cautious. He called his father, telling him to hurry to the Cao Family, with whom Chen Hao had a Contract, to ask about Chen Hao’s situation and to bring the Cao Family members to the Qianjin Building to pick him up. He also thought to give Ning Xuan a heads-up, sending her a message saying he was going to the Qianjin Restaurant in the Federation Building to pick up his drunk cousin.
Although Chen Nan was confident in his current strength, he had seen too many conspiracies and schemes to let his guard down.
By the time Ning Xuan received Chen Nan’s message, Bai Xiuying and Bai Xiuzhu had already been pushed into a private room in the restaurant by Jin Shanshan. The room was soundproof, so nothing could be heard from inside.
"Master, those people have ill intentions. I’ll go stop Mr. Chen," Lan Xin said.
"No need. Book the private room next door. We’re here to eat, so let’s just focus on our meal." Ning Xuan instructed Lan Xin to book the room.
Ning Xuan didn’t have much of an impression of the Bai Family, but she was rather interested in that Jin Shanshan. She remembered that for a period after the Alchemist competition, this young lady from the Jin Family always seemed to be trying to get close to her. She had run into Jin Shanshan while attending a basic Artifact Refining course, while observing medicinal plants in the gardens, and even while eating in the school cafeteria. The woman had appeared before her so frequently during that time that Ning Xuan began to suspect she had an ulterior motive.
Later, before Ning Xuan had a chance to investigate her, she disappeared. The rumor was that she had been sent away by her family’s elders to gain experience.
The fact that Jin Shanshan had appeared right after the attack on her villa, only to suddenly disappear later—Ning Xuan always felt there was something strange about the whole thing.
’Today, Jin Shanshan appears to be targeting Bai Xiuying, yet she’s also dragging Chen Nan into it. Who knows if she has some other motive?’
Ning Xuan decided to wait and see how things unfolded.
"Why isn’t he here yet? Miss Cao, have your Contractor hurry him up again," Jin Shanshan said impatiently to Cao Yulan.
"Hurry up what? I heard my cousin drank too much. I’m here to pick him up." Chen Nan’s gaze was ice-cold as he stared at Cao Yulan.
The moment he stepped through the door, he saw Chen Hao kneeling on the floor, his face bruised and swollen, his body covered in injuries. It was obvious he had been abused.
"Bro, I’m fine, get out of here!" Chen Hao frantically gestured at him, only to be slapped across the face by Cao Yulan.
Just moments before, Jin Shanshan had secretly promised her that if she cooperated in detaining Chen Nan today, Jin Shanshan would give her a film company she owned. As proof against empty words, Jin Shanshan had even produced a transfer contract.
Cao Yulan grinned at Chen Nan. "Mr. Chen, your cousin is my Contractor. Even if he really is drunk, it’s not your place to come pick him up. We invited you here for Bai Xiuying."
"Xiuying, your beloved fiancé is here. Aren’t you going to greet him?" Jin Shanshan grabbed Bai Xiuying and shoved her toward Chen Nan.
Chen Nan had just entered, and the door behind him wasn’t yet closed. He instinctively dodged to the side. With a THUD, Bai Xiuying slammed into the door and fell to the floor.
Jin Shanshan secretly lit a finger-length stick of incense and tossed it into an inconspicuous corner of the room. She then called for the others to pull Bai Xiuying back inside. While Chen Nan was checking on Chen Hao, they all ran out, locking the Bai sisters and the Chen cousins in the room.
The moment the door was shut, Chen Nan realized something was wrong. He saw that Chen Hao’s face was flushed, his eyes were bloodshot, and the veins on his forehead and arms were bulging like writhing earthworms. Chen Hao’s breathing became exceptionally rapid, his chest heaved violently, and his hands uncontrollably tore at his clothes, as if something was burning him from within.
"Chen Hao, what’s wrong with you?" Chen Nan’s eyes scanned the room, but the incense stick Jin Shanshan had thrown had burned extremely quickly. In that short time, it had already turned to ash. Only a small pile lay in the corner, as inconspicuous as dust.
"Bro... I’m so hot..." Chen Hao’s voice was already hoarse, less like a human’s and more like the whimper of a wild animal.
His skin began to take on an unnatural flush, and sweat poured from his every pore like a spring, soaking his thin shirt in an instant.
Chen Nan rushed to his side, but his hand recoiled the moment it touched Chen Hao’s skin—the temperature was frighteningly high, almost like a red-hot branding iron.
Chen Nan pulled Chen Hao up, trying to carry him out, but Chen Hao was uncooperative. He staggered, yet moved with determination toward Bai Xiuying and Bai Xiuzhu.
"Chen Hao, snap out of it!" Chen Nan slapped Chen Hao’s cheeks, but he found that Chen Hao’s gaze was fixed, staring intently at the Bai sisters, as if there was no room for anything else in his eyes.
At the other end of the room, the two sisters, Bai Xiuying and Bai Xiuzhu, cowered in a corner, watching Chen Hao—and Chen Nan behind him—in terror.
Bai Xiuzhu could now smell the faint fragrance wafting through the room. It was the scent of Hehuan Incense, an extremely potent aphrodisiac targeted at men, capable of making them lose their minds and turn into beasts.
At that moment, Chen Nan’s face grew hot, his heart began to race, and even his limbs started to tremble. He immediately realized he had been drugged—and with an extremely potent aphrodisiac.
Chen Nan pulled two bottles of a heat-suppressing Inhibitor from his Space Button. He downed one himself and forced the other down Chen Hao’s throat.
The medicine wouldn’t take effect that quickly. In the meantime, Chen Nan had to fight to suppress his own urges while physically restraining Chen Hao, preventing him from lunging at the Bai sisters.
"Sixth Miss Bai, if you can still move, hurry up and open the door!" Chen Nan called out to Bai Xiuzhu.
Among the women of her generation in the Bai Family, Bai Xiuzhu’s strength and character were considered quite decent.
Bai Xiuzhu ran to the entrance and pulled on the door, only to find that it wouldn’t open. It had been locked from the outside.