Chapter 53: Drugged??
Xu Xunsen stood where he was, watching Jiang Limu’s retreating back with a thoughtful expression.
Jiang Limu’s reaction was calmer than he had anticipated, but it was enough to prove that those words had indeed struck a nerve. That was sufficient.
His gaze shifted back toward the center of the banquet hall—more specifically, toward Su Lin, who was currently conversing gently with several elders. This sudden “True Prince of the Jiang Family” had disrupted many people’s calculations and become an eyesore for many others.
Xu Xunsen picked up a glass of champagne from a waiter’s tray and lightly swirled the liquid. His eyes swept inconspicuously across every corner of the hall until they briefly met another gaze hidden in the shadows of a pillar.
It was a young man dressed in a waiter’s uniform, his cap pulled low. Upon receiving Xu Xunsen’s signal, he gave an almost imperceptible nod.
The corner of Xu Xunsen’s mouth curled into a smirk. He set down his champagne, adjusted his cuffs, and slowly approached the small circle of people surrounding Su Lin.
Su Lin was patiently listening to an elder speak, nodding in response occasionally. A waiter stepped forward at the appropriate moment to refresh the guests’ drinks.
Xu Xunsen happened to walk right beside the waiter. He appeared to be lightly bumped by a passerby, stumbling slightly. His elbow “accidentally” knocked over a glass of champagne on the edge of the waiter’s tray.
“Oh, my apologies!” Xu Xunsen let out a low cry, reacting quickly to steady the tray, but more than half of the overturned champagne splashed out, some of it splattering onto Su Lin’s suit cuff.
“I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! Young Master Su, I am truly sorry!” The waiter immediately bowed and apologized, his voice filled with panic.
The surrounding conversations stopped, and gazes gathered toward them.
Su Lin’s brows knit slightly. He looked down at his soaked cuff; a dark water stain had spread across the white fabric, looking quite eyesore-ish on his pristine formal wear.
“It’s fine,” Su Lin said in a gentle tone.
“How can it be fine? This was my oversight.” Xu Xunsen looked genuinely apologetic and immediately instructed the waiter, “Quickly, take Young Master Su to the lounge to get this handled.”
The waiter quickly complied, making a “please” gesture to Su Lin. “Young Master Su, please follow me. The lounge is right next door; we can handle this quickly.”
Su Lin looked at the stain, then at the concerned gazes around him.
“Go on, child, don’t catch a cold,” a kind lady said.
Su Lin nodded and followed the waiter out of the main hall toward the side corridor.
Xu Xunsen watched Su Lin’s departing back. That “bump” just now wasn’t just to knock over the champagne; in that lightning-fast moment, he had flicked a capsule from between his fingers into the only other intact glass of champagne remaining on the tray. The capsule dissolved instantly upon contact with the liquid. Right now, that glass of champagne was being carried by another waiter toward Jiang Limu, who was not far away.
His target was never as simple as just making Su Lin look bad.
Stirring up the waters and making sure everyone got a bit of trouble on them was far more interesting, wasn’t it?
The waiter led Su Lin to the door of a quiet lounge and said respectfully, “Young Master Su, please wait a moment. I will go and fetch clean clothes and a towel right away.”
“Thank you.” Su Lin pushed the door open and entered the lounge.
The room wasn’t large and was simply decorated. He walked to the sink and turned on the faucet, intending to give his cuff a simple wash first.
Just then, he suddenly felt a wave of slight dizziness, accompanied by a faint, creeping sense of heat.
Something was wrong.
Su Lin’s gaze sharpened instantly. He snapped his head up to look at himself in the mirror; his face seemed a bit more flushed than before. He quickly recalled everything he had come into contact with—the champagne and food he had consumed were the same as the other guests, no problem there. The only thing unique was the champagne liquid on his cuff…
He immediately grabbed a paper towel and wiped the wet spot on his cuff forcefully, but it was too late. His skin seemed to have already absorbed some of the components.
The dizziness and heat were intensifying at a slow but clear pace.
It wasn’t a potent drug; it felt more like something… meant to induce excitement or cause one to lose composure. The dosage wasn’t large and the onset was slow, but it would be enough to make him gradually lose control in the upcoming segments of the event, leading to flushed skin, inappropriate speech, or worse.
The goal was to make him lose face in public, ruining his image for the night and embarrassing the Jiang family.
Su Lin took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He turned the tap to full and splashed cold water onto his face and neck, trying to lower his skin temperature and delay the effects of the drug.
He couldn’t make a scene. Once it became public, regardless of whether it was his fault, it would become a scandal for the banquet—exactly what they wanted.
He couldn’t stay here either. The waiter could return with clothes at any moment, or there might be other “arrangements” waiting for him.
He had to leave this enclosed space immediately and find someone he could trust before he completely lost control.
Jiang Qing.
He pulled off his tie and unfastened the top two buttons of his shirt to make breathing easier. In the mirror, the young man’s eyes were still clear, but the faint blush on his cheeks and his slightly rapid breathing betrayed the anomaly.
There was no time to hesitate.
Su Lin turned and walked quickly to the door, pulling it open—the hallway was empty; the waiter had not yet returned.
He slipped out quickly, closing the door softly behind him, and headed toward the more secluded area of the hotel, away from the main banquet hall. He couldn’t go back to the main hall; in his current state, it would be too easy to draw attention.
He needed to find a place to hide temporarily and find a way to contact Jiang Qing.
However, after only a few steps, the dizziness hit again, stronger than before. The corridor in front of him seemed to double. He leaned against the cold wall, his fingertips trembling slightly.
Just then, from around the corner ahead, came a faint sound of footsteps and a low, malicious laugh.
“That kid should have succumbed by now, right? Young Master Xu said to take him ‘over there’ and take some ‘exciting’ photos…”
Su Lin’s pupils shrank.
There truly was a follow-up!
He gritted his teeth and turned to run back, but his body was turning soft due to the drug’s influence, his steps unsteady.
The footsteps were getting closer.
Su Lin leaned his back against the wall, cold sweat dripping from his brow. He looked around for a place to hide or escape, his gaze finally landing on a slightly ajar door diagonally across from him labeled “Equipment Room.”
He had to risk it!
Using all his strength, he shoved the door open, slipped inside, and then quietly locked the door from the inside.
Darkness and a cramped space swallowed him instantly, with only a sliver of light from the corridor filtering through the gap under the door. He leaned against a cold metal cabinet, panting heavily. The heat and dizziness in his body crashed against his sanity in waves.
Outside, the footsteps stopped nearby.
“Huh? Did I just hear something over here?”
“There’s no one. Did you hear wrong?”
“Forget it, let’s check the lounge first. Maybe the kid has already passed out.”
The footsteps gradually faded away.
Su Lin’s tense nerves relaxed for a split second, but the discomfort in his body was worsening. He slid down to sit on the floor, fumbling to take out his phone. The brightness of the screen made his eyes ache in the darkness.
With trembling fingers, he tapped on his contacts and found the number he had only recently saved.
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