Chapter 36: Did You Eat Something Dirty?

His raised eyebrow conveyed more meaning than any words. Shuangxu felt a strange sense of shame.

She walked past him and hurried back to the banquet hall.

A while later, she was playing a game with a few children when she heard a few shouts of “Damn it” behind her.

She looked back and saw He Tingzhou, her heart skipping a beat.

He was dressed in a white prince’s costume, his legs impossibly long. The belted design accentuated his lean and taut waistline, leading up to broad, straight shoulders.

As he walked in, several little girls squealed excitedly and rushed towards him.

Sister Yue, forgetting even her beloved rabbit police officer, declared with a flourish, “I want you to be my prince.”

He Tingzhou, unfazed, sat down on the sofa. “You wish.”

The little girls, forced to squat on the floor, watched him with envy. “Are little girls really so two-faced these days?”

Yue Zifeng also felt a pang of disappointment. “He wouldn’t do it for me after begging him for ages, now he just goes and changes into it himself.”

Sister Yue’s birthday party had invited her friends, classmates, and several children from prominent families. The entire venue was as lively as an amusement park.

Children’s interests came and went quickly. The cake was brought out, and their attention immediately shifted.

Shuangxu, finally having a moment of peace, went to the sofa area and sat far away from He Tingzhou.

She sipped a glass of champagne and ate a small piece of cake. As her gaze swept across He Tingzhou’s direction, she inadvertently met his eyes.

He was leaning back, his posture relaxed, his eyes fixed on her for an unknown length of time.

“What are you looking at?”

He Tingzhou’s lips curled slightly, his voice tinged with a smile, a hint of unconcealed flippancy. “Looking at the princess.”

Shuangxu felt he was mocking her. “There are princesses everywhere, not just me.”

“Really?” He Tingzhou’s tone was nonchalant, his gaze still lingering on her with amusement.

Shuangxu didn’t want to talk to him anymore. On the boat, she had clearly understood her own position and decided to keep her distance from him.

She lowered her head to eat her cake. He Tingzhou said again, “You’re quite cute.”

“…”

She almost choked on the cake in her mouth.

For the rest of the party, she ignored him.

As the birthday party drew to a close, a waiter in a white uniform and bow tie approached, taking a glass of champagne from a tray and offering it to Shuangxu.

She thanked him, took a sip, and then went to the dressing room to change back into her own clothes.

The makeup artist had already left. Perhaps because the space was small, it felt cramped. As she was changing, she felt a tightness in her chest.

She wanted to finish changing and go out for some fresh air, but the feeling intensified.

She felt her heart racing, her breathing becoming rapid, and a dizzying sensation like her feet were floating.

Had she gotten drunk? But she had only had two glasses of champagne, not enough to make her feel this way.

This discomfort did not subside when she stepped out of the dressing room.

A hotel staff member passed by and asked, “Miss, are you alright?”

Shuangxu didn’t know what was wrong with her, but she knew the best thing to do was go home immediately.

“Please take me out.”

“Follow me, the exit is this way.”

She felt increasingly dizzy and followed the staff member for a while. He led her to an elevator and pressed the button.

Shuangxu suddenly looked up at him.

He turned back to look at her, a friendly smile on his face.

In that instant, Shuangxu’s alarm bells went off.

She suddenly remembered that she had been here with Shen Yu before, and this elevator led to the upper floors.

Realizing this, she immediately sensed something was wrong and turned to run in the opposite direction without hesitation.

“Miss Song!”

The staff member was clearly faster than her, who was unsteady on her feet. He quickly caught up to her and grabbed her arm.

“You’re not feeling well, I’ll take you up to rest.”

Shuangxu struggled, but she had no strength.

“Do you know what you’re doing?” she said through gritted teeth. “Who told you to do this?”

He didn’t answer, but forcefully pulled her towards the elevator.

Zheng Zuye? It couldn’t be anyone else.

Shuangxu’s muddled mind thought, but wasn’t he supposed to be absent today?

If he had been here, she would have been wary, she would have been on guard, she would have stayed as far away from him as possible.

Perhaps Zheng Zuye knew this, so he didn’t even show up.

In the banquet hall, filled with children’s laughter and surrounded by familiar and trusted faces, a waiter carrying a tray of drinks was too ordinary and natural to arouse suspicion.

Now that the party was over and the guests had left, Yue Zifeng and the others might have already gone.

No one would notice her at this time.

The soft, red carpet muffled the sound of footsteps, making them almost inaudible.

But in her despair, Shuangxu still heard it.

He Tingzhou had changed back into his own clothes, a clean and crisp white shirt and black pants.

The moment she saw him, she suddenly broke free from the staff member’s grasp and threw herself at him with all her might. “Brother Tingzhou…”

She remembered his coldness that night on the yacht, but she had no one else to turn to now.

It was just bad luck that she kept running into him.

He Tingzhou reached out and caught her.

His appearance was too sudden. The staff member saw him and dared not force her anymore, quickly lowering his head and leaving.

Shuangxu’s feet were barely able to hold her weight. Her hands, like grasping at a lifeline, clung tightly to He Tingzhou’s arm.

Her heart pounded so fast it felt like it would burst out of her throat. Her body felt boneless, leaning against him, her breath hot.

He Tingzhou noticed her unusual state and lifted her chin, staring at her flushed face.

“Did you eat something dirty?”

Shuangxu nodded. “Someone gave me a drink near the end, it seemed like there was something wrong with it.”

He Tingzhou frowned and picked her up, her limp body in his arms.

His embrace was broad and warm, giving Shuangxu a sense of security after her near-death experience.

He brought her to the penthouse suite on the top floor. When Shuangxu was placed on the bed, the effects of the drug were already starting to take hold.

Her whole body was burning, her senses almost drowned by the burning blood.

Being in a hotel room with an adult male in this state was too dangerous. She struggled to stay conscious.

She sat up. “Brother Tingzhou, can you help me call my brother?”

In times of danger, she instinctively wanted to find Shen Yu.

He Tingzhou sat on the sofa opposite the bed, lit a cigarette, and spoke in a leisurely tone. “Your brother wouldn’t be able to help you with this.”

“Then can you take me to the hospital?”

Smoke shrouded He Tingzhou’s eyes, making it impossible for Shuangxu to see his expression. She could only hear his casual voice. “The hospital wouldn’t be able to help you either.”