Huo Ruiyang hated this feeling of being out of control. Without hesitation, he pushed Xia Anran away.

Xia Anran, unconscious, fell backward.

Huo Ruiyang glanced at her, her eyes tightly shut, and she showed no reaction as she was about to hit the back of her head on the ground.

Instinctively, he reached out, grabbed Xia Anran’s wrist, and pulled her back, saving her from danger.

When he realized what he had done, Huo Ruiyang’s expression turned even colder, and he abruptly let go.

Xia Anran fell back to the ground, but fortunately, Huo Ruiyang’s pull had lessened the impact, so she wasn’t hurt too badly.

Seeing Xia Anran lying on the ground, pale and motionless with her eyes closed, Huo Ruiyang felt nothing but disgust.

Was this woman pretending to be dead, waiting for his father to return so she could continue clinging to the Huo family?

No matter what tricks she played, it wouldn’t work. This engagement had to be broken. If his father forced him to marry her, he would sever their father-son relationship!

Liang Meijuan sensed something was wrong and crouched beside Xia Anran to check on her.

Discovering that Xia Anran was burning with fever, Liang Meijuan’s expression turned grave.

“She has a fever!”

Not daring to ask her son for help, Liang Meijuan called out to Ye Lingling instead.

“Lingling, go get my medical kit!”

But she noticed Ye Lingling standing by the coffee table, seemingly startled by her call. The teapot in Ye Lingling’s hand fell onto the table, spilling its contents.

Liang Meijuan’s eyes filled with confusion. She had asked Ye Lingling to fetch the medical kit, so why was she holding a teapot in the living room?

Before she could ask, she saw her son stride over, snatching the teapot from the table before Ye Lingling could react.

Ye Lingling, panicked, quickly reached out to grab the teapot from Huo Ruiyang’s hands, fearing reprimand. She stammered nervously:

“I’ll wash it!”

Huo Ruiyang’s sharp, icy gaze bore into her, making Ye Lingling feel as if she had fallen into an ice cellar. Her heart pounded in fear.

She swallowed hard, pointing at Xia Anran, who lay unconscious on the floor, and stammered an explanation:

“Anran… Anran fainted. I wanted to pour her some water… to take… take medicine!”

Ye Lingling’s voice grew softer as she spoke. Huo Ruiyang’s dark eyes and the oppressive atmosphere made it hard for her to breathe. Unable to withstand the pressure, she fled in a hurry.

“I… I’ll go get the medical kit!”

Huo Ruiyang watched her retreating figure coldly, then looked down at the teapot in his hand.

Earlier, Xia Anran had used most of the tea to pour over her head, and Ye Lingling had spilled some more, leaving only a small amount of tea and leaves.

Recalling that he had only drunk one cup of tea after returning home, and then felt as if his body was on fire…

Huo Ruiyang’s gaze fell on the two used teacups on the table.

The empty cup was his, and the one with a small amount of tea left was likely Xia Anran’s.

A dark glint flashed in Huo Ruiyang’s eyes. The tea had been tampered with!

When Ye Lingling returned with the medical kit, she saw Huo Ruiyang placing the two teacups and the teapot into an enamel basin, then stuffing them into a burlap sack. He carried the sack and strode away, leaving Ye Lingling’s face pale.

Liang Meijuan, seeing Ye Lingling standing frozen with the medical kit, urgently called out:

“Lingling, bring the medical kit over!”

Huo Ruiyang paused at the door, glancing back at the unconscious Xia Anran. The fire within him still burned.

The drug was too potent. If even he couldn’t withstand it, how could she?

But there was no need to worry. The hospital could treat her, and his mother wouldn’t abandon her. He couldn’t get involved, or he’d be entangled again.

Huo Ruiyang left swiftly, placing the burlap sack containing the teapot and cups into the back seat of his car. He stepped on the gas, the engine roaring as the car sped away.

Throughout the drive, Huo Ruiyang’s expression remained tense. He struggled to suppress the overwhelming heat surging through his body.

Every breath felt like exhaling fire, causing beads of sweat to form on his forehead and back.

He clenched his teeth, trying to endure the unbearable desire.

But every time he closed his eyes, images of Xia Anran’s mesmerizing, seductive gaze and her glistening red lips flooded his mind…

His heartbeat quickened, as if it might burst from his chest. The swelling sensation in his lower abdomen grew more intense, almost to the point of explosion.

He felt his rationality slipping away, while his longing for Xia Anran grew stronger.

With a deep breath, he pressed the accelerator to the floor, determined to reach the military base before his self-control gave out.

The sentry saw a cloud of dust in the distance as a car sped toward the camp gates.

The sentry quickly loaded his rifle, aiming it at the rapidly approaching jeep, and shouted:

“Stop the car!”

Huo Ruiyang hit the brakes, slowing the car as it came to a halt at the camp entrance. He rolled down the window.

The sentry, recognizing the driver, immediately lowered his rifle and saluted:

“Commander!”

Huo Ruiyang, seeing the sentry’s alertness, nodded in approval:

“Good job!”

However, his flushed face made it seem more like anger than praise. The sentry nervously explained:

“Commander, I didn’t recognize you… I thought it might be an intruder…”

Realizing his mistake, the sentry anxiously watched Huo Ruiyang.

Oh no, had he just called the commander an intruder?

Huo Ruiyang’s patience was at its limit. Without another word, he stepped on the gas, and the jeep sped into the camp, screeching to a halt in front of the headquarters.

Zhang Hengye, Huo Ruiyang’s longtime comrade and political officer, stepped out of the office.

Startled by the screeching brakes, Zhang Hengye saw Huo Ruiyang getting out of the car and joked:

“Wow, being chased? Driving so fast?”

Huo Ruiyang slammed the car door shut, his lips pressed tightly together as he fought the effects of the drug. To hide his condition, he slightly hunched over.

Zhang Hengye noticed Huo Ruiyang’s pale face and asked urgently:

“What’s wrong? Did the talk not go well?”

Huo Ruiyang, his face dark, didn’t answer. He opened the back door, grabbed the burlap sack containing the teapot, and handed it to Zhang Hengye, his voice hoarse:

“Get this tested!”

Zhang Hengye took the sack and asked:

“What is this?”

Huo Ruiyang didn’t respond. He strode into the office. He had no time to explain; he needed to take the antidote immediately, or he would lose control.

Zhang Hengye followed him inside, carrying the sack. He watched as Huo Ruiyang unlocked a drawer, took out a small metal box, and retrieved a red pill.

This pill was carried during missions as an antidote in case of poisoning.

Zhang Hengye’s expression changed. He asked urgently:

“Ruiyang, were you drugged?”

Huo Ruiyang, in a hurry to take the pill, didn’t answer. Zhang Hengye quickly poured him a glass of water and handed it over, concerned:

“What happened?”

Huo Ruiyang didn’t want to explain, simply saying:

“Don’t ask!”

Zhang Hengye, seeing Huo Ruiyang’s reaction, immediately guessed who was behind it.

“Was it your fiancée?”

It wouldn’t be surprising if that woman had done something like this!

Thinking of Xia Anran, Zhang Hengye grew angry.

Two days ago, she had shown up at the camp wearing a gaudy floral blouse, her face heavily made up, her lips painted a bright red that made her look like she had just eaten a dead child. She had come looking for Huo Ruiyang.

Stopped by the sentry at the gate, she had loudly declared herself Huo Ruiyang’s fiancée.

Zhang Hengye, thinking he was being helpful, had driven her into the camp after hearing she was Huo Ruiyang’s fiancée.

But when she saw Tang Na from the provincial military district’s propaganda department talking to Huo Ruiyang, she had accused Tang Na of being a seductress trying to steal her man and even tried to scratch the young woman.

Her shrewish behavior and the vulgar insults she hurled had shocked Zhang Hengye, leaving him momentarily stunned.

If Huo Ruiyang hadn’t intervened, Tang Na would have been scratched. The young woman had run off in tears.

Xia Anran had become infamous in the military district. Everyone knew Huo Ruiyang had a shrewish fiancée from the countryside.

For the past two days, Huo Ruiyang had stayed at the camp to avoid Xia Anran’s harassment.

Today, General Huo had returned from a meeting in the capital, and Huo Ruiyang had gone home to discuss breaking off the engagement with his father. How had he ended up being drugged?

Hearing Zhang Hengye’s words, Huo Ruiyang’s face darkened further, his eyes filled with disgust. His voice was cold and resolute:

“She is not my fiancée!”

He deeply resented this arranged marriage set up by his parents and had never acknowledged Xia Anran as his fiancée. Her despicable act of drugging him only reinforced his rejection.

Even if his father wanted to repay Xia Anran’s father for saving his life, seeing her vile behavior would surely make him agree to end the engagement.