Chapter 63 – I Will Only Look at You, Not Him

“I don’t know exactly what he put in the cup, but it’s not just the taste of alcohol,” Shen Shilang said. “I have no relationship with him, yet he came to drink with me so late at night and insisted I drink it in front of him. The unusual taste of the wine makes it clear he has ill intentions.”

“I switched our cups,” Shen Shilang said with a faint smile. “Let’s see how he reacts, and then we’ll know what he put in the cup.”

“I’ll go check!” Su Jinshi said eagerly.

Just as Su Jinshi was about to slide the screen to find Xu Liangchuan’s room, Shen Shilang suddenly said, “When you find his room, don’t look too much.”

“Look at what?” Su Jinshi was momentarily puzzled. “I’m just going to see his reaction. How else will I know?”

“He’s already in bed for the night, and he must be undressing…” Shen Shilang was worried that Su Jinshi might look at Xu Liangchuan the way she had looked at Shen Shilang.

Although Xu Liangchuan’s appearance was average at best, one could say his facial features were decent. But who knows if Su Jinshi, out of curiosity, might go take a look?

Su Jinshi understood, “Don’t worry, I won’t look at him, only at you.”

Shen Shilang: “…”

Seeing Shen Shilang’s silence, Su Jinshi couldn’t help but tease, “Shen Shilang, are you tacitly agreeing now?”

“…” Shen Shilang blushed, stubbornly saying, “As if you would actually not look just because I told you not to.”

Su Jinshi chuckled, “Of course I won’t. I’ll go now and be back soon.”

Shen Shilang sighed and shook his head with a wry smile, “Go quickly and come back soon.”

“Let’s see how fast that medicine takes effect,” Su Jinshi said as she located Xu Liangchuan’s room and entered.

Fortunately, Shen Shilang’s worries did not materialize, as Xu Liangchuan was sleeping fully clothed, even wearing thick garments. Because the room was cold, and Xu Liangchuan was unwilling to buy charcoal from the inn to keep warm, he could only wear thicker clothes to sleep.

However, it wasn’t long before Xu Liangchuan’s stomach started gurgling. After enduring it for a while, he could no longer bear it, so he clutched his stomach and emerged from the lukewarm blanket, shivering in the frigid night, and ran to the outhouse in the courtyard.

Su Jinshi heard the unpleasant sounds and was thankful she couldn’t smell anything through the phone, but just the noises were nauseating enough. After a while, Xu Liangchuan shakily emerged, his body bent over. However, as soon as he reached the staircase, his stomach rumbled again, and he turned around and ran back to the outhouse.

Understanding the situation, Su Jinshi didn’t bother watching the unsightly Xu Liangchuan any further.

Returning to Shen Shilang’s room, she told him, “As expected, Xu Liangchuan indeed had ill intentions. He put a strong laxative in your cup. In just this short time, I’ve seen him run to the outhouse twice. With still some time before the exam, this drug’s effects will likely last, and it will definitely impact his performance.”

“Speaking of which, earlier tonight when those scholars were surrounding you, praising you, and pushing him out, I noticed his expression didn’t look very good,” Su Jinshi added.

Shen Shilang revealed a faint, cool smile. “The laxative may indeed just be a simple laxative, unless it’s also mixed with a slow-acting poison. Otherwise, it’s unlikely to sustain the effect all the way to the exam.”

“But why is he giving you the laxative now? Isn’t that too early?” If that were the case, Su Jinshi didn’t quite understand. “You can’t possibly be having diarrhea for half a month. He should have done it a few days before the exam.”

“But even a few days before the exam, everyone is busy studying and preparing, with no time or mood to drink. So he wouldn’t have the opportunity to put the laxative in your drink either,” Su Jinshi continued.

Shen Shilang pushed open the window, and the cold air immediately invaded the room. Wrapping himself in the down jacket Su Jinshi had bought him, he stood by the window and watched as Xu Liangchuan, whether for the fourth, fifth, or sixth time, ran to the outhouse, hunched over and shivering.

“If it’s just diarrhea, it naturally can’t last long enough to affect the exam. But what if he also catches a cold or fever?” Shen Shilang’s voice carried a hint of mockery and sarcasm as he watched Xu Liangchuan rush into the outhouse.

Su Jinshi suddenly understood, “Now, in the bitter cold of night, it’s even colder than during the day. The urgent diarrhea will have him constantly running to the outhouse. Even after he’s done, by the time he walks back, he may have to turn around and go again…”

Su Jinshi paused, “Even if he manages to make it back to his room, he won’t have time to even warm the seat before having to go out again. Running back and forth all night in this winter chill, he’s bound to catch a fever.”

“Even if he recovers from taking medicine, he’ll still be weakened for a while. Not only will he need to recover, but his mental state will also be affected, as he won’t be able to focus on studying like the other scholars.”

“When the exam comes, his mental state will be in turmoil, and with his body not yet fully healed, how could he possibly score well?” Su Jinshi gritted her teeth, “This Xu Liangchuan is really vicious!”

Seeing Shen Shilang still leaning by the window, watching Xu Liangchuan’s sixth trip to the outhouse, Su Jinshi reminded him, “You should close the window before you catch a cold.”

Shen Shilang obediently closed the window, leaving just a small gap for ventilation, as the charcoal brazier was lit, and he couldn’t seal the room completely. He then went to warm his hands by the brazier before undressing and resting.

Su Jinshi had stayed up late, constantly monitoring Xu Liangchuan’s repeated trips to the outhouse. The drug Xu Liangchuan had taken was quite potent, as Su Jinshi didn’t see him successfully return to his room after any of his outings.

Finally, in the late hours of the night, with dawn just an hour away, Xu Liangchuan, with dark circles under his eyes from a sleepless night, leaned against the outhouse door, his body hunched over and utterly exhausted, as he slowly made his way back to his room.

Xu Liangchuan’s face had turned yellowish, his appearance sickly. Shivering and weak, he curled up in his blanket, his hands red and stiff from the cold.

Outside the window, frigid winds howled as Su Jinshi noted that Xu Liangchuan must have emptied himself out; even if there was another urge soon after, nothing would come out now.

So she reached out and knocked on the window.

“Hmph! You’ve used such tricks on others before, and now it’s your turn to be scared,” Su Jinshi muttered coldly as the sound of knocking echoed through the blustering wind.

“Who’s there?” Xu Liangchuan called out from the dark room.

…