CHAPTER 16: CHAPTER 16: THIS IS WHAT YOU OWE HER

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhuang Xiaoxi couldn’t help but feel tense.

Although she couldn’t discern the emotions in his eyes, the aura he exuded was terrifying.

Besides Yubai brother, who else could it be?

To avoid unnecessary disputes, Zhuang Xiaoxi lied, "When I discovered someone drugged Zhizhi, my friend had gone to the bathroom and hadn’t had the chance to tell him yet."

The man’s gaze seemed to see through everything and looked at her sharply, causing her to feel inexplicably guilty.

Zhuang Xiaoxi steadied her aura and continued, "Let’s wait for Zhizhi to tell us everything."

Fu Yinli retracted his gaze, took one last look at the person lying in the hospital bed, then turned and left.

...

Early the next morning, hearing movement, Zhuang Xiaoxi groggily lifted her head.

"Zhizhi, you’re awake."

Su Lingzhi sat on the bed, looking around in a daze.

Worried, Zhuang Xiaoxi asked, "Zhizhi, are you okay?"

"I’m fine."

"How much do you remember about last night?"

"I just remember you brought me to the hospital."

Last night, during Xiaoxi’s argument with Yubai brother, she regained a bit of consciousness. She had no recollection of when she was drugged or how she got to the hospital, "Thankfully you were there last night."

Zhuang Xiaoxi stared at those brows and eyes, conflicted in expression, ultimately telling her the truth, "It was not only me who brought you to the hospital, but also that friend you brought."

Su Lingzhi’s eyes showed concern as she hurriedly asked, "I didn’t do anything to him, did I?"

"No, I was watching, don’t worry."

Su Lingzhi suppressed her complicated emotions and slowly got out of bed, "Let’s go home first."

Back at the apartment, after washing up, Zhuang Xiaoxi was still worried. Finally unable to contain it, she told her everything that had happened last night.

She couldn’t choose to conceal or cover up due to years of friendship with Yubai brother.

"Zhizhi, perhaps there’s some misunderstanding here. We should find Yubai brother to clarify."

"I don’t want to see him," Su Lingzhi frowned, "I never thought I’d one day be plotted against by a friend like this."

Zhuang Xiaoxi looked at her with heartache, "Zhizhi, this is just my personal perspective. Maybe there’s something he’s hiding. Regardless, if he truly is a villain taking advantage of others, then we’ll beat him up and completely cut off ties with him from now on. If you don’t want to see him, I’ll go and ask for you."

"At this time, he should be on the plane back home."

Reminded by her words, Zhuang Xiaoxi glanced at the time.

The flight was at ten-thirty, with ten minutes left before takeoff.

Zhuang Xiaoxi hurriedly found Shen Yubai’s phone number and dialed it, but the receiver only gave a mechanical shutdown prompt.

...

At England Airport, a Rolls-Royce parked at the entrance, and two people got out simultaneously.

The black leather shoes made steady sounds on the ground, and the well-tailored black suit accentuated the man’s elegant posture. His deep and mysterious eyes carried an indescribable sense of pressure.

Housekeeper Zhao, holding a bottle of cocktail, closely followed behind Fu Yinli, stepping into the top-floor VIP lounge.

At that moment, Shen Yubai was sitting by the window, surrounded by several bodyguards, his handsome face bearing various bruises, both new and old interwoven, clearly indicating he had been beaten several times.

Seeing the person walking towards him, Shen Yubai pressed his lips tight, finally understanding why he had been stopped.

Fu Yinli sat opposite him, long legs crossed, leaning against the chair back.

"Heading back to the capital today? Why such a gloomy face?" The tone was very mild, like casual chatter, yet it inexplicably made the listener’s heart stifle.

Shen Yubai watched him vigilantly, "What do you want?"

"Lingzhi was drugged last night. You’re aware of this incident, aren’t you?"

Shen Yubai’s handsome eyes darkened, remaining silent.

Fu Yinli cast him a glance, his voice still calm, "She suffered so much harm last night while bidding you farewell. As her friend, shouldn’t you at least care? Why haven’t you even made a phone call?"

Shen Yubai clenched his fists so tightly they turned white, unable to meet his gaze, "This is my issue, it’s none of your business."

"Is that so?" Fu Yinli’s eyes were coated in coldness, reflecting a dangerous glint as he spoke, "Whether you care about Lingzhi or not is irrelevant to me. What matters is who hurt her."

As if triggering some switch, Shen Yubai turned pale, staring at him incredulously.

By then, Housekeeper Zhao had already opened the bottle of wine and placed it on the table.

Under the room’s lights, the teal wine gleamed transparently.

"This bottle is made just like the one you mixed for Lingzhi yesterday, identical to what she drank last night. Today, I specifically brought it for you," Fu Yinli looked at him and stated word by word, "You can drink it yourself or be forced to. You have five seconds to decide."

"You... don’t go too far," Shen Yubai grit his teeth.

"You owe her."

"What I owe her has nothing to do with you!"

Fu Yinli’s brows furrowed, clearly losing patience.

A single glance from him resulted in the bodyguards immediately holding the person down.

"Let go..." Shen Yubai struggled continuously, but before he could speak, a burly bodyguard grabbed his jaw and forcibly poured a bottle of wine down his throat, leaving him no room to resist.

Shen Yubai glared at him resentfully, his eyes bloodshot.

Not taking him seriously at all, Fu Yinli warned, "Remember this: Lingzhi is mine. If there’s a next time, I won’t let you off as easily as today."

With that, the bodyguards received his glance and dragged the person out of the VIP lounge, tossing him out like garbage, leaving him to fend for himself outside.

...

Elsewhere, Zhuang Xiaoxi tossed her phone dejectedly and grumbled, "My brother isn’t answering either. Who knows what he’s up to."

"Forget about it; Shen Yubai not daring to contact us says everything," Su Lingzhi looked up at her, "I want to find out who drugged me last night. I’m scared someone might be targeting me."

"But..." Zhuang Xiaoxi hesitated for a moment, lost in thought, "Last night, we ate the same stuff. You had no idea when you were drugged."

"It’s different."

"How different?"

"The cocktails we drank were separate."

Zhuang Xiaoxi suddenly realized, "Could it be the restaurant staff who drugged you? Why would they do such a thing?"

"We’ll know if we go once."

Zhuang Xiaoxi quickly stood up, "Okay, I’ll go with you. But before we go, let’s eat something first; I’m starving."

The two changed shoes and were about to leave when Zhuang Yuan’s call came through.

"Brother, you finally returned my call..." Zhuang Xiaoxi answered while walking out with Su Lingzhi.

On the other end, Zhuang Yuan asked, "Is Lingzhi okay now?"

"How did you know Lingzhi was in trouble?"

As soon as the words fell, there was a long silence on the other end.

Zhuang Xiaoxi patiently waited, and finally, the truth emerged.

"The drugs were administered by Shen Yubai."

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Xiaoxi froze in place, unable to react for a long time.