"Ca-Caishen!" ng Rin gasped, rushing toward him.
The room rippled with murmurs and confusion as Bai Caishen stumbled backward, his legs giving way beneath him. His body crumpled to the marble floor with a heavy thud.
"Caishen!" Chow y staggered backward with horror.
"Call a doctor!" Rinrin cried, kneeling beside him, her hands trembling as she tried to shake him awake. "Caishen, stay with !"
Bai Caishen continued to cough, his pallor becoming more ashen.
Hou Tengqi froze. The jealousy that had consud him seconds ago drained into sothing colder and sharper. His eyes darted between Bai Caishen’s pale face and the guests who now stared, whispering about what had just unfolded.
His mother, Mrs. Hou quickly arrived at the scene, gasping at the sight of an unconscious guest. The music had screeched to a halt, leaving only the sounds of ng Rin’s panicked voice and Bai Caishen’s ragged breathing.
Tengqi’s fists clenched at his sides. Sowhere inside him, a whisper urged to help, to at least mask his hostility before the eyes of the guests. But another voice, harsher, hissed at him.
’Look how she cries for him. Look how she clings to him, not you.’
The crowd circled closer, their whispers sharp.
"Isn’t that Bai Caishen, the actor?"
"What happened to him?"
"He looked perfectly fine a mont ago..."
"Hou Tengqi was speaking to him, wasn’t he?"
The rest of the Hou family had gathered too by now and were stunned to see the situation unfold. Mrs. Hou calmly whispered to her husband, "We need a doctor."
He whispered back urgently. "Should we ask-"
"No," she sharply refused. "Not him."
She inwardly gritted her teeth, thinking of her last option. She turned abruptly, barking at the servants hovering at the edges. "Bring Dr. Yang - now!"
The servants scattered, rushing to obey.
ng Rin’s hands cradled Bai Caishen’s head as his eyes fluttered shut, his breath shallow. Tears pricked her eyes as she whispered, "Caishen, Caishen, you will be okay...J-Just stay with ...!"
Hou Tengqi’s face darkened as the murmurs grew. He could already sense suspicion creeping into the air, painting him as a villain. It was supposed to be his day but sohow Caishen had stolen the spotlight from him.
Suddenly, through the crowd, two figures pushed in and rushed to the center where ng Rin and Bai Caishen were. Without saying a word, Mingshen dropped to his knees and checked him. Bojing and Shilin accompanied him too, assisting him.
anwhile, Jia asked around, "What just happened here?"
Chow y said before anybody else could, "Ca-Caishen...he just collapsed!! We were talking with Mr. Hou here and t–then he suddenly started coughing...!"
Hou Tengqi’s gaze darkened while Mrs. Hou - Hou Huan, resisted her urge to lash out at her. She flashed her concerned smile like always.
"I’m not sure what happened, but he will be alright. It might be so simple allergic reaction to sothing he ate or drank?"
How dare she talk in that misleading way as if Tengqi had anything to do with it...
"Allergic reaction or a poisonous reaction?" Mingshen’s eyes narrowed.
The air froze and so did everybody’s chatter. The sound of the ambulance’s siren blasted outside and Mingshen gave quick orders to Bojing. "Take him to the hospital right now. Call Dr. Lihao and tell him to be on standby."
"Y-Yes Boss!"
ng Rin paled. "W-What do you an by he is poisoned?"
Bai Caishen spit another bout of a bloody cough, his face turning ashen every passing mont. Bojing coordinated the ambulance’s nurses and he was quickly put on a stretcher to be taken away.
Chow y tremblingly stood on her feet to join the nurses but Jia blocked her way. "Please wait, Miss. Chow. I know this is a really distressing ti for you, but we need to talk to you."
She cried. "What is there to talk to , Inspector Song? If you want to demand answers, then ask this man!" She pointed at Hou Tengqi.
"He first walked over to our side and started threatening Caishen!"
The guests could barely hold their breath.
Hou Tengqi’s expression kept worsening. "You do realize there will be serious consequences for lying, right?"
"And look! Now he is threatening !"
Before he could speak again, Jia raised her palm to stop him and looked at Chow y.
"Please state it clearly, Miss. Chow. How did he threaten Mr. Bai?"
She glared at him. "He ca here all accusing that Caishen has feelings for Rinrin. Even when he clarified that he was assuming wrongly, Mr. Hou kept pushing his beliefs onto him! And then he clearly said that he wouldn’t walk out of here without facing consequences..."
She trembled and then her face paled further. "I-Is this the consequence you were talking about? You wanted to kill Bai Caishen?"
"That’s ridiculous!"
"So now are you going back on your own words? You threatened Caishen and then he collapsed...!"
Jia glanced at him. "Did you say anything along those lines that Miss. Chow have just ntioned?"
Hou Tengqi was forced to keep his calm. "She is making a mountain out of a mole hill, Miss. Song."
"That’s not my question, Mr. Hou."
Hou Huan stepped forward and narrowed her eyes. "Are you interrogating my son as a potential culprit, Miss. Song?"
"I only want to get the facts straight. The first fact is that he was poisoned like Dr. Yang says here."
"That’s bullshit!" Hou Tengqi gnashed his jaw. "There is no poison. How would he have consud any poison here?"
Mingshen smiled. "Are you seriously judging my dical judgent? His symptoms were similar to a particular poison I know very well about, which soon will be tested for in the hospital. Just so you know, I also have an expert in the poison field at my lab."
Whispers erupted in the crowd once again as the Yang family held a pristine reputation in the field of dicine. Accusing them of an incorrect diagnosis was practically a death sentence.
Jia’s gaze squinted. "What did Mr. Bai eat or drink here?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers