Ji Zhi wanted to press for more details, but the secretary clearly had no time left. She seemed to still be speaking with someone else.
As the secretary was about to hang up, Ji Zhi couldn’t hold back any longer. “Where are you?” he asked.
He wanted to go and check on the situation himself.
After a brief hesitation, the secretary agreed to his request and said she would send the address to the driver.
Once the address arrived, the driver set off without delay.
About half an hour later, Ji Zhi reached the destination.
Gazing at the villa in the distance, a subtle mix of emotions stirred deep within him.
He still remembered what had happened the first time he attended a banquet. Because of that incident, he had developed a lingering unease about such events and hadn’t joined Duan Zhao for any since.
Even though this was a different location, the memories were inevitably stirred up.
But right now, his worry took precedence, so he had come anyway.
The secretary had already informed them in advance, so the car Ji Zhi was in was waved through smoothly.
The banquet appeared to be drawing to a close, which explained why the parking lot held so few vehicles.
The secretary came hurrying down from the villa to meet him.
Ji Zhi followed her closely. While they climbed the stairs, he finally learned what had happened—
The banquet had ended early, but just before they were set to leave, Duan Zhao had suddenly fallen unconscious.
Although he had drunk some alcohol at the event, the secretary knew Duan Zhao had a solid tolerance for it. He couldn’t possibly have passed out from that alone. Sensing something was wrong, she had alerted the host, who promptly called in a doctor to examine him.
There were no major issues with Duan Zhao’s body; he simply seemed to have fallen into a deep sleep. However, the exact cause would require tests at a hospital.
By the time the secretary finished explaining, they had reached the door.
Duan Zhao was still in the room, soon to be transferred to the hospital.
When the door opened, Ji Zhi’s eyes immediately fell on Duan Zhao lying in the bed.
Just as the secretary had described, Duan Zhao lay there with his eyes closed, his chest rising and falling evenly as if in a peaceful slumber.
Uncertain what had caused this sudden sleep, Ji Zhi felt a deep worry gnawing at him.
After all, he and Duan Zhao had spent so much time together that they were practically family by now.
Before meeting Duan Zhao, Ji Zhi had mostly celebrated New Year’s with Chen Xingwen and his family. On the days they visited relatives, Ji Zhi stayed home alone. But he had grown accustomed to solitude after his parents’ passing, filling his time with studying or gaming.
Over the past two-plus years, though, he had spent them with Duan Zhao.
Duan Zhao’s parents had begun traveling the world shortly after he came of age, and they often couldn’t return for New Year’s. So the two of them rang in the year together. They had gone skiing in Europe and taken a cruise to witness the polar night.
Chen Xingwen’s initial concern had melted into envy after seeing the photos Ji Zhi sent.
Ji Zhi rarely caught sight of Duan Zhao sleeping. The man always went to bed later than him and rose earlier. Seeing him like this now filled Ji Zhi with complicated emotions. He could only pray silently for Duan Zhao’s safety as he stepped forward to help.
However, the secretary had already summoned professional doctors and bodyguards, who were assisting in moving Duan Zhao downstairs.
Just as they were about to head out, shadows approached from beyond the door.
They blocked the path, so Ji Zhi looked up instinctively. When he made out the figures outside, his pupils contracted—
It was none other than Fu Huixu and Fu Qingyang.
Ji Zhi was glad he was walking behind the bodyguards. Their broad frames provided just enough cover to conceal him.
Using them as a shield, he peered out discreetly.
Fu Huixu’s attire was much like what Ji Zhi remembered from campus. Fu Qingyang wore a brightly colored suit, but his usual cheerfulness was gone; he lurked half-hidden behind Fu Huixu.
Ji Zhi knew Fu Qingyang was older, yet in this moment, Fu Huixu seemed the more mature of the two.
Fu Huixu’s gaze rested on Duan Zhao nearby.
The secretary, leading the way, spotted them too and quickly turned to glance at Ji Zhi.
She had handled the aftermath of the previous banquet on Duan Zhao’s behalf, so she had some inkling of the tangled history between the three men. Seeing Ji Zhi safely obscured brought her quiet relief.
But then a wave of puzzlement washed over her—
Fu Huixu and Fu Qingyang had attended as representatives of the Fu Family. Yet they hadn’t interacted much with Duan Zhao. When Ji Zhi announced his intention to come after the collapse, the secretary had hesitated inwardly, fearing he might run into Fu Huixu.
She had only relented after watching the pair leave with the departing crowd toward the parking lot.
She never imagined they would double back.
Once she confirmed Ji Zhi was hidden, the secretary turned her attention to Fu Huixu and Fu Qingyang. Politely, she asked what had brought them there.
Fu Qingyang was the one who replied. Gone was his earlier exuberance; even his voice had dropped lower. “I… I might know the reason for Mr. Duan’s collapse…”
His words instantly drew every eye to him.
Under the weight of those stares, the guilt on Fu Qingyang’s face grew all the more evident.
Ji Zhi: ?
He nearly blurted out a question on instinct but held back, afraid of being spotted. For now, he swallowed his words.
Fortunately, Fu Qingyang continued without much delay.
It turned out that Fu Qingyang knew his brother had been suffering from insomnia lately. He had tried to convince Fu Huixu to take something like melatonin to help him sleep, but Fu Huixu showed no interest in the suggestion.
Watching him get by on just two or three hours a night for days on end had filled Fu Qingyang with concern.
After some thought, he decided to grind up some melatonin into powder and mix it into a glass of water for Fu Huixu—without telling him.
But as Fu Qingyang scanned the crowd for his brother, a girl from another family—one he had once pursued—struck up a conversation with him. He handed the glass to a waiter and asked him to deliver it.
From the corner of his eye, Fu Qingyang had seen the waiter intercepted by Duan Zhao shortly after.
At first, he hadn’t thought much of it. The tray held wine glasses too, so he assumed Duan Zhao had taken a glass of red wine.
It wasn’t until the banquet wrapped up and he reunited with Fu Huixu that he asked if his brother had drunk the water. To his surprise, Fu Huixu hadn’t even noticed it.
Fu Qingyang knew his brother wasn’t one for lying, especially not about something like this.
Realizing the glass hadn’t reached Fu Huixu, he grew tense. After informing his brother, they returned to the banquet hall together. Fu Qingyang had long forgotten the waiter’s face, but after some questioning, they tracked him down.
As he suspected, the waiter hadn’t delivered the water to Fu Huixu. Duan Zhao had taken it midway.
Since Fu Qingyang had only described it as “a glass of water,” the waiter figured he could just refill one. He hadn’t dared stop Duan Zhao. By the time he poured a fresh glass and went looking, the event had ended.
When Fu Qingyang learned Duan Zhao had drunk it, his heart sank. He realized something had gone terribly wrong.
They soon heard about Duan Zhao’s sudden collapse from the waiter.
No doubt, it was connected to that glass.
Fu Qingyang was terrified, but he knew coming clean now was better than waiting for Duan Zhao to uncover it later—which would be far worse.
Moreover, he was aware of some friction between the Fu Family and Duan Zhao. Though the details escaped him, Fu Huixu’s expression always darkened at the mention of the name. There had to be bad blood between them. Fu Qingyang feared Duan Zhao might misconstrue this as revenge on Fu Huixu’s behalf.
It was only with Fu Huixu by his side that he found the courage to come forward.
After glossing over his own feelings and Fu Huixu’s insomnia, Fu Qingyang laid out the facts for everyone present.
Upon hearing it was melatonin, both Ji Zhi and the secretary relaxed a fraction. Ji Zhi suspected the alcohol Duan Zhao had consumed interacted with it, plunging him into an unnaturally deep sleep.
To be safe, though, they decided to rush him to the hospital regardless. Fu Qingyang’s account was just one side of the story for now. And mixing alcohol with melatonin could pose unknown risks to the body.
As for Fu Qingyang’s actions, they would investigate further once Duan Zhao woke.
Fu Huixu spoke up calmly at the secretary’s words. “Fu Qingyang will go with you.”
Since it was a Fu Family member responsible, it made sense for them to send someone along. The secretary wasn’t surprised. That it was Fu Qingyang came as a quiet relief.
If it had been Fu Huixu, it might spark conflict with Duan Zhao. But Fu Qingyang was the culprit, and his temperament seemed mild enough. He was the perfect choice.
The secretary nodded promptly and gestured for everyone to leave the room.
Anxious about Duan Zhao, she moved at a brisk pace.
The pre-arranged ambulance waited downstairs, complete with waiting doctors and nurses. With limited space inside, the secretary opted for just herself and Ji Zhi to accompany him.
A quick glance revealed only Fu Qingyang trailing behind.
According to him, Fu Huixu had already left ahead. Reassured, she called out Ji Zhi’s name while scanning for him.
But Ji Zhi was nowhere in sight. The bodyguards informed her that he had chosen to stay behind in the room midway.
Thinking back to Fu Huixu standing at the door earlier, the secretary understood Ji Zhi’s decision—
Clearly, the other person was worried about being spotted by Fu Huixu when leaving, so he waited in the room first.
Since she knew Fu Huixu had already left, the secretary wasn’t particularly concerned. She sent a message to Ji Zhi, letting him know that she would head to a nearby private hospital first, together with Duan Zhao.
Ji Zhi could choose to go home or join them later with the driver. She had already sent the hospital’s address to Ji Zhi.
Strangely enough, even after the secretary waited for Duan Zhao’s examination to wrap up, she still hadn’t received any reply from him.
