Beneath his palm, the heart that did not belong to him was pounding wildly, making it impossible to tell whether its owner was excited or nervous.
As the drug's effects intensified, Bo Yan could hardly avoid being affected, both physically and mentally.
Some parts of his body clamored for him to take the vicious woman before him right then and there, but another, rational part quickly warned him that everything before him was this madwoman's scheme. One wrong step, and he would plunge into a bottomless abyss.
Reason and irrationality tore at each other. In a rare loss of control, Bo Yan used almost every ounce of his strength to wrench his hand back and growled, "Get away! Don't touch me!"
Wen Ning had prepared for Bo Yan to resist and had given him plenty of time to do so. If he had been clearheaded at all, he would have seen through her little tricks at a glance!
After all, what female predator who drugged someone would not throw herself straight at him like a starving beast? None would act like her, only daring to run her mouth without daring to do anything in practice.
But even with all her mental preparation, she was stunned for a long while after Bo Yan knocked her to the floor with one swipe.
The shabby, coffin-like basement was small to begin with, and a low, battered coffee table stood right behind Wen Ning. When she was knocked down, her entire body crashed into it.
A searing sting spread across her back and arm. She had probably scraped her skin open or cut herself on something.
For one moment, Wen Ning felt both stifled and wronged. "Bo Yan, do you really hate me that much?"
Bo Yan braced his left hand hard against the wall. The wound in his palm, which had barely begun to heal, split open again. Bright red blood seeped through the gauze and stained the snow-white wall, looking utterly horrifying.
He lifted his head, his dark eyes hovering between clarity and cloudiness, and curled his cold, thin lips. "Hate you? Wen Ning, you... think far too highly of yourself..."
His breathing uneven and his voice hoarse, Bo Yan said haltingly, "You make me... sick..."
"One day... I'm going to... kill you..."
Whether his words had frightened her or it was something else, Wen Ning's eyes filled with tears in an instant. She simply stared at him with those red, wet eyes.
Bo Yan's heart trembled. His left hand against the wall curled slightly, and he felt a little strange.
After a long while, he saw the woman lower her head and push herself up from the floor with her arms.
A flash of red crossed his vision. Bo Yan froze, only then noticing the scraped skin on Wen Ning's right arm. Her skin was dazzlingly fair to begin with, and the blood now running down her arm looked alarming.
Bo Yan went blank, his gaze drifting involuntarily to Wen Ning's neck.
The white gauze had already turned red.
Looking at Wen Ning's reddened eyes, Bo Yan moved his thin lips, wanting to say something.
But reason quickly told him that everything before him was merely this madwoman's act, just like last night.
It was all fake.
Bo Yan shut his mouth, his eyes turning wary once more.
Yet Wen Ning did nothing more to him. She did not even utter a single insult, rising in silence.
The door opened, then slammed shut with a bang.
The instant it closed, Bo Yan could no longer hold himself up and sank onto one knee.
A few seconds later, he gritted his teeth and forced himself to inch toward the bathroom.
The rush of water came from the bathroom. Bo Yan stood beneath the shower with a hand braced against the wall, the cold water granting him a brief moment of calm.
His mind was a mess, filled with thoughts: Wen Ning speaking up for him before his father last night, Wen Ning snapping back at Bo Xubai at breakfast that morning, and her unreasonable fuss over Jiang Tingwan's bowl of bird's nest soup...
That bowl of congee...
It must have been that bowl of congee.
Breathing heavily, Bo Yan gave a cold laugh.
But why had she changed her mind halfway through?
If she had not, he and Jiang Tingwan would probably already have been locked up.
Whatever happened afterward, he would not have escaped his father's punishment. Perhaps he would have been thrown out of the Bo Family, or perhaps his father would have tossed him back onto the mountain behind the house. If he was lucky, he would survive. If not, he would probably become food for those wild boars.
Why, Wen Ning? What exactly do you want from me...?
The drug affected Bo Yan's thinking. His whole body felt scorching hot, his head felt ready to split, and his mind even wandered uncontrollably to that glimpse of lustrous, dazzling white from moments earlier...
His forehead pressed against the arm braced on the wall, Bo Yan bent forward.
He was utterly disgusted with what he was doing now.
Especially since the person in his mind right now was actually that vicious woman.
Cold water ran in the bathroom, yet the temperature seemed faintly on the rise.
A muffled groan came from inside.
Suddenly, Bo Yan's ear twitched.
He had heard the door open.
His scar-crossed back instantly arched like an arrow ready to fly, and his flushed face abruptly turned fierce.
He adjusted the shower control. As the sound of water diminished, the sounds outside the bathroom grew louder.
Someone was walking toward the bathroom...
Bo Yan's expression darkened. Bracing his right hand on the sink, he reached beneath it with his left and found a dagger fastened there.
If Wen Ning dared come in, he would kill her without hesitation!
His limbs seemed to be weakening again, and there were signs that his mind was beginning to cloud. Expressionless, Bo Yan drew the dagger across his own arm.
Pain mingled with blood dripping onto the floor, only to be quickly washed away by the bathroom water.
Bo Yan regained a temporary measure of clarity.
The next second, he heard two knocks. Someone was knocking on the bathroom door.
His gaze icy, Bo Yan grabbed a bath towel and moved quietly to stand behind the bathroom door.
"Bo Yan?"
Someone called to him from outside.
Bo Yan froze.
The person outside kept calling, "Bo Yan, are you in there? How are you doing? Can you still hold on? Bo Yan? Say something, Bo Yan! You haven't passed out in there, have you? If you don't open the door, I'm going to break it down! Bo Yan! Bo-"
Whoosh.
The door was yanked open from inside!
Doctor Xie, who had rolled up his sleeves and was charging forward, screeched to a halt and came face-to-face with Bo Yan's deathly face.
The deathly face frowned. "Why is it you?"
Doctor Xie paused. "Yes, it's me... Wait." He caught on. "What do you mean by that, brat? What were you expecting? Don't tell me you were waiting for that young lady?"
Doctor Xie was shocked. "Has that drug addled your brain?"
Bo Yan: "..."
Somewhat irritated, Bo Yan turned his head away and put the knife back without a word. Perhaps he, too, felt the drug had damaged his brain, for him to think of that woman at a time like this.
Doctor Xie had wanted to tease him some more, but seeing how red Bo Yan was, the smile immediately vanished from his face. Flustered, he said, "How do you feel now? Can you still manage? Hurry up and get dressed and come out. I'll give you an exam-Holy shit! What happened to your arm? Don't tell me you cut yourself again! You really are-Get out here! Are you trying to bleed to death in there?"
Bo Yan pressed his lips together, grabbed the shirt draped over the sink, and threw it on carelessly. His face expressionless and his head lowered, he let Doctor Xie help him out of the bathroom.
Doctor Xie first checked his various physical readings, then gave him a sedative, and finally put him on an IV.
An intravenous infusion helped maintain blood circulation and speed up the metabolism of the drug remaining in his body.
As a doctor to wealthy families whose employers were drugged every other day, Doctor Xie could be said to be highly proficient in this area.
"Bear with it if you can. You'll be fine once the IV is finished." Doctor Xie busied himself treating the fresh knife wound on Bo Yan's arm, earnestly lecturing as he worked. "How many times have I told you not to cut yourself for no reason? Look at yourself-how many places on your body are still intact? If it really comes to it, I'll make an appointment with Old Qiu for you. Go see him-"
Before he could finish, Bo Yan interrupted him. "Why did you come?"
Had he not mentioned it, that would have been that, but his question reminded Doctor Xie that there was something he had yet to tell him.
"Who else? The young lady, of course. I hadn't even reached the clinic this morning when she sent me dozens of WeChat messages begging for help. Good thing I got here fast. Any later, and who knows how many more fresh wounds you'd have." Doctor Xie sighed.
Bo Yan froze. Only after a long while did he find his voice, a little hoarse, a little strained. "...She contacted you?"
Doctor Xie nodded. "Yes. Honestly, I was pretty surprised too. I didn't expect that young lady to be so... well, to act like a decent human being this time."
"I ran into her on my way here. She urged me to hurry over and told me to check your other injuries too." Remembering something, Doctor Xie could not help asking, "Did you two get into a fight just now? I saw injuries on her arm and neck. I asked if she wanted them treated, but she said she was fine and told me to hurry over because your situation was more urgent. What exactly happened?"
Bo Yan felt that the drug really might have affected his brain. He did not hear a word of what Xie Luping said afterward. His mind was filled with that woman's blood-seeping neck and bleeding arm.
"Where... did she go?" he heard himself ask.
Doctor Xie wrapped the gauze. "Back to her parents' house. Oh, right, the young lady also asked me to tell you that this time, it was her fault, and she admits it. But you have major problems too. Until you recognize your own mistakes, she won't be coming back for now. If you need anything, contact her by message in a bottle."
After treating the injury on his arm, Doctor Xie looked up and smiled at him. "Of course, WeChat works too."
Bo Yan: "..."
Seeing his strange expression, Doctor Xie belatedly realized. "Holy shit! So she was the one who drugged you?? That young lady is way too-fierce!"
Bo Yan thought for a moment. "...Maybe not."
Xie Luping did not understand. "What do you mean?"
Bo Yan did not know why he had said that either. He shook his head and closed his eyes, saying no more.
Xie Luping checked his various readings again. Seeing them gradually stabilize, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Just then, he suddenly heard the man lying on the sofa ask in a muffled voice, "Was she... badly hurt?"