Chapter 84 Poisoning

Chapter 84: Poisoned

The second Yan brother stopped laughing, craning his neck in a grotesque manner to lean close to Bu Qiran. A voice dripping with venom hissed in Bu Qiran’s ear, “What’s in it? Poison, of course.”

Bu Qiran’s shocked expression seemed to be the perfect catalyst—in an instant, the triumph in the second Yan brother’s eyes could no longer be concealed. He scanned the faces of everyone in the Yan family again, and upon seeing their astonishment and disbelief, he looked as if he had already savored the taste of victory.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Yan Zhoubai suddenly faltered, his legs giving way. Clutching his stomach, he collapsed to his knees on the floor.

“Xiao Bai!”

Yan Anxuan was the first to react. The moment Yan Zhoubai fell, he immediately caught him, cradling him in his arms. Dropping to one knee, he rested Yan Zhoubai’s head on his shoulder.

“What’s wrong? What happened to Xiao Bai?”

Yan Ren and Bai Rong rushed over immediately. Seeing Yan Zhoubai’s pained expression, coupled with the second Yan brother’s recent words, they were instantly thrown into a panic.

Poisoned? How could he be poisoned? What did the second Yan brother put in the wine?

Amidst the chaos, Yan Ren didn’t forget his priorities. He immediately called an ambulance and notified hotel security to seal off the area—an incident had occurred.

Yan Zhoubai clutched his stomach, sweating profusely and clearly in extreme pain. His eyes were squeezed shut, as if he had already lost consciousness.

“It hurts, it hurts…”

He had no idea what was happening.

He could only sense that someone had caught him—he wasn’t lying on the cold floor—but he didn’t have the energy to discern who it was. With both hands pressed against his stomach, he felt as though he was dying.

Yan Anxuan was frantic. Holding Yan Zhoubai in his arms, he watched as Yan Zhoubai writhed in pain, disoriented and unaware, but he had no idea what to do.

Seeing Yan Zhoubai clutching his stomach and complaining of pain, he wanted to reach out and rub it for him but didn’t dare. He was afraid to move Yan Zhoubai at all, worried that any action might worsen the situation.

His face was now as pale as Yan Zhoubai’s, a frightening white.

The wine was poisoned, but Yan Zhoubai had snatched it from his hand. That poisoned glass was originally meant for him. If he hadn’t let Yan Zhoubai take the glass, Yan Zhoubai wouldn’t be in this state.

He had harmed Yan Zhoubai. Yan Zhoubai had taken the blow for him.

“What’s going on? Why did Yan Zhoubai suddenly become like this?”

“Poison! Someone poisoned the wine! Everyone, stop drinking!”

“Poison? Who did it?”

“The second Yan brother poisoned it. Yan Zhoubai drank the wine he gave him and got poisoned!”

“How did poison get into the banquet? Didn’t security check before letting people in?”

“Don’t panic! Stop drinking for now. If the poison is this fast-acting, we’d have shown symptoms already if we’d drunk it.”

“The second Yan brother is seeking revenge.”

“Just because they didn’t lend him money? Is it worth taking a life over?”

“What’s happening? How did a perfectly good banquet turn out like this?”

“We shouldn’t have let that second Yan brother in. What bad luck.”

“This is the first time something like this has happened at a Yan family banquet.”

…

The second Yan brother’s voice wasn’t loud when he admitted to poisoning the wine, but the guests around him heard it clearly. Combined with Yan Zhoubai’s obvious symptoms, news of the poisoning spread instantly throughout the banquet hall.

Safety was the top priority. The wealthier they were, the more they valued their lives. Panic spread through the banquet hall in an instant. Just as the situation was about to spiral out of control, Yan Anxuan, already on the verge of a breakdown, shouted:

“Everyone, rest assured! Security personnel are stationed outside the banquet hall and will ensure your safety. Please remain calm!”

His shout had an immediate effect. The situation, which had been on the verge of chaos, quickly settled down.

After all, most of the guests present had experienced their share of storms. The initial shock of learning about the poisoning had passed, and they had calmed down. In such a situation, it wasn’t they who needed to worry—it was the Yan family, who would have to figure out how to apologize to so many guests.

Bu Qiran still hadn’t released his grip on the second Yan brother’s collar. His mind was reeling.

Yan Zhoubai was poisoned? That old fool poisoned the wine? How dare he? How could he be so shameless?

Why hadn’t the system mentioned this part of the plot? Yan Zhoubai was poisoned, and he had known nothing about it.

Moreover, that glass of wine was originally meant for him. It only ended up in Yan Zhoubai’s hands because he refused to drink it.

So, was he the one who had harmed Yan Zhoubai?

“Protagonist, this is the luck of being the main character. A marginal character like this old man, who might only appear once in the original plot, could never harm you, the protagonist. That’s why a minor cannon fodder like Yan Zhoubai, who has little impact on the plot, stepped in to take the blow for you.”

Bu Qiran’s system didn’t consider today’s events a major deviation from the plot.

The original plot couldn’t possibly cover every detail. Some minor changes by the protagonist would naturally lead to significant shifts in the storyline, but as long as the underlying logic remained intact, it was fine. The protagonist was the protagonist—he had plot armor.

“Shut up!”

This was the first time Bu Qiran had blown up at the system so severely.

Although he had never been particularly cooperative, he had generally gotten along with the system that had suddenly appeared three years ago. They had never argued before.

In the past, he had turned a blind eye when the system referred to Yan Zhoubai as an insignificant cannon fodder, but this time, he couldn’t take it. The words felt like needles in his ears.

Yan Zhoubai was lying there, whether he would live or die was unknown, all because he had taken that glass of wine meant for him, and now the system was spouting such cold, detached remarks?

“Protagonist…”

Bu Qiran’s system seemed startled by his outburst and called out to him in a somewhat aggrieved tone.

Bu Qiran ignored the system. He was gripping the second Yan brother almost instinctively—he needed to hold onto something to keep himself standing.

He should have gone to check on Yan Zhoubai first, but his feet felt as heavy as lead, unable to move.

He had to hold onto this old man—he couldn’t let him escape. Yes, he had to hold onto him.

When Bu Qiran refocused his attention on the second Yan brother, he found the man staring at him, as if he had been for a long time. His expression was strange, almost smug. Bu Qiran heard him say:

“What a waste. That glass was meant for you. Or at the very least, it should have been Yan Anxuan. What’s the use of killing a worthless impostor like Yan Zhoubai? It does nothing to ease my hatred!”

“You!”

Bu Qiran couldn’t hold back anymore and punched the second Yan brother in the face. The force was strong—perhaps a tooth was cut—and with that punch, the second Yan brother spat out a mouthful of blood.

At that moment, Yan Ren arrived with security personnel. His face was grim, the usual elegance replaced by a rare shadow of darkness.

He glanced at the second Yan brother, and the security guards immediately understood his meaning, swiftly taking him from Bu Qiran and pinning the man to the ground.

The second Yan brother was pressed so firmly against the floor that he couldn’t even lift his head, looking utterly disheveled. Yet he seemed to be in a state of frenzied excitement, emitting guttural, rasping sounds from deep in his throat.

Yan Ren stared down at the man pinned to the ground for a moment, his expression darkened and unreadable.

Only then did he turn to Bu Qiran, who was seething with anger, his chest heaving, and say, “Qiran, I’ve already called the police. Don’t dirty your hands.”

Of course, Yan Ren wanted to know why his second cousin had done this—was it simply because the Yan family refused to cover the massive financial shortfall he was responsible for? Did that drive him to attempt murder?

He could clearly see that the man had been targeting Qiran and Anxuan; Zhoubai had just happened to get unintentionally involved.

But he also knew that questioning him right now would be futile. Since the man had dared to act so brazenly in front of everyone and was still provoking them, it was clear he wasn’t afraid of them knowing—in fact, he probably wanted them to know. Under these circumstances, there was no point in pressing for answers.

So it was better to leave it to the police. The urgent priority now was Zhoubai’s safety.

“Dad, when will the ambulance arrive? Zhoubai, he…” Bu Qiran asked anxiously. Though he hadn’t gone over to check on Yan Zhoubai closely, he had been watching the situation peripherally and knew that Zhoubai’s condition was critical.

He could even see that Yan Anxuan, not far away, had gone pale as a sheet, especially since Yan Zhoubai’s painful moans had already faded away.

“It’ll be here any minute. I’ve already called to push them again. The hotel staff have also been arranged to receive them downstairs!” Bai Rong said.

Bai Rong hadn’t been standing still either, anxiously monitoring Yan Zhoubai’s condition while also trying to calm the guests. Several socialite friends who were close to her had already gathered around to comfort her, including Mrs. Lin and Lin Qihua.

The ambulance arrived very quickly. After all, the Bu Mei De Hotel was located in the city center and had experience handling emergencies. The medical personnel reached the banquet hall without wasting any time.

It had been barely less than ten minutes since Yan Ren called for the ambulance.

But along with the medical staff came another unexpected guest—Zhan Jiayu.

The medical personnel, seeing Yan Zhoubai’s condition, immediately placed him on a stretcher and began moving him out. Just as Zhan Jiayu entered the banquet hall, he caught sight of Yan Zhoubai, visibly in pain, being carried past him.

For a moment, time seemed to freeze.

Author's note: Here it is, here it is.