Huo Rou could hold back a cry, but her body's reactions were difficult to conceal from someone who knew the effects of the poison so well.
She could also feel herself becoming increasingly lucid after stopping the medication, and the pain was intensifying.
She tried her best to steady herself, unable to take a single step.
Seeing her silent suffering, Shen Yuanshu was beside himself with anxiety. He was not a patient man to begin with. He scooped Huo Rou up and ran towards the room filled with instruments.
"You, let me go..."
Before Huo Rou could finish her sentence, Shen Yuanshu had already placed her on the bed. He then grabbed a vial from a collection of bottles and jars and prepared to inject her.
"What?" Huo Rou pushed herself up and tried to dodge.
"A sleeping agent!" Shen Yuanshu forcefully pulled her arm. "As long as you fall asleep, you'll be fine."
"It's useless."
Huo Rou pushed his hand away, her voice trembling slightly.
She gritted her teeth and felt for her bag. When she left, Qin Ningyi had put that painkiller in her bag.
She had taken it at noon, and it was effective.
Shen Yuanshu then remembered the symptoms of poisoned individuals he had seen during experiments: it wasn't just their internal organs; in the later stages, even touch was agonizing.
Although Huo Rou's poison had been suppressed for so many years, he couldn't tell if this was a late-stage manifestation or something else.
He watched as Huo Rou took a small bottle from her bag, took out the medicine, and swallowed it without hesitation.
"Is this what that divine doctor gave you?"
Seeing her trustingly take the medicine and reject his offer, Shen Yuanshu felt a pang of displeasure and asked in a chilling tone.
Huo Rou didn't answer him, leaning weakly against the headboard.
"Bringing me here is useless. I'm going to die anyway."
After a moment, the pain in her body had lessened considerably. Huo Rou looked at Shen Yuanshu with a cool demeanor, her calmness a stark contrast to his agitation.
"You won't die!" Shen Yuanshu cried out hoarsely.
Huo Rou ignored his frenzy, her expression serene, as if she were calmly accepting death.
"Kidnapping me is pointless. You can't threaten Qin Ningyi."
After saying this, she subtly observed Shen Yuanshu's reaction. She had a hunch, and now that he was off guard, it was the perfect time to probe.
Hearing this, Shen Yuanshu suddenly burst into laughter, his narrow eyes filled with amusement.
"You think I kidnapped you for Qin Ningyi? Hahahaha..."
After his laughter subsided, his expression immediately turned twisted. "Consider it for him then."
With a touch of obsession in his eyes, Shen Yuanshu reached out and lifted Huo Rou's chin. "You must live well."
Huo Rou's body stopped trembling, and her complexion gradually began to improve.
Shen Yuanshu allowed her to rest while he went to the operation table and fiddled with the reagent bottles.
Lying on the bed, Huo Rou closed her eyes warily.
Her tracking device had almost certainly been given to An An. Her phone, however, was still with her.
But since he had left her the phone, he must have calculated that she couldn't contact anyone.
If she wasn't kidnapped for Qin Ningyi, then it must be for her.
Country M had been unable to confirm her identity for so many years; it was unlikely they had suddenly done so. She must have done something with her current identity recently that had provoked Country M.
Besides her trip to Taichuan City, the only other possibility was joining this project team.
Country M would have killed her the moment she became useful. Since they hadn't...
Then what role was Shen Yuanshu playing in all this?
While Huo Rou was meditating with her eyes closed, chaos had erupted outside.
Everyone had noticed the undercurrents of unrest in Yuchang City.
The first to make connections were the members of the project team.
"Why is Teacher Huo Rou so late today?" Wei Shikang stood on the balcony, looking out. It was almost noon, and she still hadn't shown up.
"Yes, Teacher Huo Rou hasn't been in good condition lately, but she wouldn't be this late," someone echoed.
The two exchanged glances and sighed in unison.
Their phased success still required further revolution.
Now, with both of them absent, what was going on?
Finally, unable to bear it any longer, someone went to ask the professor. "Professor, why are Teacher Huo Rou and Sister Xiaoxiao absent today? Did they ask for leave?"
Although the project could proceed, they felt uneasy without these two key figures.
The professor looked at the message on his phone and recalled the tight security checkpoints in Yuchang City that morning.
While their project had always been confidential, it wasn't impossible for someone with ulterior motives to glean some information.
First, the materials were suddenly scarce, and now, after achieving preliminary success, Huo Rou had disappeared.
He had a bad feeling.
Moreover, it was Zou Xiaoxiao who had stayed behind last night to keep Huo Rou company. They had all gotten drunk and didn't want to impose on the two young women.
The professor's heart skipped a beat at this thought. "You all continue working. I'll go find out."
He had already tried calling Zou Xiaoxiao, but her phone was unreachable. He then decided to find Qin Ningyi's number.
After confirming that Huo Rou was in trouble, the professor locked himself in the lounge, overcome with self-reproach.
He had to do something.
He informed his superiors about the situation.
The news was reported up the chain, and it was a separate matter that the entire Yuchang City police force was mobilized.
To avoid shaking morale, the professor kept this information concealed.
After a morning of drowsy work, Shen Xiumei arrived with her lovingly prepared lunch as usual.
The lounge, usually filled with lively atmosphere, was unusually somber today.
Shen Xiumei feigned ignorance and asked, "What's wrong today? Why does everyone seem so listless? We usually chat."
Wei Shikang ate listlessly. "Meimei, Teacher Huo Rou hasn't been here all morning. Sigh, I had a few questions I wanted to ask her."
"I should have talked to her properly from the beginning, knowing that such a prominent figure would only be here for a while. Now, without even a goodbye, I don't know if Teacher Huo Rou will appear this afternoon."
Wei Shikang sighed and continued, "Meimei, we should have persuaded Teacher Huo Rou to go back in your brother's car yesterday. That way, we could have all seen her off and known where she lived. It would have been so good for future interactions."
Shen Xiumei secretly rolled her eyes. If she had let her brother drive Huo Rou back, would they have needed so many people to deal with a mere woman?
This Wei Shikang was such an idiot!
However, with Huo Rou gone now, the project being in such a state was an unexpected bonus.
"My brother said he forgave me yesterday. I'll go find him later and cook him a good meal. You can just eat whatever you find this afternoon."
Shen Xiumei hadn't been able to contact Shen Yuanshu all morning. She needed to see if Huo Rou had truly been dealt with.
Wei Shikang felt something was odd but didn't dwell on it, responding absently.
Qin Ningyi's men followed Shen Xiumei, searching every possible location where Shen Yuanshu might be, but there was still no sign of him.
Until Shen Xiumei found a small bathhouse.
The masseuse came over, closed the door, and whispered, "Mr. Shen..."