Zhao Qingyu struggled to rein in her wandering thoughts, while Shen An eyed the white pill before him, mumbling to himself.
It didn’t look like poison…
She probably wouldn’t go that far—straight-up poison him to death?
Besides, this wasn’t some fantasy world with mind-control pills that turned you into a slave after one bite.
After a moment’s thought, Shen An said softly, “I’ll eat it.”
His words snapped Zhao Qingyu back to the present. She narrowed her eyes. “Good.”
“Open up.”
“Huh? No water?” Shen An cracked a joke even now. “I figured you’d feed it to me yourself, Senior Sister.”
Zhao Qingyu rolled her eyes and pinched his chin, forcing his mouth open.
Then she shoved the pill in.
Hm?
Shen An savored the taste. Pretty sweet.
“Tastes kinda like candy.”
He grinned.
“Yeah, want another? I’ve got more.” Zhao Qingyu sat back down triumphantly once he swallowed, crossing her legs.
“Nah, I’m good. But seriously, what is this stuff?”
Shen An rubbed his stomach. “Least tell me before I drop dead.”
Zhao Qingyu shrugged. “I wouldn’t let you die. Relax, it’s not poison.”
“Then what is it?”
“Something to make you sleep like a baby.” Zhao Qingyu’s lips curved up.
“Sleep like a baby?” Shen An frowned. “Sleeping pill?”
“Yep, similar effect—but stronger.”
“Ha!” Shen An laughed dryly. “All this hassle? Seems like overkill.”
“How else was I supposed to scare you!”
Zhao Qingyu glared. “This is your first warning. Next time, it really will be poison.”
I’ve never been scared…
Shen An grumbled inwardly.
But soon, the drug kicked in.
His mind grew foggy. Staring at Zhao Qingyu, he murmured sleepily, “Kinda… dizzy…”
Zhao Qingyu stepped closer, gently stroking his face. “Dizzy? Then just sleep it off.”
“Okay…”
Shen An didn’t fight it. He slumped back onto the sofa, drifting off into sleep.
Zhao Qingyu clapped her hands, smug. “Mission accomplished!”
Humming a cheerful tune, she turned and picked up the room phone.
Since Zhao Qingyu had set the return time in advance, by around 1:30 p.m., all the members had trickled back to their rooms to pack.
At 2:30, they gathered in the lobby.
Buses pulled up slowly to the Mountain Villa’s entrance, waiting quietly.
In the lobby…
Song Rui supported Wang Yuqiong, whose foot was wrapped up like a mummy, as they walked in. Trailing behind were Wang Yuqiong’s temporary roommates, lugging her luggage.
Under the barrage of puzzled, worried, or shocked stares from the crowd, Wang Yuqiong kept her head down, overwhelmed by a wave of utter mortification.
Song Rui had been incredibly diligent. Ever since helping Wang Yuqiong back to her room, she’d stuck by her side, tending to her without a break.
Even after Wang Yuqiong insisted it wasn’t necessary to make such a fuss, Song Rui—ever cautious—had used up nearly every bandage in the medical kit on that little foot.
Hence the scene before them.
The Drama Group’s president and other members hurried over, asking after her.
“It’s nothing, really—just a little sprain…”
Wang Yuqiong explained over and over, stressing that she didn’t need a hospital… that she’d be fine soon…
Only after her repeated assurances did the Drama Group members finally relax.
After finally seeing off the Drama Group’s members, Shen Lianyao grabbed her luggage and Song Rui’s, then walked forward with concern to inquire further.
Wang Yuqiong was completely numb.
She felt like this little scheme of hers had backfired spectacularly, digging a massive pit for herself.
After another round of explanations, Shen Lianyao and Song Rui helped support Wang Yuqiong as they escorted her to sit on the sofa in the lobby, quietly waiting for the return trip.
It was around three o’clock when the person everyone had been waiting for, Zhao Qingyu, finally appeared.
She walked onto the stage with a furrowed brow and a very serious expression. The crowd immediately quieted down, reining in their chatter as the atmosphere grew solemn.
On the way here, Zhao Qingyu, as the Troupe Leader, had given a speech.
Now, on the way back, she was doing the same.
After the usual routine remarks, Zhao Qingyu did something no one had expected: she offered a self-criticism.
Her critique was that her preparations hadn’t been thorough enough, leading to some oversights in this event that resulted in two members getting injured by accident.
As soon as Zhao Qingyu finished speaking, many people’s gazes instinctively turned toward Wang Yuqiong on the sofa.
Yes, her “injury” was plain as day.
Wang Yuqiong inexplicably took another stray bullet and wished she could sprint a hundred meters back and forth to prove she was perfectly fine.
But no one blamed Zhao Qingyu for it. Instead, they saw it as a sign of her strong sense of responsibility.
After all, accidents were inevitable on a trip like this. No matter how meticulously prepared, you couldn’t prevent every mishap.
Having only two members injured was already a pretty good outcome.
But once the gazes shifted away, confusion set in.
Two members?
Besides Wang Yuqiong, who else?
They checked their roommates and group mates—no sign of a second injured person.
Wait… hold on!
Someone quickly pieced it together. What about Shen An?
As the Art Troupe’s hot new member right now, his presence always drew attention.
A quick scan of the lobby turned up no trace of him.
Soon, the three women on the sofa realized it too.
Shen Lianyao frowned and asked, “The other injured one… it couldn’t be Shen An, could it?”
At those words, Song Rui’s little face went pale.
Wang Yuqiong furrowed her brow tightly as well.
“Yuqiong, Song Rui, weren’t you with Shen An the whole time?” Shen Lianyao asked again.
“We… after we finished at the amusement park, we split up,” Song Rui said, a bit panicked. “Then I came back first with a few senior sisters to grab the medical kit for Yuqiong.”
“After that, I helped Yuqiong back to her room and stayed with her the whole time.”
She looked uneasily at Wang Yuqiong. “Yuqiong, when Shen An brought you back, did he seem off at all?”
Wang Yuqiong slowly shook her head. “No, and you saw him in the lobby when I got back, right?”
Song Rui pressed her lips together and fell silent.
Indeed, when Shen An had escorted Wang Yuqiong back, it was Song Rui who’d taken over.
She hadn’t noticed anything unusual about him then.
Shen Lianyao narrowed her eyes. “That’s weird. So he must have gotten hurt sometime in these last two hours?”
Neither Wang Yuqiong nor Song Rui knew exactly what had happened.
And Shen Lianyao had been in her own room the entire time, so she knew even less.
The three women’s gazes turned toward Zhao Qingyu on stage.
For now, she seemed to be the only one in the know.
Soon, Zhao Qingyu announced that everyone should leave the lobby in an orderly fashion and head to the entrance to board the bus. Then she stepped down from the stage.
She walked straight toward the three women.
Song Rui couldn’t sit still any longer. She stood up and hurriedly asked, “Senior Sister, is Shen An the one who’s hurt?”
Shen Lianyao and Wang Yuqiong stared intently at Zhao Qingyu as well.
Zhao Qingyu pressed her lips together and nodded slowly. “Yes.”
“He… what’s wrong with him?”
Song Rui blurted out.
“Don’t worry, he’s just exhausted and passed out from fatigue,” Zhao Qingyu said softly. “I just had the hotel’s medical staff check him over. We’ll send him to the hospital shortly.”
The mountain villa was in the suburbs, a bit far from any major hospital.
So they had on-site medical personnel—privately hired, just in case of emergencies.
Of course, it wasn’t comparable to a proper big hospital.
“We’ll go with him,” Wang Yuqiong said to Zhao Qingyu without hesitation.
Song Rui hesitated for a moment, then nodded quickly too.
Shen Lianyao, however, seemed uncertain.
Zhao Qingyu chuckled lightly. “This worried about him? Really, it’s nothing serious. He’ll be fine.”
“Besides, you all have classes tomorrow. By the time he wakes up, you might see him then.”
“Head back first. I’ll let you know as soon as there’s any news.”
“But…”
“Listen to me.”
Zhao Qingyu’s expression turned stern. “I’m the Troupe Leader. I’ve got this handled. No need to worry.”
Wang Yuqiong’s face flickered with uncertainty.
This sudden news plunged her into unprecedented anxiety.
Just moments ago, she’d been wondering why Shen An hadn’t shown up.
He’d said he’d grab their things and come find her.
Who would’ve thought…
Still, something felt off to her.
But in her panic, her usual calm deserted her, leaving only worry.
One by one, the members filed out of the lobby, leaving just Zhao Qingyu and the three women.
Zhao Qingyu glanced at the door and murmured, “Let’s get going too.”
Suddenly, several figures approached from the corner.
It was the hotel’s medical staff, wheeling a stretcher with Shen An lying on it.
“Hold on.”
Zhao Qingyu quickly called out to stop them.
The staff halted.
“Wait until everyone’s gone before taking him to the hospital,” Zhao Qingyu instructed.
This gave the three women a chance to observe Shen An up close.
He had no visible wounds, just lying there peacefully, as if he were simply asleep.
Song Rui couldn’t hold back her worry. She stepped forward, took his hand, and gently shook it. “Shen An?”
No response.
Zhao Qingyu sighed. “Someone in a coma won’t wake no matter how you call them.”
“He… he’s really okay, right?”
Song Rui’s face was ashen as she asked anxiously.
“Relax, he’s fine.”
Zhao Qingyu rubbed her forehead. “Probably just worn out from all the excitement these past couple days.”
She added with a touch of teasing, “And those thrilling rides this morning—who knows, maybe he was scared stiff but just held it in.”
“Senior Sister, are you going to the hospital with him?” Wang Yuqiong suddenly asked.
“Me?” Zhao Qingyu shrugged. “I’m no doctor. What good would I do tagging along?”
“I’ve got my own stuff to handle back home.”
Realizing that sounded a bit cold, she added earnestly, “Trust me, it’s nothing.”
“He doesn’t even really need the hospital—it’s just to be safe.”
“Otherwise, I’d just let him sleep it off here at the hotel.”
“Then…”
Song Rui and Wang Yuqiong still hesitated.
At that moment, Shen Lianyao spoke up. “Senior Sister’s right. We’re not doctors—worrying won’t help.”
“And if something really is wrong, we couldn’t do much anyway.”
“Plus, Yuqiong, your ankle’s still sprained. You’d just be in the way.”
Zhao Qingyu checked the time and turned to leave. “Do what you want. If you go, you can get Yuqiong’s foot checked too. The bus is about to leave—I’m heading out.”
With that, Zhao Qingyu walked away without looking back.
Song Rui stared at her retreating figure, a flicker of annoyance in her eyes.
This senior sister…
Was she really treating Shen An like some disposable tool?
Not a shred of concern!
Shen Lianyao stood as well. “Are you two going to stay with him?”
“I…” Song Rui started to nod, but Wang Yuqiong cut her off. “No, Senior Sister’s right…”
“Let’s head back first.”
She couldn’t risk a real checkup at the hospital—she knew exactly what was up with her foot.
But she also didn’t want Song Rui going alone with him.
“Doctor, he’s really okay, right?” Song Rui asked the medical staff uneasily before leaving.
“Don’t worry, this young man’s just overtired. He’ll be fine,” the doctor in the white coat assured her repeatedly.
With that, the three women left the lobby and set off on their journey home.
The bus pulled away slowly from the mountain villa.
The lobby fell quiet, but the medical staff didn’t move.
They stood there until the old doctor’s phone rang.
He answered, and a voice came through: “Take him back.”
The stretcher turned around and headed for the elevator.
