Irritated and restless, she no longer wished to remain inside. Using the excuse of needing the restroom, she stepped out of the private room.
The sudden absence of clamorous voices brought a rare moment of relief.
Yet just as she reached the restroom entrance, her knees buckled beneath her.
Sensing something amiss, she staggered inside, forcing herself to the sink and clutching its edge for support, then fumbled for her phone.
Just as she was about to make a call, Zhou Wentong appeared.
Upon seeing him, she hastily keyed in Shen Congmo's number—he was the nearest person she could reach.
"This is the ladies' room. What are you doing here?"
"Dear Fengxi, what's the matter?" he replied with a smirk, ignoring her question.
"Get out."
"Tsk, tsk, no need to be so fierce. I just saw you weren't well and wanted to check on you. What's wrong? Should I take you to the hospital?"
She glanced down at her phone—it had connected, then cut off. Clutching it tightly, she said coldly, "No need. Leave."
Zhou Wentong, however, moved closer, and without warning, his hand reached for hers.
"I insist. Let me take you to the hospital."
"I said, get lost." She tried to lift her leg to kick him away, but her body wouldn't respond. The struggle looked almost absurd—Zhou Wentong burst into laughter.
But the laughter was short-lived, abruptly silenced.
Behind him stood Shen Congmo, eyes cold and dark as ice.
"She's not feeling well," Zhou stammered. "I offered to take her to the hospital, but she refused."
"That won't be necessary," Shen said coolly.
"Of course, of course. I'll leave you to it." With that, Zhou slinked off without another word.
Once back in the private room, he exhaled heavily, both furious and regretful—he'd dared to slip something into her drink, but in the end, only managed to touch her hand.
Cowardice. Pure and simple.
He wanted to pound his chest in frustration.
Yet, on second thought, had he truly gone through with it, he might never have escaped the consequences.
A flicker of relief crossed his heart.
…
Shen Congmo swept her into his arms and walked swiftly, asking, "Do you want me to take you to a hospital?"
"No point… hospitals won't help. Just get me a hotel room. I need to rest."
He left the venue and secured a suite at the luxury hotel next door.
By the time they arrived, her body was limp and feverish. Every inch of her ached with heat, and she could no longer move.
Such drugs always came with a time limit.
"You should go," she murmured.
Seeing the sweat forming on her brow, Shen didn't budge. "I'll stay until you're better."
"They must've put two kinds of drugs in the drink… I don't know who it was," Long Fengxi inhaled deeply. "Please, help me to the bathroom."
In the bathroom, she lowered herself into the tub and turned on the cold shower, letting icy water pour over her burning skin.
Shen saw her soaked and shivering, then quietly exited.
When he returned with a change of clothes, the sight that greeted him stopped him cold—she was lying naked in the water, shifting restlessly beneath the spray.
On the night of her eighteenth birthday, they had made love.
It had been her coming-of-age.
And what followed was a torrid, unstoppable entanglement that lasted days.
Her body was no mystery to him—yet even after years apart, seeing her again like this made his heart race.
That exquisite figure, submerged in cold water, drew him back in a heartbeat to the passion they once shared.
"So cold…"
He stepped forward. "Do you want to get out?"
She nodded through trembling lips. Shen grabbed a towel. "Can you stand on your own?"
"No…"
He reached in, lifted her gently, wrapped her in the towel, and carried her to the bed.
As he laid her down, her arms instinctively encircled his neck, pulling him close. Her breath was warm and unsteady against his skin.
"Congmo… I can't take this… Let's do it… just once…"