âI worked on Tang Bingyunâs mental state yesterday, has she thought it through?â
Wang Haoran expectantly answered the phone.
[âWhat time does your evening class end?â] Tang Bingyun asked.
âAbout half past nine,â Wang Haoran responded, and then asked:
âHas something come up?â
[âItâs nothing. Since youâve been helping me all this time, I wanted to invite you to dinner. But I think itâs a bit late for that at half past nine. What do you think?â] Tang Bingyun explained the reason for the call.
Wang Haoran had classes to attend, and she had work to do. Since she didnât have much time during the day, she could only settle for this.
âAunt Tang, since youâve gone through the trouble, of course, Iâll show up.â
Class ends at 9:30. Traveling to the place plus the meal itself, itâll be well after 10:00 by then.
Wang Haoran thought to himself:Â âI wonder whatâll come after dinner?â
[âAlright then, Iâll pick you up in person when the time comes.â]
âI have a driver, you can go ahead.â Wang Haoran didnât quite understand the meaning of Tang Bingyunâs words, so he subconsciously refused.
[âNo, Iâll come in person to demonstrate my sincerity.â] Tang Bingyun insisted.
âIs it just sincerity?â
Wang Haoran didnât buy it.
If he had to guess, Tang Bingyun was probably afraid that the driver would talk about the meal.
After all, Tang Bingyun was usually acquainted with Zhen Liâs peers.
If Tang Bingyun asked Wang Haoran to eat so late in private, Zhen Li would be sure to know.
She would lose all face when she meets Zhen Li again in the future.
âAlright, come pick me up.â Wang Haoran agreed.
â â â
[At night.]
Before he knew it, it was 9:30 PM.
Tang Bingyun borrowed an Audi A3 from somewhere to pick him up.
As for how he knew it was borrowed? Tang Bingyunâs net worth is incredibly high. For her to drive a measly 200,000 â 300,000 yuan A3, wouldnât that be funny?
Thus, the car was obviously not hers.
[Samael: A gentle reminder that not all that glitters is gold!]
For her to avoid using her own car, it was clear that she didnât want to be noticed.
Wang Haoran grew all the more eager upon noticing this detail.
He was really curious, if Tang Bingyun didnât have any ideas, she would not be so sneaky.
About ten minutes later, Tang Bingyun arrived at an underground parking lot.
After parking her car, she got ready to leave.
However, when she got out of her car, she was fully clothed from head to toe, complete with sunglasses and a hat to conceal herself.
Fortunately, it was hot out; otherwise, she may have even added a scarf.
âAunt Tang, youâre wearing sunglasses at night. Arenât you worried of being unable to see the road clearly?â Wang Haoran teased.
âMy eyesight is pretty good; I can see very clearly.â Tang Bingyun firmly stated.
But as soon as she spoke the words, she almost hit a car parked next to her.
âHow about you take them off anyway?â Wang Haoran suggested.
âIâll wear them.â Tang Bingyun insisted.
They took an elevator up and out of the parking lot.
Wang Haoran soon understood why Tang Bingyun was so secretive; this place seemed like a hotel only for couples.
âSo sheâs afraid of running into someone she knowsâŠâ
Most of its guests were couples, and the business in itself is doing quite well.
The lounge area was filled with couples waiting in line.
Itâs already past 9:40 PM. If it were anywhere else, thereâd likely be no one left.
Tang Bingyun already booked the most expensive suite in advance, so there was, fortunately, no need to wait in line.
Under a waiterâs guidance, they were led to a luxurious suite.
It was a very large suite that could be divided into two floors. It had just about every facility that could be required: a place to eat, to bathe, to relaxâŠ
And of course, there was also a place to sleep.
Eating, relaxing and sleeping, itâs a one-stop service.
Wang Haoran went around and inspected the area. Upon returning to the dining area, he couldnât help but look strangely at Tang Bingyun.
âThe food here is delicious; donât overthink it.â Tang Bingyun calmly stated.
âDelicious? Have you eaten here before?â Wang Haoran asked.
âOf course not. I donât have a boyfriend, so thereâs no reason for me to have been here. Itâs just something that my friends have told me.â Tang Bingyun explained.
Wang Haoran gave a meaningful âOhâ , indicating that he understood.
Tang Bingyun asked the waiter to bring the menu, as Wang Haoran thought about his order.
Upon opening it, the menu had a rather strange repertoire of dishesâŠ
Inseparable Love â two-flavoured duck roll
100-Year Peacefulness â celery and shrimp
Joyful Indulgence â Sea Cucumber and Abalone Stew
âThese dishes are ridiculousâŠâ
âNone of them even look that good. If anything, theyâre too expensive!â
[Samael: Never thought Iâd hear that from Haoran.]
Wang Haoran usually enjoyed seafood and delicacies found on the mountains, but even he didnât have as much of an appetite for this restaurantâs selection of dishes. However, he still opted to order three random dishes.
And yet despite only ordering three dishes, the price had already hit 10,000 yuan!
If it were anyone else, theyâd probably choke upon seeing it.
But today is the beautiful presidentâs treat.
Tang Bingyun didnât even bother to raise her eyebrows over such a meagre amount of money. In fact, she even asked him to order some more!
Wang Haoran politely refused; it was now Tang Bingyunâs turn to order.
She also ordered at random. However, she also ordered a bottle of Lafite from 1982, worth 100,000 yuan.
Just for this meal alone, theyâd spent roughly 130,000 yuan.
âThatâs the CEO heroine for you, spending large amounts of money on just a meal.â
Not long after, the wine and dishes were brought before them.
The suite had ambient lighting, making for a romantic atmosphere.
The two began to eat, and about halfway through, Tang Bingyun seemed to choke on her meal.
âHelp⊠get me a glass of water.â She coughed a few times.
âQuickly.â
Wang Haoran quickly poured a glass of water over.
âAre you okay?â
âMuch better.â Tang Bingyun stopped coughing after drinking a little water. She then suddenly picked up the red wine glass:
âHaoran, thank you for helping me all this time. Come, Iâll give you a toast.â
âAunt Tang, youâre too polite.â Wang Haoran smiled at her and raised his wine glass.
Clink!
Wang Haoran was just about to drink the remaining red wine. But as soon as it was about to touch his lips, he suddenly stopped.
âThereâs something in the wineâŠâ
Wang Haoran raised his eyes slightly, unable to help but look at Tang Bingyun.
In hindsight, she didnât seem to choke all that much just now. More likely, it was just an excuse to spike his wine.
âWhy donât you drink?â
Tang Bingyun took a few sips of red wine, as a trace of nervousness suddenly flashed in her eyes upon seeing his rather reluctant behaviour.
âI will.â Wang Haoran smiled and drank all the wine in the glass.
With his comprehension of the [Supreme Poison Sutra (Supreme)], he can distinguish what was added to his cup. And it wasnât something healthyâŠ
âBut itâs not poison eitherâŠâ
And with Tang Bingyunâs favorability, itâd be impossible for her to harm him.
âDid she putâŠâ
Wang Haoran made his guess, as he swallowed the drug.
It took effect in less than two minutes.
He felt a bit dizzy, which was to be expected, but vertigo?
âThatâs not part of the planâŠâ
His estimates were off.
This wasnât some sort of aphrodisiac, it was a drug made to knock people out.
As his last thoughts drifted along, Wang Haoran fell on the dining table and lost consciousness.