71 THE FOLLOW-UP PLAN

The cheerful toasts continued for quite some time before the guests settled down. Once this part of the party was over, the guest of honour excused himself much to the disappointment of the entire crowd. Though all the people in the conservatory were from powerful families, they would all benefit from closer ties with the Zhong family. And Zhong Feng was the ultimate link.

When he left, Chu Ling and Zhong Mian looked at each other with tension. Their guilt was almost palpable even as they continued to chat with their guests. Shortly after Zhong Feng left the party, Chu Ling drew Mian to the side.

"Do you think he noticed?" Zhong Mian asked in a low voice while maintaining her social smile.

"There is no way he could have. According to the doctor, it is completely tasteless and odourless. Moreover, the champagne has a strong flavour. It should mask any residue taste." Chu Ling paused. "Is that girl reliable?"

Zhong Mian seemed to think for a moment.

"I don't trust her because she is cheap and wants to enter the family. But she can be dealt with using some money." Her eyes seemed sharp. "She was our best option. There was no other woman who has ever come in contact with Feng'er apart from that Hu girl. It would be more difficult if he did not know the woman."

"If he finds out, he will not forgive us." Chu Ling twisted her hands nervously.

"We are doing this for him. With time, he will come to understand."

As they re-joined the festivities, their hearts felt heavy. They had drugged Zhong Feng's drink in an effort to help him move on from that Hu Lei. At first, they had been glad when they had found out that the wretched girl had disappeared overnight. However, their joy had been premature. As women, they were more intuitive than Zhong Tian who was only happy to have his son take over the family business.

They could see that Zhong Feng was completely different, even lifeless. He had become more detached from everything, and he was no longer the former gentle man they adored. It was obvious that he had the symptoms of a lonely, broken and sick heart. These two women had brainstormed before awkwardly discussing the solution of finding a woman to warm his bed.

Their goal was not to help him fall in love. It was to open up him up to the possibilities. He seemed to have fallen for his little interpreter after they had done the deed. If he could do it with another woman, he would understand that it was not a big deal.

If it worked, Zhong Feng would no longer continue this life of the living dead.

Zhong Feng was naturally aware of the presence of an aphrodisiac in his drink. He was not a doctor, but he never forgot the taste of this type of drug. Perhaps, it was because the first time he had taken it, the concentration had been too high. Or perhaps, it was because the night held beautiful unforgettable memories of a certain cute lady touching his body unabashedly and lying next to him so naturally when she thought he had fallen asleep.

Regardless of the reason, he had already realised that the drink his mother offered him was not clean. Unfortunately, the circumstances had not allowed him not to consume the liquid. He could only deal with the problem afterwards.

The walk to the Zhong mansion from the conservatory seemed to last forever. However, Zhong Feng was not concerned. He knew how long it took for this drug to show effects. In addition, he had discretely compressed his abdominal acupuncture points just as Hu Lei had done at that time.

The four trained guards at the door saluted him as he entered the house. These people were in place to ensure that curious guests would not come into the mansion uninvited. Even the elite families of a prestigious city like Supreme were curious and nosy.

Zhong Feng headed straight to his suite in the mansion. Even though he had moved out years ago, his rooms were maintained in case he decided to sleep over. He entered the bathroom and evacuated the alcohol from his stomach. He drank water from the tap before repeating the process. He did not want to do this, but he would not leave his body at the mercy of drugs.

After splashing some water on his face, he left the bathroom. He wanted to see what had been planned for him. If someone had drugged him, there was definitely a follow-up plan. He walked to his bedroom with cold hardened eyes.

"CEO Zhong…" A soft female voice spoke from his bed.

When he looked, he saw a scantily clad woman. He immediately recognised her. It was an old employee of ill repute: Jian Ru. The woman approached him with lust-filled eyes while touching her own body and producing strange sounds.

Zhong Feng looked at her apathetically though he did feel the urge to throw up once again. With this, he confirmed his suspicions. The culprit of his drugging was his mother with help from his sister. Otherwise, this woman would not have been able to enter into the family mansion and his suite.

Unfortunately, he could not take any action within the Zhong residence, especially with guests within the premises. However, he did not intend to spare this woman any longer, even though it had been Hu Lei's request. He would find another way to entertain his Xiao Lei when she came back.

As he walked out, Jian Ru seemed to trip and fall towards him. He stepped away, causing her to fall on the floor. With unveiled displeasure, he walked out of the suite. He did not intend to come back into this defiled place again.

When he stepped out of the mansion, he met with Zhong Mian who looked at him guiltily. He looked at her, unable to understand her motivations. More importantly, why had she enlisted the help of Jian Ru? However, he had no time or effort to spare on irrelevant matters.

How could he know that Jian Ru had constantly lied to Mian about the presence of a close working relationship with him? The woman had claimed that they always talked, and he was comfortable with her. In truth, she had been lying for a long time to Mian while hoping to pop out a little Zhong when an opportunity presented itself to solidify a place in the dynasty.

Unfortunately, Zhong Feng did not have time to look into these inane matters, and Mian was too afraid to stop him as he left the residence. She could only watch his cold figure get into his vehicle and drive away. As the car disappeared into the distant, she could not help thinking that they might have made a mistake.

On the following day, when the police arrested Jian Ru for drug possession, trafficking and other criminal charges, Zhong Mian became certain that they had made a mistake. But there was nothing they could do but regret.