At eight o’clock in the evening, the performance began on ti.
Wen Ran’s eyes traveled through the crowd to Shen Jianian. She wore a black long dress, her long hair smoothly draped, adorned with a simple yet exquisite hairband. She sat elegantly on a walnut-colored chair, one hand resting on the cello, the other holding a bow, looking calm and collected. She truly lived up to the online reviews calling her the ’Cello Goddess.’ Her aura and deanor were beyond the average person’s comparison.
But, why did she seem unaffected?
Wen Ran finally realized sothing was amiss. Could it be that Shen Jianian didn’t drink that glass of water?
Impossible. When she poured the water, Shen Jianian was ssaging her husband and didn’t glance at her, so she should not have noticed anything unusual. Moreover, when she returned, Shen Jianian had just put the glass down on the table, and it was empty.
She wondered if maybe she had added the drug too late.
Wen Ran found this likely, and a layer of anxiety spread across her heart. If Shen Jianian suddenly felt unwell during the performance and it affected the entire show, it would beco a loss outweighing the gain.
This was not the result she wanted.
She couldn’t destroy all the hard work she’s put in for so long...
But now, she had no idea what to do.
With such worries, Wen Ran couldn’t stay calm, and relied solely on her muscle mory from countless practice sessions to avoid making any mistakes during the performance.
The performance ended flawlessly; at the climax, Shen Jianian completed her cello solo at an extraordinarily high standard, drawing the attention of the entire concert hall.
Watching the audience’s admiring eyes cast towards Shen Jianian, Wen Ran’s jealousy multiplied. All of this should have been hers.
She couldn’t figure out what went wrong—Shen Jianian didn’t encounter any issues from beginning to end.
After the curtain fell, Assistant Wu led the band mbers to a pre-booked restaurant for a gathering. The cars were the sa ones they ca in, with set seating arrangents.
Shen Jianian took a thermos from her bag, drank a few sips of hot water, and asked Old Wu in front: "Assistant Wu, any news from Manager Xie? How is Hua Sui?"
Hua Sui couldn’t attend the performance tonight; her spot was filled by a substitute, and the performance went smoothly. Unfortunately, she had invested so much effort yet couldn’t be there.
Old Wu let out a breath of stale air and said, "Let’s talk about it later."
Assistant Wu’s vague attitude aroused Shen Jianian’s suspicion, leading her to wonder if Hua Sui’s situation was severe. She rembered her own high school days: once during gym class, she got her period, endured severe stomach pain without saying a word, and eventually fainted, ending up in the ergency room.
Perhaps Hua Sui’s situation was similar to that ti.
At the dining place, they moved into a big private room; one table couldn’t accommodate everyone, so they split into two tables, still sowhat crowded. After such a long period of tension, everyone could finally relax, and the mood was lively.
The only exception was Li Li, Hua Sui’s roommate, who looked worried and kept typing on her phone.
"Li Li, why aren’t you eating?" soone beside her asked.
Li Li pressed her lips, speaking softly: "I ssaged Hua Sui, but she hasn’t replied. I’m wondering if she hasn’t woken up yet. I don’t dare call Manager Xie."
"I wanted to ask before the show, what happened to Hua Sui? I saw you crying then."
Li Li raised her head, eting the curious eyes of those around the table. She frowned and said, "I don’t know what’s going on either. Hua Sui... suddenly vomited blood and then fainted."
"Vomited blood?! Isn’t she usually very healthy? How could she vomit blood?"
"I don’t know, I truly don’t..."
Since they were all part of the sa band, they had known each other for quite so ti, and their bond was deeper than friendship, more like comrades in arms. Hearing of Hua Sui’s health issues, they all took out their phones, so calling her, others ssaging, and so even directly contacting Manager Xie to inquire about Hua Sui’s condition.
No one received any response.
The gathering ended hastily. Everyone didn’t know which hospital Hua Sui had been taken to, so they couldn’t visit and could only return to their hotel to wait for news.
For so reason, a sense of unease churned within Shen Jianian. Hua Sui was not hospitalized due to severe nstrual cramps; according to Li Li’s account, she fainted from vomiting blood.
Vomiting blood, indeed.
Like everyone said, Hua Sui’s health was always robust, the band had regular health check-ups, so how could she suddenly...
"Do you think Hua Sui could have so terminal illness?" In the room with only the two of them, Wen Ran, her hair tied up and ready to shower, had this thought flash through her mind and couldn’t help but ask.
Shen Jianian, lost in thought, replied reflexively, "How could that be?"
"True enough," Wen Ran self-denied, "She’s usually as strong as an ox, checks into the gym four tis a week, apart from her nstrual issues, I’ve never seen her sick in all these years, not even a cold."
Shen Jianian said, "She got her period today."
"How do you know?"
"She asked for pain relief dicine," Shen Jianian sat in a chair with her hand supporting her face, visibly downcast, "I thought she’d be okay after taking the dicine, who knew it’d turn out like this. But vomiting blood shouldn’t be related to nstrual cramps."
Riding in the car on the way back, she considered every possibility, including if the pain relief dicine she gave had so allergenic ingredient Hua Sui couldn’t take, leaving her in heavy-hearted thoughts.
Wen Ran, suddenly thinking of sothing, snapped her hair tie with a ’snap,’ letting her hair fall loose. Pausing for a mont, she casually asked, "Did she take it in front of you?"
Shen Jianian humd in acknowledgnt.
"When was that?"
"She ca right after you left."
Wen Ran’s face suddenly changed, her heart racing. She wanted to ask if she poured her the water, or...
But she didn’t dare ask, fearing to reveal a flaw, arousing Shen Jianian’s suspicion.
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