A flight lasting over ten hours.
After getting off the plane, Gu Yanjing went directly back to the Gu Mansion.
By the ti he arrived at the Gu Mansion, Qiao Yuxian had already left for the dubbing studio.
Too long without rest, his brain was sowhat sluggish.
Knowing Qiao Yuxian had gone to the studio, Gu Yanjing paused at the East Courtyard entrance.
He didn’t quite understand why she was still working.
Not seeing her in the East Courtyard, Gu Yanjing decided to go to the studio to bring her back.
But as he was heading out, he happened to run into Huang Qi.
Shang Chen followed Gu Yanjing with a bewildered expression, still not knowing what was going on.
But he could sense sothing had happened to Qiao Yuxian, otherwise Mr. Gu wouldn’t have entered the Gu Mansion without even seeing the old man and headed straight for the East Courtyard.
Huang Qi was noticeably thinner, looking as if his soul had been drained, with vacant eyes.
When Gu Yanjing approached him, he belatedly realized he was blocking the way and stepped aside.
Gu Yanjing called his na.
A cold, hoarse, yet hauntingly familiar voice rang out, making Huang Qi shudder uncontrollably.
He looked up, and the mont he saw Gu Yanjing’s face, he suddenly took a step back, retreating directly into the flower bed on the side.
Gu Yanjing stared at him.
It had been more than a week since Huang Qi’s eyes were opened this wide, his pupils dilated.
"Mr. Gu," he called out, then pinched his thigh, thinking he was hallucinating from being overworked, having been questioned by the old man for over an hour early in the morning and now dreaming again.
The pain from pinching himself cleared his mind significantly, as he finally processed what was happening: "Mr. Gu, you..."
"Let’s talk," Gu Yanjing interrupted.
Shang Chen stood behind Gu Yanjing, watching Huang Qi’s lost-to-soul appearance, feeling anxious.
"Okay, okay," Huang Qi responded.
The three didn’t go far and found a nearby pavilion to sit down.
Once seated, Huang Qi said, "Mr. Gu, when... when did you return?"
"How’s her health? What happened? What poison did she ingest? What’s her current condition?" Gu Yanjing asked in a deep voice.
Shang Chen’s perpetually unchanged expression drained of color when he heard those words.
Seeing that he already knew, Huang Qi didn’t ask further. He had held back for too long and hurriedly said, "We still don’t know what poison it is. It hasn’t been identified. Mr. Qiao ntioned her grandfather also died from poisoning, with symptoms similar to hers. Even up to his death, they never figured out what kind of poison it was."
Gu Yanjing slowly clenched his fingers, listening intently.
"Currently, Mr. Qiao’s symptoms aren’t very obvious. Only on the day you left for your trip did she experience dizziness, nausea, and blackout, fainting once. I administered two acupuncture points, and from then until now, no symptoms have reappeared," Huang Qi ntioned. "Her current state appears very healthy, with no visible health issues."
Gu Yanjing frowned.
She went to the hospital that day not to accompany Ji Xiaoxiao, but to get herself checked.
"Mr. Gu..." Huang Qi looked at him, weighing his words before finally speaking, "On the surface, Mr. Qiao seems fine, but her pulse readings are... not optimistic. The hospital’s various test results and indicators are not normal. Currently, they are not in normal range, but nothing severe has occurred yet. This poison remains unidentified, we don’t know its progression, or if it might suddenly worsen..."
His aim was to subtly convey the gravity of the situation to Gu Yanjing.
To prepare him ntally.
Gu Yanjing pressed his pale lips together, his jawline tense, his breathing heavier with each inhale, heart pounding rapidly as if his chest would burst open.
Shang Chen stood behind Gu Yanjing, eyes wide, looking at Huang Qi in bewildernt. He was overwheld by fear and shock, like a wooden stake rooted to the ground, unable to process for a long ti.
"Currently, the progression is slow, whether from her pulse or physical condition," Huang Qi continued. "After several days of study, I believe it’s a chronic poison. This poison didn’t necessarily enter her body recently; it could have been there for a long ti, just never acted up."
Gu Yanjing remained silent, focusing all his attention on listening and understanding Huang Qi’s words, forcing his mind to function.
"Could her fever during nstruation be related to the poisoning?" Gu Yanjing asked.
"Highly likely," Huang Qi rubbed his eyebrows and said, "I’ve been researching intensively these days and believe the possibility is significant. Previously, perhaps the poison was minimal, or inactive, so she exhibited fever symptoms that couldn’t be diagnosed. It’s also closely related to her generally good health."
"So, you an not only is it chronic poisoning, but it’s possible she could have been poisoned multiple tis?" Gu Yanjing inquired.
"Yes," Huang Qi replied.
"A few months ago, her eyesight suddenly failed, but soon recovered. Is that related?" Gu Yanjing asked, retrieving Qiao Yuxian’s check-up report from months ago on his phone.
Huang Qi glanced at it and said, "The eye damage shouldn’t have caused temporary blindness, perhaps it’s related to the toxins in her body. But there’s too little evidence to prove anything, much is just speculation."
"She can’t drink alcohol. Previously, she could hold her liquor well, but then she couldn’t touch it anymore," Gu Yanjing shared everything he knew with Huang Qi.
Huang Qi listened and took notes diligently.
After a mont of silence, Gu Yanjing asked, "If we can determine what poison it is, can we save her?"
Huang Qi’s lips moved slightly, then he bowed his head and said, "I’m not confident."
Gu Yanjing’s pupils contracted slightly.
This was the first ti he had ever heard Huang Qi say, "I’m not confident."
Shang Chen had a similar reaction, his face tensed, listening to his own pounding heartbeat, even slightly confused about the aning of "I’m not confident."
He’d never heard Huang Qi say those four words.
"But finding out what poison it is, that’s necessary," Huang Qi said. "At present, her symptoms are not pronounced enough; the poison can’t be identified. From Mr. Qiao’s understanding, should this poison reach a stage where it can be detected, it might..."
Gu Yanjing’s eyes reddened, his throat bobbed lightly, unable to utter another word.
Huang Qi fidgeted with his fingers, seeing him like this, he wanted to offer comfort but didn’t know how.
He wasn’t confident; he could only do his best, unaware of what the final outco might be.
"Has she been working continuously?" After a long while, Gu Yanjing asked.
"Yes." Huang Qi said, "When she went to the hospital, the doctors advised her to be admitted. But she refused to stay..."
After a pause, Huang Qi added, "Mr. Qiao understands her own body and this poison well. So I think it’s worth listening to her opinions."
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