Chapter 733: Jiaojiao 13
That evening, after washing up at her hotel, Chen Jiao sat cross-legged before the light screen. Seeing it wasn’t yet eleven, she lowered her head to copy her script, patiently waiting for eleven o’clock to arrive.
Meanwhile, Ye Rong, Yuan Sheng, Zhang Ping, and their henchmen were all waiting in that house. The closer the hands of the clock crept toward eleven, the more restless everyone became.
Old Cai held a medical book, his eyes periodically peering over the top of his glasses. He had been brought over by Ye Rong’s men that evening. Of course, Old Cai himself also wanted to see what the episode would look like when it happened. After all, it was merely his own speculation, which had yet to be proven.
The minutes ticked by, one by one. Chen Jiao yawned. "So sleepy."
She had been exhausted for the past two days. The day before yesterday she had pulled an all-nighter, and last night she had been held up at Ye Rong’s place until the early hours of the morning. On top of that, she still had to film during the day. She was really struggling to stay awake.
Tan You found the way her eyes kept drooping shut a little amusing. "If you’re tired, just go to sleep. They aren’t that important. I’ll tell you what happens tomorrow."
Chen Jiao forced her eyes open. "I won’t watch the whole thing. I’ll just wait until eleven. As soon as it starts for them, I’m going to bed."
Tan You couldn’t convince her. "Fine, watch if you want. It’ll be eleven in five minutes."
Chen Jiao immediately dashed to the bathroom. "I’m going to splash some water on my face to wake up."
The clock hand slowly ticked past eleven, but they felt nothing. Ye Rong, Yuan Sheng, and the others all breathed a collective sigh of relief.
Ye Rong balled his hand into a tight fist and stood up. "Go get Chen Jiao and bring her here now!"
"This time, I’ll make sure she learns her lesson for good..."
His henchmen were about to cheer in agreement when they all suddenly cried out in pain. With a heavy THUD, Ye Rong himself collapsed to the floor. He clutched his stomach, his body curling up like a shrimp as he tried to endure the gut-wrenching agony.
Beside him, Yuan Sheng collapsed onto the sofa. He pressed a hand to his chest, his brow knitted tightly. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead one by one, quickly soaking a small patch of the upholstery.
Chen Jiao pursed her lips. "If he were a bit more handsome, this whole act might have the air of a frail, noble young master. But as it stands, he just looks ugly."
With that, she glanced at Old Cai, who was sitting calmly off to the side. "You think he has a way to fix this?"
"Of course not," Tan You said with a slight curl of her lips. "This is my own modification of a Poison Pill from the Cultivation World. I’m surprised I actually found substitute ingredients for it in the mortal realm."
Chen Jiao was tempted to ask what the Cultivation World was like, but she thought better of it and gave up the idea. She was starting to suspect that her teacher was quite mischievous. If she showed curiosity about something, there was sure to be a catch waiting for her down the line.
For instance, when she had wanted to learn how to dance, her teacher’s standards had been incredibly strict. If she were to pry into her teacher’s past now, who knew what sort of extra assignments she would be given.
It was already hard enough for her to master dancing and acting; where would she find the time for anything else?
’An acting score of sixty...’ Chen Jiao felt a wave of despair. There was no doubt she loved performing, but her skills were improving so, so slowly.
Back with Ye Rong’s group, Old Cai had wanted to check their pulses as soon as the episode began. But how could any of them hear what he was saying? To try and quell the pain, they were rolling around on the floor without a shred of dignity, not one of them holding still for a second.
With no other choice, Old Cai could only sit to one side and watch. Gradually, the men quieted down, having apparently passed out from the pain. Only the occasional twitch of their limbs proved that they were still alive.
Still, just by looking at them, it was clear they were only barely hanging on.
Old Cai seized the opportunity to check each man’s pulse. His salt-and-pepper eyebrows furrowed, then smoothed out again as his expression returned to one of calm. Seeing them all lying in disarray, Old Cai felt not a shred of sympathy.
In fact, Old Cai felt a deep sense of satisfaction. ’Serves them right! Let them spend their days bullying the weak. They’ve finally met their match, haven’t they? It’s about time someone taught them a lesson!’
Old Cai didn’t leave. Instead, he found a clean spot to sit and quietly wait for Ye Rong and the others to regain consciousness. He set aside the medical file he had brought; its pages were completely blank.
He had originally intended to document the symptoms of Ye Rong’s group, but looking at them now, what was there to record? Besides, he was glad to see them get what they deserved. ’Do they really think I enjoy dealing with these gang leaders?’
Generally, anyone who becomes a boss has a strong constitution. Take Ye Rong, for example. He finally regained consciousness around one-thirty. A few minutes later, Yuan Sheng also clutched his chest and tried to sit up.
Unfortunately, just as he propped himself up with his right hand, his arm gave out, and Yuan Sheng crashed back onto the sofa.
Yuan Sheng narrowed his eyes. "Old Cai... what’s happening? Why do I feel like my strength... is less than it was before?"
Now that he mentioned it, Ye Rong frowned as well. "I thought it was just my imagination. Old Cai, could I trouble you to take a look?"
Now that his life was on the line, he was capable of humbling himself. His tone toward Old Cai had become much more polite.
Old Cai set down his medical book and unhurriedly checked their pulses again. He sneered internally. ’Just as I thought. Only when the blade is at your throat do you learn to be afraid. Only then do you learn some manners.’
After checking their pulses, Old Cai opened his eyes. "It’s just as I suspected. Your bodies have sustained further damage from this bout of extreme pain. You will continue to grow weaker from here on out."
Yuan Sheng, having recovered a bit of his strength, said, "I feel like it was even more intense than yesterday."
Ye Rong nodded. "I felt that too. What’s happening?"
Old Cai was already gathering his medical texts. "Your bodies have been damaged by these repeated bouts of extreme pain. While the poison acts at a fixed time, you will naturally find it more agonizing each time because your bodies are weaker."
"It’s just as I said before. In the end, the only outcome is to die in agony."
Ye Rong shuddered. He’d been in the game for over a decade; it wasn’t like he’d never taken a loss before. But he had never experienced a setback like this. The hospital couldn’t find anything, and as for Old Cai...
Ye Rong’s gaze fell upon Old Cai. Old Cai met his eyes without flinching. "I can’t do anything. I’ll say it again: if I knew what poison they used and the ratio of its ingredients, I might be able to try something."
"But as it is, I know nothing. I’m powerless to help."
Yuan Sheng steadied himself. "By your estimation, how many more attacks can we take?"
Old Cai looked at him. "You and Brother Rong are both in good shape. You can withstand three more attacks, at most. But this gentleman here..."
He said, glancing at Zhang Ping, "His constitution is already weak. After one more attack, you might as well start planning his funeral."
Zhang Ping trembled. He dropped to his knees before Old Cai with a THUD. "Doctor... Doctor, you can’t just stand by and watch me die!"
Old Cai found this amusing. "It’s no use begging me. I can’t help you. I’ve already told you everything I know. I’ll be taking my leave now."