Wen Xi glanced at the box of alcohol at her feet and felt a faint pain already stirring in her stomach.
But the man in front of her had said that if she finished all the alcohol, she could leave.
Wen Xi looked at him with half belief and half doubt. “If I finish drinking it, will you really let me go?”
Shao Kunye leaned against the headboard. “I always keep my word.”
The anxiety in Wen Xi’s heart slowly settled. If finishing the alcohol meant she could leave, then Shao Kunye probably wouldn’t come looking for trouble with her again in the future, right?
She comforted herself—just endure it and it would pass.
Compared to other punishments, this was already very light.
Wen Xi bent down and took a bottle from the box. There was a string of English letters on the bottle: Spirytus.
Wen Xi couldn’t understand the English, but Han Tao beside her did.
Polish 96-proof vodka, Spirytus, known as the “Water of Life.”
It was the strongest alcohol in the world with the highest alcohol content.
No one could finish a whole bottle.
Young Master Shao clearly had no intention of letting the person in front of him off.
But Wen Xi knew nothing about it. She naively believed that if she finished the alcohol she could leave. She leaned closer and sniffed it, immediately wrinkling her face as if she had smelled something terrible.
Why did these people like drinking this kind of thing?
Watching Wen Xi’s reaction, Shao Kunye raised an eyebrow with interest.
Could it be that this little liar had never even drunk alcohol before?
After a long moment of mental preparation, Wen Xi finally gathered the courage to take a small sip from the bottle.
The spicy liquid entered her throat. It was Wen Xi’s first time drinking alcohol, and she had never expected the taste to be so intense. She immediately choked.
“Cough—cough—”
Wen Xi coughed until her face turned red, her eyelashes trembling.
It tasted… so awful.
At that moment, Shao Kunye’s sinister voice sounded beside her ear.
“If a single drop spills, I’ll add another bottle.”
Wen Xi hurriedly covered her mouth in panic, afraid that the alcohol inside would drip out.
Shao Kunye showed no mercy. “Continue.”
Wen Xi no longer wanted to drink it. Just that one sip had already made her feel as if her body was burning. She looked at Shao Kunye pleadingly, but his face showed no expression at all.
There was clearly no room for negotiation.
Wen Xi pitifully looked toward Han Tao again.
Han Tao turned his head away.
Once Young Master Shao had decided something, he couldn’t change it.
Seeing Han Tao’s indifferent attitude, Wen Xi felt aggrieved. She picked up the bottle again, but this time she hesitated much more, trembling as she drank the second mouthful.
“Mm—”
Wen Xi’s brows knitted tightly together. Her stomach seemed to twist into a knot, accompanied by intense burning pain. Even the hand holding the bottle began to shake.
“At this speed, are you planning to drink until the year of the monkey?” Shao Kunye’s voice carried a hint of displeasure.
Wen Xi’s body trembled. She stammered, “But… but this alcohol tastes so awful…”
Shao Kunye narrowed his eyes. “Are you negotiating terms with me?”
Meeting his cold gaze, Wen Xi lowered her eyes in disappointment. She raised the bottle with difficulty, her lips trembling slightly.
This time she almost closed her eyes and held her breath as she poured the alcohol into her mouth. Because she drank too quickly, the liquid ran down from the corner of her mouth, soaking the collar of her clothes.
The light from above fell on Wen Xi’s body. The corners of her eyes were red, her eyelashes trembling, and the clear liquid at the corner of her lips glistened under the light, easily making one think of certain scenes.
Shao Kunye’s gaze darkened slightly.
After a while, quiet sobbing suddenly sounded in the silent room.
Shao Kunye looked closely and saw Wen Xi silently shedding tears, the droplets even falling into the bottle.
She looked extremely pitiful.
Shao Kunye grabbed her chin. “You’re feeling wronged just from drinking some alcohol?”
Perhaps because she knew Shao Kunye wouldn’t let her go, Wen Xi stubbornly remained silent this time. She turned her head away and continued drinking the alcohol with difficulty while tears streamed down her face.
It was as if she were made of water. She shed more tears than the amount of alcohol in front of her.
Shao Kunye thought with amusement—had Wen Xi cried this hard on the night he pressed her beneath him as well?
He didn’t remember much about it anymore. But seeing how she could cry so much just from drinking alcohol, she probably cried even more when she had been forced to accept him that night.
A familiar heat surged toward his lower abdomen. Just the memory alone gave Shao Kunye a reaction.
After an unknown amount of time, Wen Xi finally couldn’t hold on any longer. She covered her mouth and ran into the bathroom, and the sound of water soon came from inside.
A moment later, the sound of a heavy object falling to the ground came from inside.
Han Tao walked over and saw Wen Xi curled up on the floor, both hands tightly clutching her stomach, her expression extremely painful.
Beside her was the sour liquid she had just vomited, mixed with streaks of blood.
Wen Xi had lasted longer than he expected.
Even a strong grown man might not have been able to drink that much.
Shao Kunye remained seated at the edge of the bed. When Han Tao walked back over, he said, “Young Master Shao, she fainted.”
Shao Kunye glanced toward the bathroom and saw two slender legs sticking out from behind the door.
Useless, just like a rabbit.
Anyone who didn’t know better might think she had drunk sulfuric acid instead of alcohol.
Although the effect of the alcohol wasn’t much different from sulfuric acid.
Perhaps because Wen Xi looked too pitiful, Han Tao added another sentence, “Young Master Shao, if she continues drinking, I’m afraid she won’t survive it.”
Shao Kunye felt bored. She couldn’t even finish one bottle before collapsing.
He waved his hand. “Have someone send her to the hospital.”
Without sparing Wen Xi—who was now covered in cold sweat—another glance, Shao Kunye strode out of the room.
After leaving the hotel, Han Tao spoke.
“Young Master Shao, what do you plan to do?”
He was referring to the matter of Jiang Songde instructing Wen Xi to drug him.
The two of them were currently partners, and Han Tao wasn’t sure whether Shao Kunye would completely break relations.
Shao Kunye smiled faintly. “Didn’t he want cooperation? Then we’ll cooperate properly.”
Han Tao looked somewhat puzzled.
Shao Kunye lazily leaned back in his seat. “Drive. Back to West Coast City.”
Han Tao paused. “Young Master Shao, we’re just going back like this?”
Shao Kunye met his eyes in the rearview mirror. “Otherwise?”
Han Tao reminded him, “Then Miss Wen and that child…”
Before he could finish speaking, Shao Kunye interrupted him.
“What does that bastard have to do with me? If she wants to raise him, let her raise him. If he dares appear in front of me, I don’t mind cleaning up my household.”
Han Tao understood.
Shao Kunye had no intention of dealing with the mother and son, nor did he intend to take responsibility. He would simply let them fend for themselves.
That was very much in line with Young Master Shao’s style.
Han Tao didn’t ask any more questions and started the car, driving away from the city.
When Wen Xi woke up again, it was already the next day.
She lay on the hospital bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Her stomach burned painfully.
At that moment, a nurse pushed the door open and walked in. “You’re awake?”
Wen Xi’s voice was hoarse when she spoke. “Why am I here?”
“A gentleman brought you here.”
A gentleman?
Although she didn’t know who it was, it certainly wouldn’t be Shao Kunye.
It was probably the assistant beside him.
Seeing Wen Xi’s pale face and remembering how she had been brought in yesterday reeking of alcohol, with blood on her clothes, it had clearly looked like she had suffered inhuman torment. The nurse couldn’t help but feel a little sympathy for her.
“You have gastric mucosal damage that caused a gastric perforation. You’ll need to rest well these next few days and avoid spicy, greasy, and irritating foods.”
After the nurse left, Wen Xi pulled the IV needle from the back of her hand and lifted the blanket to get out of bed.
Only ordinary people had the luxury of staying in the hospital. Someone like her, who couldn’t even afford medical fees, could only endure the pain herself.
After leaving the hospital, Wen Xi walked along the road.
Her stomach hurt terribly, as if a sharp knife were hidden inside her abdomen. With every step she took, unbearable burning pain spread through her body.
After great difficulty, she finally returned to the Jiang Family.
The moment Wen Xi stepped into the villa, a figure blocked her path.
The first thing she saw was Jiang Tinglu’s twisted face. She raised her hand and slapped Wen Xi across the face.