Deadly Trap.

Chapter 44. Poison

As the front door to the main hall opened remotely, Li Enzuo followed Quenxus into the room. The two-story living room was spacious and bright, with a somber blue-grey marble fireplace hanging in the center, devoid of flame. Outside the curtain wall, the view of the Minhang River was breathtaking.

But what's even more surprising is that when Li Enzuo looked up, he first saw that the Boss, who always wished to rise with the sun, had only just appeared at this moment.

Gu Mufeng buttoned his cuffs and strode quickly down the stairs. His heels barely touched the ground before he strode across the living room. He was dressed entirely in black, exuding a solemn air, even sporting a jet-black tie. It was as if he were about to become someone's messenger of death.

Behind Gu Mufeng, like a shadow, Su Li gracefully followed.

Wearing the stunning black silk evening gown from the previous night, Su Li's train trailed on the floor, revealing her bare toes beneath the tassels. With her shoulders bare, Su Li crossed her arms and leaned against the top landing of the stairs, seemingly uninterested in looking at anyone.

Despite being without makeup and jewelry, and clearly showing signs of exhaustion from a sleepless night, she possessed a natural beauty, unadorned and radiant. She was more genuinely beautiful and captivating than she appeared at the banquet, her elegance unparalleled.

Seeing Su Li's distant profile at the top of the stairs, Li Enzuo was first captivated by the beauty's figure, and then, in a moment of stunned silence, he stopped in his tracks.

Quenxus bumped into him lightly and they passed each other.

Immediately afterward, a wicked smile spread across Li Enzuo's face: his self-disciplined boss must have lost control last night. "The spring night is short, the sun rises high, and from then on, the emperor no longer holds morning court."

But Gu Mufeng didn't have time to waste with Li Enzuo.

Swift and decisive, he had already taken his seat in the sunken living room, taking the countless team reports from Quenxus's hands and quickly skimming through them. Without even looking up, Gu Mufeng gestured for Li Enzuo to sit opposite him.

"Renzo. Quenxus said you have something important to report in person. Is it Yiheng?"

He got straight to the point, just like always.

Gu Mufeng knew that Li Enzuo was the least perceptive person. If he let the latter speak first, he didn't know how he would offend Su Li and make her suspicious.

Meanwhile, Li Enzuo, though brimming with witty remarks he couldn't quite utter, seemed completely unconcerned. His eyes, shining beneath his stylish gray hair, were like those of someone who had just had a potent tonic for breakfast, radiating excitement.

As he spoke, he sat down:
"Boss, Welsh brought me his head yesterday, and I sneaked into the school's biochemistry lab. I used the last of my blood to do a blood test. The results just came back this morning."

"Boss, didn't you ask me about Yiheng's cause of death? I bet you, Boss, absolutely—"

Li Enzu clapped his hands, so excited he almost floated up: "You'd never guess what I've discovered!"

Li Enzu crossed his legs, showing off his mysteriousness.

Although Gu Mufeng had no interest in guessing, he still tried his best to be supportive. He knew his subordinates' strengths and weaknesses. As long as they didn't go too far, he had no reason not to indulge them. However, he wasn't idle either.

Taking the pen from Quenxus, Gu Mufeng quickly annotated the report, his usual slender, golden script flowing into cursive. After finishing, he meticulously reviewed it again, confirming there were no errors, before handing it to Quenxus who was waiting nearby, and then immediately moved on to the next report.

"The test results showed," after receiving enough praise, Lee En-tso finally relented:

"It's more likely that Yiheng was poisoned. I can't say for sure which is more cruel, dying from blood loss or dying from exhaustion. But even this small amount of blood contains a lethal proportion of colchicine."

“Autumn Water Immortal Essence?” Finally, Gu Mufei’s gaze sharply lifted from the sea of ​​reports.

"It's an alkaloid from autumn crocus. It's highly poisonous. Just six milligrams can be fatal if ingested." Li Enzu exclaimed in astonishment.

"Moreover, colchicine is very easy to obtain: it's commercially used to treat gout. As long as you have a prescription, pharmacies can practically get it anywhere." As he spoke, Li Enzuo completely relaxed, even daring to lean back on Gu Mufeng's sofa while putting on his shoes.

He was extremely knowledgeable about toxicology:
"Unlike the well-known 'trapping drug,' colchicine, though also highly toxic, has a slower onset, taking up to two hours for symptoms to appear, making it virtually undetectable."

Li Enzu continued casually:

"As for the symptoms, they include burning pain in the digestive tract, cramps, and fever. The poisoned person will remain conscious throughout. In that case, Boss, it is indeed more suitable for 'torture'."

After finishing his long speech, Li Enzuo was surprised to hear no praise as he had expected. The living room fell silent.

As Li Enzuo got up from the sofa, he noticed that Gu Mufeng was silently pursing his lips, deep in thought.

Su Li, who had been idly leaning at the top of the stairs, suddenly sprang into action, taking three steps at a time. The silk rustled and billowed. Barefoot, she ran down the cold stairs.

Stopping beside Gu Mufeng, her usually gentle, alluring eyes suddenly became piercing as she stared down at Li Enzuo: "You just mentioned, what are the symptoms of colchicine poisoning?"

At this moment, Li Enzuo was taken aback when the pretty young lady he had met by chance the night before asked him a serious question, as if he had been pulled up for a surprise exam: "Professor, why is your face so pale?"

Li Enzuo acted instinctively wantonly, but was glared at fiercely by Quenxus. Su Li's hands trembled noticeably. After the poison, this woman seemed to have witnessed something heart-wrenchingly terrifying.

This time, Li Enzuo quickly corrected him: "Uh, burning pain, cramps, and fever in the digestive tract?"

He blinked in confusion, then scratched his hair. "No. I couldn't be wrong, could I?"

What about last night?
Subconsciously, Su Li had already grabbed Gu Mufeng's naturally hanging hand.

Gu Mufeng visibly stiffened, as if he hadn't expected Su Li to take the initiative to approach him.

But soon, his hand tightened, holding her hand firmly in his palm, like a silent promise, like a silent possession. Even though they had been intimate for over a month, this was the first time their hands had touched.

Su Li's palms were slightly cool, constantly beaded with cold sweat from lingering fear; pressed tightly against Gu Mufeng's thick palm, it provided her with a continuous warmth like an April day. The burns on his palms were rougher than she had imagined. And the calluses on his index finger and the base of his thumb gently caressed her, soothing her tension.

His hand was now warm and firm, which immediately put Su Li at ease.

Moreover, in front of Li Enzuo and Quenxus, Gu Mufeng firmly grasped her hand. Just last night, when he had a high fever, he had tried to keep everyone at arm's length, but now, he let her hold him.

In a concise and to-the-point manner, Gu Mufeng omitted all emotional details and simply recounted what happened after the banquet the previous night.

"Boss!" This time, even the usually cautious Quenxus was not calm.

"Wait! But that's impossible!"

Li Enzuo sprang up from the sofa, spreading his arms as if to quell the situation. Meanwhile, Su Li, held tightly by Gu Mufeng, felt as if she were in the eye of a storm.

Li Enzuo was both shocked and confused: "Colchicine is no ordinary substance! It may not seem potent, but it can cause organ failure! And there's no cure!"

Li Enzuo, his face covered in a fine layer of sweat, said, "If, if Boss really was poisoned by colchicine, how could he have survived until now?"

Su Li felt completely cold.

Her mind replayed every scene from last night: Gu Mufeng's self-blame towards Yiheng, his gentleness and honesty towards her, and his almost complete entrustment of himself to her late at night.

He said, "Don't leave me." If that was goodbye.

A sudden, sharp pain shot through her heart, and Su Li shuddered. Countless images of possibly losing Gu Mufeng forever flashed before her eyes. Her whole body trembled with cold, and she dared not even think about it anymore.

Instinctively, she gripped his hand tighter, as if trying to stop him from disappearing. But she couldn't breathe.

Her heart, which had just been at ease, plummeted. She swayed backward abruptly.

Gu Mufeng stood up and immediately hugged her tightly, blurting out, "Su Li!"

Breathing heavily in his arms, Su Li's face was deathly pale: last night, she had actually lied to him! She had hurt and pushed him away with her own hands!
Unable to tell whether it was fear or guilt, Su Li wrapped her arms tightly around him and buried her head in his neck.

“Mu Fei…” she couldn’t speak.

Su Li constantly reminded herself that she only saw Gu Mufeng as a money-printing machine. As long as he could spew out large sums of money every month, she didn't care.

Perhaps, unless permanently deprived, people never have the courage to face their true feelings.

Steadily protecting Su Li's suddenly chilled body, Gu Mufeng immediately urged Quenxus with his eyes to fetch hot water and a blanket. He himself supported the pale-faced, slightly swaying Su Li as she leaned against the sofa, holding her hand tightly.

While Li Enzuo remained baffled, Gu Mufeng had a general idea of ​​what was going on. His fingertips trembled almost imperceptibly; he was barely aware that death, which had taken Wang Yiheng, had also brushed past him.

What he couldn't accept even more was: if he had collapsed then, what would this arena of fame and fortune, which devoured his flesh and blood, have done to Su Li? Would it have torn his woman to pieces?

A chill ran down Gu Mufeng's spine as he recalled the brief but unforgettable struggle of the previous night. He had already prepared himself for death. Yet, he gritted his teeth, reminding himself once again that the power and money game could not be taken lightly.

Pretending nothing was wrong, Gu Mufeng remained calm and collected. His ruthless attack was the most comprehensive protection for Su Li: "What if it's just a trace amount? For example, far below the lethal dose?"

"Uh."

Intimidated by Gu Mufeng's calm and collected demeanor, Li Enzuo regained his composure slightly. He adjusted his tortoiseshell-style glasses and raised his eyebrows thoughtfully:
"In that case, it can't be called poisoning; at most, it's a side effect. The usual treatment for gout is 0.5 milligrams per dose."

Frowning, Li Enzuo seemed to be making a meticulous life-or-death calculation: "And it's very bitter. Boss, is that why you're asking?"

"Although there was a banquet last night."

In what year has a business dinner not been rife with intrigue and cutthroat competition? He was already used to the social scenes in Minzhou. Gu Mufeng scoffed.

"I've hardly touched anything. Except—"

“Champagne.” Squeezing his hand, Su Li calmed her breathing and answered slowly.

>>>>>
Next Chapter: Drinking Poison
[Author's Note | Chapter 44]

Boss Gu is back in full force, as if last night's events with Su Li had nothing to do with him at all?

How could that be?

Su Li suddenly realized that she might have lost Gu Mufeng forever, and a wave of self-blame and guilt overwhelmed her, leaving her heartbroken; while Gu Mufeng's feelings for Su Li were even deeper—

He had to be cold and ruthless to protect her.

What do you think of this ill-fated couple?

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(End of this chapter)