Chapter 97: Liu Sheng Is Poisoned!
Backstage, Zhou Wan stood with Liu Sheng.
“Second Boss, I’m a bit nervous,” Liu Sheng said with a bitter smile.
He already knew that Zhou Wan had invested in Yu’an Media, making her the company’s second-largest shareholder, hence he called her Second Boss.
Zhou Wan replied, “It’s normal to be nervous.”
He hadn’t set foot on stage for over ten years. This long period of obscurity had eroded his courage and his stage presence.
“I’ll have some water first,” Liu Sheng said. “I think it’ll be my turn in just one more minute.”
A staff member promptly handed him a bottle of mineral water.
Liu Sheng took it, twisted off the cap, and drank deeply, moistening his throat.
Just as he finished drinking, he heard the host call his name: “Please welcome Liu Sheng to the stage for his performance.”
Liu Sheng took a deep breath, ready to walk onto the stage.
But after just three steps, he suddenly stopped, spun around, and stared at the bottle on the table. “Who gave me this water?”
He felt a sharp pain in his throat, as if swallowing razor blades.
He looked for the staff member who’d handed him the water, but they had already vanished, leaving only the half-empty bottle behind.
The pain in his throat intensified, turning into a feeling of being torn apart, becoming unbearably hoarse. In the end, he could barely speak!
He clutched his throat in agony, feeling as though a fire burned inside him.
Zhou Wan noticed something was wrong. “What’s the matter?”
Liu Sheng’s eyes were bloodshot as he pointed at the bottle, his voice so hoarse it startled Zhou Wan. “After drinking that water... my throat suddenly hurts... like swallowing razor blades!”
Every word he spoke, every swallow, felt as though a blade scraped his throat.
There was definitely something wrong with that bottle.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Wan’s eyes flared with anger.
She thought of one person: Qi Zhengqing.
Qi Zhengqing had actually targeted Liu Sheng!
“Go to the hospital first. Leave the rest to me!” Zhou Wan strode over and put the remaining half bottle of water into her bag.
She intended to have it analyzed.
She was utterly calm now, her intellect sharp and clear.
But Liu Sheng shook his head, enduring the pain as he spoke, “Second Boss, I can’t quit. If I step back now... my backbone will be broken... I’ll never stand up again!”
“But your throat...” Zhou Wan saw Liu Sheng’s face twisted in pain, his voice sounding like a raspy drake, terrifying to hear.
“Liu Sheng, are you backstage now? Did you hear me?” The host, noticing Liu Sheng’s delay, called out.
Yao Feiyu and Lu Simin’s faces showed displeasure.
What was he doing?
Had he lost focus at such a moment?
Zhou Wan quickly took out her phone and dialed Ning Cai. She didn’t know Yao Feiyu, but Ning Cai did.
“Caicai, where are you?” Zhou Wan’s voice was anxious.
“I’m on the third floor of the hotel, with Qingqing at the playground. What happened?” Ning Cai asked.
Zhou Wan said, “Something happened. Before going on stage, Liu Sheng drank water that had been tampered with!”
“He can barely speak now, but he insists on performing!”
Ning Cai’s voice was unexpectedly calm, “All right, I understand. I’m coming down right away.”
Seeing the singer still absent, Shen Xian sensed trouble.
The host looked toward the backstage area. “Mr. Liu Sheng, did you hear me?”
Still no response.
Backstage, Liu Sheng asked Zhou Wan, “Second Boss, do you have any throat lozenges?”
Zhou Wan hurriedly rummaged through her bag. “Yes, yes.”
She handed him a box of throat lozenges.
Liu Sheng poured out two and put them in his mouth, pressing one against his throat to ease the pain.
The pain did ease a little, but the foreign object in his throat had a significant impact on his performance.
Yao Feiyu’s expression grew cold, and Lu Simin’s face showed impatience.
Qi Zhengqing, sitting at the table, wore a look of utter disdain. “Trying to compete with me? Still too inexperienced!”
Just as Yao Feiyu was about to lose patience, Liu Sheng finally emerged from backstage.
His face had regained composure, even bearing a smile. He bowed to Yao Feiyu and Lu Simin. “Wishing you both... a happy marriage!”
His voice had no beauty, no charm.
It sounded like someone suffering from a severe cold with an inflamed throat—hoarse and deep.
The guests were all taken aback.
With a voice like that, could he really be a singer?
Viewers in the livestream were buzzing.
“Wow, isn’t that Liu Sheng? What happened to his voice?”
“I remember he used to sing beautifully!”
“Yeah, how did his voice change like this?”
Yao Feiyu and Lu Simin exchanged glances, both seeing confusion in each other’s eyes.
What was Ning Cai up to?
Why recommend such a person to sing?
Was this a slight?
Yao Feiyu laughed coldly to himself.
Ning Cai, your old man may be powerful, but if you look down on me, don’t blame me for disregarding your dignity!
Just as this thought settled, the doors suddenly swung open.
Everyone turned to look.
The wedding was underway—who would dare barge in at such a moment?
Ning Cai entered, walking straight toward Yao Feiyu. “Congratulations on your wedding!”
Yao Feiyu and Lu Simin were stunned by Ning Cai’s abruptness.
Ning Cai immediately took a seat and said to Yao Feiyu, “Your internal staff made a mistake. The water he drank was problematic and could burn his vocal cords! I’ve kept a sample of that water. After the wedding, I’ll have it tested. Since this happened at your event, you owe me an explanation afterwards!”
Yao Feiyu’s eyes instantly turned icy cold.
No matter who the poisoning was meant for today, since it happened at his wedding, it was a direct affront to him.
“Is this true?” Lu Simin realized the gravity of the situation.
Who among the guests had the nerve to do this?
And what was the purpose?
“Get him to a hospital at once. Forget the performance, bring up the next singer,” Yao Feiyu said.
Ning Cai replied, “If he withdraws now, how will people see you—or me?”
“Will they say an out-of-favor singer refused to honor you, abandoned his performance midway, and that Yao Feiyu’s dignity is worthless?”
“He signed up to perform, but fled before singing—a blatant insult to both the Yao family and Victory Precision.”
“Look, if even a washed-up singer can snub them, so can the rest of us. Mr. Yao Feiyu and Miss Lu Simin, do you think this won’t affect you?”
Yao Feiyu and Lu Simin realized she was right.
Ning Cai, though almost like an AI, cut straight to the issue, disregarding their feelings and pinpointing their vulnerability.
Today, she wasn’t just fighting for the company’s interests but also for Liu Sheng’s.
No matter how Liu Sheng performed, as long as he persevered, Yao Feiyu would remember this gesture.
When Liu Sheng recovered, Yao Feiyu would surely offer him resources.
That was Ning Cai’s intention.
She was brilliant, and upon hearing the news, her first thought was to maximize the benefit.
As Yao Feiyu and Lu Simin were stunned, Liu Sheng had already turned to the music teacher. “Music teacher, I’m ready!”