On the ground floor of Demesne, the gala had already begun, and it was in full swing. The management of the hotel had not disappointed the eager commoners. The chefs had prepared the best Western cuisine for their guests as per the request of the conference committee. The committee hoped to give the attendees a unique experience by providing meals which were not commonly consumed by regular people in the city.

In another time and place, the organisers might have been called classists for assuming that common citizens did not have access to international cuisine. However, in that exquisite hall, nobody cared about that. They would think about being offended at another point in time.

The full course meal was not the only enjoyable element of the evening. Some of the best entertainers in Supreme City had been invited to complete the gala. The guests could not help gasping in awe as they recognised musicians, poets and dancers in the line-up.

In one word, the event was perfect.

Unfortunately, for Jian Ru, the night was not going as she had hoped when she had made her detailed plans.

It had been over half an hour since Hu Lei had left the gathering. The drug should have worked by now. Her plan had not involved hiring some rogues and then having a huge reveal. That would have been impractical in a high security institution like Demesne.

Actually, she had hoped that Hu Lei would be in the party when the drug kicked in. She would lose her mind in the public as the drug took over her reasoning. And then, Jian Ru would draw attention to her and effectively shut her down forever.

Seeing that the girl was not here, she wondered if Hu Lei had found some man to put out her flames. After thinking about it for a moment, she felt that this was plausible. Even though that b*tch could not match up with the president, she could attract some common man with her looks and body. This was not ideal, but she could still make do with what she was given.

In all her plotting, it did not occur to Jian Ru that Hu Lei had not drunk the glass of champagne. According to her calculations, that cheap woman would not give up a chance to savour an expensive drink from the most exclusive hotel in Supreme City. More importantly, she had carried the glass out of the hall like a country bumpkin.

When almost an hour had passed, she felt that something was really not right.

Their Etude group should have heard something from the management by now. Regardless of what happened, the security and surveillance of the hotel was tight. Therefore, Hu Lei's escapades with a random man would have been seen. The company would have been informed so that they could handle the embarrassment. Once this happened, it would not take much to leak out what had happened to the other gala attendees. This was the reason she had not felt that it was necessary to look for her for the big reveal.

However, nothing seemed out of place, and Lin Man and Chu Heng looked like they were enjoying the party. If something had happened, there would have been a sign.

Jian Ru tried to think about other possibilities, but she could not come to a conclusion. Considering the amount of drug she had put in the glass and that annoyingly small body, Hu Lei would have become irrational. The hotel would have dealt with her by now. After thinking further, she thought that perhaps the management did not want to ruin the party.

Still, she could not feel settled.

"I am a little worried about Hu Lei. Where do you think she went? Maybe I should go look for her." She spoke softly, but loud enough for all the people in her vicinity to hear.

It would not do if no one knew that a girl from Etude Technologies went missing at the middle of the festivities. The news of her absence was enough to create a sensation once the illicit behaviour was revealed later through the rumour mill. It would be even better if her kind-heartedness to the promiscuous girl became part of the narrative.

"There is no need. I think she is with CEO Zhong." The middle-aged man at the table from the legal department spoke in a low voice.

Lin Man and Chu Heng, who felt embarrassed about forgetting all about Hu Lei, felt relieved at hearing the news. On the other hand, Jian Ru felt like she had suddenly been plunged into the eighteenth level of hell. Hu Lei, aphrodisiac and President Zhong… The answer to that equation was too simple.

Had she helped that slut make her wedding dress? The deranged Jian Ru could not help feeling a fog clouding her mind at the possibility. However, outwardly, she maintained a kind façade.

"That's good then. When did you see them?" Perhaps the situation was not dire yet.

"I was talking to some old friends near the door during the speech, and I saw her leave the hall. She met up with the president. I think she was bringing him a glass of champagne. After that…" the man continued talking, but Jian Ru had already stopped listening.

What had she done?

If Hu Lei had been the one to take the drug, the situation might not have been dismal. After all, everyone knew that CEO Zhong was the kind that leaved a clean life. There was a chance that he would push her away and be disgusted forever. Even if he did the deed, he would not commit to an easy woman.

However, if President Zhong took the drug… There was no hope. It would be impossible for him to resist. She had been told that the drug was something new. Even people who had good body conditions and claimed to be immune to these types of drugs would be affected.

The worst part was that once it was assimilated into the body completely, it would cause the blood pressure to spike up. It was possible for the user to suffer a circulatory problem. Luckily or unluckily, this was the only side effect she could remember. She had not cared about the warnings given by that person because her investment in Hu Lei's wellbeing was zero.

But now, she had harmed her destined lover…

She needed to make it right.