Chapter 1037 - A Test Of Acting Skills
"Long story short, our mother made me and my sister go through poison resistance training as soon as our young bodies became able to barely handle it," Lu Zihao explained. "The most integral part of the training wasn"t the forceful modification of our bodies to build up poison resistance but it was actually the concoction of antidotes."
Both his tone and expression showed no emotions whatsoever as if what he and his sister endured back then in the name of training was nothing more than a trivial matter.
It was Jin Liwei who felt upset instead, not only for his wife but also for his brother-in-law. After reading the Vetrov report so many times that he almost memorized the entire thing, he had begun to realize that Nikolai Vetrov didn"t become evil because he was born that way. His cruelty and seeming lack of conscience were a product of his upbringing.
Jin Liwei tried to imagine himself in his brother-in-law"s shoes as the heir apparent to the number one international criminal organization in the world. Perhaps if he were born in the same kind of brutal and literal survival of the fittest environment, he would have also become no different than what Nikolai Vetrov became—a cruel man who had no qualms killing others in cold blood.
Only a special kind of pure person like his wife would be able to withstand such a harsh and deadly upbringing. No wonder even a man known for being evil and heartless like Nikolai Vetrov was so loving and gentle towards his little sister. Evelina Vetrova was indeed the type of rare person whose inner purity couldn"t be tainted no matter how others tried to change her by force. She would only change if she decided to do so.
While Jin Liwei"s heart ached for what the brother and sister went through in their past lives, Lu Zihao took a small hard leather case from his coat"s inner pocket. He opened it and took out what looked like two-inch mini pen. Then he grabbed Jin Liwei"s hand and used the mini pen to p.r.i.c.k a finger.
Jin Liwei frowned but didn"t say anything, allowing his brother-in-law to finish whatever he was doing to him. He watched as Lu Zihao pressed the small bead of blood on his finger to a thin strip of translucent paper.
The paper changed colours in an instant. First, it turned into a reddish black colour with some specks of dark brown. Then it quickly changed into an unpleasant shade of muddy violet.
"Heh~ An aphrodisiac and a sedative, huh. Well, at least there"s no lethal poison so it looks like that nympho doesn"t want you dead. Good. I don"t want my sister to become a widow this early." Lu Zihao handed Jin Liwei an adhesive bandage while he returned the used tools to the small container, not daring to discard them in the men"s room.
Jin Liwei snorted before was.h.i.+ng his hands, drying them, and then bandaging his finger. His brother-in-law didn"t sanitize either of their hands before drawing blood from him. He didn"t complain though because this wasn"t the time to act fussy.
"I intend to live a long life and spend a happy, blissful marriage with my wife until we grow old. I"m not going to let her become a widow while she"s still so young."
Lu Zihao grunted. "Based on the test results, the nympho gave you quite a high dosage of aphrodisiac so the shot I gave you won"t completely neutralize it. You"ll still feel it so you need to do your best to keep your head clear in order for our counterplan to work. As for the sedative, don"t worry about it. She gave you a very common one so the shot is extremely effective against it."
"En. Thanks. I can handle this much."
Jin Liwei was relieved and irritated at the same time—relieved that the sedative wasn"t a problem anymore and irritated because he still felt hot all over.
If it wasn"t for his goal to not only thwart Rose Young"s sinister plot against him tonight but also to gather incriminating evidence to push her to the point of no return, he would have already ran to find his wife and make love with her as soon as possible in order to alleviate his drug-induced need for pleasure.
Lu Zihao gave him a pointed look. "The shot I gave you is a highly sought after antidote in the underworld. Only the Vetrovs know how to concoct it."
"En, I understand. My lips are sealed. No need to worry."
"If you begin to suffer the delayed side effects of the shot tomorrow, ask Evelinka for help instead of going to the doctor. She knows several methods to relieve the side effects. I don"t want any f.u.c.ker a.n.a.lyzing my concoction in a lab from your blood. If someone discovers it, motherf.u.c.kers from the criminal underworld will connect it to us. Too dangerous for my sister."
Jin Liwei frowned, feeling hesitant to involve his wife. Lu Zihao immediately knew what he was worrying about based on his expression.
"Just tell her the truth tomorrow. She"ll find out about our entire plan anyway. I"m sure that the little mama"s boy AI son of yours will tell her everything in the end."
"I know." Jin Liwei sighed. He wiped the perspiration beading on his forehead. The effects of the aphrodisiac had decreased but he still felt uncomfortable.
Lu Zihao paused because one of his subordinates stationed at the restaurant was reporting through his earpiece. Shadow Winds had their own voice channel that was separate from Jin Liwei"s security team. However, Bacon created an additional channel that the two groups could use to communicate with each other.
After listening to his subordinate, Lu Zihao covered the lower half of his face again with the black cowl around his neck. "Your complexion is already starting to improve a little. We need to move. The nympho"s minion is starting to get antsy that you"ve been inside the toilet for too long."
Jin Liwei nodded. Then he paused and looked at his brother-in-law up and down. "You"re such a big man. Did anyone notice you going in the toilet after me?"
"Who do you think I am? You think I"m an amateur like the nympho"s minions that she brought tonight?"
"Right. Never mind."
"I"ll go out first. Wait at least two minutes before going out." Lu Zihao didn"t wait for a reply before slipping out of the men"s room without making a sound.
Jin Liwei pursed his lips, feeling impressed and a little envious at how such a big man could move so effortlessly like a phantom in the shadows.
Two minutes later, he finally exited the men"s room. Xu Tian was waiting for him alongside a couple of his bodyguards. The rest of his security team that he originally brought tonight to protect his wife"s privacy if she decided to join the dinner with the other executives were stationed in several locations in the restaurant and the hotel. Now that the situation developed like this, their priority was now to protect him instead.
Another group of his security team had secretly arrived at the hotel from Dragon Palace to provide back-up and coordinate with Shadow Winds. They were all in disguise to avoid alerting not only Rose Young"s group but also the authorities.
"Father, my apologies. Bacon is still busy battling the pesky Eagle. My a.s.sistance in tonight"s mission will be severely limited until I defeat Eagle. Please be patient. Bacon will definitely return with a cla.s.sy victory."
Jin Liwei tapped his ear. "OK."
"Uncle Zihao and his hacker team will take over in providing Father with remote instructions until I return. So please take care not to lose your earpiece, Father."
"OK."
Jin Liwei and Xu Tian pa.s.sed by a large aquarium in the restaurant"s hallway. He glanced at his own reflection. Indeed, his complexion had improved but he still looked a little feverish. Then he adjusted his expression, making himself look like he was enduring pain.
This mission was going to be a test of his acting skills. Even though his acting skills weren"t anything impressive, he had no choice but to give his all or fail the mission. Failing was out of question so the only choice was to succeed no matter what.
"They"re on the move," Lu Zihao"s voice spoke through his earpiece. "A f.u.c.king minion is watching you like a hawk. Act more groggy and unsteady on your feet. You took a sedative in addition to the aphrodisiac after all."
Jin Liwei followed his brother-in-law"s instruction and pretended to sway. Xu Tian was also doing a great job in showing concern for him. His a.s.sistant"s supporting act should make his performance more believable.
"Heh~ Not bad. But your a.s.sistant has better acting skills than you."
"I know that already!" Jin Liwei inwardly complained upon hearing Lu Zihao"s comments. He gritted his teeth and focused on acting weak.
The only person who he managed to deceive with his lousy acting skills was his wife when he tricked her into becoming his girlfriend and eventually a lover back when they first met. She was so innocent back then, and in some ways, she still retained her innocence even now.
He didn"t dare say any of these thoughts out loud or his brother-in-law might murder him in cold blood.
"Concentrate," Lu Zihao told him, interrupting his distracted thoughts. "One is heading your way. Prepare yourself."
Xu Tian received a separate order and crouched down to wipe a nonexistent dirt from his shoe, leaving Jin Liwei to walk by himself in the hallway.
Once he reached a corner, a young man suddenly b.u.mped into him. Jin Liwei"s eyes narrowed but he still pretended to fall.