1 Melodious Night
As the night descended, the melodious sound of a zither could be heard. Appreciation and serenity are present on the faces of all the guests. Some stop eating to fucos their attention to the man playing the zither. Some continue to eat and at the same time savor the melody. In modern China the number of people who can play the zither is rare. Talents of these are all employed by most of the prestigious hotels of the city. The upper class society enjoys it's music as they are always in this prestigious hotels.
Soon the man change the melody into a very sad one. Those listening cannot stop themselves from crying silently. Emotions are swirling with just a pluck of the zither strings. Soon the whole room is full of sighs and cries.
In a corner of the room sat a three lady. The society they belong is obviously seen just by looking at the elegance of their dresses. When looking from afar one could see that this family of three is harmonious and intimate. But if one look closely one can see that the two is putting on an act to flatter and force the other one. This three is unaffected by the happenings all around the corner. They are the well-known Xie family. The prestigious family known for its success in the world of medicine. The three pairs are the Mrs. Xie, her daughter Xie Jing and her stepdaughter Xie Yuan who meekly sit at the corner while this two are trying to flatter her. Xie Yuan purse her mouth and continue to immerse herself by the sad melody of the zither playing in the background. Just like the tune of the zither, her life also is full of sadness and depression. She is the daughter of the main wife who died tragically in a car accident when she was still a baby. Her father then brought home this mother and daughter pairs and favor them more than her his only biological daughter. She grow up with the care of this stepmother of hers who is a vixen and her evil daughter. All they do everyday is to humiliate and trample her when her father is not around. But she just let this two do their way because she wants her father to love her. And he is only good to her when he sees that she obediently follow this evil mother and daughter pair.
Tonight is the first time they invited her to such event. This event is compose of all well-known family of doctors. Her father is also present but he is currently busy talking with his co-doctors. An introvert like her who has no knowledge of the outside world is cautiously observing the people of her surroundings.
"Yuan'er did you enjoy tonight?" Her sister softly ask her trying to be a gentle lady in the eyes of this people. She really lived up to the society name for her "gentle as the breeze". If she have not known this lady then she herself would believe on her pretense.
She nods her head trying to finish the conversation so that she can listen wholeheartedly to the zither playing. She always loved music because it helps sooth her loneliness and anxiety.
"Good child, mother is happy that you are enjoying. Come let's give ourselves a toast." Her stepmother happily said and give her a wine. The three of them drank happily as the melodious zither is still playing with now its joyful melody. After three cups of drinks, Xie Yuan felt that something is not right as dizziness starts to envelope around her head.
'This must be the effect of wine.'
She shakes her head trying to get rid the dizziness she felt.
"Yuan'er are you okay?" Her stepmother asks her worriedly. She is busily shaking her head that she missed the sinister smile of her stepmother and stepsister.
"I'm okay Mom, I think this is me having a low alcohol tolerance." She meekly replied as she begun to feel extreme heat all over her body.
'They must have put something in her wine' she quietly sigh. She puts her guard down because she hoped that this two will not do reckless to her tonight but she overestimated the evilness of this two. They really can't wait to get their evil claws to her tonight. How she wished her father can see how vile this two are.
"Mom, I think I'm not feeling well. I need to excuse myself first." She meekly said trying to get up but the dizziness and the hot feeling she felt is too much for a fifteen year old girl like her.
"Yuan'er, let mother and Jing'er help you."
"No need, I can still go on my own." She rejected the two.
"Sister, we don't know that you have such low tolerance in alcohol. Please forgive us sister." Her sister gently apologize to her. She don't bother with them anymore and directly made her way out. She stumbles on her way and directly collapsed on the floor in the middle of the banquet. Soon she hear murmurs all over the place and the man who plays the zither stops playing.
"Who's child is this, doesn't know how to act proper in public." One of the guests complained.
"Such beautiful child but doesn't know about social etiquette."
'Damn, can't they see that I'm poisoned.' she staggered her body to help herself stand up. Fortunately she made her way out. She is currently on the hallway outside and she doesn't know which way to go when out of nowhere her stepsister and stepmother show up.
"Yuan'er, why did you make your way her and not wait for us to help you." Her stepmother worriedly said.
'What a great pretender'
"Mom, sister needs to rest and the hotel assigned a room for each guest. Let's help sister get there." Her sister suggests which approved by the latter.
The three of them walk to the elevator and press the floor of their assigned room. The hotel is one of the seven star hotel in China and it has 100 exquisite rooms ready to cater the prestigious and well-known people of the upper class society.
Soon they reach a room on the 30th floor and open one of the room but to her surprised the room is locked. She really have a bad intuition that this two are planning something big tonight but her body and mind is too tired to go against this two. After attempting to open the locked doors the three of them come to a room at the end of the hallway, the only room that is not locked. The door is different from the rest in this floor. It speaks solitude and elegance.
"This must be our room sister. Look it's elegant and clean." Her stepsister beamed after entering the door.
"You must rest yourself well sister. As Mother and I will fetch father downstairs."
Her sister take out an incense stick from her pocket and put it on the incense burner after lighting it. The sweet sandalwood scent is soon wafted on their nostrils.
Unbeknownst to her that this incense contains aphrodisiac.
"Wait for us here OK"
"Ok mother and sister. Thank you for accompanying me. You may go to father now as Yuan'er well take her rest."she meekly said. Soon the two of them left with a sinister smile on their faces. She shakes her head and directly go to a bathroom to shower. Her dizziness is reduced a little after showering but the uncomfortable feeling still lingers on her body.
She let herself fall in the soft mattress and directly sleep trying to forget the uneasiness she feel.
After the embarrassing scene of the lady passed, the originally cheerful hall come back as the man continue to play his zither very well. He looks like a deity who is above all mortals. His exquisite face shows natural coolness and elegance. His aura speaks calmness. Those who are present cannot help but immersed themselves on the sweetest melody that come from the man's zither. Soon the music descended, what is heard in the banquet hall is the applause and praises of the guests presents. This event is mainly composed of medical practitioners and doctors.
"What a beautiful masterpiece. Doctor Jue sure lived up to everyone's expectation 'the mighty and proficient'." The host praise the zither player. Everyone was dumbfounded to know that the talented zither player is Doctor Jue. Everyone know how Godly this doctor is. He can revive the patients out in their deaths door and he's also well versed in the world of medicine. The medicine he give to patients is concocted personally by him. To a twenty three year old, it is quite an achievement.
"Tonight's event is ending. Let's us all rest in the respective rooms provided by the hotel. Thank you very much."
The guests all disperse and go to their respective rooms as what the host say. He also ready himself to go to his room when two woman caught his attention. A mother and daughter pair. According to his knowledge, the lady in her thirties is the mistress of the Xie household and the girl who is seventeen or eighteen years old is Doctor Xie's stepdaughter. As what he have observed this two people are with Doctor Xie's biological daughter upon entering the party. This two are trying to flatter the second miss which is Doctor Xie's only daughter. They are sitting in the corner away from guests but he sees their every move even though he is busy playing with his zither. As he is playing his sad melody, the girl immersed herself as if the melody is the only thing that can understand her.
His eyes flickered when out of the blue, the mother puts something in the wine while her daughter is secretly watching out if there is someone watching. They then give it to the meekly girl who looks at about fifteen years old. The girl happily accept the wine and directly puts it into her mouth. This girl possess a beautiful physique unique of her age. Her lips is luscious and her jade-like eyes are lively yet mysterious.
His eyes flickered at the scene and something stirred inside his heart. He watched as the girl shakes her head left and right feeling the effect of alcohol. Soon the girl stands up and makes her way out but due to her dizzy state she stumbles and directly fall to the floor face-down.
He watch the other two if they will initiate to help the girl but to his dismay they just look at her with a sinister smile plastered on their faces as the arrogant guests humiliate her. As the girl successfully exits the banquet, the two follows after. And the rest he don't know what happened.
As he passed by this two, he accidentally heard their conversation.
"Mom, we don't know whose room is that. What if that girl exposes us."
"Sssh, nobody knows apart from the three of us. And that ignorant child's future will be doomed after this."
Something stirred deep inside his heart hearing the vicious words of this two ladies. He, who saved millions of lives just can't ignore the fact that the true miss of the Xie's family future will be ruined by this mother and daughter pair. He just hope that the girl can pass her calamity. Anyway it's not his problem anymore.
He head into his room but the staff accidentally booked the room for someone else before knowing that he booked the room first. Too tired to argue, he just let the hotel staffs arrange for his accommodation tonight. He needs to rest because he will go to another country tomorrow and this hotel is the nearest place to the airport. He dismissed his bodyguards as he made his way inside the room. The sweet sandalwood scent slowly entered his nostrils.
Shutting the door softly, he made his way towards the bathroom opposite to the direction of the bed.
After taking a bath he drink a couple cup of wine to ease the tiredness he felt. But the sandalwood scent that still lingers in the air is taking effect on his body and he begun to feel heat.
'D*mn, what's with this scent.'he curse inwardly as an idea struck his head. He is poisoned for God's sake and it's an aphrodisiac!
His brows furrowed by the sudden realization.
He throw his shirts as uneasiness and heat crept up all over his system. He made his way to the air-condition which is near the bed to make the room colder. As he made his way, his eyes bulge as he sense a person in his bed.
The light illuminating the room isn't enough for him to clearly see the appearance of the person but he can clearly sense that the person is a girl.
The girl is sleeping yet her brows are furrowed as uneasiness and heat crept all over her body.
He can sense that this girl is also poisoned like him.
As a doctor he is clearly familiar with medicines and poisons.
'Someone vicious enough dares to plot something like this to him this shouldn't be this girl right?' he let out a sinister smile.
The poison in his body and this girl is highly toxic and the only antidote is to do the deeds or they will both die. As a human and as a doctor he can't choose death.
A/N: hohoho cliché right?😴😴😴😴
Vote and comments are highly appreciated. Memeda;)
