{"id":2970,"date":"2026-04-19T01:19:53","date_gmt":"2026-04-19T01:19:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/poisoned-draught-12\/"},"modified":"2026-04-19T02:01:32","modified_gmt":"2026-04-19T02:01:32","slug":"poisoned-draught-12","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/my\/chapter\/poisoned-draught-12\/","title":{"rendered":"Poisoned Draught 12"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chapter 12: A Slap in the Face “Hit me.”

Zhao Jichuan felt an electric current surge through his entire body. In that instant, his blood boiled and his heart stirred with restless energy.

He didn’t know if others were the same, but his Adam’s apple was extremely sensitive, and the woman in his arms was relentless, pressing her cool lips against the protrusion of his throat.

He lowered his gaze to Han Rao, and for a moment, he even suspected that tonight’s drama was orchestrated by her\u2014a deliberate ploy to mess with him.

That’s just like her\u2014naturally seductive, capable of reducing him to a flustered mess with just a few trivial tricks.

He even forgot that just an hour or two ago, she had been entangled with another man.

Zhao Jichuan held her buttocks and gave her a light pat. “Behave. Can’t you understand human language?”

Han Rao dared not move recklessly anymore, burying her head in his embrace and inhaling the sandalwood scent on him.

She really wanted to ask why he was being so nice to her today, but feared his scolding, so she remained silent.

Zhao Jichuan’s steps were steady. He looked down, and from his perspective, Han Rao curled into a small ball, her jet-black hair smooth and soft, resembling a fluffy little kitten.

But this little kitten has sharp claws that can scratch people.

The two returned to the hotel, and Han Rao went to the bathroom before taking another painkiller.

Afterward, she remained glued to the couch, motionless. Curled up in a corner with a blanket draped over her, she had intended to wait until she felt better before making any plans.

It took quite a while on the way tonight, and she was torn about whether to go home or not.

Moreover, the crucial point was that she had no idea where Zhao Jichuan had gone\u2014he had left her on the sofa to fend for herself and then vanished.

Han Rao nestled there playing with her phone for a while and noticed Xie Yaochen had sent her a WeChat friend request.

Han Rao chose to ignore him outright, even going so far as to block his social media accounts on Douyin, Weibo, and other platforms.

She used to dislike blocking people, thinking it was childish. But now she realizes how satisfying it is\u2014after all, no one can tolerate being harassed like a persistent nuisance.

After a while, Zhao Jichuan came back inside and asked why she wasn\u2019t asleep yet.

Han Rao answered honestly, “I feel awful and can’t sleep.”

Without another word, Zhao Jichuan scooped her up by the waist and carried her to bed.

The room was unlit, with outside light seeping in. He asked her if she hadn’t already taken her medicine.

“It’s not some miracle cure\u2014how could it work the moment you swallow it?” she laughed.

Zhao Jichuan lowered his gaze, letting her lie down to rest, then left once more.

Just as Han Rao was sighing over how busy he was, he grabbed a hot water bottle and tossed it into her arms.

“Cover it.” He said.

Han Rao hugged the hot water bottle to her chest, burying herself under the white blanket with only her head and dark, silky hair peeking out. She smiled innocently, not thanking him, but instead asking if he could make her another cup of brown sugar water.

Zhao Jichuan found her troublesome.

But I also felt sorry for her.

He wasn’t a gentle person by nature, never good at taking care of others. But a cup of brown sugar water\u2014just a phone call to the front desk would have it delivered, a trivial effort at best.

He convinced himself with the phrase “just a small effort,” and dutifully called the front desk again.

Not long after, the doorbell rang again. Zhao Jichuan entered the room holding the slightly scalding cup of brown sugar water. Han Rao wasn’t playing with her phone or sleeping\u2014she simply stared at him with wide eyes as he approached.

Zhao Jichuan placed the water on her nightstand and tilted his head slightly, as a handful of moonlight spilled in through the window.

He didn’t know if she liked light, but he certainly preferred darkness, so he got up and drew the curtains tightly shut according to his own preference.

The room grew darker still.

Han Rao’s heart also turned cold.

She clearly adored that sliver of moonlight.

Zhao Jichuan finished everything and prepared to leave. He had already gone above and beyond, and it wasn’t his obligation to spend the whole night here taking care of her.

Seeing the man about to leave, Han Rao suddenly called out to him, “Zhao Jichuan.”

“Hmm?”

“Come here for a moment.”

The man was puzzled, but he complied.

He stood by the bed, asking her what was wrong, his towering figure casting a complete shadow over her.

Han Rao slightly rose, feeling the distance was still a bit too far, making it troublesome to communicate with him. She had a sudden idea and said to him, “Bend down a little, I’ll tell you a secret.”

Zhao Jichuan pondered what little trick she was playing while sitting on the edge of the bed, eyeing her with a probing and threatening gaze, as if to say that if she dared to play any tricks, he would kill her.

Fortunately, Han Rao had strong mental resilience and didn\u2019t give in under his intimidation.

She straightened up and leaned closer to him, suddenly grabbing his sapphire-blue tie and yanking it downward. The next second, she pressed her lips to his.

The kiss felt like a reward.

Her lips merely brushed against his for a fleeting moment before she abruptly pulled away, lying back down and pulling the covers over herself.

“Playing with me?” he asked.

The next second, he leaned down abruptly, gripping her wrists and fiercely capturing her lips in a kiss.

Their cheeks pressed together intimately as he greedily wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her forcefully into his embrace.

There was a white quilt between him and her, like an insurmountable boundary.

Han Rao only felt her body temperature rising. The hot water bottle had rolled away somewhere, her breathing grew erratic as she clutched his shirt, kissing him passionately until her toes curled with excitement.

She felt restless, but tonight they could only tease each other from a distance, their lips barely touching.

Han Rao actually resented him a little\u2014for deliberately ignoring her after their first time together, refusing to contact her.

Their meeting happened to coincide with her being in poor physical condition.

Han Rao had always thought she had psychological barriers and shadows in that aspect, but now she realizes it was simply because she hadn’t met someone who could spark that chemistry.

Between her and him, it was absolutely physical attraction.

Zhao Jichuan had no idea that when she reached out to him over a week ago, she had actually wanted him to fill her up desperately.

I miss you so much, the kind of longing that haunts my dreams.

The kiss lasted for what felt like an eternity, so long that she began to sway slightly like a fish stranded on the shore, her breath growing ragged and uncontrollable.

Zhao Jichuan stood up and gently ruffled her hair. “Can you come on Sunday?”

Han Rao didn’t put on any airs and nodded. “Sure.”

The man smoothed out the wrinkles on his clothes, left a “rest well,” and departed.

In good spirits, he casually tucked her blanket in before closing the door.

All fell silent, the last glimmer of light vanished, and Han Rao was swallowed by the darkness, clutching the hot water bottle tightly.

Her heartbeat simply refused to calm down for the longest time.

\u3000\u3000-

As the saying goes, “Man proposes, God disposes.”

Han Rao only remembered that Sunday was Zhou Yun’s birthday when she was flipping through her memo.

Zhou Yun was her acting teacher from college days, who had left the entertainment industry many years ago.

Back around the millennium, she was also a readily accessible star, acting in household-name dramas. Later, she retired from the industry to get married and became a teacher at the Beijing Film Academy. She has a great personality and teaches with dedication\u2014Han Rao was actually her fan, having watched her TV shows as a child, so they had a good relationship during Han Rao’s school years.

Han Rao made a special note of Zhou Yun’s birthday because Zhou Yun had done her a great favor this year.

In March or April, the drama she had a minor role in aired. She eagerly turned on the TV to watch it from start to finish, only to realize her scenes had been “edited out” once again.

At that time, Han Rao was utterly desperate. The thought of never making it in her career and having to keep relying on her parents felt like choking on seawater\u2014her entire being ached with suffocating pressure.

The expensive rent in Beicheng, which Xu Lianqiu had paid for two years, was due to expire this winter.

So, Han Rao decided to take a roundabout approach and change her path\u2014she conceived the idea of pursuing postgraduate studies.

Continuing her graduate studies at Beijing Film Academy would allow her to live on campus, saving a significant amount of expenses. She could also keep pursuing acting roles and fighting against fate.

The first person Han Rao thought of at that time was Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun was very kind and provided her with plenty of study materials after learning about her needs.

Han Rao felt that the teacher had done her such a great favor, so she had to find the right moment to express her gratitude. She wanted to invite Zhou Yun to dinner, but Zhou Yun declined, leaving her no choice but to wait until her birthday.

Han Rao had bought Zhou Yun a silver necklace long ago\u2014not expensive, but handmade by an intangible cultural heritage inheritor found online, with exquisite craftsmanship and truly one-of-a-kind.

She felt that this was at least a token of her sincerity.

Han Rao sent Zhou Yun a WeChat message wishing her a happy birthday and asked if her home address was still the same, so she could send the gift over.

Zhou Yun directly invited her to come to the house, saying it would be livelier with more people, and so it was settled.

In the evening, Han Rao tidied up and set off, giving Zhao Jichuan a call to say she might be arriving a bit later.

Zhao Jichuan had no objections, saying he had something to attend to anyway and told her not to rush.

Han Rao, seeing that he wasn’t angry at her for breaking her promise, was in a good mood and eagerly went to Zhou Yun’s house.

Zhou Yun had a daughter studying in the United States who couldn’t return home, leaving only her and her husband in the household.

This time, it happened to coincide with her birthday, so she also wanted to make it lively and even brought back a few undergraduate students.

Han Rao thought this would be a simple birthday party\u2014she had delivered her gift and conveyed her blessings, and that was enough.

It almost slipped my mind\u2014Xie Yaochen was in the class next to hers back then and also a student of Teacher Zhou Yun.

The two of them ran into each other twice within a week, leaving Han Rao utterly exasperated.

God damn it, the heavens really love playing jokes on her. The world is just too small\u2014had she known Xie Yaochen was coming, she would’ve rather stayed away.

Fortunately, both of them tacitly understood that today was not the right occasion, maintaining a superficial harmony.

During the meal, Zhou Yun reminisced about Han Rao and their class, sighing over how Han Rao was truly a naturally gifted actress. Back then, during group projects for theater performances, many were eager to team up with Han Rao because working with her meant higher grades.

Some clips of Han Rao’s acting from back then are still kept by Zhou Yun to show her juniors.

Han Rao heard these words and simply smiled, saying it was all in the past.

Zhou Yun also understood her current predicament and sighed, moving past the topic.

Xie Yaochen said, “I always liked collaborating across classes back then because I could work with Ying and Han Rao.”

Han Rao glanced at him upon hearing this but remained silent, though the tension between them grew thicker.

Until the dinner party ended, the group of students left together.

Quite a few people had arrived, yet Xie Yaochen insisted on letting others go first, pulling Han Rao aside to wait for the next elevator.

Han Rao kept silent, mindful of the crowd.

The two stepped out of the building, greeted by a biting cold wind that slapped against their faces.

The outside was pitch black, with the distant streetlights twinkling like stars.

Han Rao was about to leave in irritation when Xie Yaochen stopped her. “Aying, why haven’t you accepted my WeChat request? Can’t we talk calmly? You’ve never heard my explanation.”

Han Rao lit a cigarette and snapped, “Are you fucking done yet? Three or four years already\u2014can’t you just let me go? Do I really have to tear off all pretense and make this ugly between us?”

She took a deep drag of her cigarette and walked away without looking back.

Xie Yaochen firmly grasped her wrist, wrapped his arm around her waist, and pulled her into his embrace. “Aying, I love you.”

Han Rao only felt resistance\u2014she had never resisted him so strongly before. Her hand couldn’t pull away in time, and the cigarette butt burned a hole in his coat.

Han Rao felt dizzy and disoriented. She pushed him away with all her strength and raised her hand to slap him across the face.

“Enough already!”

Xie Yaochen turned his head, looking at her with anguish, “Aying, I don’t want anything anymore, nothing at all. Will you come home with me?”

Han Rao’s emotions surged violently under his provocation, her chest heaving.

Do you have a soft heart?

She didn’t know.

She just felt that what was past was past.

Xie Yaochen had witnessed her at her most glorious and also at her most wretched. He stood by her through the toughest times, pulling her out of the abyss, only to push her back into hell himself.

Han Rao wouldn’t soften her heart\u2014she could clearly distinguish between matters, treating each case on its own merits without mixing them together.

Han Rao turned around, stubbed out her cigarette, and prepared to leave.

Xie Yaochen grabbed her wrist, “Aying, hit me, I’m sorry.”

Han Rao froze.

The two stood facing each other, locked in a stalemate for so long that the motion-activated light at the doorway had already turned off.

In the car.

Zhao Jichuan’s eyes darkened as his fingers tapped rhythmically against the steering wheel.

“Big brother, when did you become so nosy? We’ve been waiting for so long, can’t we get out of the car yet?”

The girl who looked about eighteen or nineteen and couldn’t help but complain was named Zhao Jiyue, Zhao Jichuan’s younger sister and the apple of the Zhao family’s eye.

“I barely made it back in time.” Zhao Jiyue glanced at the pile of exquisitely wrapped gifts in the back seat. “The birthday presents for Aunt Yun were personally chosen by Jiaor.”

Jiao’er is Zhou Yun’s biological daughter, three or four years younger than Zhao Jiyue. This time when Zhao Jiyue returned to China, Jiao’er specifically asked her to bring back Zhou Yun’s birthday gift, saying there were some treasures inside that had to be carried personally and couldn’t be checked in.

Zhao Jiyue’s flight was delayed today. After landing, she didn’t even go home, directly asking Zhao Jichuan who came to pick her up to take her to Zhou Yun’s place.

Zhao Jichuan glanced at the two figures lurking in the darkness and retorted, “Isn’t watching the fun good? Isn’t that what you’re good at?”

Zhao Jiyue curled her lips, “Since when did you become so sharp-tongued? I can’t take it anymore!”

Zhao Jichuan smiled faintly and remained silent.

Zhao Jiyue sighed and also started to watch the commotion.

The distance was a bit far, and she couldn’t clearly see Han Rao and Xie Yaochen’s faces, so she could only speculate, “I guess the beautiful sister must have run into her scumbag ex-boyfriend, and he just won’t leave her alone.”

Zhao Jichuan glanced at his younger sister, a faint smile curling at the corners of his lips.

Even his naive younger sister could see through the trick\u2014did Han Rao really think he wouldn’t see through it if she didn’t explain herself last time?

He was only being lenient with her because she was sick, not wanting to nitpick with her.

What about now?

Shouldn’t they settle the score tonight?

Is she obligated to report her relationship with this man to her sugar daddy?

Zhao Jichuan lowered his head, took out his phone, and prepared to call Han Rao.

It’s not a solution for her and Xie Yaochen to remain deadlocked like this\u2014someone has to break the stalemate, right?

Then he would lend her a hand.

As soon as Zhao Jichuan turned on the screen, the motion-activated light that had just gone off flickered back on.

The sound wasn’t deliberately made by anyone\u2014it was Han Rao genuinely raising her hand to slap Xie Yaochen across the face.

The woman’s gaze was piercingly sharp. She raised her hand and delivered another slap, causing Xie Yaochen’s head to jerk sideways as he stared at her in disbelief.

Her voice was devoid of warmth as she asked him coolly, “Had enough?”

It seemed that if he felt it wasn’t enough, she could still satisfy him by hitting him a few more times.

Xie Yaochen twitched the corner of his mouth, feeling half his face go numb. He stared dumbfounded at Han Rao, realizing he barely recognized her anymore\u2014or perhaps, he had never truly known her at all.

Seeing Xie Yaochen say no more, Han Rao turned around and walked away with her bag.

Zhao Jichuan took the opportunity to turn off the car lights. He raised an eyebrow\u2014previously, he had only thought of her as a gentle kitten, occasionally extending her claws for a playful scratch.

Now it seems clear that she is a wild wolf, the kind that bares its fangs.<\/p>","protected":false},"parent":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}}},"novel":[],"class_list":["post-2970","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/2970","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2970"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/2970\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3020,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/chapter\/2970\/revisions\/3020"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2970"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"novel","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/velvetink.xyz\/my\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/novel?post=2970"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}