The One True System

1.9

Soon after he had finished his drink, Gao Xi had slowly began feeling muddleheaded. He stared at his glass in wonder - when had he become so intolerant of alcohol? "Excuse me," Gao Xi said, feeling his face heat up. "I think I need to use the restroom."

Feng Mei, who hadn't even finished half of her drink, looked concernedly at him. "Alright, I'll wait for you. If you need help, let me know."

-

Close by, Li Shu and Gao Lou had just been seated at a table. Li Shu had been keeping an eye on Gao Xi from the moment she had entered - she had planned all this in advance, after all, and had even placed her own men to work as servers so make sure everything went according to her plans.

The moment she saw Li Shu leave his table, she turned to Gao Lou. "Excuse me, I need to freshen up a bit." She said, and followed Gao Xi from a distance. She smirked to herself - her plan was already in motion, and soon her status as Gao Xi's fiance would be cemented.

-

The restaurant they were in was actually located in a high class hotel. Between the restroom and the restaurant, there was a long hallway - and that was where Li Shu stood, frustrated at having lost sight of her target.

"Has anyone passed by?" She asked a waiter - one of the men she had hired to keep a lookout.

The waiter nodded. "Yes, a young man just entered the bathroom."

"You made sure no one else could come in before him, right?"

"No one was allowed inside the hallway before then."

Satisfied, Li Shu allowed herself a victorious smirk. "Don't forget to make sure that ugly old man finds me after ten minutes." She ordered, and set off towards her target.

Standing in front of the restroom door, Li Shu knocked once, then twice. "Gao Xi, was that you I saw in the hallway?" She asked, her tone of voice instantly switching from cruel to soft, making sure she sounded as innocent as possible. "I saw you didn't look too well, do you need help?"

There was no reply from him for a few moments, before she heard a low groan from within. She smiled once more. So the drug was already taking effect? Good.

"Are you alright?" She called out again, faking concern. "I'm coming in!" 

With that, she pushed open the door, and entered the restroom.

-

Ten minutes passed by, and with still no sight of Gao Xi, Feng Mei became more and more worried. Just as she was about to stand up, she received a call from her brother. Curious, she picked up the phone.

"Look up." Was his greeting. When she did so, Feng Yi was waving at her. "What a coincidence! If you're alone, come up for a chat!"

The issue of Gao Xi momentarily set aside, Feng Mei nodded, and headed towards the stairs to where her brother was seated. If nothing else, she could ask for his assistance to look for Gao Xi in the men's restroom - she was a lady, after all.

-

In another table, Gao Lou was also growing more concerned as Li Shu had not returned. When the waiter questioned him on Li Shu's order, he decided that enough was enough, and he would go search for her on his own.

Since she went to the restroom, he headed there himself. But as he walked through the hallway, he began to hear odd noises.

Suddenly, the door to the men's restroom burst open, and out came Li Shu, dressed indecently with her hair in disarray. She choked out a sob, and then fell to her knees. Gao Lou, seeing this, rushed to her side and bent down to help her, hands on her arms in support.