Su Ci's porcelain-white skin was now covered with noticeable red rashes.
Looking at the girl's condition, Lu Zhe's gaze intensified as he grabbed her hand that was about to scratch her face. "Darling, don't scratch. It will leave scars."
Hearing Lu Zhe's words, Su Ci immediately controlled her hand.
Her eyes were reddening, and she was about to cry, "Am I going to be disfigured?"
Just thinking about it made Su Ci want to cry.
She wasn't afraid of anything except death and becoming ugly.
Usually, Su Ci took great care of her face and snow-white smooth skin. Now that her face was suddenly covered with so many red rashes, looking so horrifying, how could she handle it?
"You won't be." Lu Zhe's brows furrowed, the coldness in his eyes replaced by concern. "Did you touch something, or eat something that caused an allergic reaction?"
The girl's current condition looked like an allergic reaction.
Su Ci sniffled pitifully, "During the show recording earlier, I ate some lamb and sweet soup."
When Su Ci's face started itching, besides calling Lu Zhe first, she also called her elder brother Su ZhiYuan to have him send people to control the scene.
"I called my brother to help investigate," she said. Whether it was an accident or intentional, she wanted to get to the bottom of this.
The girl's cheeks were becoming slightly swollen, and Lu Zhe, worried about bacteria on his hands, dared not touch her face.
He took the hat she had removed earlier and helped her put it on, carefully hiding the white fluffy rabbit ears, then gently helped her put on a mask. "I'll take you to see a doctor first."
At this moment, there was another knock on the break room door, and Su ZhiYuan's voice came from outside.
Su Ci looked at Lu Zhe, "My brother is here."
Originally, Su ZhiYuan was in a company meeting, but after receiving his sister's call, he immediately dismissed the meeting and rushed over with his assistant.
Su ZhiYuan was tall and elegant, wearing a tailored silver-gray suit with a black shirt underneath. His refined features appeared even more stern, and his powerful aura as an authority figure was completely unmasked, causing everyone on set to turn and look.
"It's the CEO of Su Corporation!" someone whispered in excitement.
Many people held back their urge to scream - he was too handsome.
Outside the break room, Guan Jing hadn't left yet. When she saw Su ZhiYuan's sudden appearance, she was shocked - this was Su Ci's older brother?
There were many celebrities filming in the neighboring studio today, including some handsome male stars, but none of them could compare to the young man who had just walked into the break room, nor to Su ZhiYuan.
Looking at Su ZhiYuan, Guan Jing felt nervous and somewhat shy.
The director, after being notified by staff that the Su family's eldest son had arrived, hurriedly came over, frightened. "Mr... Mr. Su."
Why had he come?
"Where's Su Ci?" Su ZhiYuan's expression was cold.
So Su ZhiYuan had come for Su Ci.
The director replied, "Miss Su just finished recording the show. She seemed unwell and is currently in the break room."
The director felt uneasy. Su Ci suddenly became unwell - was it because she ate something from their production team? How had it even alarmed Mr. Su?
If that little ancestor really became ill from eating what they had prepared, he couldn't imagine if their small production team could withstand the Su family's fury.
Su ZhiYuan didn't look at the nervous director, instead knocking on the break room door.
After a while, the door opened, and Su Ci only showed her bright eyes, "Brother, only you can come in."
Everyone watched as Su ZhiYuan entered the break room, while his assistant and bodyguards remained outside.
The director reacted quickly and shrewdly.
He immediately had his assistant stop the staff from clearing away the food and utensils from the recording studio, and the food in the kitchen couldn't be moved either. Although they didn't know what had happened to the little ancestor inside, the fact that it had alarmed Mr. Su meant it wasn't a small matter.
Inside the break room, Su ZhiYuan was surprised by his sister's appearance, "Little Ci, what happened?"
"Brother, I'm disfigured," Su Ci started complaining to her brother, "My face is covered in red rashes, and it's so itchy."
Upon seeing his sister, Su ZhiYuan's intimidating aura disappeared, "Did you eat peanuts?"
Lu Zhe spoke up: "She's allergic to peanuts?"
"Little Ci has been allergic to peanuts since childhood, but only family members know about this." Su ZhiYuan remembered that his sister had lost her memory and didn't remember her peanut allergy, "It's my oversight. I forgot you lost your memory and don't remember your peanut allergy."
Su Ci indeed didn't know this body was allergic to peanuts. She shook her head, "I only ate lamb and sweet soup earlier, I didn't eat any peanuts."
Lu Zhe's eyes darkened: "It doesn't have to be peanuts, it could be peanut powder."
If Su Ci had eaten peanuts, it might have been prepared by the show's team, and Su Ci ate them by mistake - that would be an accident.
But if it was peanut powder, it meant someone might have known about Su Ci's peanut allergy and deliberately tried to harm her.
Su ZhiYuan had the same thought, "My people are outside. No one will leave until we investigate this clearly."
Su Ci coughed several times uncomfortably, her cheeks itching terribly, "Brother, besides our family, doesn't Qin Shiyan also know about my peanut allergy?"
If someone was trying to frame her, she could only think of Qin Shiyan, who was also present.
"She probably knows." Qin Shiyan used to play with his sister, so she would indeed know about this.
Su ZhiYuan told her, "You rest here first. I'll call a doctor, and I'll handle this matter. If this wasn't an accident, I won't let whoever harmed you get away with it."
Su Ci nodded.
After calling and notifying their family doctor to come immediately, Su ZhiYuan finally looked at Lu Zhe, "Why are you here too?"
"I asked him to come," Su Ci quickly explained for Lu Zhe, fearing her brother would give him a hard time: "I originally wanted to find him about something, but then this happened."
Even though Su ZhiYuan was slow when it came to emotions, he could now sense something different between his sister and Lu Zhe, but now wasn't the time to say anything about it. "The doctor is on his way. You rest first, and I'll go out now to investigate the cause."
If this was intentional, he wouldn't let whoever tried to harm his sister get away with it.
Su ZhiYuan had people begin searching the entire set.
Now everyone knew that Su Ci had gotten sick from eating the show's food. They quietly waited on the side, no one daring to say anything, all cooperating with the search, as none of them dared to offend the Su family.
Guan Jing watched Su ZhiYuan sitting there, his expression cold and his aura powerful, and her face reddened.
Su Ci's beautiful appearance was definitely an exception, and setting her aside, Guan Jing considered herself above average in looks within the entertainment industry.
Having this rare opportunity to meet the legendary head of the Su family, from the moment she saw Su ZhiYuan, her heart felt like it was being scratched by a cat.
Who wouldn't like a man who was both exceptionally handsome and capable?
In the end, Guan Jing didn't act like a naive girl and approach Su ZhiYuan, worried that she would be stopped by his bodyguards before she could even get close.
"What do you think happened to Su Ci? All of us guests ate the food prepared by the show's team, why is she the only one who became unwell?" Guan Jing whispered to her assistant beside her.
"Miss Guan, could someone be trying to harm Miss Su?" the assistant spoke very quietly, "The fact that it alarmed Miss Su's brother means it can't be as simple as a production team error."
Guan Jing was startled, a glint flashing in her eyes.
Su ZhiYuan's people searched through all the food prepared by the show's team, both at the recording site and in the kitchen, but found no traces of peanuts or peanut powder.
Even the sweet soup that Su Ci had eaten, with only a small amount remaining, was sent for expert analysis, and it contained no peanut ingredients.
After eating peanuts, Su Ci would show allergic reactions within half an hour, which meant she definitely ate something from the show's team and it wasn't caused by other food, but no peanuts or peanut powder were found in any of the food on site.
Su ZhiYuan's refined face bore a cold expression.
Finding no evidence made him more convinced that this was intentional, someone trying to harm his sister.
The assistant asked the silent Su ZhiYuan, "Mr. Su, should we continue searching?"
Su ZhiYuan's sharp gaze fell on the recording room's long table. "Have all the unused tableware tested as well."
His assistant quickly responded, "Yes, President Su."
In the break room, the doctor had arrived promptly.
After examining Su Ci, he confirmed that she was suffering from an allergic reaction causing rashes and a sore, coughing throat.
"Fortunately, Miss Su didn't consume much peanut, otherwise it could have been life-threatening." In foreign countries, peanut allergies were quite common, and there were numerous cases of deaths due to delayed treatment.
Lu Zhe pressed his thin lips together, his dark eyes fixed on Su Ci, filled with unspoken fear.
The doctor advised, "Miss Su must be careful with her diet from now on and avoid peanut-based foods."
Lu Zhe's voice was slightly hoarse, "Her face is very itchy. Is there anything that can help with the itching?"
The doctor nodded: "I'll prescribe some antihistamines and ointment that will help with the itching."
Su Ci's voice was muffled, "My face won't be permanently disfigured, will it?"
The doctor instructed: "Miss Su, don't scratch it. As long as you avoid the allergen, you'll recover quickly."
Hearing this, Su Ci finally let out a sigh of relief.
After the doctor left, Lu Zhe poured a glass of warm water and read the medication instructions before sorting out the pills for her, "Take these first."
Su Ci wasn't in the mood to act coy or playful with Lu Zhe now. She took the medicine and obediently swallowed it.
Lu Zhe washed his hands and sat down beside Su Ci. He took out the ointment the doctor had given them, "Turn your face towards me, I'll help you apply the medicine."
"I can do it myself." Now that she looked ugly, Su Ci didn't want Lu Zhe to look directly at her face, let alone help her apply medicine.
Before every video call, she had always prepared the perfect lighting and chosen her best angles to show Lu Zhe her most beautiful self.
Now her face was so ugly, covered in red rashes. She couldn't even stand looking at herself, and she definitely didn't want Lu Zhe to see her looking so unsightly.
Lu Zhe's tone was gentle, with a hint of coaxing: "There's no mirror here, it'll be difficult for you to apply it yourself. Didn't you say your face is itchy? It'll be faster if I help you."
Su Ci's face was indeed very itchy. She sniffled pitifully, "Then you can't dislike me for becoming ugly."
"I won't."
Only then did Su Ci turn her face toward Lu Zhe.
Lu Zhe removed the hat from her head, and a pair of pink and white rabbit ears immediately stood up. Her face was covered in red rashes, but her eyes remained bright and watery.
Hmm, like a pitiful, spotted-faced bunny.
Lu Zhe squeezed some ointment onto a cotton swab. He leaned down close to her, carefully applying the ointment to her face with the swab.
The ointment felt cool on her face, while the young man's breath felt warm against her skin.
Usually, being this close to Lu Zhe, Su Ci would have already been trying to steal kisses from him.
But now that she looked so ugly, being face-to-face with Lu Zhe was pure torture.
Su Ci leaned back slightly, "You're too close."
Lu Zhe's injured hand rested lightly on her waist, "Don't move, it'll be done soon."
He leaned in closer again.
Su Ci pressed her lips together. Her face wasn't just itchy now, but also burning hot. She had never been so embarrassed before.
No matter when, Su Ci had always been an exquisite girl. Now her face was covered in red rashes and swollen. How could she accept looking so ugly? Especially in front of the person she liked.
As these thoughts ran through her mind, Su Ci's eyes welled up with tears.
Seeing the girl's eyes brimming with tears and reddened corners, Lu Zhe sighed. He put down the cotton swab and pulled her onto his lap.
"Don't cry, you'll mess up your face with tears." Lu Zhe gently wiped her eyes with his fingertips, "Once we find who did this to you, I'll help you get revenge."
He knew the girl was feeling wronged.
Su Ci wanted to rest her head against Lu Zhe's chest, but her face was covered in ointment, and she didn't want to smear it on him.
She could only turn her head away, "You can't look at me."
Seeing the usually mischievous little troublemaker turned into a pitiful spotted-faced bunny spirit, Lu Zhe felt both heartache and amusement.
He reached out to cup her chin, making her look at him.
Lu Zhe's dark eyes fell on her face, then met her gaze, "Tuantuan, you're not ugly now."
Su Ci pressed her lips together, not wanting to respond.
Lu Zhe's fingertips stroked her chin a few times as he softly comforted her, "Even if you became ugly, I wouldn't mind."
He asked her, "Did you think I only liked you for your face?"
Su Ci's voice was muffled, "No."
Others might like her for her beauty, but Lu Zhe definitely wasn't like that. Even when she had tried to enchant him with her beauty like a spirit, he had remained unmoved. How could he be someone who only cared about looks?
Lu Zhe let out a soft laugh. He leaned in close again, his fingers holding her chin so she couldn't back away.
His cool lips met her rosy ones in a gentle, tender kiss.
It hurt his heart to see the usually proud and confident little troublemaker suddenly become so insecure.
Lu Zhe kissed the girl tenderly yet firmly. After a while, he pulled back slightly, his dark eyes filled with deep emotion, "Whether you're beautiful or become ugly, I'll still like you."
His voice was slightly hoarse, "Did you like me kissing you like that?"
Su Ci felt her heart skip a beat. Her dark eyes were bright, and her lips were glossy.
She nodded, her rabbit ears on top of her head bobbing along with the movement, "I liked it."
Wuu, she liked it too much.
This gentle Lu Zhe was hers.
In the recording studio, the air seemed to have frozen.
Su ZhiYuan's assistant reported to him that all the tableware had been tested and was clean, with nothing suspicious found.
People around them couldn't help but start whispering amongst themselves.
Beside them, the director finally felt able to relax the tension he'd been holding.
He had been worried that Su Ci's condition was caused by food provided by the show's staff. Now that both the food and utensils had been checked and found clean, it seemed the show wasn't responsible.
Su ZhiYuan's handsome features creased into a frown as he looked toward Qin Shiyan in the distance.
Qin Shiyan met Su ZhiYuan's gaze and nodded with a smile in greeting.
"President Su." At this moment, Guan Jing suddenly approached Su ZhiYuan.
Her beautiful face wore a polite smile, "President Su, I know why Miss Su became unwell."
Su ZhiYuan looked at her, gesturing for her to continue.
Guan Jing's heart fluttered when she saw Su ZhiYuan's gaze fall on her.
She steadied herself and said, "It was Xie Yumin. Miss Su ate the lamb that Xie Yumin gave her."
Since it wasn't the sugar water, the problem must have been with the grilled meat that Xie Yumin gave to Su Ci.
"Guan Jing!" Xie Yumin hadn't expected Guan Jing to openly accuse her.
"President Su, Miss Su became unwell shortly after eating Xie Yumin's lamb and ran out of the recording studio. Everyone present saw it," Guan Jing said with certainty.
Originally she hadn't been sure, but after hearing President Su's staff report that the sugar water and tableware were clean, she was ninety percent certain the problem lay with the lamb skewer Xie Yumin had given to Su Ci.
Xie Yumin glared coldly at Guan Jing, "I would never harm Su Ci, and I certainly wouldn't do something so stupid in front of so many cameras. Besides, I ate the lamb myself. Please don't spread rumors about me."
Now that their relationship had soured and she could see Guan Jing's true face, she realized how blind she had been before.
Su ZhiYuan ignored the two arguing women and directly told the director: "Pull up the footage that was just recorded."
Hearing Su ZhiYuan's words, Guan Jing shot Xie Yumin a triumphant look.
The director quickly had someone replay the recorded program for Su ZhiYuan.
Su Ci, wearing a hat and mask, came from the break room to the recording studio with Lu Zhe. She saw her brother reviewing the earlier broadcast, with the camera focused on the part where Xie Yumin was grilling.
The assistant told Su Ci that they hadn't found anything yet.
Everyone noticed that Su Ci was heavily covered up, indeed looking like someone who was unwell.
"Wait, please rewind twenty seconds." The young man's cool voice rang out.
The director didn't wait for the staff to react, quickly rewinding the video twenty seconds himself, right to the moment when Xie Yumin took a lamb skewer from the grill and sprinkled cumin powder on it.
Lu Zhe asked Su ZhiYuan, "Has that bottle of seasoning been tested?"
Su ZhiYuan's eyes sharpened, and he ordered the nearby staff to take all the seasonings for testing immediately.
Su Ci blinked and looked at the young man's chiseled profile, thinking about how attentive he was.
The Su family worked efficiently. Soon, the test results came back showing that the cumin powder provided by the show's production team contained peanut powder.
The director immediately understood - someone was clearly trying to harm the Su family's precious daughter.
The director nervously swallowed, "Mr. Su..."
Su ZhiYuan stood up, his refined features cold with anger. He ordered an immediate investigation into who was responsible for the show's seasonings, where they were purchased, and who had access to them.
Faced with Su ZhiYuan's fury, everyone's hearts felt like they were being squeezed by an invisible hand. They were so nervous and scared they could barely breathe, fearing they might become targets of his anger.
Guan Jing couldn't help speaking up: "Mr. Su, the seasonings passed through Xie Yumin's hands. She's the most suspicious and should be investigated first."
She had earlier warned Su ZhiYuan that the lamb Xie Yumin gave to Su Ci was problematic. Although the actual issue was with the seasoning, her suspicion of Xie Yumin wasn't entirely wrong.
Su ZhiYuan gave Guan Jing a cold look, "I don't need your advice on how to handle this."
Guan Jing's heart tightened, and she didn't dare speak out of turn again.
Unlike the others, when Su Ci heard the problem was with the cumin powder, she didn't look at Xie Yumin but instinctively glanced at Qin Shiyan, who was standing quietly.
Remembering something, Su Ci walked over to the director and scrolled through the video footage to Qin Shiyan's scenes.
On screen, Qin Shiyan was grilling skillfully. She brushed a layer of honey glaze on the meat skewers, turning them golden brown and glistening with oil, making them look incredibly appetizing.
Then, Qin Shiyan offered the grilled skewers to Su Ci, who declined them.
The director looked confused, not seeing anything suspicious.
Su Ci continued scrolling through the footage, again stopping at Qin Shiyan's scenes.
The screen showed that after Su Ci's rejection, Qin Shiyan looked disappointed but maintained a graceful smile, remaining poised and proper.
Qin Shiyan continued grilling, preparing more meat skewers and other foods, then sprinkled cumin powder on the grilled meat.
Su Ci continued advancing the footage.
Lu Zhe's brows furrowed deeply.
There were several more shots of Qin Shiyan sprinkling cumin powder on the grilled meat and quietly eating the skewers.
Except for the first time, when Qin Shiyan offered her honey-glazed meat without cumin powder, every subsequent time she grilled, she used cumin powder.
Why didn't Qin Shiyan put cumin powder on the meat she offered to Su Ci?
Because Qin Shiyan knew there was something wrong with the cumin powder, and she couldn't personally hand problematic meat to Su Ci!
Su Ci's gaze turned cold, and beside her, both Su ZhiYuan and Lu Zhe's expressions darkened.
The director felt their oppressive aura and couldn't help but shudder.
What was going on?
Was Qin Shiyan trying to harm Su Ci?
But that didn't make sense - hadn't Su Ci refused Qin Shiyan's meat skewers? Qin Shiyan had just been quietly grilling the whole time.
Su Ci walked up to Qin Shiyan. Her eyes, visible above her mask, were ice-cold. "You put peanut powder in the cumin powder."
Looking at Qin Shiyan, her tone was nearly venomous, "Why did you try to harm me?"
Qin Shiyan was stunned by Su Ci's accusation and replied softly, "Ci Ci, there must be some misunderstanding. How could I possibly harm you?"
Su Ci glared at her coldly, "Because I ruined your career in the entertainment industry."
Qin Shiyan's breath caught, her fingernails nearly digging into her palms.
"Besides my family, only you knew about my peanut allergy." Su Ci coughed a few times, then raised her hand and slapped Qin Shiyan hard across the face. "You not only wanted to ruin my face but also wanted to take my life!"
The sharp "slap" made everyone present jump. Watching Su Ci's overwhelming presence, they wished they could sink into the ground or turn invisible - the Su family's daughter was terrifying.
As the pain spread, a visible red handprint appeared on Qin Shiyan's face. She touched her cheek in disbelief, "Su Ci!"
"Does it hurt?" Su Ci looked at her coldly. "You deserve it."
Qin Shiyan should never, ever have dared to threaten her stunning beauty!
