The Ritz-Carlton Shanghai - Grand Ballroom - 7:00 PM

The gala was a symphony of wealth and power with crystal chandeliers casting golden light over Shanghai's business elite, servers gliding between clusters of designer gowns and expensive suits, the soft clink of champagne glasses punctuating conversations worth millions of yuan.

Mei entered, she was holding Lu Rowan’s arm, and the feeling of a hundred stares assessing her. She recognized the looks of the same calculating gaze she'd endured at family gatherings that time she would arrive as a nobody but this time she was in the center of it all. These people could make or break careers with a word, and she was the unknown quantity they were trying to categorize.

"Breathe," Lu Rowan murmured against her ear, his hand steady at the small of her back. "You belong here more than half of them do remember you're Mrs Lu now ."

She drew strength from his certainty, letting it anchor her as they moved deeper into the crowd. Within minutes, they were surrounded by introductions from board members, investors, competitors who smiled with their mouths while their eyes calculated advantage.

"Lu Rowan," a silver-haired man approached with the confidence of old money. "I heard you've expanded into matrimony as well as construction."

"Zhang Wei," Lu Rowan replied smoothly. "Allow me to introduce my wife, Mei. She's a brilliant architect you might be interested in her portfolio for your Pudong project."

Mei felt a flutter of surprise at how naturally he positioned her as a professional equal rather than arm candy. She found her voice, discussing design philosophy and sustainable building practices with growing confidence as the men listened with genuine interest.

From across the room, she caught sight of a familiar figure.

Bai Liang stood near the cocktail bar, resplendent in red silk that had probably cost more than Mei's entire new wardrobe. She wasn't alone; she was with Shen Ji who hovered nearby, along with several other Skyline employees who'd clearly been there as part of some business networking opportunity.

"She's here," Mei said quietly, nodding toward her cousin.

Lu Rowan followed her gaze, his expression hardening. "I expected she might be. Stay close to me tonight, Mei. My world can be dangerous in ways that aren't always obvious."

8:30 PM - Near the Dining Area

The evening progressed with carefully orchestrated networking. Lu Rowan guided Mei through conversations with potential clients, his protective instincts manifesting in subtle ways, intercepting drinks from servers before they reached her hands, tasting appetizers from shared plates before she did, positioning himself between her and anyone whose intentions felt unclear.

"You're being very careful," Mei observed during a quiet moment.

"I've seen what people will do to gain advantage," he replied, scanning the crowd with practiced alertness. "In my position, paranoia isn't a character flaw—it's a survival skill."

Across the room, Bai Liang watched their interactions with growing frustration. She'd arrived tonight with a plan to expose Mei as the fraud she believed her to be, to prove that Lu Rowan's precious wife was nothing more than a vicious gold-digger who would embarrass him publicly. The small vial in her beaded clutch contained enough rohypnol to make Mei misbehave in front of people; it was perfect for creating a scandal that would destroy both her reputation and her marriage.

But Lu Rowan's protective behavior was making it impossible to get close to Mei, let alone slip anything into her drink or food and it made Bai frustrated.

9:15 PM - The Opportunity

The solution came in the form of Lu Rowan's cousin, David Lu, who approached their table with characteristic charm and three glasses of champagne.

"Rowan!" David's voice carried the easy confidence of someone who'd never been denied anything. "I wanted to toast and congratulate you for marrying before me. After Linda we thought you were done with love." He set the glasses down with a flourish, having already positioned himself to know exactly which one would end up in front of Mei.

Lu Rowan's eyes narrowed slightly,he'd never fully trusted David's motivations and why was he mentioning his ex in front of her, knowing his cousin's tendency to align with whoever offered the most immediate benefit.

"How thoughtful, she's special that's why l married her," Lu Rowan said carefully, but his hand moved to intercept Mei's glass before she could reach for it. Mei caught the statement but thought we are in a business partnership so it was none of her business.

"A toast," David continued, raising his own glass with practiced ease. "To new beginnings, profitable partnerships, and the beautiful women besides you."

What David didn't know was that Bai Liang had approached him twenty minutes earlier with a sob story about wanting to make peace with her cousin, asking him to deliver a "special champagne" as a gesture of reconciliation. She'd played to his ego, suggesting that as Lu Rowan's family, he was the perfect person to help heal old wounds.

Lu Rowan lifted the glass intended for Mei, studying the champagne with the unconscious thoroughness of someone accustomed to checking everything for potential threats. The liquid looked normal, smelled normal but something about David's overeager expression set off internal alarms.

"Actually," Lu Rowan said, making a split-second decision based purely on instinct, "let me taste this first." He brought the glass to his lips and took a substantial sip, his eyes never leaving David's face.

For a fraction of a second, David's expression faltered it was a flicker of something that might have been panic before his practiced smile reasserted itself.

"Of course, of course," David laughed, but the sound was slightly strained. "You're always a careful businessman."

Lu Rowan handed the glass to Mei, who accepted it without question, trusting his judgment completely. She took a few sips while continuing her conversation with a textile manufacturer's wife, unaware of the deadly game playing out around her.

9:45 PM - The Effects Begin

At first, Lu Rowan attributed the slight dizziness to the combination of champagne and a long day. But as they moved through the evening's networking obligations, he began to notice more concerning symptoms: a subtle disorientation, difficulty focusing on conversations, an unusual warmth spreading through his system.

He'd consumed enough alcohol in business settings to know his limits, and this felt different. Wrong.

"Are you alright?" Mei asked quietly, noticing how he'd begun to grip her arm more tightly, as if needing the anchor.

"I'm fine," he said automatically, but his voice sounded strange even to his own ears, less controlled than usual.

Across the room, Bai Liang watched with growing alarm as she realized what had happened. The drug was taking effect, but in the wrong person. This wasn't part of the plan. Lu Rowan was supposed to witness Mei's humiliation, not become incapacitated himself.

She tried to catch David's attention, to signal that they needed to abort whatever was happening, but he was deep in conversation with a group of investors, seemingly unaware that anything had gone wrong.

10:20 PM - Recognition

The full reality hit Lu Rowan during a conversation with the city's deputy mayor about municipal building contracts. Mid-sentence, his thoughts scattered like leaves in the wind, and he found himself staring at the man's face without comprehension, the words around him becoming meaningless noise.

Rohypnol. He'd seen its effects before in corporate espionage cases, knew the telltale signs of cognitive disruption and motor impairment. Someone had drugged him or rather, had tried to drug Mei and he'd intercepted it.

The realization came with a surge of cold fury that cut through the chemical fog in his brain. Someone at this gala, someone who had access to their table, their drinks had attempted to incapacitate his wife. The implications were terrifying: public humiliation at minimum, potential assault at worst.

"Mei," he said quietly, turning to her with effort that felt monumental. "We need to leave. Now."

She looked at him with concern, immediately noting the pallor of his skin, the slight tremor in his hands. "What's wrong?"

"Someone drugged the champagne you drank it too right," he said, each word requiring tremendous concentration to form clearly. "The one David brought. I drank it before you could."

Her face went white with understanding. Around them, the gala continued its glittering performance, but suddenly every smile looked predatory, every casual glance felt like a threat assessment.

"Who would do such a thing?" she whispered.

Lu Rowan's gaze found Bai Liang across the room. Her cousin stood frozen near the bar, her face a mask of barely controlled panic as she realized her plan had not only failed but potentially exposed her to consequences she hadn't considered.

"Someone who wanted to destroy you," he said grimly.

10:30 PM - Strategic Retreat

Getting Lu Rowan out of the gala without drawing attention required all of Mei's newfound confidence and quick thinking.The drug hadn't started to work in her coz she had only taken two sips. She positioned herself at his side like a supportive wife enjoying an intimate conversation, using her body to shield his growing disorientation from curious eyes.

"Mr Xu," she said quietly into Lu Rowan's phone when she managed to reach his assistant. "We need the car brought around immediately. Back entrance. And he said you should call Dr. Chen and tell him we may need him tonight."

Lu Rowan leaned heavily against her as they made their way toward the exit, his usual commanding presence reduced to stubborn determination not to collapse publicly. The rohypnol was winning the battle against his consciousness, but his protective instincts remained sharp even through the chemical haze.

"The contract with Zhang Wei," he muttered as they walked. "Make sure... make sure you follow up tomorrow. Your design... he wants your design."

Even drugged, even struggling to maintain basic motor function, he was thinking about work.

"I will," she promised, her arm steady around his waist. "But right now, you're not fine. As they reached the back entrance where Arthur waited with the car,