Night finally fell, just as Ivy Shen had been hoping. Tonight’s banquet was loaded with more than just the classic Beijing Roast Duck—Madam Yun had whipped up a whole spread of amazing dishes.
This place was Ivy’s own business. Every time they came in, it was through the back door. Other than the absolutely loyal staff, no one knew who they were, and no one had ever seen their true faces—since they always did a little ‘disguise’ work first. The whole point was to keep this business safe if their identities ever got exposed.
And Madam Yun? She honestly admired Ivy from the heart, always helped out with total devotion, and never had a single shady thought. Of course, if she ever did have even a hint of betrayal, Ivy would kill her on the spot—no hesitation!
Inside the huge private box, two round tables were absolutely packed with food. Every dish was carefully prepared, and just looking at them made your mouth water and your fingers twitch.
“Thanks for all your help, everyone. As for how we’re going to rescue my big sis, I think we need to make a solid plan. But first—let’s raise a glass!” Ivy stood up and said to the group.
“Xin’er, you can’t drink!” Lucian Vane blurted out, and the rest all nodded in a panic.
Tonight’s seating was weird. Normally all seven husbands sat together—so nobody would fight over who got to sit next to her. But tonight, they’d all agreed to let Lucian Vane and Ethan Chu take the spots at Ivy’s left and right, while Fire God and Ice God got shunted to the other table.
With two medical guys on either side, Ivy instantly knew what they were up to. “Relax, it’s tea, not wine,” she reassured them.
Ethan Chu didn’t say a word—he just picked up her cup and sniffed it carefully before handing it back. Only then did everyone stand up to toast and drink.
At that moment, Ivy secretly waved her sleeve. Thank goodness—thank goodness she’d remembered at the last second that Lucian Vane and Ethan Chu were both doctors. No matter how strong ordinary knockout powder was, it couldn’t beat their noses. Luckily, King Xiska’s travel bag had all sorts of drugs, including a knockout powder from Flame Valley that was way stronger than anything in the Central Plains—totally scentless, and supposedly undetectable even by top poison masters and imperial physicians.
Ivy was pretty satisfied with this setup. Stuff from Flame Valley wasn’t even known in the Central Plains—that’s why those seven guys got caught by that charm poison last time and never noticed. Now that she had this knockout powder, her plan could finally move forward.
“Cheers, this is great!” Fire God said with a big goofy grin, chugging wine and stuffing his face with roast duck. Who knew the Central Plains were this much fun? Tonight was seriously blowing his mind.
“Fire, eat up! We’re going clubbing downstairs later. That nurse-outfit lady said nighttime is when things really get wild, and there’s a ton of shows and magic tricks. Just the name sounds so cool!” Ice God urged, bouncing with excitement.
“Okay, okay!” Fire God laughed, nodding eagerly. The two of them felt super lucky to have come here with the King. Otherwise, they’d probably never get to try anything this awesome in their whole lives.
“Alright, let’s toast to a beautiful tomorrow!” King Xiska stood up and raised his glass to everyone.
Everyone quickly raised their glasses and drank again.
“Lucian, I’m feeling a little tired. I want to go back and rest—will you come with me?” Ivy looked at Lucian Vane.
Lucian Vane immediately replied, “Of course! Pregnant people get sleepy so easily—I’ll go with you.” Then he turned to Ethan Chu and said, “I’ll leave things to you here, you know what to do!”
“Got it!” Ethan Chu nodded. He totally got what Lucian meant.
“Sis, I’m leaving this to you. Once you’ve finished your discussion, come find me, okay? I want to know what you decided.” Ivy turned to Yvonne Li and reminded her.
“Don’t worry, I’ve got this. You go rest,” Yvonne Li said, standing up with a bold grin.
Ivy nodded and headed out with Lucian Vane.
As Lucian Vane helped Ivy out, the last bits of suspicion in the room quietly faded away.
King Xiska jumped at the chance—he led another round of toasts, and everyone started drinking with gusto. As their lips touched the wine, King Xiska watched them leave, his smile unconsciously growing wider.
Ivy Shen, you really know your stuff!
See, Ivy knew this was a Hongmen Feast—those seven guys would definitely be on guard, suspicious of everything. If she just tried to pour them drinks, that’d be way too obvious. By having Lucian Vane take care of her, letting Yvonne Li handle the planning, and King Xiska do all the talking, she made it so her husbands would drop their guard. And Lucian? He’d be even easier to deal with alone!
Inside the bedroom—
“Say ‘Daddy.’ Be good, baby, call Daddy!” Ivy lounged on the bed while Lucian Vane sat at the edge, ear pressed to her belly, talking to the ‘baby’ over and over.
“He’s not even formed yet, right?” Ivy reminded him, then frowned, “He’s inside an egg—he probably can’t hear you, you know?”
Lucian looked up, his seductive peach-blossom eyes full of confusion—hard not to get lost staring at him. “He can hear! The baby can definitely hear. Xin’er, what color do you think the baby’s tail will be?” He grinned, clearly hoping she’d say green—his color, obviously!
“What, if the baby isn’t yours, you won’t love it?”
“Of course not!” Lucian Vane scolded, sounding offended. “Xin’er, how could you say that? No matter who the baby’s real dad is, we’re all its fathers. That’s just how it is—even if it’s not mine.” He stared at her belly, then bent down to stroke it again, smiling. “Second Dad loves you too!”
Ivy’s heart instantly warmed at his words.
“Baby, you’ve got seven dads, you know. No matter whose you are, Second Dad will spoil you the most. When you hatch, Second Dad will teach you all his skills, okay?” He looked totally lost in the moment.
Seeing him like this, Ivy felt a mess of emotions. Tonight was the night—they were about to act. That place was full of deadly traps, and this time she was risking her life, not even knowing if she’d survive, let alone what would happen to the baby inside her.
“Xin’er… Xin’er, what’s wrong?” Lucian called her name twice, noticing Ivy was spacing out.
“No, it’s nothing. Actually, I’m a little thirsty—can you pour me some tea?” Ivy glanced at the teapot and asked Lucian Vane.
“Sure, of course.” Lucian didn’t hesitate and went to pour the tea.
“Xin’er, here you go.” Lucian sat by the bed and handed her the tea. Ivy took it, then suddenly looked nauseous. “Ugh, I feel sick.”
“I’ll go get you some sour plums.”
“No, wait.” Ivy grabbed his hand. “It’s not morning sickness—it’s just that you drank some wine earlier, and I can’t stand the smell. Here, drink this tea and rinse your mouth. Maybe the wine smell will go away.” Her lie was totally flawless.
“Sorry, I forgot.” Lucian looked genuinely sorry, so he drank the tea in one gulp. Worried the wine smell might still bother Ivy, he even grabbed the whole teapot and finished that too.
Seeing this, Ivy secretly breathed a sigh of relief. “Lucian, come here!”
“Xin’er?” Lucian moved closer, careful not to breathe wine fumes on her.
“Just remember, whatever I do, it’s for your own good. You have to forgive me.”
“Huh? What do you mean?” Lucian’s guard went up—he was about to ask more when he suddenly felt weak and dizzy.
“Lucian—” Ivy quickly supported him and eased him onto the bed.
“You… you put something in the tea…” Lucian frowned, clearly shocked.
“I’m sorry. I can’t let you risk yourselves.”
“Xin’er… you… you mustn’t…” Lucian’s vision blurred and his lips started to tremble. Just as he was about to pass out, he yanked out his hairpin and stabbed it into the back of his own hand—instantly, his mind cleared up a bit.
“Lucian, what are you doing?” Ivy was shocked by his sudden move.
“No, you can’t!” He grabbed her wrist. “You can’t go—you… you’re pregnant!”
“Lucian, don’t worry. I’ll take care of him. If I survive this, I promise I’ll give birth to him safely. That’s all I can promise you.”
“No, you can’t go. We… we’ll go together…”
“I know you’re worried, but don’t be. King Xiska’s here—you guys just get some sleep. Everything will be fine.”
“Xin’er… don’t…”
“I’m sorry!” Ivy turned away and chopped him on the neck—Lucian finally passed out.
Ivy quickly bandaged his hand, tucked him in, and hurried off toward the private box.