Chapter 117: 117, everything has gone wrong!

“Ruoshan, come. From now on, my Wang family will be your backer!”

The entire venue, both on and off the stage, fell silent as a grave. Everyone was thoroughly shocked, and their gazes turned to Mr. Wang Sr. with deep respect.

Amidst thunderous applause, Mr. Wang Sr. hurriedly accepted a packet of Divine Dragon Detox Powder. He mixed half with water to drink and evenly applied the other half to the painful area. Turning his head, he forced a relaxed smile at Yuan Ruoshan, whose cheeks were twitching uncontrollably.

“I, I… I’m sorry, Mr. Wang Sr., I… I’ve been afraid of snakes since I was a child!” Yuan Ruoshan’s face alternated between pale and green. He finally gritted his teeth and shook his head, refusing with all his might.

The offer was incredibly tempting, but that was a Five-Pace Snake—a highly lethal and ferocious creature!

Gamble my life for my future? I, Yuan Ruoshan, haven’t fallen that low!

“Ruoshan, didn’t you want to give a personal testimonial? If you back down now, you won’t be a true son of the Yuan family.”

Just then, from the front row of the VIP seats, Mr. Yuan Sr., who had been observing coldly, suddenly called out. The old man was smiling, looking so amiable and harmless that he seemed to be simply giving kind advice to a junior.

“…Mr. Yuan Sr. must know something,” Lin Fan muttered as the corner of his mouth twitched, staring at the live stream on his phone from the Yuandao Pharmaceuticals booth. “He’s intentionally setting Yuan Ruoshan up, right?”

Yuan Youwei smiled without a word.

It was Mrs. Xue who spoke, grinding her teeth in hatred. “He deserves it! That bastard Yuan Ruoshan bites the hand that feeds him. He deserves to be bitten to death by a Five-Pace Snake!

“Remember that night Iguchi Watanabe brought Chen Heihu to cause trouble at the manor? Yuan Ruoshan actually tried to force Mr. Yuan Sr. to sacrifice himself to save their pathetic lives! Now he’s digging his own grave trying to curry favor with the Wang family. He deserves to jump into this pit of fire!”

Lin Fan nodded in agreement and kept his eyes on the live stream.

“That’s right, Ruoshan. Your old man has spoken. How can you back down?”

On stage, Mr. Wang Sr. was also getting a little angry.

Yuan Ruoshan is backing out now? Isn’t he publicly showing that he doesn’t trust our Wang family’s Divine Dragon Detox Powder? On top of that, Old Man Yuan is clearly enjoying this!

At this thought, Mr. Wang Sr.’s expression darkened slightly. He signaled two Wang family members with his eyes. Ignoring Yuan Ruoshan’s desperate head-shaking, the two men strode forward. They each grabbed one of his shoulders and forcefully shoved his arm into the small iron cage!

“No, don’t! I don’t want to be bitten! I-I’m afraid of dying!” Yuan Ruoshan almost burst into tears, shouting and struggling desperately. He looked just like a pig being forced onto the slaughtering block.

This comical scene instantly drew roars of laughter from the audience, who all assumed it was just an amusing performance arranged by the Wang family.

“What are you afraid of? I was already bitten, and I’m perfectly…”

SPLAT!

Mr. Wang Sr.’s face went dark. He turned his back to the laughing crowd and scolded Yuan Ruoshan under his breath, but in the next moment, his expression contorted and his pupils widened in shock. He involuntarily spewed a mouthful of black, viscous blood all over Yuan Ruoshan!

“Ah, no, I don’t want to… MMPH! MMPH!”

The sudden disaster stunned the two Wang family members. Yuan Ruoshan was terrified out of his wits, and his struggles became even more frantic and pitiful.

Is this some kind of joke? Can’t they see Mr. Wang Sr. is having a reaction and vomiting blood? That so-called Divine Dragon Detox Powder didn’t work at all! I’m really going to be bitten to death on the spot!

Alas, before Yuan Ruoshan could finish shouting, one of the Wang family members quickly clamped a hand firmly over his mouth.

“Let the snake bite him!” Mr. Wang Sr. fought the urge to vomit again, swallowing the foul, metallic taste in his throat.

Something had gone wrong. Terribly wrong! Could it be true? Did Lin Fan really tamper with the medicine, just as Su Mengqing said?

An increasingly unbearable pain spread through his body. A chill ran down Mr. Wang Sr.’s spine as his vision went dark, his heart pounding in terror. He was in too deep to back out now. He absolutely could not let the truth be revealed! Otherwise, the reputation of the Wang family’s Tianchuan Pharmaceuticals would be utterly destroyed!

He secretly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and, ignoring Yuan Ruoshan’s fate, shot his men a look.

The two Wang family members, their foreheads dripping with cold sweat, immediately understood. With a sudden shove, they thrust the wailing Yuan Ruoshan forward!

Instantly, the Five-Pace Snake in the small iron cage reared its branded head and sank its fangs viciously into Yuan Ruoshan’s wrist!

At the sight, a collective gasp swept through the crowd. Everyone looked at Yuan Ruoshan with pity. Only Mr. Yuan Sr., who knew the truth, was still chuckling and shaking his head mockingly.

“It’s over! I’m going to die! I’m being poisoned to death! Someone, get me to a hospital, quick!”

THUMP!

As if a great weight had been lifted from them, the two Wang family members let go. Yuan Ruoshan immediately collapsed to the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

“Get up! No crying! Even if you die, you have to last until this press conference is over!” Mr. Wang Sr.’s steps were unsteady, and his old face had taken on a faint, dark hue. On his wrist, blisters were beginning to form around the snake bite. To keep others from noticing, the old man quickly pulled down his sleeve to hide it all. He then had someone hand Yuan Ruoshan a glass of water and another packet of Divine Dragon Detox Powder.

“Mr. Wang Sr., you… you’ve completely ruined me!” Wiping away his tears, Yuan Ruoshan gritted his teeth, struggled to his feet, and took the glass and the powder. He did the same, taking half internally and applying the other half to the wound. He knew perfectly well the stuff was useless, but at this point, he had no choice. Even if it was an act, he had to see it through!

“Hahaha, as everyone can see, our Wang family’s Divine Dragon Detox Powder is completely effective! It has powerfully suppressed the venom of the king of snakes!” Mr. Wang Sr. took the microphone and pulled over Yuan Ruoshan, whose smile was uglier than a grimace. The two of them stepped forward together to demonstrate the “effects” to the crowd below.

“Incredible! Absolutely incredible! I want to order 100,000 packets!”

“Me too! Me too!”

“Mr. Wang Sr., I want to sign a long-term cooperation agreement with your Tianchuan Pharmaceuticals!”

In an instant, many of the distributors and pharmacy representatives in the audience went wild, shouting with excitement.

“And don’t forget the new medicines from our Fang family, Meng family, and all the others!” Seeing the reaction, Mr. Wang Sr. grinned from ear to ear. Standing beside him, the Fang Family Head, Meng Family Head, and the others, their eyes burning with excitement, also quickly laughed and addressed the crowd.

The new product launch was a resounding success! It was a gift from the heavens! They were going to be rich, fabulously rich. Their nine Haicheng pharmaceutical giants would break out of the Southwest provinces and charge into the vast national and international markets!

“Everyone, please look! Hasn’t my old face become as white and radiant as snow?” To demonstrate the heaven-defying effects of the Heavenly Glow Moisturizer, the Fang Family Head happily strode to the edge of the stage and pushed his old face right into the camera lens.

“Ah! It hurts! My face hurts so much!”

The next moment, Iguchi Tama and the lucky female audience member who had followed him onto the stage exchanged horrified glances. They saw each other’s faces rapidly swell up, turning red and then black before the skin broke and began to ooze pus!

Iguchi Tama’s pupils shrank. She immediately spun around and rushed to the basin of clear water, desperately splashing it on her face. But as the water touched her skin, the searing pain didn’t lessen in the slightest. Instead, it intensified, feeling like thousands of gnawing ants!

“AAAAH! It’s killing me! I’m going to be disfigured! The Fang family are swindlers! You’re selling fake medicine!” The female audience member was already in tears, clutching her face as she rolled on the ground in agony.

And the Fang Family Head, still in front of the camera, was a grotesque sight. His face was a horrifying mask of ruptured skin, like a ghastly demon!

“No! Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”

Instantly, gasps of horror erupted from on and off the stage, accompanied by sharp intakes of breath. Everyone stared, mouths agape, as if they had seen a ghost. The Fang Family Head, enduring the excruciating pain, tried desperately to deny it.

THUD!

But the next moment, with a terrible scream, he could bear it no longer and pitched forward, tumbling off the stage!

“Cough, cough, cough… I feel so sick… so awful!”

As this sudden turn of events unfolded, panic began to ripple through the venue. But just then, Wen Zheyang and the two others who had taken the Meng family’s Moonlight Lung Soothing Cream suddenly froze, then doubled over, coughing violently!

SPLAT! SPLAT!

Their coughing grew more and more severe, as if they were trying to hack up their own lungs. Their faces turned a frightening shade of crimson. Then, they began to spew up large, black clots of blood. Their vitality rapidly drained away, and one after another, they collapsed to the ground!

THUMP! THUMP! THUMP!

At this sight, screams echoed from the audience as chaos erupted!

Mr. Wang Sr. stumbled backward, his face ashen.

It’s over… It’s all over. It’s just like Su Mengqing said. Lin Fan tampered with all of these new medicines!

SPLAT! SPLAT!

Feeling a wrenching pain in his heart, Mr. Wang Sr. could no longer hold back. He threw his head back and vomited streams of black, toxic blood!

“Ah! H-he… he’s taken five steps! He’s going to die! Someone get me to a hospital for the antivenom, quick!” Yuan Ruoshan, who had been standing nearby in a stupor, began to tremble uncontrollably, crying out in terror. In his mind, anyone bitten by a Five-Pace Snake could only take five steps before dying. So, despite his overwhelming fear, he could only stand frozen in place, wailing in helpless despair.

“Lin Fan! Lin Fan, may you die a horrible death!”

Sprawled on the stage, Mr. Wang Sr. let out a miserable scream. As he watched the audience scramble to their feet and flee the scene, his trembling finger pointed toward the Yuandao Pharmaceuticals booth at the edge of the venue. “Quick! Carry me over there! Only Lin Fan can save me!”

“Old Patriarch, you have to hold on!” The surrounding Wang family members, their faces pale with shock, scrambled onto the stage and clumsily carried Mr. Wang Sr. away.

“Quick, everyone, to Lin Fan! That bastard must have a way to cure us!” Seeing this, the Fang Family Head and the Meng Family Head immediately shouted to the people around them.

In an instant, everyone began surging toward the Yuandao Pharmaceuticals booth.

“And her! Drag her along, too!” As they passed the paralyzed Su Mengqing, Mr. Wang Sr., still vomiting blood, roared furiously.

“Why are you grabbing me?! This has nothing to do with me! I tried to warn you, but you wouldn’t listen!” Su Mengqing struggled frantically, trying to get up and run.

But the moment she moved, an iron grip seized her by her long hair, dragging her backward toward Lin Fan and the others.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep