The door to the hospital room swung open with urgency as the doctor entered, a nurse trailing closely behind. His eyes scanned the machines, then locked onto the pale, motionless figure of a girl lying on the bed.
"Move!" he ordered, brushing past Yi Chen, who stood still like a statue.
He rushed to her side, fingers quickly checking her pulse, then lifting her eyelids.
"She's semi-responsive... barely," he muttered. "Pupils are moving, but she's losing oxygen."
The nurse was already reaching for the oxygen tank.
"Oxygen mask!!!!now!" the doctor shouted. "Her breathing is shallow."
In seconds, the mask was placed over Xin Yi's face. Her chest fluttered....rising and falling irregularly.
"Blood pressure's crashing," the nurse reported, her voice tense.The doctor frowned deeply, his hand tightening around his penlight.
"Prepare 1mg of epinephrine. If we don't stabilize her now, we'll lose her."
Beside the bed, Yi Chen stood rooted to the ground, jaw clenched. His usual composure was slipping, his gaze fixed on Xin Yi's trembling form.She looked fragile...too fragile. Her lips were slightly blue, skin ghostly white. Her hand twitched against the blanket.
"She's... so young," he murmured, barely audible. "Why does she look like she's dying?"
The doctor injected the medication. The machines beeped faster. Slowly...too slowly...her breathing grew more regular. Color returned faintly to her cheeks.
After thirty long minutes, the doctor finally stepped back, letting out a breath.
"She's stable... for now."
Yi Chen's shoulders sagged slightly.
The doctor removed his gloves, glanced at him, and said, "Come with me. We need to talk."
In the doctor's office, the atmosphere was heavy.
The doctor sank into his seat, rubbing his temples before folding his hands together. Yi Chen remained standing at first, then finally sat down, tension humming under his skin.
"Yi Chen," the doctor began seriously, "I don't know the full story here, but that girl....she's on the edge."
Yi Chen didn't respond. His eyes were unreadable.
The doctor leaned forward. "Her vitals were unstable when she arrived, and this panic attack nearly pushed her into cardiac arrest. I've only seen this level of trauma response in war victims or long-term abuse survivors."
Yi Chen's jaw clenched.
"If this happens again," the doctor continued, "she might not survive. She could slip into a coma....or worse. Her nervous system won't be able to take another shock."
Yi Chen looked down, silent.
The doctor added carefully, "Mentally, she's fragile. Broken. You might think she's quiet or controlled, but inside, she's... screaming. Whatever she went through...it left scars deeper than we can see."
There was a long silence.
Finally, Yi Chen stood. His face gave nothing away but inside, his mind was chaos.
He left the room without a word.
In the hallway, Hao Yang approached him immediately.
"Boss?" he asked quietly. "What did the doctor say?"
Yi Chen didn't stop walking. His voice came out low."Stay here. When she wakes up... send her home."
huh????Hao Yang blinked. "boss...? Did you say send her... home?"
Yi Chen stopped and turned, eyes narrowed.
"Yes. I said send her home....."
"But... ?"
Yi Chen didn't answer. He pushed open Xin Yi's door and stepped inside.
Inside the room, the only sound was the quiet beep of machines and the soft hiss of oxygen. Xin Yi lay still beneath the blanket, the mask covering half her face. Her long lashes cast shadows on her pale cheeks.Yi Chen sat down heavily on the couch beside her bed. He leaned forward, elbows on knees, hands clasped together.
He watched her chest rise and fall, each breath shallow and delicate.His voice came out like a whisper.
"…What have I done?"
He let out a breath and ran both hands through his hair, raking it back. The image of her crying, pleading, collapsing ....burned in his memory.
He leaned his head against the wall, eyes closed.
He heard her voice echo in his mind:
"Please… don't let her take me…"
And again:
"I don't know what you're talking about...please just let me go…"
****
A single bulb swung from the ceiling, casting flickering shadows across the concrete floor. Blood stained the ground beneath the man lying sprawled at Leixian's feet. His breath came in short, wheezing bursts.
"Say it again," one of her guards growled, grabbing him by the collar.
The man coughed blood and choked out, "I told you.....I don't know where she is!"
THWACK!
A brutal punch landed squarely on his cheek.
"Stop lying!" the other guard shouted. "We know you were the last to see her!"
"Enough."
The room went still.
Leixian stood up slowly from her chair, the stiletto heels of her boots echoing as she stepped forward. Her eyes were calm but filled with a slow-burning fury.
She crouched down, grabbed the man by his hair, and yanked his head up.
"You know what I hate more than traitors?" she whispered, voice silky and dangerous. "Liars."
"B-Boss," he stammered, barely able to look her in the eyes. "I chased her that night she tried to escape...but she slipped. She fell down the stairs."
"You let her fall?" Her voice rose, trembling with rage. "You didn't stop her?"
"I swear! I was going to bring her back, but... two men....they were already there. They took her. They looked like they were from... high status. I couldn't stop them!"
Leixian's nails dug into his skin.
"You let someone take her from under your nose?" she seethed. "You gave her away to some elite bastard and now you stand here alive?"
"I don't know who they were!!!"
Leixian turned, throwing him to the floor.
"If the police find out she was in my facility and disappeared under your watch we're done."
The man scrambled to her feet, grabbing her ankle.
"Please, Boss! Give me another chance. One chance! I'll find her I'll drag her back here myself. Just... just don't kill me..."
She looked down at him coldly.
Then she turned to her guards."If he fails—burn him and bury the ashes."
The man's face turned ghost-white.
"Yes, Boss!" the guards responded.
Leixian turned back toward her desk, her eyes like ice.
"She's not gone," she muttered. "She's hiding. And when I find her..."She smiled darkly."I'll make sure she never runs again."