Zhao Yun's alarm rang loudly, startling him to the ground. He groaned, slapping the snooze button. He had slept off on the sofa that morning after returning from the hospital.
He yelled, jumping and kicking the air angrily. Another evening shift. Another night of endless patients, beeping monitors, and fluorescent lights that never seemed to turn off. Yun rubbed his eyes, yawned, and rushed to take a bath. He pulled on his white coat, mentally preparing himself.
Breakfast had been rushed. Lunch had been skipped entirely. Now, he grabbed a quick bite from the kitchen, a steamed bun still warm from the bakery downstairs and shoved it into his bag.
He didn't bother changing into something fancy beneath his coat. It was just him, his uniform, and the streets of Shanghai leading him to the hospital.
The city hummed with neon lights, cars honking, people moving in waves. Yun walked past them, taking bites of his bun, paying no attention to the occasional stares he caught. A young doctor in a white coat, eating while walking, carrying the air of self, it wasn't unusual.
He entered the sliding doors of Ruijin Hospital, the smell of antiseptic and sterilized air greeting him like an old friend. A nurse at the entrance gave him a polite nod, though her glance lingered. He didn't care. He never did.
He exhaled, fatigue still clung to him. When he had arrived home that morning, his girlfriend had already left for work. They never got a chance to meet.
Tonight, he reminded himself, it was all about work. Patients first. Nothing else.
At his back, two men in black suits were standing next to him, as if looking for something, their expressions unreadable. They weren't ordinary security guards. They were Li Wei's men.
One of them moved the instant he saw Zhao Yun. His eyes, sharp and watchful, flickered with recognition. He leaned close to the other and murmured something in rapid Mandarin.
The other nodded once.
Before Zhao Yun could even reach the nurse's station, both men stepped forward, blocking his path.
Zhao Yun stopped, frowning. "Excuse me."
One of the men bowed his head slightly, his voice calm but firm. "Doctor Zhao. The boss is waiting for you."
Yun's chest tightened. "The… boss?"
"Li Wei," the man clarified, as if the name didn't need explanation.
Zhao Yun exhaled, adjusting his glasses. He knew better than to argue in the middle of a crowded hallway where patients and staff were already casting nervous glances. Instead, he forced himself to walk past them, pretending he didn't know them.
Inside the ICU room, Li Wei was half-sitting on the bed, his posture proud despite the healing wound on his side. His hair was neatly brushed back, his jaw sharp in the dim light. Even weakened, he radiated the kind of authority that filled the room completely.
The moment Zhao Yun stepped inside, Li Wei's lips curved faintly.
"You came back."
Yun kept his expression neutral. "This is a hospital, Mr. Li. My duty, I work here."
Wei chuckled lowly. "You still insist on formality. I like that." His eyes softened, though the intensity behind them never wavered. "Zhao Yun. Sit."
"I'm not here to sit," Yun replied coolly, moving to check the IV drip instead. "I'm here to examine you."
Wei tilted his head, watching Yun's hands with unsettling interest. "You're the only doctor I'll allow to touch me."
Yun froze for a fraction of a second before recovering. "Mr. Li Wei, I'm flattered" he smiled then continued, "You're a patient and we care about your health, we all do. Any licensed physician can..."
"No," Wei interrupted, his voice low but final. "Only you."
Yun glanced at him, irritation flashing in his eyes. "Mr. Li Wei, with due respect, I have a lot of patients to attend to and can't be fixed in one place. This is a hospital."
The corner of Wei's lips curved into a dangerous smile. "You'd be surprised, doctor."
The words hung in the air like smoke.
Zhao Yun forced himself to ignore it, checking Li Wei's wound carefully.
"The wounds were stitched up well yesterday, full recovering is guaranteed," Yun said finally, stepping back. "With rest, you'll make a full recovery."
Wei's gaze never left him. "Then stay."
Yun blinked. "Sorry Mr. Wei, but hosp..?"
"Stay here," Wei said simply, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. "Beside me."
Yun's lips pressed into a thin line. "I have other patients, Mr. Li. I can't..."
"Zhao Yun," Wei interrupted again, and this time his tone was soft, almost tender. "Do you know how many people I've trusted with my life? None. Not a single soul. And yet, I let you cut me open. I let you hold my life in your hands. That means something."
Yun's chest tightened. His instincts screamed at him to walk out, to shut this down before it spiraled further. But Li Wei's eyes pinned him in place, burning with an obsession so raw it was terrifying.
Wei's voice dropped, almost a whisper. "You saved me. Now you belong to me, Zhao Yun. The sooner you accept it, the easier it will be."
The steady beep of the monitor filled the silence between them. Yun's hands curled into fists at his sides, his heart hammering against his ribs.
"I'm sorry Mr. Li Wei," Yun said coldly, patience running. "I'm your doctor. I serve you as well as my other patients."
Wei smiled, slow and dangerous, as though he hadn't heard the rejection at all.
"We'll see."
---
The ICU hummed with the steady rhythm of monitors and ventilators, but the tension in the air was almost tangible.
Zhao Yun had finished checking Li Wei's vitals for the third time that evening. His hands moved methodically, his voice calm, but he couldn't ignore the weight pressing down on him from the corner of the room.
Li Wei's eyes followed him constantly, a predator watching its favorite prey. Every step Yun took, every move he made, was cataloged. Every glance, every breath, seemed to belong to Wei.
"You're back again," Li Wei said softly, almost a whisper, though his presence filled the room. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd forget me."
"I have patients to check on, Mr. Li," Yun replied, forcing neutrality into his tone. "You're stable. You should rest."
Wei's lips curved into the faintest smile. "Rest… yes. But you will stay here."
Yun frowned. "I have responsibilities elsewhere. Other patients need me."
Wei leaned back against the pillows, tilting his head like he was studying Yun. "Other patients don't matter. I do. I am your priority now."
At that moment, one of the guards quietly stepped forward, holding a tray of food. Yun's stomach turned a little, not from hunger, but from the sheer weight of the situation.
"Your dinner, doctor," the guard said softly. "For the boss. He insists you eat it here."
Yun's hand twitched slightly. "I… I can't just eat here all night."
Wei's voice dropped, soft but sharp. "You will. Or do you think I won't make sure you do?"
The air grew colder. The nurses, usually bustling and confident, shuffled around the edges of the room, avoiding direct eye contact. Whispers rippled through the staff: "Doctor Zhao… he's the boss's favorite."
Yun swallowed hard, forcing himself to grab a bite of the warm rice and vegetables. His eyes never left Li Wei, whose gaze burned into him with an intensity that made his fingers tremble ever so slightly.
"You see?" Wei murmured, his voice almost gentle. "You belong here. Not outside. Not anywhere else. Only here… with me."
Yun's chest tightened. He wanted to deny it, to reject it, to remind the Don that he was just a doctor doing his job. But deep down, there was a tension he couldn't explain.
Wei's smile widened just a little. "Good. You feel it too. Don't fight it. You're mine, Zhao Yun. Even if you don't realize it yet."
The room seemed to shrink, the walls pressing closer as the unspoken truth sank into Yun's mind. Li Wei wasn't just dangerous. He was possessive. And Yun… Yun was already caught in the orbit of a storm he couldn't escape.