Everything was pitch black. Su An walked aimlessly, guided only by his senses. After an unknown amount of time, a faint shimmer of light appeared in the distance. Su An quickened his pace, running toward it.
Closer… closer…
A white door materialized before him. Upon pushing it open, he found a cramped, suffocating room with nothing but four white walls. At that moment, the sound of sobbing drifted from an inconspicuous corner, where a figure sat with knees hugged to their chest, facing the wall.
Su An walked cautiously toward the figure and reached out to pat their shoulder, but his fingers passed right through.
It was a phantom!
The phantom Su An turned his head to stare at him. To Su An’s surprise, the face was identical to his own.
“You’ve already been discovered…” The phantom Su An stood up abruptly, his hands snapping toward Su An’s throat with terrifying speed.
Su An’s vision blurred as he struggled to breathe. His fingers clawed desperately at the hands tightening around his neck, but he couldn’t break free. The oxygen in his lungs was nearly exhausted.
“The patient’s heart has stopped!” “Start the defibrillator! Inject adrenaline!”
“Destroy… destroy them.” Sensing the struggling force in his hands weaken, the phantom Su An gradually loosened his grip.
Seizing the opportunity, Su An broke free from the restraint, kneeling on the floor and gasping for air.
“Destroy them…” the phantom Su An repeated mechanically.
“Destroy who?” Su An asked, his breathing finally steadying as he looked at the figure.
The phantom didn’t answer. He simply raised a hand and tapped Su An’s forehead with his index finger. Instantly, a massive influx of memory fragments surged into Su An’s mind. Scenes played out like a revolving lantern; it took a long while for Su An to process the entire sequence.
In an instant, he understood exactly who the “them” in the phantom’s mouth referred to.
The phantom Su An said, “I have nothing left to linger for. As long as you destroy them for me, everything will be naturally resolved.”
“…Alright.”
The phantom Su An pushed him gently yet firmly toward the door. “Go back… and remember, you’ve already been discovered…”
…
Su An’s body convulsed twice on the hospital bed. On the monitor, the flatline began to ripple once more.
“The patient’s heartbeat is back!”
Looking at the restored rhythm on the EKG, the heavy weight in Gu Cheng’s heart finally lifted. He had seen many people fail to make it back from the brink of death, but this time, he had a gut feeling: if the person on this bed didn’t make it, the man waiting outside would likely lose his mind.
Su An, wearing an oxygen mask and eyes tightly shut, was wheeled out of the emergency room. Yu Feng and Wen Yun rushed forward. Facing Gu Cheng, who followed behind, Yu Feng asked directly, “How is he?”
“Sudden cardiac spasm. We haven’t diagnosed the specific cause yet, but he also has a fever. We’ve started him on an IV drip.”
Gu Cheng didn’t mention that Su An’s heart had temporarily stopped; he was afraid Yu Feng wouldn’t be able to handle it.
Wen Yun asked, “Does Xiao Su have an underlying heart condition?”
Gu Cheng frowned at the question. “Based on the full physical I gave him last time, his heart shouldn’t have any issues.” Recalling Su An’s reaction during the check-up, Gu Cheng suddenly noticed something off. “I remember now when I showed him the report, he specifically asked me if his heart was really okay.”
“It’s as if…” Gu Cheng hesitated.
“He believes there is something wrong with his heart,” Yu Feng finished the thought.
“Exactly!” Gu Cheng nodded emphatically. “He seems to have always believed he has a heart condition, but based on the reports, he’s fine other than being malnourished.”
Wen Yun felt a pang of heartache listening to this. She couldn’t imagine how much Su An had suffered in the Su family. Since the Su family was in the jewelry business, she had heard of them; they weren’t a massive clan, but there was no reason for a child to be malnourished unless he was being intentionally mistreated.
“Xiao Cheng, is Xiao Su’s body okay for now?” Wen Yun asked.
Gu Cheng reassured her, “I’ll run another check once he wakes up. Don’t worry, Auntie Wen. Sometimes extreme exhaustion can cause chest pain; it might not be a major issue.” He nudged the silent Yu Feng with his elbow.
“Mnh. Ms. Wen, it’s late. You should go rest,” Yu Feng said tonelessly.
Gu Cheng guided Wen Yun toward his office. “Auntie Wen, if you’re worried, you can stay in my lounge tonight. There’s an extra bed next door…”
Watching the two walk away, Yu Feng stood in place for a moment before heading toward Su An’s ward.
The ward was silent, save for the rhythmic beeping of the machines. Yu Feng sat by Su An’s bed, watching him lie there motionless under the oxygen mask, his thoughts unreadable.
Su An’s brow furrowed slightly in his sleep, his thick eyelashes trembling with a hint of unease. His mouth moved almost imperceptibly. Yu Feng noticed and leaned down, placing his ear close.
“Don’t go…”
Yu Feng froze. A dangerous glint flashed in the depths of his eyes, partially hidden by his long lashes. However, he quickly masked his expression and whispered soothingly, “I’m not going.”
He reached out and gently touched Su An’s palm, trying to let him feel his presence. Su An’s fingers twitched unconsciously, as if giving a tender response.
A long time passed before Yu Feng stood and left the room. It was 3:00 AM, but he was wide awake. He walked to the hospital rooftop and lit a cigarette. He didn’t smoke it, simply letting the red glow burn quietly between his fingers a habit he kept for when he was feeling troubled.
“What do you actually feel for him now?” Gu Cheng appeared out of nowhere, leaning against the doorframe with arms crossed, watching the man hidden in the shadows.
“I don’t want to let him leave,” Yu Feng said in a deep voice, flicking the ash.
The person involved is often confused, while the onlooker sees clearly. Having grown up with him, Gu Cheng knew Yu Feng’s temperament could be erratic due to his family background, but he had never seen him with this look on his face.
He couldn’t help but remind him, “You’ve fallen for him, Yu Feng.”
A long silence followed before Yu Feng spoke. “Is that so?”
He stubbed out the cigarette, letting the cold wind blow away the scent of smoke before heading back inside.
“Perhaps.”
The flat response vanished into the night wind.