The hospital room had finally gone quiet. Zhenlong was asleep, soft snores coming from the bed. The only light came from the small lamp in the corner and the city glow through the window.
Zhiyuan stretched and yawned. "I'm so tired." He looked at the small sofa against the wall. "That sofa looks uncomfortable, but I think I could sleep anywhere right now."
He walked over and lay down, curling up on the small space. Yichen followed, standing over him with a look that Zhiyuan knew too well.
"What?" Zhiyuan asked suspiciously.
Yichen didn't answer. He just hovered over him, then leaned down and pressed his lips to Zhiyuan's.
Zhiyuan kissed back for a second, then pushed at his chest, eyes wide. "Yichen! We're in a hospital! And my dad is right there!"
Yichen pouted, the most pathetic pout Zhiyuan had ever seen. "But I need energy. I'm so tired. This is the only thing that gives me energy."
"That's not how energy works."
"It's how MY energy works." Yichen leaned in again.
Zhiyuan pushed him harder. "Then rest. Sleep. Don't cause trouble."
Yichen pouted again, but instead of backing off, he pinned Zhiyuan down on the small sofa, hovering over him with a mischievous grin.
Zhiyuan's eyes went wide. "What the hell are you doing?"
Yichen grinned, that dangerous, playful grin. "I just feel... naughty." He leaned closer, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I was wondering how it would feel. Doing it in a hospital. Right under your dad's nose."
Zhiyuan's mouth fell open. "Are you a maniac? Have you lost your mind?"
"No." Yichen leaned down and kissed him softly, cutting off any protest. When he pulled back, he nuzzled into Zhiyuan's neck, breathing warm against his skin. "I'm not a maniac. I'm an addict."
"An addict?" Zhiyuan's voice was shaky now.
Yichen nodded against his neck. "Mmhmm. Addicted to you. Can't help myself. It's a medical condition."
"That's not—" Zhiyuan's breath hitched as Yichen's lips found a sensitive spot. "Okay, okay, enough. Let go of me."
But Yichen didn't let go. Instead, he slowly started pressing soft kisses along Zhiyuan's neck, finding that perfect spot just below his ear.
Zhiyuan bit his lip hard, trying not to make a sound. His hands gripped Yichen's shoulders, half pushing, half holding on.
"Yichen," he whispered urgently. "Stop. My dad is right there."
"He's asleep." Kiss. "Very asleep." Another kiss. "Could sleep through anything." Another.
Zhiyuan's eyes fluttered closed despite himself. "You're... you're impossible..."
Yichen smiled against his skin, leaving a small mark. "I know. But you love me."
Zhiyuan opened his eyes and glared, but there was no heat in it. "I regret everything."
"No you don't." Yichen kissed the spot he'd just marked, softer this time. "You love me. You're addicted too."
"I am NOT—" Another kiss cut him off.
From across the room, Zhenlong's snoring hitched for a moment. Both of them froze completely.
They stayed absolutely still, barely breathing.
After a long moment, the snoring continued, steady and undisturbed.
Zhiyuan let out a shaky breath and shoved Yichen hard. "Get off. Now."
Yichen, still grinning, finally rolled off, landing beside Zhiyuan on the cramped sofa. He wrapped an arm around him, pulling him close.
"Fine, fine. But only because your dad almost woke up."
Zhiyuan buried his face in Yichen's chest, hiding his burning cheeks. "You're going to be the death of me."
"But what a way to go, right?"
Zhiyuan hit him, but there was no force behind it. He was smiling, despite everything.
"Go to sleep, you idiot."
"Love you too, bao bei."
They were tangled together on the small sofa, fast asleep. The night was quiet except for the soft beeping of machines and Zhenlong's steady breathing.
Hours passed.
The door opened with a soft click.
Yichen's eyes flickered open for a second. Through sleepy vision, he saw a figure in nurse uniform approach Zhenlong's bed. Probably here to check his IV, Yichen thought groggily. Or take it off. Must be shift change.
His eyes closed again. He pulled Zhiyuan closer and drifted back to sleep.
The nurse stood over Zhenlong's bed. In the dim light, his face was hard to see. He reached down and calmly inserted a syringe into the IV line.
Zhenlong's eyes fluttered open. Something was wrong. His body felt strange. Heavy.
He tried to speak, to call out, but his tongue wouldn't move. His words came out as slurred, unrecognizable sounds.
"Mmm... mmph..."
The nurse just stared down at him. Cold. Unmoving. Watching.
Zhenlong's fingers twitched. He couldn't move his arm. His chest felt tight. His breath was slowing, each one harder than the last.
The nurse turned slowly and walked out, disappearing into the hallway.
Zhenlong's eyes stayed on the door, fading. His hand twitched again, reaching for nothing.
The machine beside him started beeping. Slow at first. Then faster, more urgent.
BEEP... BEEP... BEEP... BEEEEEEEP—
The long, continuous tone sliced through the silence.
Yichen jolted awake, his instincts screaming. He saw the machine flatlining. He saw Zhenlong's still face.
"Boss!"
He was on his feet in seconds, rushing to the bed. He grabbed Zhenlong's shoulders, shaking.
"Boss! Wake up! ZHENLONG!"
No response.
Yichen laid him flat and started CPR, pressing hard on his chest, counting frantically.
"Come on, come on, come ON!"
Zhiyuan woke to chaos. He sat up, confused, still half-asleep. Then he saw Yichen pumping his father's chest. He saw the flatline on the monitor.
His blood turned to ice.
"Dad?" His voice was small, unbelieving. "Dad!"
He stumbled to the bed, grabbing his father's cold hand. "Dad, wake up. Please wake up."
Yichen kept pumping, sweat forming on his forehead. "CODE BLUE! WE NEED HELP IN HERE!"
Doctors and nurses rushed in, pushing them aside. One grabbed paddles.
"CLEAR!"
Zhenlong's body jerked. Nothing.
"AGAIN! CLEAR!"
Another jerk. The monitor stayed flat.
"One more! CLEAR!"
Nothing.
The lead doctor checked for pulse, for breathing. He looked at the clock. He looked at his team.
Slowly, he shook his head.
"Time of death: 1:47 AM."
The words hung in the air like poison.
Zhiyuan stood frozen. He heard the words, but they didn't make sense. They couldn't be real.
"No." He shook his head. "No, you're wrong. Check again. CHECK AGAIN!"
The doctor looked at him with sad eyes. "I'm so sorry. We did everything we could."
"No." Zhiyuan grabbed his father's hand. It was already cooling. "Dad, wake up. Please wake up. We were going to go fishing. We have a list. You promised."
Tears streamed down his face, but he didn't notice. He just held that hand, willing it to move, to squeeze back, to do anything.
"Dad, please. Don't leave me. Not now. Not when we just found each other."
Yichen stood behind him, his own face wet. He placed a hand on Zhiyuan's shoulder.
"Zhiyuan..." His voice broke.
Zhiyuan shook him off.
"You can't go," he whispered. "I just got you. I just got a dad. You can't leave me again. You CAN'T."
The sobs came then, great heaving cries that shook his whole body. The sound of a child losing a parent, raw and unbearable.
Yichen didn't know what to do. He just stood there, helpless, watching the man he love shatter into pieces.
The doctors quietly left, giving them space. The room was silent except for Zhiyuan's cries.
Yichen finally moved. wrapping his arms around Zhiyuan, holding Zhiyuan as he fell apart.
Zhiyuan couldn't stop crying, holding his father's cold hand, refusing to let go.
Outside the room, the night shift nurse whispering to each other confused. "That patient was stable. What happened?"
No one had answers.
And somewhere in the darkness, the mysterious nurse who had visited room 312 was already gone, disappeared like smoke into the night.
The hours that followed were a blur of white lights, hushed voices, and paperwork that Zhiyuan couldn't focus on. Yichen handled everything talking to hospital administrators, answering questions, signing forms. Zhiyuan stayed in that room, staring at nothing, his father's cold hand still burned into his memory.
Dawn broke. Gray and lifeless.
Dr. Shen arrived first, his face pale. Guo Lian was right behind him. They had gotten the call at 3 AM.
"Where is he?" Dr. Shen asked Yichen quietly.
"In there." Yichen nodded toward the room. "He hasn't moved for hours. Won't talk. Won't even drink water."
Dr. Shen's jaw tightened. He walked into the room.
Zhiyuan was on the bed, still in the same spot, curled where his father had lain. The body was gone now, taken away, but Zhiyuan hadn't moved.
"Zhiyuan." Dr. Shen's voice was soft.
No response.
He sat beside him, placing a gentle hand on his back. "I'm so sorry. I know... I know how much he meant to you."
Still nothing.
Dr. Shen's eyes filled. He had known Zhenlong for decades. Fought with him, argued with him, secretly loved seeing him happy with Wenhao. The loss was his too. But right now, the boy mattered more.
"I'm here," Dr. Shen whispered. "We're all here. You're not alone."
Zhiyuan's eyes finally moved. They were red, swollen, empty.
"They killed him," Zhiyuan said, his voice a hollow rasp. "Someone killed him. A nurse came here. Yichen saw him. He wasn't supposed to die yet he was getting better..."
Dr. Shen's blood ran cold. "What?"
Xiao Xue and Miss Zhang arrived an hour later. Xiao Xue took one look at Zhiyuan and burst into tears. Miss Zhang held her, her own face stricken.
Guo Lian stood in the corner, silent, watching. His eyes kept moving to the door, to the hallway, scanning. Old habits.
"The police are investigating," Yichen told everyone quietly. "They reviewed footage. The nurse... he wasn't a real nurse. His face was covered. They're trying to track him."
"Who would do this?" Xiao Xue sobbed. "Who would kill Uncle Zhenlong? He was finally happy!"
No one had an answer. But dark looks passed between Yichen, Guo Lian, and Dr. Shen. The underworld had long memories. Zhenlong had many enemies. So did they.
Later that day, they brought Zhiyuan home. He moved like a ghost, letting Yichen guide him, letting others make decisions. The lively, strong CEO was gone, replaced by someone hollow and broken.
Yichen stayed by his side constantly. He didn't try to talk, didn't try to fix it. He just stayed. Held his hand. Made him drink water. Sat with him through the long, terrible silences.
At night, when they finally lay in bed, Zhiyuan spoke for the first time in hours.
"I never got to say goodbye."
Yichen held him tighter. "I know."
"I never told him... I never said... that I loved having him as my dad. That I was grateful. That I forgave him for all the lost years."
"He knew, bao bei. He knew."
"How? How could he know if I never said it?"
Yichen had no answer. He just held on as Zhiyuan cried again, the sobs muffled against his chest.
The funeral was three days later. Gray skies, light drizzle, a small gathering of people who truly cared.
Zhiyuan stood at the grave, holding a handful of dirt. Beside him, Wenhao's grave sat nearby.
"I'll find who did this," Zhiyuan whispered to the headstone. "I promise you, Dad. I'll find them. And I'll make them pay."
He let the dirt fall.
Yichen took his hand, leading him away from the grave, away from the rain, back toward the cars where the others waited.
The family drove home in silence, each lost in their own grief, each wondering how someone so larger than life could be gone so suddenly, so senselessly.
But in the back of Yichen's mind, a fire was building. Someone had done this. Someone had taken Zhenlong from them. And when they found that someone, there would be hell to pay.
Yichen walked into the bedroom carrying a small tray. A bowl of soup. Some bread. Simple things. Things Zhiyuan hadn't touched in two days.
Zhiyuan sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the wall. He hadn't changed clothes. His eyes were empty.
Yichen sat beside him. He placed the tray on the nightstand and took Zhiyuan's cold hand.
"Bao bei," he said softly. "Please. You need to eat something. Just a few bites. For me?"
Zhiyuan didn't respond. Didn't move.
Yichen squeezed his hand. "I know it's hard. I know. But you can't stop eating. You'll get sick."
Silence.
Yichen tried again. "Please, Zhiyuan. Just look at me."
Slowly, Zhiyuan turned. His eyes were red, swollen, lifeless. But then something cracked. The emptiness filled with pain, raw and overwhelming.
His face crumpled.
"Yichen..."
"I'm here, bao bei. I'm right here."
Zhiyuan's body started shaking. A small sound escaped his throat, then another, then he broke completely.
He fell into Yichen's arms, clutching at his shirt, his whole body wracked with sobs.
"I want my dad," he cried, the words torn from somewhere deep and wounded. "Please. Please. I want my dad back. I'll do anything. Anything. Just give him back. Yichen, please. Please."
Yichen held him tight, one hand cradling his head, the other wrapped around his back. "I am sorry I wish I could"
"It hurts." Zhiyuan's voice was high, childlike, desperate. "Yichen, it hurts so bad. My heart... it's hurting. It's hurting so much. I can't breathe. Why? Why me? Why does God keep taking everyone from me?"
"What did I do?" Zhiyuan pulled back just enough to look at Yichen's face, his own face destroyed by grief. "What did I do wrong? First my father Wenhao. Then my baby. Now Zhenlong. What did I do to deserve this? Why does everyone I love get taken away?"
Yichen for the first time had no answer. He just held on.
"I'm sorry," Zhiyuan sobbed, gripping Yichen's shirt so tight his knuckles were white. "I'm sorry I'm like this. I'm sorry I'm weak. I just... I can't... I can't do this. I can't lose anyone else. Yichen, please don't leave me. Promise me you won't leave me."
"I'm not going anywhere," Yichen whispered fiercely. "Ever. I promise."
"We'll find who did this," Yichen said, his voice rough but steady. "We'll find the person who killed him. I swear to you, we will."
Zhiyuan shook his head violently, fresh tears spraying. "It won't bring him back! Finding them won't bring my dad back! I want HIM. I want my dad. I want to hear his voice again. I want him to call me stubborn. I want him to argue with Dr. Shen. I want him to complain about hospital food. I want... I want..."
He dissolved again, burying his face in Yichen's chest, sobbing like a little boy who had lost everything.
Yichen just held him, rocking gently, tears streaming down his own face.
For hours, Zhiyuan cried. He cried until his voice gave out, until his body had nothing left, until he was just small, shaking breaths against Yichen's chest. Through it all, Yichen held him. Didn't let go. Didn't move.
When Zhiyuan finally fell into an exhausted, troubled sleep, Yichen carefully laid him down, covered him with a blanket, and sat watching over him.
His own heart was shattered too. But he couldn't break. Not yet. He had to be strong for both of them.
He looked at the door, eyes hardening.
Whoever did this would pay. He would make sure of it. But first, he would hold his broken love together. Piece by tiny piece.