The hospital room was still, wrapped in a soft silence only broken by the faint rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor. Moonlight spilled through the half-open blinds, casting silver streaks across the polished floor and the pale sheets of the hospital bed.
The air smelled like antiseptic—sharp and sterile. Cold.
Xin Yi stirred.
Her eyelashes fluttered once. Then again.
A shudder passed through her body as her lungs pulled in a shaky breath. Her fingers twitched beneath the blanket. Slowly, painfully, her eyes opened.
Everything was blurry.
The world swam in and out of focus like she was underwater. The ceiling above her came into view first—white, sterile tiles dotted with faint cracks. Fluorescent lights buzzed faintly in the distance.
"Where… am I…?" she whispered, her voice hoarse, barely audible.
Her throat was dry, lips chapped. Every word felt like it scraped against sandpaper.
She blinked rapidly, vision adjusting. When she turned her head slightly, her gaze landed on the figure of a man slouched in a nearby armchair. He was asleep, arms crossed, head tilted awkwardly to the side. His dark hair was messy, a crease between his brows as though even in sleep, he couldn't relax.
He looked young—early thirties, maybe—and exhausted.
Xin Yi stared at him.
Who is he?Did… he bring me here? Why?
Her heart began to pound harder against her ribcage, loud and panicked.
Instinct screamed louder than reason.
She had to go.....She had to run.....
Every alarm in her mind was ringing, warning her not to trust anything—anyone.
She slowly pushed the blanket off her legs. The cold air rushed against her bare skin, sending goosebumps crawling across her arms. A sharp pain shot through her skull the moment she tried to sit up.
"Ahh…" she hissed, clutching her head. It felt like someone had driven a nail straight through her temples. Her vision blurred again, but she fought against it.
"I have to go… I have to…"
Her hand reached for the IV drip attached to her arm. She yanked it out with a wince, the sharp pain followed by a thin stream of blood trickling down her wrist.
But she didn't stop.
She swung her legs off the bed, her bare feet meeting the icy floor. The sensation grounded her, gave her something real to hold onto.
She grabbed the side table for support, but her weight caused it to scrape loudly against the floor.
The sound echoed like a gunshot in the quiet room.
Hao Yang stirred.
His eyes blinked open—confused at first—then widened the moment he saw her upright.
"Hey—! Hey, you're awake?" he said, voice cracking from sleep. He stood up quickly, alarm flashing in his expression.
Xin Yi flinched, her eyes wild with panic. She backed away, inching toward the door.
"No, no, no—don't run!" Hao Yang raised both hands, stepping toward her slowly. "You're hurt—wait, just let me—"
But she didn't hear him. Or maybe she didn't want to.
She spun and bolted for the door.
"Wait—please!"
The door flung open with a loud clatter as she raced out, her hospital gown fluttering behind her. The cold corridor hit her like a wall of ice. The polished tiles stung her bare feet, but she didn't care.
She ran....
Her breath came out in ragged gasps, chest heaving. Behind her, she could hear footsteps—someone was chasing her.
Her head kept jerking back to check, eyes wide with fear.
I can't go back. .....I can't.... I won't.
The hallway stretched endlessly ahead, the lights above buzzing and flickering as she sprinted. She turned the corner sharply, almost slipping—
—and slammed into something.
Hard.
"Ahh—!" she cried out in pain, stumbling backward. Her injured body couldn't take the impact.
But before she could hit the ground, strong arms caught her.
Firm. Warm. Protective.
A hand slid around her waist, pulling her in with practiced ease, keeping her from collapsing onto the floor. Her face was pressed against someone's chest—his heartbeat slow and steady compared to her frantic one.
He smelled like fresh cologne and something darker… like danger.
She froze.
Slowly, she looked up—and her eyes met his.
Dark, unreadable, intense.
Yi Chen.
He stared down at her, expression unreadable, eyes sharp and unyielding. For a second, they were locked in silence—his calm, hers chaotic.
"Stop running," he said softly, his voice low and firm.
Xin Yi's eyes widened. Her body tensed like a trapped animal. She shoved him with all her strength, screaming inside.
Yi Chen barely moved an inch.
she cried, backing away.
Her legs shook beneath her, barely supporting her weight. She turned to run again, but Yi Chen's hand caught her wrist.
Firm. Controlled. Not cruel.
"Enough," he said.
she trying to pull away, her voice raw and trembling.
But he didn't budge.
Hao Yang caught up, panting slightly. "Hey—hey, stop! Please, just calm down! You're safe, I swear."
Xin Yi wasn't listening. Her eyes were wide with terror, darting between the two men like they were ghosts from her past.
Yi Chen pulled her back into the room gently but without giving her a choice. The door closed with a soft click behind them.
Sealing her fate.
"No, no… please… don't take me back…" she whispered, pressing herself into the wall like she could disappear into it. "I don't want to go back… not the lab… not again…"
Tears welled in her eyes, but didn't fall. Her voice cracked like porcelain.
Hao Yang took a slow step toward her. "We're not here to hurt you. I promise. No one is taking you anywhere."
She didn't respond.
Yi Chen's gaze never left her. He was watching everything—the way her hands trembled, how her eyes darted to every exit like she was calculating an escape route. She looked like a cornered animal.
Terrified.
Broken.
"What are you so afraid of?" he asked softly. "Who are you running from?"
She looked up at him, lips parted, but no words came out.
"Who are you?" Yi Chen asked again, stepping closer.
Her hands clutched the thin hospital gown tightly, her shoulders shaking uncontrollably.
She remained silent.
"I don't know who you are," he continued, voice level, but with something dark and solemn underneath. "But you almost died. If we hadn't found you, you wouldn't be standing here."
He paused. "I don't rescue people just to watch them throw themselves back into hell."
Her fists tightened at her sides. Her breath caught.
Where would she even run to?
She didn't even know who she really was.
Yi Chen studied her for a long moment, then finally released her wrist.
"Fine," he said, stepping back. "You don't want to talk. That's your choice. But you're in no shape to go anywhere."
He turned away, looking toward the window. His tone stayed cold, but it was threaded with something else. Something like frustration. Or… restraint.
"So stay."
Two words.
But they hit her like a wave.
She stood there, swaying slightly from exhaustion and pain. Her vision swam again. She leaned against the wall, fighting the urge to collapse.
Her entire life, she had been running.
Running from cages.
Running from needles.
Running from men in white coats and their cruel smiles.
But now, for the first time…
…someone told her to stop.
And didn't sound like they were going to chain her afterward.
Hao Yang gently offered her a blanket. "Please… just sit down. We're not going to ask anything. Not unless you want to tell us."
Xin Yi looked between the two men.
One warm. One cold.
But neither threatening.
Her eyes dropped to the floor. Her head pounded.
And then—finally—she nodded. Just once.
She allowed Hao Yang to guide her back to the bed. She sat down slowly, every joint screaming in protest. Yi Chen said nothing, but when she glanced at him again—
He was already watching her.
Yi Chen's voice broke the silence, low and steady. "Hao Yang, go call the doctor. Tell him the patient's awake."
Hao Yang gave a small nod. "Got it." He spared one last glance at the pale girl on the bed before slipping out of the room.
The door clicked shut.
Now, only silence remained.
Yi Chen took a slow step back and sat down on the sofa, his eyes never leaving her. The room was dim, lit only by moonlight and the soft beep of the heart monitor.
Xin Yi's gaze flickered to him—her lips trembled slightly, her teary eyes filled with fear.
He didn't move. Just stared.
"You don't have to look at me like that,"
Her fingers clutched the blanket tightly, but she said nothing.
Yi Chen leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his voice calmer this time;
"Who are you running from?"
Still, no answer.
Yi Chen's voice dropped to almost a whisper. "What did they do to you?"
She looked at him then—really looked. And for a brief moment, it seemed like she wanted to say something.
But the words never came.