"Go home."
Jia Hao smiled and shook his head. "This place is underground, I don't even have a problem with the sun."
Someone knocked on the door. "Didi!"
Mu Li rushed to his side with a worried look, glancing at the IV in her brother's arm and the machines next to the bed.
Jia Hao let go of the hand he was holding and stepped back.
"Jiejie," Mu Yang smiled at her, then reached out a hand toward the vampire, who however remained still and stiff where he was.
Mu Li stepped closer, walked around the bed and held out a hand. "Mu Li."
"Jia Hao."
"Nice to meet you," she said, giving him a big smile. Then she returned to her brother, who waited for his partner to come back closer.
"Mom and Dad are on their way. When they called again from the hospital, I couldn't believe it. Your job turned out to be more dangerous than expected. You should change professions!"
Mu Yang made a face at her, and she hugged him.
Mu Zhen and Mu Feng came in, and their mother burst into tears as soon as she saw him.
"Mama, I'm fine," her son told her, trying to calm her sobs.
Mu Li wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Mama, I told you not to cry."
She nodded and wiped her tears.
Then Mu Li went to Jia Hao, who had stepped back a little, took him by the hand and led him outside. She winked at her brother to reassure him before closing the door behind her.
"Can I offer you something at the bar?" she asked as they walked down the hallway.
"No, thanks. Maybe I should go and stop bothering you."
Mu Li looked at him. "We're probably the ones bothering you. But we'll leave soon."
"Don't—"
She placed a hand on his arm to stop him. "Stay as long as you want. Don't leave because of us."
"There you are!" Mu Zhen's voice made them turn.
"Kid, how are you? Mu Yang told me you were hurt too and that you saved him again. Thank you!"
"I… I'm fine, thank you."
"Your parents must be proud to have a son like you," added Mu Feng as he joined them.
Not really, thought Jia Hao, but he didn't say it.
"If you ever need anything, count on us."
The vampire nodded and smiled.
"Let's go," Mu Li said to her parents. "They need to rest."
Jia Hao watched them walk away, then returned to Mu Yang's room.
"Survived my family?"
The vampire nodded, sitting down beside him again with a smile.
"I was afraid you'd run off."
"I wanted to. Your family was here, and I didn't want to be in the way."
Mu Yang tilted his head. "You could never be in the way. Have you already forgotten what I told you?"
"No," he replied with a faint smile. "But I'm a vampire," he continued, and the smile faded, replaced by a worried expression.
"Gege, what's wrong?"
"What will your parents think?"
"It doesn't matter if you're a vampire, a werewolf, or a human. What matters is that I'm happy with you. And that's all my parents care about."
The vampire nodded, though his expression remained uncertain.
"What else are you worried about?"
Getting no answer, he asked, "Is it about your family?"
Jia Hao looked away. "It doesn't matter what they think."
"Jia Hao." He waited until he looked at him again. "I won't blame you if you'd rather we didn't see each other anymore."
"Are you the one who's forgotten what I told you now?"
The werewolf shook his head.
"Nothing else matters," the vampire said. "And now try to get some rest, or they'll throw me out."
Mu Yang smiled and squeezed his hand, then closed his eyes.