The taxi smelled faintly of gasoline and rain-damp clothes, the sound of the engine filling the tight space as it moved through the night streets. Cai Lang sat slumped against the seat, one arm pressed tightly to his side. Blood seeped through his fingers no matter how hard he tried to hold it back, warm and persistent, soaking through fabric in slow, relentless pulses. His breathing stayed controlled, but it was too controlled like he was forcing his body to obey him.
Suo Ran sat close, closer than he realized, one hand gripping Cai Lang's wrist and the other pressing firmly against the wound with shaking fingers. "Don't close your eyes." Suo Ran said, voice tight, almost breaking. "Stay with me." "I'm awake." Cai Lang muttered, though sweat already gathered at his temple. His voice was low, strained. "You're worrying too much." "You're bleeding too much." Suo Ran snapped immediately, then caught himself, swallowing hard. His voice softened, desperate now. "Just… talk to me. Please."
Cai Lang turned his head slightly to look at him. Even in pain, his gaze was steady, grounded. "About what?" "Anything." Suo Ran said quickly. His grip tightened unconsciously. "Just don't… drift off like that. Don't go quiet." The taxi hit a bump in the road. Cai Lang let out a sharp, quiet hiss, jaw tightening as pain shot through his side. His hand twitched slightly under Suo Ran's.
Suo Ran's heart clenched instantly. "Hey! hey, it's okay," he said fast, leaning closer without thinking. "I've got you. We're almost there, okay? Just breathe."
Cai Lang nodded once, small and controlled, like even that cost him effort.Suo Ran exhaled shakily, eyes fixed on the blood soaking through his jacket. "You scared me." he admitted under his breath, voice quieter now, almost embarrassed by the honesty. "You really scared me back there."Cai Lang's gaze flickered toward him again. "You shouldn't have been there." he said hoarsely.
Suo Ran looked up immediately. "Neither should you." he shot back, then softened again just as fast. "But you still jumped in anyway."Silence settled for a second, only the sound of the tires against wet road filling it.Cai Lang's voice came lower. "It was instinct." "That's not an answer." Suo Ran said, but there was no real anger in it anymore only worry. "You always say things like that like it explains everything."
Cai Lang's lips pressed together slightly, as if he wanted to say more but couldn't find the strength. Instead, he just shifted faintly, exhaling through his teeth.Suo Ran leaned in again, adjusting his pressure carefully. "Don't try to act strong right now," he murmured. "Just… stay." Cai Lang's eyes stayed on him for a moment longer than usual. Then, quieter, almost barely audible, he said, "I am staying."
Suo Ran didn't respond right away. His throat tightened slightly, and he just nodded once, focusing harder on keeping pressure steady. "Good," he said softly. "Because I'm not letting you pass out in a taxi and ruin my day."
A faint, strained breath of something almost like a laugh left Cai Lang, but it turned into a wince halfway through. "Idiot," Suo Ran muttered immediately, though his voice wavered. "Don't laugh."
Cai Lang closed his eyes briefly, then reopened them. "You're loud." he said weakly.Suo Ran huffed, but his grip didn't loosen. "And you're stubborn."A pause.
Then Cai Lang, quieter than before, "We're almost there?"Suo Ran nodded quickly. "Yeah. Almost there. Just hold on a little longer."
Cai Lang didn't argue he just stayed there, breathing unevenly, while Suo Ran kept him anchored in the present with nothing but his voice and trembling hands.His hand shifted slightly, fingers brushing Suo ran 's sleeve.
He didn't pull away. For a moment, the city outside blurred into streaks of light.
The danger, the attack, the blood it all felt unreal. What felt real was the warmth of Cai Lang's arm against his, the weight of responsibility settling heavy on Suo ran's chest.
"This is my fault," Suo Ran whispered in the taxi, his voice barely steady.Cai Lang's eyes flicked to him sharply. "Don't." Suo ran said
"If I hadn't " "Don't finish that sentence," Cai Lang said quietly, but firmly. "You're not allowed to." Suo Ran swallowed hard, his throat tight, then nodded once, forcing himself to breathe.
The rest of the ride passed in tense silence, broken only by Suo Ran's soft reassurances and the taxi driver's occasional worried glance in the rearview mirror. Every time Cai Lang's breathing shifted, Suo Ran leaned in slightly, voice low. "We're almost there. Just stay with me, okay?" and Cai Lang would give the smallest nod, like it cost him effort just to respond.
The hospital lights were blinding. It was almost morning too early, too quiet, everything too sharp against the exhaustion clinging to them. Nurses moved quickly, voices controlled but urgent, as Cai Lang was rushed onto a gurney. Suo Ran followed immediately, hands stained red, heart pounding so hard it made his chest ache. "I'm going with him." he said, breathless.
"Sir, you need to wait here." a nurse said gently but firmly, stepping in front of him.
"I'm staying." Suo Ran insisted, voice breaking slightly. "I'm not leaving."
"You can't go in right now."
The doors closed anyway.Suo Ran stood there frozen, staring at the shut doors like they might open again if he looked hard enough.His phone buzzed in his pocket.
He didn't notice.Elsewhere, Lian Ziho stared at his phone, frown slowly deepening. No answer. Again and again. Something uneasy crept into his chest as he muttered, "This isn't like him…" He tried again, calling. No response. "Something's wrong." he said quietly to himself, already grabbing his jacket.
By the time Lian Ziho pieced together fragments half-heard conversations, rushed reports about an attack, Suo Ran's name mentioned in passing it was already morning. He didn't wait for more. He left immediately.
Suo Ran sat in the hospital hallway, head bowed, hands clasped tightly together as if holding onto something invisible. His mind replayed everything over and over the scooter, the shove, the blood, Cai Lang's voice telling him not to blame himself. Each memory hit harder than the last.Please be okay. Footsteps echoed down the corridor.
Then he shouted "Suo Ran!"
Before he could even react, arms wrapped tightly around him.He stiffened on instinct, then immediately relaxed when he recognized the familiar presence. "Lian…ziho" "You idiot." Lian Ziho muttered, holding him firmly for a moment before pulling back just enough to look at him. "Why didn't you answer your phone?"Suo Ran blinked, still dazed. "I didn't… notice."
Lian Ziho scanned him quickly, eyes checking for injuries, blood, anything. Seeing nothing, his shoulders dropped slightly in relief. "Good." he said quietly. "That's all that matters."Then his gaze shifted past Suo Ran, toward the closed treatment room doors. "Who's inside?" he asked more carefully.
Suo Ran hesitated. "Cai Lang."
Lian Ziho's expression shifted not shock, not panic, but something quieter. Recognition. Understanding. "How is he?" he asked immediately, voice lower now. "What did the doctor say?"
Suo Ran told him everything. The attack, the timing, Cai Lang getting hurt protecting him. Lian Ziho listened without interrupting, his expression slowly tightening as he absorbed it all.When Suo Ran finished, Lian Ziho exhaled slowly. " So he got hurt because of you."Suo Ran flinched. "Because of me…"
Lian Ziho studied him for a long moment, then said nothing more, just nodded slightly as if storing it away.
At that moment, the doors finally opened.
A doctor stepped out. "He's stable," she said calmly. "The wound wasn't fatal, but he lost a significant amount of blood. He'll need rest."
Suo Ran's knees nearly gave out in relief. "Can we see him?" suo ran asked.
"One at a time." nurse replied.Suo Ran went first.Inside, Cai Lang lay pale against white sheets, an IV in his arm, bandages wrapped tightly around his side. His eyes opened slightly when Suo Ran entered."You look terrible." Cai Lang murmured weakly.
Suo Ran let out a shaky laugh, stepping closer. "You don't get to talk."Cai Lang's gaze softened faintly. "You stayed.""Of course I did," Suo Ran replied without hesitation.
They held each other's eyes for a long moment, everything unsaid hanging between them fear, relief, something deeper neither of them was ready to name.
Outside, Lian Ziho leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching through the glass. Relief was there in his expression, subtle but real, but something else lingered underneath it quiet, complicated, unreadable.The night was finally over.But something had already begun shifting.And none of them were ready for what it meant.The hospital room was too quiet. Machines hummed softly, the IV drip ticking in slow, steady rhythm. Afternoon light filtered through half-open blinds, pale and tired, as if even the sun couldn't fully wake up after everything that had happened.
Cai Lang lay back against the pillows, eyes half-closed. Suo Ran sat beside the bed, elbows on his knees, hands clasped tightly. He hadn't moved much since morning.
"You've been staring for ten minutes," Cai Lang said lazily without opening his eyes. "I'm still alive." Suo Ran didn't look up. "Barely." Cai Lang turned his head slightly to look at him. "You didn't sleep."
"Didn't feel like it." Suo Ran replied quietly.
A pause. "You don't need to stay." Cai Lang said.That made Suo Ran finally look up. His eyes were red not from crying, but from holding everything in. "I'm staying."
Cai Lang sighed faintly. "Suo Ran."
"This happened because of me." Suo Ran cut in immediately. "If I hadn't grabbed you, if I hadn't been there."
Cai Lang reached out, weak but firm,catching Suo Ran's sleeve. "Enough."Suo Ran froze.
Cai Lang's grip tightened slightly. "I chose to step in. I chose to protect you. Stop carrying what isn't yours."Suo Ran swallowed hard. "That's not fair."
"What isn't?"
"You make it sound easy," Suo Ran said, voice trembling. "You got hurt. And you're acting like it's nothing."Cai Lang's voice lowered. "Because if I admit it scared me, you'll blame yourself even more."
That silence hit heavier than anything else.
Outside, footsteps passed. A distant laugh echoed down the hall. Life continued.
Inside the room, something fragile held them in place."You were shaking in the taxi." Suo Ran said suddenly.Cai Lang blinked. "Was I?"
"Yes," Suo Ran said firmly. "You tried to hide it."A faint smile touched Cai Lang's lips. "Didn't work, huh." "No," Suo Ran replied.
Their eyes met not guarded, not teasing. Just honest.By evening, the doctor returned. "He can be discharged." she said. "No heavy movement, no stress. Someone should stay with him." "I will." Suo Ran said immediately.
Cai Lang looked at him, surprised, but before he could respond, Lian Ziho stepped forward. "I can stay." he said calmly. "You should go home, Suo. You haven't rested at all."
Suo Ran shook his head without hesitation. "No." Lian Ziho frowned slightly. "Suo Ran"
"I said no." Suo Ran repeated, firmer now. "I'm not leaving."
Cai Lang frowned. "You're being stubborn."
"Yes," Suo Ran said. "Because this happened because of me."Lian Ziho's voice softened. "It wasn't your fault.""Maybe," Suo Ran said quietly. "But I'm still staying."
Lian Ziho studied him for a long moment, then exhaled. "You're really not going to listen."Suo Ran looked at him. "I'll go home after he's fine."Cai Lang watched him for a moment, then said quietly, "Let him."
Lian Ziho looked between them.Cai Lang met his gaze evenly. "I don't want to be alone either."That settled it."Fine," Lian Ziho said. "But call me if anything happens."
Suo Ran nodded.Before leaving, Lian Ziho glanced back. "Take care of him.""I will." Suo Ran said without hesitation.
Later, when the room quieted again, Cai Lang spoke softly. "You didn't have to fight like that."Suo Ran adjusted the blanket carefully. "Yes, I did."Cai Lang watched him. "Why?"
Suo Ran paused, then said quietly, "Because you stayed when I was scared."Cai Lang didn't respond.He just closed his eyes, a faint, unreadable smile forming at the edge of his expression.Outside, evening faded into night.Inside the hospital room, for the first time since everything began, they weren't running.They were staying.