Chapter Text
He didn’t need to be near her to catch on her infectious laughter. Being captivated by her alone was enough to tug his lips upwards to form a lazy smile on his face as he continued to discreetly watch over her share a light-hearted conversation with Yi Yi and Shu Wen from the opposite end of the room. It didn’t bother him the slightest bit if everyone around thought of him crazy for smiling all by himself. The only thing that mattered to him now, - was her happiness.
This much, she deserved at least.
Through all the mayhem that has happened in the last year, she has gone through hardships no less than his. She has lost her job twice, had to sell her dream home, twice he had neglected her for Miya, and worst of all, made the target of unwanted attention. She had suffered terribly, - be it directly or indirectly because of him.
God, how he did her wrong…
Yet, never has she ever lamented, blamed or even resented him for the series of unfortunate events. Instead, she remained relentlessly patient and decidedly understanding. She would steadfastly stand by him through the thick and thin. Through the darkest times of his life, whenever he lost sight of the way before him, - she remained the lodestar guiding him to the very pinnacle where they were right now.
He has no idea what he had done to deserve her.
She would always put his best interest first, before her own. But when it comes to her own matters, she would rather endure the misgivings silently on her own than to burden anyone else.
He would give anything never to see her cry again.
This much, he owed her at least.
The sudden drape of an arm casually over Ji Xiang Kong’s shoulder snapped him out of his reverie.
A pair of beers materialised to his right as Gu Fang appeared out of nowhere to steal his attention from the one who owned his heart, “What are you doing here all alone?”
Glossing over the older man’s query, he accepted one of the two beers proffered, “Thanks, Captain…” the young strategist said, clinking the bottles by the neck in silent toast before knocking back the bottle.
“Yī gē wasted no time, did he...?” The ex-Legend’s captain commented which earned a knowing grin from Xiang Kong.
The very evening Phenix won the ICONQUER World Championship, Sun Zeyi proposed to Shu Wen at a private dinner just between the both of them. Before anyone was allowed to digest the news, the longtime lovers were legally registered within the week. And like a whirlwind, everyone found themselves gathering again here today to celebrate their marriage three months later.
Surreality at its finest.
“Even Wen jīe was overwhelmed by the speed of things progressing,” Xiang Kong bemusedly said.
“I think it’s Yī gē’s way of compensating for the time loss. Looking back now, if it weren’t for all that pride and misunderstanding back then, they would have been happily married years ago instead…”
Expecting to share a good laugh, Gu Fang was strangely taken aback by the sudden rigidity that entered the younger man’s body.
Xiang Kong’s eyes were trained far out to the dance floor where he caught sight of Qiu Ying again. Only this time it wasn’t fondness that reflected in the depths of his eyes. Instead, the predatory sharpness in them reminded Gu Fang why Ji Xiang Kong was a formidable opponent, one would rather not have.
Narrowing his own eyes to follow the trail of his mentee’s intense glare, he finally realised the source of his young junior’s animosity.
Qiu Ying was on the dance floor with Luo Tian.
While neither Xiang Kong nor Luo Tian has ever said what had transpired between them, there was without a doubt that the close camaraderie once shared was now lukewarm cordiality at best. It didn’t take a genius to put two and two together; - even without Xiang Kong’s demeanour giving it all away right now.
“Xiang Kong, let Yī gē’s past oversight be a lesson to you as well... She’s not the worm that resides in your stomach. Don’t make the same mistake as he did. Talk to her… Tell her what is on your mind…” Gu Fang propounded wisely to his young successor before moving away to find Summer.
Xiang Kong grimaced at the advice. He knew there was nothing between Qiu Ying and Luo Tian, and he was just being jealous over nothing. But he couldn’t help feeling afraid of Luo Tian keeping true to his words. That if he were ever to disappoint Qiu Ying again, Luo Tian will stop at nothing to win her over.
He would be lying if he said that the public declaration at the end of the championship wasn’t a strategic move on his part to proclaim her as his, as well as making it clear to Miya once and for all that Qiu Ying was who he loved now.
But even so, he still had his insecurities.
Foremost, there was the indisputable fact that Qiu Ying was still working side by side with Luo Tian. Not that it was something he could helped since they both worked in the same line, for the same company. Furthermore, she still sees him as her mentor. It would be rather unreasonable of him to ask her to give up her dream just to assuage his apprehensions.
And if his own troubling thoughts weren’t enough of a headache, Qiu Ying’s train of thoughts were equally baffling even for his tactical mind.
He thought that their relationship would improve after the games, but her actions left him completely perplexed. When the very first thing she did soon after was to redeem his beloved bike back and accompanied him to the rooftop to view the surprise fireworks display he had prepared for her, he thought that they were good again. Yet, instead of moving back in with him and the team, Qiu Ying remained lodging with Yi Yi.
He couldn’t help shake away the feeling that she was still afraid of getting burnt again. And he had no one to blame but himself for that. After two incidents with Miya, how could he fault her for having so little confidence in him?
He tried, - he truly did try to find time to explain everything to her.
Only, Sun gē and Wen jīe’s wedding took precedence. Respectively recruited by the bride and groom as their bridesmaid and best man, they were both heavily tied up helping out. In the past three months, other than that one occasion with the firework surprise, they hardly had a minute to breathe, - let alone have a private moment to talk.
But that was all about to change now.
Squaring his shoulders, Xiang Kong took one last swig at his beer before leaving the half finished bottle to an attending waiter, as he moved nimbly though the throngs of guests at the dinner reception.
Call it a gamer’s instinct, Luo Tian could feel the murderous aura even before finding Ji Xiang Kong at the fringes of the dance floor. A sad smirk crossed the commentator’s face briefly before it was quickly replaced with genial smile.
“It has been a pleasure to have this dance with you. But it seems like my time with you is up…” he said cryptically as he took her on one last spin that was carefully calculated to leave her turned face-to-face with her boyfriend.
Deftly catching his slightly disoriented girlfriend by the waist, Xiang Kong dropped his head in a single nod of thanks albeit a little surly, as Luo Tian moved past them.
Trapped in his arms, “Xiang Kong…!” Qiu Ying exclaimed in breathless surprise.
Looking down into her widened eyes, he quickly reigned in his composure before her perceptiveness could read the ugly jealousy burning in his own eyes.
“Dance with me…?”
The slight tremor he felt coursing through her body as he huskily whispered in her ear, left him feeling incredibly triumphant.
“Em…”
Receiving her meek accession, the Phenix leader swept her swiftly across the floor in time for a romantic ballad. Throughout the song, he held her possessively close against him with intended deliberation; - just in case he has left anyone doubting his feelings for her before.
Cradling her head that was resting on his shoulder, “Qiu Ying…” he started, taking advantage of her not being able to leave him on the dance floor, “… I’m sorry we never got the chance to really talk things out… Are you still mad from the time you saw Miya and I during the break before the last game?”
Her whole body froze in his embrace at his question. He knew he was playing it risky with a straight ball question but he didn’t want her to feel like he was playing mind games with her for answers.
“I can explain…” he added quickly, caressing her small back soothingly with his other hand, “… Miya came to tell me that she has regained her sight. She could see again… she also told me to tell you that she was sorry for all that she has put you through…”
Qiu Ying pulled back her head to look at him, “I’ve put it all behind me now…” she said. But he could tell that she was putting up another brave front with that bittersweet smile.
Reluctantly releasing his arms around her, he held her petite face in his hands, “Qiu Ying… even if you choose never to believe anything else in this world, I just want you to believe this, - you are the one I love right now; not Miya… Qiu Ying, I love you…”
Rendered speechless, she could only helplessly let tears fall one after another as she reached her arms over his shoulders to close the distance between them. He leaned in until he could feel the softness of her lips pressed on his. It wasn’t the first kiss they had ever shared, but the feeling was breathtaking nonetheless. When she reciprocated the pressure of his lips with her own, the exhilaration was only second to winning the world championship.
God, how he loved this girl. And he would fight till the end to keep her his.
- - -///- - -
Three days in a row now, A Xuan has found his Kong gē all alone at the dining table, furiously writing away at his little strategy notebook. So engrossed at work, the young captain barely acknowledged the presence of his teammates in the room.
“Kong gē, what are you so busy writing there? New tactical formations?”
Momentum interrupted, Xiang Kong stretched to relief the kinks in his body after having sat in the position for hours now. “Indeed tactical … but it’s not for the game…” he said ambiguously with his trademark grin, slamming shut his notebook before A Xuan could catch a glimpse of the contents written.
“What other stuffs could possibly have a need for you to crack your head three days in a row?”
“Only one possible answer, - a girl,” Pei Xi chimed in, serving his captain his latest coffee creation.
“What?! You already have Qiu Ying, what more do you want? Don’t tell me you’re planning to cheat on Qiu Ying with another girl….?” A Xuan’s careless remark earned him two whacks in the head, one each from Xiang Kong and Pei Xi.
“You can really sprout nonsense, I tell you,” Pei Xi said disapprovingly.
Xiang Kong would have continued to glare daggers at his ‘brother’ if his phone hadn't draw his attention away with an incoming message.
His eyebrows rose and knitted together in confusion when he saw the name of the sender, - Luo Tian. The last time he got a message from him, he learnt the undesirable fact that the man he had respected as his senior was in love with his girlfriend. Forgive him if he wasn’t too keen to hear from him again.
But he was not one to turn his nose up at anyone either.
Gliding his fingers efficiently across his screen, he threw a quick glance at the message that was sent to him.
- Got a minute? I have something to talk to you. It’s about Qiu Ying. - The message did not bode well with him.
- I’ll be at the coffee house near your office in 30 minutes - He replied back.
Snatching his helmet off the dining table, Xiang Kong practically leaped out of his seat as he hurried out, ignoring A Xuan’s call after him.
A hundred and one possibilities of what Luo Tian had wanted to discuss crossed his mind, and not one of them he liked one bit as he rode his bike like a possessed man down the roads leading to GTV. He arrived in 19 minutes flat for a journey that would normally take 30 minutes to traverse.
The senior commentator was already seated with a cup of coffee in front of him by the time Xiang Kong walked through the coffee house. He no longer knew what to expect when he saw the grim seriousness worn on Luo Tian’s face.
Falling into the vacant seat in front of the man, “Did something happen to Qiu Ying?” Xiang Kong asked anxiously without preamble.
“Have you checked Weibo these two days?” The older man countered with a questioned that confounded him. What did news on Weibo have to do with Qiu Ying?
“No, I have been too tied up to catch up with news on Weibo…” Xiang Kong replied earnestly, still not knowing where all these was headed.
Luo Tian merely took out his own phone to show him the headlines of the hottest topic, - it was the young Phenix captain and Qiu Ying. Someone posted pictures of him kissing her on the dance floor at Sun Zeyi and Shu Wen’s reception.
While he didn’t understand why the very topic of them kissing would make headlines, it hardly mattered to him if the world knew that Qiu Ying was his.
“This is what you called me out to discuss?”
“Not quite… While as her senior at work, I would caution the both of you to be mindful of your public appearances, it’s not even half the reason I called you out today,” Luo Tian replied, taking the phone back from Xiang Kong to scroll further down before showing it again to the notorious gamer, “Have a look at this on the comment section.”
Xiang Kong’s eyes scanned through the comments quickly. Most were gushing comments of how cute they were together and how much they supported them. Only one comment was hidden amidst, shared a different point of view.
- Miya has proven unworthy of Ji Xiang Kong, but Qiu Ying does not deserve him either! -
Hate messages were nothing new, but it did strike a protective chord in him.
“Are you worried that my fans will hurt her?”
For someone whose livelihood depended on the gift of the gap, Luo Tian was strangely hesitant, as though he was struggling to find the right words to break it to the young captain. “Something has been happening at work that I’m not sure if you are aware of. Honestly, I didn’t know about it until today. And it’s something I think you should know…”
Giving the older man his full attention, “Go ahead. Tell me…”
“Earlier today, a parcel arrived for Qiu Ying. No one suspected a thing, most thought of it as gift from fans. But when she opened the box, a wound-up spring ejected about half a pint of blood red paint dye and glass shards at her...”
“WHAT?!!” Harsh slamming of the table and chair falling over with a resounding crash punctuated Xiang Kong’s outburst through the café.
“Settle down, Ji Xiang Kong!” Luo Tian hissed furiously at him, “For the sake of the both of you, I much rather keep this whole matter under wraps. I don’t not wish to create another pandemonium…” Until he was satisfied that Xiang Kong was sufficiently level-headed to continue, only then did he pick up from where he left off, “On the lighter side of matter Qiu Ying wasn’t harmed by any projectiles. Although I would try to convince you not to worry, if the scare prank had packed a bit more punch, the glass could have gotten into her eyes...”
“Her eyes?! What the…?!! Who would….?!!” Xiang Kong was beyond livid that he was at loss for words.
The commentator could only shake his head in reply to his unsaid questions as he too, wanted to know the answers himself.
“Other than getting sprayed with dye, she sustained a few superficial scrapes on her knees and palms when she fell on the glass. Nothing a few bandaids wouldn’t fix, but we took her to the hospital to get them looked at, nonetheless…”
His hands balled into knuckle-white tight fists as Xiang Kong tried to control himself, “Is she… is she all right?”
“I would be lying if I told you that she wasn’t shaken by the incident. She probably still is, although she’s trying her hardest to put up a normal front,”
“I want to take her back with me right now,”
Nodding his consent, “I’ll see to it that she gets the rest of the day off,” Luo Tian said.
“…Thank you, Luo Tian… Although I know that you are doing it to look out for her, you still have my thanks…” Xiang Kong was about to hastily depart when Luo Tian stopped him.
“There’s something else you should know… as to why Qiu Ying hasn’t returned to stay with you at the Phenix Headquarters…”
- - -///- - -
She was hoping that her mentor was pulling her legs when he told her Xiang Kong was here to take her home halfway through working hours. Qiu Ying never thought there would come a day she would actually cringe at the sight of her boyfriend’s beloved bike parked right at the very entrance of her office.
Xiang Kong, however was no where to be seen. Not that she wanted to come face-to-face with her boyfriend at this moment. She was absolutely terrified to find out how much Luo Tian has told him.
Hobbling slightly from the cuts on her knees, Qiu Ying made her way slowly through the automated sliding doors towards the bike.
She managed to advance three steps forward before she was swept off her feet by surprise from behind her. She was going to fight off her assailant, but froze instantaneously at the sight of her boyfriend’s murderous visage right above her.
“Don’t flail around. I don’t want to drop you…” She knew with confidence that he would never drop her, but she wrapped her arms securely around his neck, nevertheless. Dejectedly she noted the lack of warmth that she was familiar with in his monotonous remark. Qiu Ying dreaded looking at him but she couldn’t help steal a quick glance. The dark menace in his eyes reminded her of the time he smashed Zhao Yang’s windscreen without a second thought.
But despite his sullen demeanour, he was terribly gentle as he placed her to seat on the bike and crouched down to inspect her knee.
Holding out her right knee, he gingerly ran his thumb in soothing circles by the bandaged area, “Does it still hurt?”
Her swiftness in concealing the painful wince was near professional that he wasn’t sure if he should be proud of her or to be annoyed by her for trying to hide things from him.
“Don’t worry. It’s just a few cuts. It doesn’t really hurt. I’ll heal in two to three days…” Casually she tried to reassure, but the silent skepticism he threw back at her spoke volumes of what he really thought.
Resuming to stand, he leveraged on his towering frame to force her to look up at him. All the anguish he felt could hardly be contained as he inevitably lashed out at her, “Why didn’t you tell me? Why did I have to find out from Luo Tian?”
“… I… I didn’t mean to hide…”
“Then tell me the honest truth! Why did you choose to remain with Yi Yi instead of coming back to the headquarters?!!”
“…I… I…” she stammered to find her words, but Xiang Kong angry explosion terrified her mind blank to the verge of helpless tears.
To say that he was furious, was downplaying the ferocity of turmoil churning within him. He was absolutely livid! He was mad at her for not telling him. He was bothered by the fact that he had to learn about the truth from Luo Tian.
But neither felt as bad as the worthlessness of a boyfriend.
Seizing her small frame in a bone-crushing embrace against his chest, “Why… why didn’t you tell me?…” he spoke barely above a whisper, cracking slightly from desperation as he buried his head in her hair, “… Why didn’t you tell me that you were being harassed? Do you know how devastated I was when I had to learn from others the real reason why you chose not to stay at the headquarters?…”
When Luo Tian held him back earlier to divulge the truth, Xiang Kong was completely dumbfounded.
For the past three months, Qiu Ying has been hiding the fact that she was anonymously assaulted with various pranks to the point she had to bring a spare change of clothes to work in case of any mishap. And because due to the growing popularity of her own work, Yi Yi had been too busy to return home before Qiu Ying. Therefore, she hadn’t the slightest clue that Qiu Ying was leaving home in one set of clothes but returning with another. Luo Tian wasn’t aware either that this was happening for a while now, until he found out about it earlier at the hospital from another colleague who had bothered to notice the different clothings she wore in a day.
It had never occurred to him how well Qiu Ying has been keeping things from his knowledge, - until now.
For someone who just had blood red dye splattered all over them, her dress was immaculately clean. Even her shoes were in pristine condition. If it weren’t for the bandages on her knees and bandaids on her palms, he would have called Luo Tian a liar.
And to add injury to insult, - she was prepared to hide everything as though the vile scare prank did not happen!
“Why, Qiu Ying?… Tell me, why!…” More than anger, he was pleading with her, - begging her to confide in him, be more dependant on him…
“… I … I just don’t want to trouble you…” she managed to choke out between sobs. It was an answer so typical of Qiu Ying, he didn’t know what more to expect.
Pressing his lips firmly on the crown of her head, “You silly thing… Am I so undependable?”
“I just don’t want to trouble anyone…”
Xiang Kong nearly groaned at her repetitious answer. He dreaded to think if something like this - or worst ever to recur, she would more than likely use this same excuse to hide it from him, - again!
“The only way you can prevent from giving me any sort of trouble is to stay perpetually by my side, never leaving even an inch from me. But since that would be unlawful imprisonment, I will settle for you returning to stay with me at the headquarters. I will not force you to resign from the work you love so much, hence I will send and pick you up from work everyday. At all other times, you are to stay close by my side. If I am unfortunately unavailable, one of the guys will be with you…”
“But…!”
“No, buts… I don’t care if you are troubling me. I doubt any of the guys will feel that you are troubling them either. All that matters is that you are safe and sound. I don’t ever want to be the last to know what is happening to you. I don’t want anything happening to you, either… Promise me, that you’ll tell me everything. Don’t keep anything from me…”
- - -///- - -
Two weeks passed on uneventfully.
Luo Tian had threw his weight around GTV to get them to heighten security on the pretext of safety for the staffs while Xiang Kong made good his promise by taking care of Qiu Ying’s commute everyday. So far, he was certain she left work in the same clothes as she came in.
But the perpetrator still remained at large.
Ever since her return to the headquarters, he had kept her by his side all the time to the point his teammates were facetiously accusing him of monopolising her all time. Case in point, even Pei Xi was kicked out of the room he shared with Xiang Kong to allow Qiu Ying to take over his half of the room!
“Kong gē, don’t you think your display of affections is a bit inconsiderate to our fellow brothers who are still single? I mean, Sun gē have Shu Wen jiē and I have Yi Yi… but what about Xia Ling and Pei Xi?” Lin Yi Xuan commented offhandedly one afternoon after a training session.
Xiang Kong rose a skeptical brow at his teammates questioningly if they really shared A Xuan’s thoughts on matter. But the other two merely shook their head indifferently.
“You’re not jealous of your own sister-in-law, are you?” Pei Xi scoffed lightheartedly.
“What?! Of course not!” A Xuan retorted indignantly.
“All right you two. Don’t you dare start on me. We have more to get through before the end of today,” Shu Wen, who has now assumed the role of their trainer jumped in before their usual banter got in the way of their schedule, shooing them back into the training room.
Xiang Kong was about to grab his coffee with him to the room when his phone rang.
Reading Luo Tian’s name on his screen, he has never answered a call more quickly, “Hello?!”
“Xiang Kong… we have caught the person who has been harassing Qiu Ying…”
The Phenix captain received the news with mixed feelings. On one end, he was elated that they have finally caught the threat to her safety. But on the other hand, he was afraid of losing the excuse to keep Qiu Ying close to him.
“That’s great news… Is Qiu Ying all right?”
The momentary paused from the other end of the line had him tightening his hold on his phone, “Qiu Ying was assaulted with a concentrated toxic fumes. Although the doctors are still checking, the polices believe that she might have been attacked with chlorine gas. In the moment of stupor, she must have inhaled the gas. She was choking on her breath earlier, but right now she’s unconscious at the hospital…”
The mug in his hand fell out of his lax hold, tumbling out all the coffee content before breaking into innumerable pieces as it hit the floor. His teammates came running out to see what has happened, only to find their captain pallid with distress etched all over him.
“Which hospital?… I’m coming now…” Xiang Kong’s voice might have been no higher than a whisper but they heard him loud and clear.
“Kong gē, what hospital? Who is in the hospital?” A Xuan asked hurriedly, trying to stop the man from rushing out the doors like a mad man.
“It’s not my sister, … is it?” It was only at Xia Ling’s plea did he stop fighting A Xuan to leave. He owed her younger brother the truth, at least.
Frustratedly combing through his hair with his fingers, “Qiu Ying is was attacked by an unknown today… She’s … she’s unconscious at the hospital right now. I have to go to her…” Xiang Kong said through suffocated voice.
“We’re going with you,” Shu Wen quickly said, knowing no one on the team would be able to concentrate if they were left in the dark on Qiu Ying’s condition.
Seeing all his brothers concurring with her, he hastily nodded his consent, “I’ll ride over first. If you need any further information, you can call Luo Tian…”
Xiang Kong had never been religious all his life, but as he rode at breakneck speed to the hospital, he prayed with all his heart for nothing to happen to her. This wasn’t the same as the time Miya was injured. It wasn’t guilt that consumed him right now.
He knew deep down that if anything were to happen to Qiu Ying, he would be completely at loss, not knowing how else to go on without her.
That was how much unspoken love he had for her.
Luo Tian was sat on the uncomfortably stiff chairs outside the A&E ward when he came dashing through the corridors.
Grabbing him as he came to a skidding halt, Xiang Kong lifted the man by the lapel of his coat as he slammed the other’s back against the wall, “How could this have happened?!! I thought you said that you would make sure that she was safe at work!!!”
Grappling to fight the irate man off him, “Isn’t it your fans the one that has caused her harm?!!”
“Stop it, the both of you!!” Sun Zeyi came not a moment too soon, running to insert himself between the men as Pei Xi and A Xuan tore Xiang Kong away from Luo Tian.
“Fighting isn’t going to help Qiu Ying, right now!” The revered member chastised both men severely.
Repelling away from his brothers’ hold on him, Xiang Kong moved away to bash his fist on the wall to unleash his pent up frustration.
“Luo Tian… what happened? Why was Qiu Ying attacked?” Shu Wen asked anxiously.
The top commentator shot the young Phenix captain an exasperated glare, “Qiu Ying has been harassed by some unruly fan for some time now. It started off with harmless pranks, until she was hurt by shards of glass in the last incident. And now, this…”
“If you guys knew this was happening, why didn’t anyone do anything about it?” Everyone had to applaud the youngest member of their team for being able to control himself from bursting in outrage, but Xiang Kong could hear the hint of accusation, loud and clear. He had no excuse for his incompetence.
“Xiang Kong has been making sure your sister was taken care all the time outside of work, while the office has been tightening up their security. But we had a gig outside of GTV today. The lack of security at the event must have given the perpetrator the opportunity to sneak up on Qiu Ying when she was alone in the dressing room…” Luo Tian explained. Xiang Kong’s head snapped around towards him, never expecting defense from his love rival.
“Have we caught the person who did it?” A Xuan asked, but he was quickly ignored when the doctors came out of the room.
“Doctor, how is she?”
“Doctor, how is my sister?”
“Doctor, why did she pass out?”
“Doctor, is she in any danger?”
Unfazed by the barrage of questions, the slightly elderly doctor sought to pacify the worried group with a staying hand gesture.
“The close proximity to the release of chlorine gas inadvertently exposed the patient to inhale substantial amount of gas, which therefore cause her throat to inflame. The narrowed air passageway made it difficult for her to breath, hence she fell unconscious. She will be inhaling via breathing tube the next couple of days until the swelling recedes and she can breathe on her own again. We expect that she might not be able speak for a while as her vocal chord might have sustained slight damage from the gas burn.She also suffers from redness on the skin where the chemical gas came in contact with. We will be administering topical salve to soothe the burns. Fortunately, her eyes were spared from any major damaged. We will keep her admitted for observation but you all don’t have to be too alarmed by the situation. We expect the patient to achieve full recovery in no time. We gave her a shot of painkillers earlier so she’s still out of it at the moment. But she should be waking up soon,” the doctor said.
Chorus of thanks showered the doctor as they hurriedly moved past him to where Qiu Ying was held.
Remnants of bleach-like fumes mixed with antiseptic in the air was horribly nauseating. But none was revolting as seeing the girl he loved lying unmoving on a hospital bed, hooked up to a machine just so that she could breathe.
Rushing to her side, “Qiu Ying…” Xiang Kong whispered her name desperately as he carefully took her reddened hand in his.
“Jīe…” Xia Ling took the other side, while the rest of them stood silently at the foot of the bed.
“Luo Tian, about what we were talking about earlier, did we catch the person who did this to Qiu Ying?” Sun gē asked in hushed tones.
“They have the person in custody,” the commentator replied, not taking his eyes off his co-host.
“Do we know why this person hates Qiu Ying enough to harm her?” Shu Wen chimed in, but Luo Tian was reluctant to answer her question.
Instead, Xiang Kong was the one who replied her barely above whisper, “… Qiu Ying was hurt because of me…”
Xia Ling’s brows furrowed in confusion. However inadequate of a boyfriend Ji Xiang Kong was to his sister, he would never allow any harm to befall on her. So, how was any of this his fault?
“Don’t tell me this is another one of Miya’s fan?” A Xuan asked preposterously.
Reaching over to plant a kiss on top of her head, “No… not Miya’s. But mine…” he said, as a silent tear slipped unchecked from his eyes onto her cheek.
“Your fan?!” All except for Luo Tian, - blew up at the revelation.
“Did you know?” Xia Ling asked.
“I only found out two weeks ago…” his captain replied as he continued to fuss over little things around Qiu Ying like sweeping the lock of hair that has fallen out of place or smoothing the slight crease on the blanket.
“Did my sister know?”
Xiang Kong’s hands stopped, hovering just slightly over Qiu Ying’s face at Xia Ling’s question. He brushed the lashes on her eyes, willing silently for her to wake up soon before answering the younger man silently, “Yes, she does…long before I did…”
The younger brother slumped back onto the plastic chair. Although it was his captain’s fan, he really wasn’t at fault here. And his sister knew. Meaning, all these time she knowingly kept it a secret from them, - even from her own boyfriend, it seemed. So, how could he possibly blame his captain for something he had no control over?
- - -///- - -
For everyday Qiu Ying remained in the hospital, Xiang Kong spent his every waking hours by her side. Every time he set eyes on the tube at her throat, his heart wrenched painfully in his chest. She could neither speak nor eat, drink or even swallow without agony. While the burns were not very severe, the rawness of her skin itched terribly from dryness and exposure to wind. But even through teary eyes, she was adamant not to show him her sufferings. Instead, in her own little consoling way without having the ability to say it herself, - reminded him over and over again that he wasn’t to blame himself for what has happened and it wasn’t his fault. But the more forgiving she was, the more guilt he felt piling on him. She was just too forgiving for her own damn good!
The day after the intubation tube was removed, he overheard her raspy hoarse voice asking for the doctor’s permission to be discharged. Xiang Kong literally charged into the room, not caring if he was interrupting anything.
“Have you gone mad?! You are just recovering!!” His outburst startled everyone in the room.
“Xiang… Kong…” she started but was forced to stop to expel a series of cough as she struggled to continue through her abused throat.
He was at her side immediately, placing his fingers firmly against her lips to stop her from saying any more, “No… don’t!”
But she shook her head sadly, stubbornly wanting to say her piece, “Xiang Kong… for as long as I’ve been admitted… you’ve been here with me. You need… you need to get back… get back to training. The championships…”
He didn’t need for her to continue to know what she was getting at. But he would sooner forfeit the games than to leave her alone.
Wrapping her delicately in his arms,“Right now, you are the only thing I care about… We can do the championships next year…”
Qiu Ying was quick to push him away, incensed by what he had just said, “What …are you saying, Ji Xiang Kong?! Do you… do you even hear yourself?!”
“Qiu Ying… please don’t get yourself all worked up. I can promise you anything, but I will not compromise your health…”
“I …want to be discharged,” she said with unyielding resolution.
“Qiu Ying…” he begged for her to reconsider, but she refused to relent.
“I want to go home… I don’t want you to waste time… travelling back and forth because of me. I want to be with you… with the team…”
Not even 24 hours later, the slight weakened but nonetheless pleased-to-be-home Qiu Ying was walking through the doors of Phenix’s headquarters. Throughout the cab ride back, Xiang Kong internally debated with himself the whole time if it was such a wise thing to do, to let her out of the hospital so soon. He worried himself mad with every wince and flinch she made. She was pale beneath the healing skin. And every step she took, took every effort out of her, leaving her coughing breathlessly.
He must have been out of his mind when he conceded to her request.
Everyone took the extra mile to welcome her home and he was eternally grateful that they did everything possible to make it as comfortable as they could for his girlfriend. Shu Wen jīe prepared a whole range of liquid, soft food just for her, while the guys sterilised every inch of the place to make it as dust-free as possible before their arrival.
“Qiu Ying, do you want something to eat first or would you like to rest up for a bit?” Wen jīe asked, taking Qiu Ying to seat by the sofa while A Xuan and Xia Ling helped Xiang Kong with her stuffs to his room.
“Food sounds good…” she replied as cheerfully as she could muster despite weariness evident in her gravelled voice.
Xiang Kong paused mid-step up the stairs to his room to cast a concerned glance at her. He knew it would tell a hell lot more than the pretence to fool Wen jīe.
Catching the forlornness in his captain, “My sister is a fighter. She’ll bounce back real soon,” Xia Ling said emphatically. Xiang Kong could only return his consolation with a single nod for he didn’t trust himself not to voice out his trepidation.
He quickly carried on his way, leaving his girlfriend in the care of his sister-in-law. But even then, he could not be at ease being away from her too long. The phobia instilled from the two incidents has made him restless whenever she was out of his sight. But if this was how he was going to be even when she was mere meters away from him within the company of trusted friends, he dared not think how he was going to survive when she goes back to work.
By the time he came back down, Wen jīe has manage to get Qiu Ying to consume at least half a bowl of porridge. He knew that it wasn’t an easy task for her when coughing got in the way every time she tried to swallow. His heart ached for her, but for now, he would just have to convince himself that little by little, he will take care of her until she gets better.
Coming round the table, he kissed the top of her head, “Want to rest up for a bit?” he asked.
She knew that he was forcing himself to be encouraging and optimistic, but he was failing so badly, she couldn’t help a soundless chuckle, “Ok…”
Annoyed that she found his efforts amusing, Xiang Kong lifted her into his arms wordlessly as he made his way up the stairs, ignoring her half-hearted protests.
Coming around to her bed in the room, he was going to recline her when his shin hit the bed frame, making him lose balance until he fell short of crushing Qiu Ying between his weight and the mattress.
“Xiang Kong, are you all right…? Did you hurt yourself?” Alarmed, her hands roamed the body above hers meticulously to ensure that he was all right.
But instead of the pain he was supposed to feel, her actions aroused an unsavoury reaction that appalled him. With his embarrassed face hovering just millimetres from hers, he could feel every breath she took. Every inch of his body was acutely aware of the warmth radiating off her.
He didn’t know if tormented worriment was addling his brains to the point of sexual frustration, but her ministration was most definitely not helpful. As though intoxicated by alcohol, he was indistinctively drunk with desire for her.
“Xiang Kong…?” Her unassuming voice cut through the haze of passion like hot knife on butter.
With tremendous effort regaining control of his baser instincts, the young captain rolled onto his side, groaning pathetically at his pitiful self. He must have been more tired than he was aware of, to be consumed by urges.
Spooning her against him with her back firmly pressed against his chest and his arms securely wound around her midriff, he rested his chin on her shoulder as he whispered huskily by her ear, “Don’t worry. I won’t do anything… I just want to hold you as you sleep…”
Faintly smiling, he had no need to assure her. She knew for a fact that Xiang Kong would not do anything ungentlemanly to her because as much as she held him topmost in her priorities, he had just as much respect for her.
“Then, sleep with me…” she said, interlacing her fingers with his.
Both fought to stay awake until the other fell into a deep slumber, but the sandman spirited them away into a dreamless sleep before the hourglass was up.
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