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Luo Fei knew it was a bad idea. He absolutely knew it. But he had gotten used to getting things done on his own and as good as the rookie— Qin Xiaoman— was, she was still a rookie.
Still, he was sure the detective superintendent was going to be treating him like a rookie for the next month at least.
He couldn’t deny there might actually be a reason for that this time. Luo Fei ignored the urge to glance downwards, knowing it would only make things worse. After all, he didn’t need a visual reminder that he was hanging roughly 40 meters above the ground.
It was supposed to have been a casual stakeout. Just a short peep at some supposedly suspicious activity going on in the Phoenix Hotel, nothing too taxing. He’d even booked a room for the night. But somewhere, somehow, something had gone wrong. Which led to him hanging out the window on the 8th floor.
On the bright side, he did get what he came for. On the downside, he might not make it safely back to inform the force.
His legs swung in the empty air beneath him, and this time, he couldn’t resist. He glanced down. Thankfully, most of the ground was covered by a soft looking fog. Luo Fei still knew that it wouldn’t have any bearing on softening his fall when he hit the ground.
Dwelling on it wouldn’t help matters, so he absentmindedly extended his senses to observe other events instead. There were hardly any sounds this early in the morning. Luo Fei’s ears picked up a distant rumble of an engine, made more distant by the fog’s muffling effect. He swore he could hear dogs barking and voices calling— but that was likely his own imagination.
The sudden creak from above his head definitely wasn’t. Luo Fei glanced upwards at the thin flag pole he was single-handedly gripping. He was not and had never been a religious man, science and logic played too huge a role in his life for religion, but he felt now would be a very good time to start. It would take a miracle to beat gravity in his current situation.
Another groan of metal was the only warning he had before there was a sudden jolt. It left him gritting his teeth as his arm jerked too. The abrupt movement upgraded the ache in his shoulder to throbbing agony.
Small mercies, although he was sure Ben would beg to differ, his other arm had already gone numb thanks to the nerve strike he’d gotten from one of the suspects. But that did mean he could keenly feel his other arm reaching it’s breaking point.
He felt a flash of regret knowing Ben would be the one who would have to face his body. At the very least, he would hopefully have Xiaoman with him when the time came.
Another creak, another groan and this time he was sure the metal was done. It was so very old after all.
Luo Fei closed his eyes— he didn’t want to see the moment the ground hit— only for them to fly open again when he heard the very distinct sounds of the door being broken down.
“Luo Fei!” someone, Xiaoman called and almost immediately he was calling back, voice surprisingly hoarse.
A moment later, she and Ben were both peering out the window at him, twin looks of horror on their faces. Luo Fei had to stifle a hysterical laugh.
“Hold on, we’ll get you up,” Xiaoman urged then turned away. From her frantic tone, she seemed to be coordinating with someone else.
Ben’s gaze was still fixed on him, his already pale face now bone-white. Luo Fei had a feeling he would spend a very long time making it up to him and Xiaoman.
Then Xiaoman was back and gently pulling Ben away. “Ben Jieming, you need to move aside,” she was saying before they both disappeared from view.
Everything after happened like snapshots. He remembered an unfamiliar face gauging his situation. Something similar to a harness being roped about his body. He remembered the extremely sharp pain when the harness tightened against his dead arm.
Then he was waking up on solid ground with Ben beside him.
“Minor concussion and a dislocated arm—” his friend was reporting but Xiaoman’s voice cut him off.
“Luo Fei!”
He managed a smile up at them, despite the fact that his body was aching badly for someone who had done nothing but hang out a window.
“Good to see you two again,” he croaked.
That cued Xiaoman to fetch him a drink of water, while Ben blinked at him, still looking far too pale to be healthy. Beyond Ben, the Phoenix Hotel loomed in the background like an ominous sign. Luo Fei noted that he was never visiting the hotel again, with the exception of it being for a case.
Xiaoman’s voice brought him back to earth. “Help him sit up,” she was saying to Ben, and between the two of them, they managed to help him take a few sips of a glass Xiaoman had gotten from somewhere.
“An ambulance is on its way,” she said, once they were done. “It shouldn’t be long until it arrives.”
The only thing Luo Fei could do was nod. He was too tired to do anything else. He wanted to drift off, the others were here to handle things, he should be able to sleep, but that was interrupted by Ben’s sudden question.
“What were you thinking?”
It was a quiet query, lacking emotions and that was a huge indicator as to how furious Ben was. It was also a reminder that other people still cared. Luo Fei swallowed, let out a slow breath and met Ben’s hurt gaze.
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I didn’t expect it to turn out so badly.”
“You’ll bring one of us next time,” Ben said and it wasn’t until he reached out to smooth some strands of hair away from his face that Luo Fei knew he was forgiven. “Either that, or you actually tell us where you’re going.”
Xiaoman nodded fervently beside Ben. Rookie she may be, but Luo Fei had a suspicious feeling she was about to dog his steps all the way.
He sighed, and gave a lopsided smirk. “I promise.”
Luo Fei definitely wasn’t keen on hanging out another window again, ever.