In his sleep, Wenjie drifted deeper and deeper into the web, that Xu Zhengqing had spun. The new memories buried his past and undermined his thinking. Until his doubts vanished as well. But when they set a trap for Captain Luo, to finally get rid of the police, who were hot on their heels, something unexpected happened.

A sharp pain, that robbed him of consciousness. A glaring light, that blinded him. The loud beating of a heart. Free fall. A moment ago, he had been hanging from a rope. Shortly after, he fell into the bottomless. A scream escaped his throat. Bathed in sweat, he opened his eyes. 

The next shock was waiting for him. Bright walls. A white ceiling. Medical equipment. A cannula in his arm. No physical pain, apart from the terrible pressure in his head. Stars danced before his eyes, so he closed them again. 

Someone took hold of his left hand. He forced himself to blink. Ding Wei sat next to him. Ding Wei. Wenjie concentrated on his breathing. 

“Wenjie?” 

The sound of the voice conjured up a smile on the lips of the younger man. “Xiao Dao,” he whispered. A warm hand touched his forehead. 

“You're burning up. I'll get the nurse, okay?”

“Mmm...” Wenjie said nothing more. 

Ding Wei let go of his hand. Wenjie's head tilted slightly to the left. Through the half-opened eyelids, he saw a second bed. Someone he knew was lying there. Captain Luo. His heartbeat quickened. His pulse was racing. The pressure in his head increased.

He heard noises coming from the direction of the door. Ding Wei returned with a nurse, who checked his vitals and gave him a medication. “Don't overwhelm him with conversation,” the nurse said to Ding Wei. “He needs rest. When his body has recovered from the shock of the abrupt awakening, you should take him to the psychotherapy department.”

What? No. Wenjie shook his head. “I don't need therapy,” he murmured. His objection fell on deaf ears. He sighed deeply and remained silent until the nurse had left. 

Ding Wei sat back down on the chair beside his bed and took his hand. “You've already come through the worst.” 

Wenjie didn't feel that way, although the headache had eased thanks to the medication. “Where's Uncle Xu?” He sensed, that the answer would upset him. He knew he shouldn't get upset, but he needed to know. 

“What's the last thing you remember?” Ding Wei avoided the question. 

“We wanted to set a trap for the police. Uncle Xu said, that Captain Luo trusted me and that if we wanted to get rid of him...” He couldn't continue. His stomach tightened. His voice trailed off. He didn't know why. What was going on? Why did his words trigger pain in his chest? Why were the corners of his eyes watering? 

“It's okay. If you need to cry, go ahead,“ Ding Wei encouraged him. 

“What happened?” This time he didn't ask directly about Xu Zhengqing. 

“If I tell you, it could endanger your health. The nurse said, after what you've been through, it's important a specialist helps you.” His facial features looked tense. His handshake also became firmer. 

What had he been through? What was Ding Wei talking about? His head was spinning again. And from the depths of his subconscious, he heard a soft whisper, a pounding, like a fist hitting a wooden door. At first barely audible, then louder. He took a deep breath. “How did you meet Uncle Xu?”

Ding Wei released one hand and scratched the back of his head with it. “Ahem...”

“That doesn't concern me, so you can answer me, can't you?”

“Well, yes.” Ding Wei grinned sheepishly. “My father introduced us.”

“When?”

Ding Wei faltered. “Two years ago or so. I don't remember exactly. It was shortly after he got out of jail.”

Wenjie's eyelids twitched. His breathing quickened slightly. 

“We should talk about something else,” Ding Wei said. 

Wenjie shook his head. “I want to talk about this. It's important.”

Ding Wei sighed deeply. “We should only do this in the presence of a therapist.”

“A therapist can't help me with this. I need to know what's true.” The doubts, the questions. They were back again. Knocking at his consciousness. What is real? When did he take a wrong turn? Did his father live? 

“Don't be so stubborn,” the older man said resignedly. 

Wenjie smiled weakly. “I always have been, haven't I?”

“Ahem, yes.” Ding Wei laughed. 

“Your father wanted to kill me?”

The elder's expression changed. His mouth opened slightly. His eyes widened. He didn't answer. But his reaction spoke louder than words. It was true. Ding Shenghuo had wanted to kill him. That created a contradiction in his memories. Why would Ding Wei's father have done that? Because of his father. He had done it, because he wanted to make him pay for something his father had done. Wenjie swallowed. 

“When did we first meet?” 

Ding Wei eyed him skeptically. The medical devices didn't react. Wenjie stayed calm. By now, it was easy for him to look at him. His bodily functions had normalized. He was able to think again. 

“When we visited you in your apartment. But you probably saw me before that, when I talked to your girlfriend. Oh wait, she's not your girlfriend.” He grinned. 

The pressure on Wenjie's chest released in a laugh. “She's very important to me. I know to her, I am as well. But I don't want to put her in danger. I've already had enough of that.” He reached for the button on his bed that raised the backrest a little. Now he could sit up. 

He looked around carefully at Ding Wei. Captain Luo had his eyes closed. His chest rose and fell evenly. An oscillograph displayed his heartbeat. “Is he still in a coma?” he changed the subject. 

Ding Wei nodded. 

“Where is Xu Zhengqing?” he asked a second time. 

“In prison.” 

The pressure in his head increased. At the same time, he perceived contradictory reactions to the news in his body. A feeling of excitement and relaxation at the same time. Fear, worry and relief. None of it predominated. 

“My father?”

“On his way to Qingcheng. After he made his statement, he suggested that we could continue our vacation here. He's fetching Lin Zhiyue and Sun Zhijian. And if Captain Luo wakes up, we can add on another week or so. Should work out.”

“It's over?” He hardly dared to voice the question. His fingers trembled. ‘We won?’ 

Ding Wei smiled and nodded.

to be continued ...