With a deep breath, Wenjie awoke in a bed. The mattress was soft, the bedspread white, and a cannula was in his hand. He no longer felt any pain. Only his head was humming a little. Bright sunlight through the windows. 

Next to the bed on the nightstand was an oscilloscope. On the sofa sat Ding Wei, typing on his phone. Apart from him, there was no one in the room, which was clearly not his bedroom. Rather, the interior design was reminiscent of a typical hospital room. 

Wenjie groped for the collar. It was gone. But there was band-aid stuck to his neck in two places. 

At that moment, Ding Wei looked at him. His eyes widened. Then he jumped up and approached the bed. "Wenjie." The corners of his mouth formed a forced smile that did not entirely dispel the worry in his features. 

"Where's Uncle Xu?" This was a test, wasn't it? Xiao Dao would not betray Xu Zhengqing. But why did the buildings outside look like skyscrapers from Qingcheng? Monsieur wouldn't take such a risk and bring him to the hospital here.

Ding Wei swallowed. His fingers clenched tighter around the phone. 

The older's behavior irritated him. "What's wrong? Where is he? Don't tell me? You have..." He faltered. "You kept your promise?" His head was spinning. Then how was it possible that he was alive?

Xiao Dao grinned. But his gaze still spoke a different language. "Did you think I would leave you hanging?" He joined him at the bedside and put the phone away. "You're made it through the worst, buddy. I already texted it to your friends that you'll be waking up soon. Don't worry about Xu Zhengqing. He can't hurt you anymore."

He said that so easily. Wenjie didn't believe that until the man was behind bars, and judging from Ding Wei's behavior, that wasn't the case. "Answer my question." 

Xiao Dao pressed around before finally forcing out an answer. "The police are looking for him. He won't get far. They'll catch him."

Who was he trying to convince? Wenjie shook his head. "You don't have to fool me. He's double- and triple-covered himself. Who's in charge of the case?"

Now it was Ding Wei who visibly furrowed his brows in irritation. "Did the poison mess up your memories? Captain Luo, who else?"

Wenjie's breathing accelerated audibly. Barely noticeable, he clawed his fingers into the bedspread and swallowed hard. "Don't talk nonsense." His voice was rough and raspy. 

"Why should I lie to you?"

Xiao Dao actually seemed to be serious. But the newspaper article, the news on the radio. That had been real. "Uncle Xu told you to test me." 

"What, you don't believe that yourself." Ding Wei jumped up and pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket again. "I will proof, I'm telling the truth." He eagerly typed a message and sent it before holding the phone in front of him.

What Wenie got to see confused him even more. This was very short, but still existing message history between Ding Wei and Captain Luo. No. That wasn't possible. His heart was pounding up to his throat. Another absurd thought crossed his mind. Had he died? But then why would Xiao Dao be here? Because Uncle Xu had killed him too. 

The door opened and a doctor came in. 

Wenjie breathed deeply. 

The doctor exchanged a serious look with Ding Wei. "The patient needs rest."

"I'm fine," Wenjie immediately relented. "Can you tell me which hospital I'm in? And what day it is?"

The doctor eyed him anxiously. "Qingcheng Central Hospital. It's Monday. How are you feeling? Are you still in pain? Hallucinations?"

Wenjie shook his head. His breathing calmed down again. He was really in Qingcheng. Then Ding Wei told the truth. Slowly, his eyes wandered to the older, who was tussling his hair and pacing back and forth in front of the window. 

"How long have I been here?"

"About 10 hours. But we will definitely keep you here for another two days. If your values have normalized by then, then we can discharge you. If you need anything, press the red button. Otherwise, I'll come in twice to check on you, and the nurses will come in at each meal."

"Thank you." He nodded to the doctor, who then left the room again. 

"Can I," he turned to Ding Wei. "see Captain Luo?"

Xiao Dao smiled sheepishly. "I guess he'll be there in half an hour."

Wenjie breathed a sigh of relief. "It feels unreal." 

"That poison really kicked in on you." Ding Wei sat back down at his bedside. Before Wenjie could have done anything about it, he leaned over him and ruffled his hair. "But the doctors were able to stabilize you and the police found the antidote. Unfortunately, Monsieur seems to have more accomplices out there than we thought after all. Until he's caught, we'll have police protection. Two officers are sitting outside the door. They've also parked a car at the university. Your friends know that they shouldn't leave the dorms or the university for the time being. He can't get to your girlfriend and your buddy."

"She's not my girlfriend." How many times did he have to say that." 

"But she's important to you."

He couldn't deny that now. "He doesn't need my friends to blackmail me. He has my father."

"The police will find him." Ding Wei didn't look surprised at all. "They found a surveillance room. Using the signals between the computers and the camera, they can figure out where he is. So stop worrying so much. It's only a matter of time before they get Monsieur, too."

After everything he had experienced with Xu Zhengqing, Wenjie feared that Xiao Dao was just making the whole thing up. Captain Luo was smart. He might really find his dad. But what if Uncle Xu was faster and had a nasty trump card up his sleeve? Or could this be an illusion his brain was playing on him? Then it would be a very complex hallucination. So a test was more likely. And again, his thoughts circled around the worst possible scenarios.

"Come on, rejoice a little," Xiao Dao tried to cheer him up.

Wenjie would like to, if it weren't for that nagging feeling that it wasn't over yet. "If he gets his hands on me again, he'll repeat what he did when he gave me knockout drops," he finally said, completely out of context. His voice sounded so distant at that, and yet it relieved him to say it. Hadn't that been what Ding Wei had asked about last time? What Xu Zhengqing had done to break him like that? 

He saw the shock and confusion in Xiao Dao's gaze. "He did what? Those are party drugs, are they? What did he need them for? When? How?" His eyes widened.

"He put them in the soup."

Ding Wei paled. "I think I have to vomit."

"Don't hold it back. I also did the morning after."

Xiao Dao disappeared into the bathroom, but returned a moment later with a wry grin. "Kept it all in after all."

Finally Wenjie smiled slightly.

to be contiued...