I am really proud that I am able to finish the chapters days before the deadline. How do you feel about it? ^^

By the way, take a look at my new cover of this book. Isn't it awesome? It was a gift from cherishedsunshine  Thank you again for this cover!!

How about we proceed to the chapter? Have fun reading <3 <3

Xiao Zhan's POV

Suddenly everything went fast. I heard multiple gunshots, someone was screaming in wrath, and then I felt a sharp pain in my upper leg. My leg buckled and I screamed in pain.

It hurt! It freaking hurts!!

As my leg buckled I almost stumbled and dropped the boy in my arms but at the last moment, I caught myself. There was not much time because when I looked back I saw three men running up to me and if I didn't hurry they would catch us in no time.

The problem was my right leg. I barely could move and every step was very painful. But I still had to run. Not only to save me but to save the trembling boy in my arms. He was a little heavy, especially now that I was shot.

"Mommy....." The boy sobbed.

I cursed silently and run up the stairs as fast as my legs let me. When I arrived I let the boy down for a short moment to shut the door and pushed the old shoe cabinet which was stored in this room in front of it. Just as I turned around and picked up the boy, I heard them banging against the barricaded door.

I run out of the storage room towards the front door. I left the house and looked around.

"Shit!" I cursed when all I saw were trees. As the house was in the middle of the woods no one could help me. I had no choice but to run into the forest. It will take at least 30 minutes before I would get out of it on the other side, but that was my only option. I looked down at my leg and noticed I was bleeding strongly and the pain grew. After touching the wound the only thing I could see for a few seconds was blackness. I moaned in pain and almost collapsed.

I quickly took my hands back once I discovered that the bullet was still stuck inside. 'No wonder it hurts like hell!' I thought and started to run into the forest. Despite the pain, not only physical but also mentally, I did not want to give up. My life and that of the boy depended on whether I could escape from Meng Yao and his men or not.

After a while, the boy in my arms stopped crying but he was still trembling. I ran for at least 20 minutes and I was tired. The pain killed me and despite the danger, we were in, I had to sit for a while. I put the boy on the ground before letting myself fall.

After two minutes the boy pulled at my pajama. "Uncle, does it hurt a lot?" He asked me and I looked at him.

"Yes, boy. It does. But we need to leave here anyway. Just give me two minutes. I will bring us out of here."

"I am scared. I want to go home."

"I know. I will bring you home. You trust me, don't you?" I asked him and after a moment he nodded slowly. I wanted to smile at him but I couldn't. I was tired and in pain. I figured that I lost a lot of blood and seeing that I was still bleeding I took off my shirt and wrapped it around my right leg. I should have done that from the beginning but I had to hurry. Then I looked at the boy again. "They will be here soon. We need to leave but I don't think I can carry you. Do you think you can run on your own?"

He nodded and I tried to get up. After the fourth try, I succeed and we continued to escape. 5 minutes later I heard men shouting and dogs barking. I cursed inwardly. We did not slow down and kept running forward until we arrived at a river.

The best way to escape was crossing the river. The problem was not only my leg but also that I couldn't swim! But maybe the boy could be saved.

"Boy, can you swim?" I asked him and he shook his head.

'What should I do!? Crossing the river is our best chance to get a bigger distance between us and them...'

"They can't be far! Hurry up and find them!" I heard someone shouting and I flinched realizing the voice was close. Then dogs were barking "I found blood over here. They must be close!"

I paled and looked at the little boy who started trembling again. "Listen, boy, we need to cross the river. It will difficult as none of us can swim but this is our last chance. The river should not be too deep and should be able to walk over. I will put you on my shoulders, that is the only way." I whispered and crouched in front of him, ignoring the pain. "You said you trust me, didn't you?" The boy nodded again and I took his hands.

"Then let's do this. I promise I will get you out of here!" I said as we hurried towards the river. I picked the kid up again and stepped into the water. Thankfully I was right and the water wasn't very deep. The water went up to my neck when we were halfway through. But I was sure my leg would suffer even more.

Suddenly there was a loud clap of thunder and seconds later it started to rain. I hurried up and soon we arrived at the other side of the river. We quickly run until I was sure they couldn't see us from the other side and then I let myself fall. It was too much.

"Uncle..." The boy tapped my arms and I looked at him

"Sorry... just a few minutes... only ... a few minutes ..." I mumbled. I knew that we had to leave as fast as possible but I couldn't run anymore. My leg hurt and every step I took was painful as hell. I looked up into the trees and let the rain falling on my face.

"Uncle ... I am cold..."

"I know. I am sorry. Lets ... let's go. We should be out of here soon." I answered tiredly and pulled myself up. As we continued our way I noticed that we slowed down a lot and when we finally left the forest 15 minutes later I couldn't walk properly anymore. I limped forwards with the boy next to me.

For a moment I looked back and noticed cars coming closer. They parked and seconds later men in black suits climbed out of them. Half of them positioned themselves in front of the forest while the other half entered it.

I pulled the boy after me and when we passed a few blocks I saw a spot where we could hide.

"Boy, come here!" I hissed and we hid behind a few boxes in a blind alley. Here they couldn't find us and I was able to relax a little. After a few minutes, the pain in my leg overwhelmed me and I closed my eyes.

When I opened my eyes again, I was not in that blind alley anymore but a big white room. I was confused for a moment and when I turned my head to the side I looked into the pair of eyes, one was dark brown the other was light brown. I jumped up immediately and wanted to push that person away only to realize that it was the boy I saved.

'It is not that person...' I thought relieved and relaxed a little. 

"Uncle! You woke up!!" He smiled and I heard a rustling from the other side of the room. A doctor stepped up to the bed and checked on me.

"How do you feel, Mr. Xiao?" He asked me friendly.

"Who are you?" I asked him and he smiled.

"I am Dr. Wang Haikuan, your doctor. Don't worry, you are safe here. This is the Beijing Central Hospital and you were brought here two days ago by the police. Now tell me how are you feeling?"

"I am hot and tired, I feel sick and my right leg hurt like hell," I answered and looked towards the door. In front of my room were standing two police officers looking like bouncers.

"You are tired because of the medicament we gave you for your leg-"

I looked down and saw my right upper leg wrapped in a lot of o bandages. I tried to move it and I moaned when I felt a sharp pain.

"Don't move!" Dr. Wang ordered and I looked at him in fear.

"How is my leg? Is it bad?" He was about to answer when a police officer entered the office. He ignored the doctor and looked straight at me.

"Mr. Xiao, you were lucky to have survived." He said and the boy next to me pulled on my hospital garment. I looked at him and he grinned at me.

"You fell asleep and wouldn't wake up no matter how much I shook you. I went to the police and told them where you are. The bad men didn't see me." He explained and was visibly proud of his achievement.

"Really? Then I guess I have to thank you for saving my life."

"You saved mine first. Naturally, I would save you too." He said and I managed to smile. "Did I do good?"

"Yes, you did."

"Mr. Xiao." The police officer called me and I looked at him. "My name is Wang Zhou Cheng, I am the newly appointed head investigator regarding Meng Yao's case. I would like to ask you a lot of questions but seeing that you are yet to recover from the happenings two days ago, I will postpone the questioning."

"I am tired...." I mumbled and Dr. Wang patted my shoulder.

"Like I said that is due to the medication. You have a high fever too and your leg is in a bad shape. You will have to stay here for a while to recover."

"I cant... he will find us...." I mumbled sleepily.

"No, no one will find you. You are admitted under a false name and no one except me and the two police officers knows who you are." Officer Wang Zhou Cheng answered and the doctor approached him.

"You forgot me, Officer. I know it too. How about we let the patient rest and talk for a while? How about the empty room next door?" The doctor said with a low voice and I saw the Officer frowning before stepping back.

"Mr. Xiao, take a good rest. Once your fever is down, we will start the questioning. I will keep you company until you are ready to be discharged."

"I want to stay here too!" The boy next to me announced and I looked at him.

"What is your name, boy?"

"Wang FanXing." He grinned.

"My little prince. The patient needs rest. How about you come with me?" Dr. Wang said but FanXing shook his head.

"No, I want to stay with Uncle."

"But I am your Uncle!" Dr. Wang said but the boy still shook his head.

"I know but I want to stay with this Uncle."

"But-"

"I will stay here!" FanXing said and stared at Dr. Wang who stared back at him.

"God, you are as stubborn as your father as a kid. Fine then, but you will keep quiet and let Mr. Xiao rest, you hear me?" He said and when the boy nodded the doctor turned to the officer. "We will talk later. Officer."

When the doctor left I looked at the happy-looking FanXing. "How are you?"

"I am perfectly fine. My uncle checked me thoroughly and said I am alright. He gave me pills I need to take before going to bed, though. He also wants me to see one of his friends the day after tomorrow. I do not want to but he insisted..." He shrugged.

I wanted to say more but my eyes fell close and I fell asleep before I could do so.

For the next four days, I had a very high fever and didn't notice anything anymore. The only thing I know was that FanXing left the hospital and Dr. Wang was checking on me every two hours. On the sixth day, my fever was gone and only the pain in my leg remained. I just underwent the questioning my the Officer which was tiresome.

"Dr. Wang, how is my leg?" I asked the doctor nervously. The way he looked at me means nothing good.

"The bullet remained in your leg while you were on the run and rubbed against your nerves over and over again with every move. The wound will heal someday but the injuries inside your leg may stay forever. For the next weeks, you will have to use the medication I will prescribe for you. Because the nerves in your upper leg are damaged you might have difficulties walking properly so you will have to visit a physiologist. I would suggest you rest some more and then we will check on your walkability. Don't worry too much for now."

Easier said than done. He said I might not be able to walk like a normal human being! It can't get any worse.

Just as the doctor wanted to leave Officer Wang Zhou Cheng entered my room. He ignored Dr. Wang who smirked at the officer's behavior.

"Mr. Xiao, we went to the house in the woods but as already predicted Meng Yao fled. He is on the Wanted-List for now and we try to catch him as soon as possible. We found two female corpses in the cave under the house. An autopsy showed us what you told us already. It was Zhao Jing Yi and Tian Rong, the wife and the servant of the chief of the southern police department, both died of shot in the head. The kidnapped daughter, Lee Maya, was not found. She is still missing." Officer Wang explained.

"Meng Yao... he showed Mrs. Zhao a video. I did not see what it was but the woman paled and freaked out. Officer, Meng Yao.... what is he doing? I mean... why would he do that? Why would he kidnapped someone?"

The Officer sighed and sat down on the bed next to me. "Mr. Xiao, what do you know about Meng Yao?"

"He is my friend. I met him 5 years ago in the hospital after getting hit by a car. He paid my medical bill. We became friends, he gave me a job and let me stay with him. Officer, it may sound weird after ... after what happened days ago but Meng Yao is not bad. He is friendly and helps people in need. He does a lot of charity. His company is successful despite the decrease in shares in the last month. I can't understand why he would kill people!" I said, trying to tell myself that my only friend was not a bad person which was difficult after what I saw.

"It seems you only know what Meng Yao wanted you to know."

"Excuse me?" I was way too confused.

"Meng Yao is not the person you think he is, Mr. Xiao. He is the head of a drug and sex trafficking organization and we are after him for 7 years now. To be honest, we already knew everything about you before all of this happened to you. Once we saw you close to Meng Yao we did a background check on you. We wanted to know who this new person on his side was. We tried to keep a close eye on you which was not easy because Meng Yao shielded you as well as he could.

Two years ago we tried to get close to you. We wanted to question you but Meng Yao found out and was always with you, preventing us to go close to you. When we realized that you had no idea who Meng Yao really was we tried to get you out of there multiple times but Meng Yao or his men always interfered. You remember the bank robbery a year ago?" He asked me and I nodded slowly.

There was indeed something like this. I went to a bank to pay in money when suddenly 6 people with masks appeared and tried to rob the bank. One of them walked up to me and back then I thought he chose me to be his hostage but two men next to me were shielding me while another one pulled me away towards an emergency exit. The robbers fled soon after without stealing anything.

"These six men were no robbers but police officers trying to get you away from Meng Yao. Unfortunately, we failed and had to give up. We thought there must be a reason for him to keep you close but no matter how deep we dug, we found nothing. You had no connections to politicians or other important people and you had no money. Tell me, Mr. Xiao do you happen to know why he was trying to keep you close to him? Are you in any way involved in his business?"

"No! I am not involved in anything. And I don't know why is keeping me close. I have no value. Well, except that ...." I stopped, not sure how to say it.

"Everything is important. If you can think of a reason please tell me."

"He ... likes me," I answered embarrassed.

"He likes you? As in he is interested in you?" He followed up and I nodded. "That might explain it. Are you and Meng Yao in a relationship?"

"No!" I denied it instantly. "I mean, he did confess to me but I only see him as a friend. Well... at least I thought he was one....Officer, what is going to happen now? What is with FanXing? And what about that girl, Lee Maya?"

"The girl is with Meng Yao. She was in that house in the woods in one of the underground rooms. We found her DNA. Like I said he is the head of a sex trafficking organization. Unfortunately, we never found a lead where they are located. We will keep looking for them and I hope we will find her and the other missing woman but... it will be difficult."

"Other missing woman? How many..?"

"Since the last 7 years, we have over 250 cases. All women between 16 and 25. But those are only the numbers for china. More are missing in other countries."

"Oh god!" I was shocked. 'He wants to tell me Meng Yao kidnapped all these women to sell them for ... sex? And he was selling drugs too?' I paled and felt sick. Dr. Wang who was standing at the door the whole time while listening to the conversation run-up to the bed took out a bedpan and held it in front of me at the last moment. I threw up while the doctors soothed my back.

"You okay?" I nodded once it was over and he helped me to lay back.

"Sorry for that," I mumbled.

"No need. I can understand that. We will try our best to find all the women and stop Meng Yao."

"What will happen now? Meng Yao tried to kill FanXing too."

"Don't worry. FanXing is safe at his home." Officer Wang Zhou Cheng said and Dr. Wang nodded.

"His father is my brother and a prosecutor. As far as I know, he is in charge of the case of Meng Yao for two weeks now, albeit he had not the time to work on it yet due to other important cases. Now that Meng Yao dared to kidnap FanXing.... he is furious and looks as if he wants to kill. He does not know yet about you as a witness because the police think we should keep it a secret until you recovered." Dr. Wang explained and the Officer cleared his voice in annoyance.

I somehow had the feeling the Officer was not fond of Dr. Wang whereas the doctor didn't seem to mind at all about the Officer's frowning and annoyance. He seemed to have fun provoking him with all those smirks and winks and stares. If I wasn't worried about what will happen in the future I might have asked them where the problem was.

"What will happen to me now?" I asked and this time it was Officer Wang Zhou Cheng who answered.

"Don't worry, we will protect you. You are safe here. Do you have a place where you can stay?"

I shook my head. "I lived in the forest with Meng Yao. I don't have an apartment nor friends or family where I can stay..."

"I see.... I will think about a solution. Until then you will stay here. Dr. Wang, when do you think can he leave?" The officer asked politely without looking at him.

"I am not sure. His leg is in a bad condition. Tomorrow I will call for my colleague Dr. Song so we can discuss how to proceed. But for now, I would like to keep him here for a few more days." He answered and then looked at me. "It would be the best to rest today. Tomorrow we will check together with Dr. Song how much pressure your leg can take and if you can walk."

Hearing that got me scared. If I can't walk anymore who would want to employ me? How was I supposed to earn money?

'Don't think about that just yet, Xiao Zhan. Wait for the results of tomorrow's examination.' I told myself and looked at the Officer who went back to the couch which was located at the end of the single room I was staying in. He slept there for the last days. Dr. Wang saw that too and shook his head.

"Hey, Officer, the room next door is empty. You can sleep there if you want. I bet it's more comfortable than sleeping on the couch."

For a moment I thought he was going to decline but then he got up, nodded at me, and left my room.

"Isn't he cute?" Dr. Wang chuckled and when I looked at him in confusion he shrugged his shoulders and winked at me. "Just my opinion. I like his attitude."

"His attitude? But he treats you... well, not sure how to call it..."

"I know what you mean, though. But isn't that what it makes so exciting?" He laughed at my stunned face before wishing me a good rest. "I will check on you in the morning again. Make sure you do not move your leg too much for today. If you need help, press the red button on your left and I will be right here."

He left and I leaned back. There much going on in my head and to be honest I was scared. I did not want to believe that Meng Yao was a person like that but after seeing him killing two people... why did I never see the truth? Sex trafficking? Drugs? How can someone be so evil and kidnap people, selling them for sex or killing them? How could Meng Yao do something like that!?

Why was everyone I met and liked, or loved, a bad person? Why couldn't there be at least one person whom I could trust? Was that too much to ask for?

I must have fallen asleep because when I opened my eyes it was dark outside. The reason for my waking up was the sudden pain in my leg. It swelled up within minutes and I had to bit my lip strongly so I wouldn't start screaming. I was hoping the pain would go away but when it became stronger I had no other option than to call for help with the hope to get a lot of painkillers.

Wang Haikuan's POV

When I left Mr. Xiao's room I nodded at the two police officers standing in front of it. I was told that these two would only let Officer Song and me inside to make sure the patient was safe. This was the VIP-Area and only a few could enter but still, better safe than sorry. From what I have heard there were also a few officers walking through the hospital to check on everything. Undercover, of course. Not even I knew who and where they were but I didn't care anyway.

My attention was on Officer Wang Zhou Cheng alone. I was amused that he seemed to be very annoyed with me. The question was why is that? I didn't do anything to him, didn't I? Well, at last nothing wrong.

I was delighted to see him again after what happened a while ago. Was it already 5 months? Wow, time flies fast... and the fact that I did not forget him made me even more amazed. But who could blame me? The night back then was fun and .... kind of unforgettable.

"Code red! Dr. Wang Haikuan's presence is required immediately in Operating Room No. 3! I repeat! Dr. Wang Haikuan's presence is required immediately in Operating Room No. 3!"

I listened to the call and immediately made my way to the mentioned operation room. As I was a doctor specialized in every area, my presence was needed everywhere, especially when another doctor was on sick leave or vacation or for whatever other reason he was not at the hospital. I always jumped in for others even when I was busy with my patients. People thought it was a tiresome job and they are right. It was very tiresome but I loved it nevertheless. My bank account was also very thankful for my hard work as I got the highest salary. Many hospitals are trying to scout me but.... not a chance. I loved it here way too much.

A nurse was waiting for me in front of the OR Nr. 3 and when I passed her she followed me while explaining to me what I had to expect.

Three hours later I was out of the OR after saving the patients in record time. I turned to the nurses and looked at them seriously. "Send him to the ICU. I want you to keep an eye on him 24/7. The moment something seems not right, page me! Do you hear me? There shouldn't be any problems but I want you to stay alert."

"Yes, Doctor."

"Good. Now go." I said and stretched my body for a while. I went to the cafeteria and got myself something to eat. Then I made a round through my department and checked on my patients. I was happy when I could send three of them home the next day.

I entered the VIP-Area and thought about visiting Officer Wang Zhou Cheng when someone cleared his voice behind me and I turned around. It was the family member of one of the patients I would send home tomorrow, his sister if I remembered it right.

"Excuse me, Miss, but you are not allowed here. I would advise you to go back."

"I am sorry, I just wanted to thank you. For saving my brother and letting him leave after 4 weeks staying here. He is excited to leave the hospital tomorrow and we are relieved." She answered while looking at her shoes and playing with her fingers. She looked up and then quickly down again.

'Look at that...' I thought amused and checked her out. She was a little smaller than me and a few years younger. I suppressed a grin and leaned against a wall.

"That is my job. I am happy when I can help others and save lives. Your brother was lucky that he did not lose his hand. He should be careful when handling those machines or next time will be not as lucky as this time and lose more than just his job." I told her and she raised her head only to look away again.

"Yeah, I know. Our mother told him multiple times to chose another job but he declined. He loves his job and said this time was just an accident which will not happen again...." She answered and looked up again. She blushed seeing me observing her and I smiled.

"I somehow feel there is something else you want to say," I stated and she blushed even more.

"Well... yeah... ehm.... It may sound weird but ... may I ask if you have a girlfriend?"

"I don't. Why do you want to know?" I asked innocently and when she stuttered some incomprehensible sentences I chuckled. 'Guess it's time for some fun, right? It's been a while...'

I reached for her hand and pulled her into a corner. She was surprised but then she smiled and when I looked down at her, she went on her toes and kissed me. I pulled her closer and kissed her back while my hand stroke her butt. Her breasts were rubbing on my lower chest and her hands on my butt. The part between my legs slowly woke up and when it pressed against her stomach she moaned.

I stopped the kiss and looked down at me. Then I looked at her again. "Do you mind helping me with that?" I asked her and instead of verbally answering she reached out for the zipper on my pants. She opened it, reached inside, and took out what was hidden before kneeling in front of me and taking me into her mouth.

I grabbed into her and helped her to find a rhythm. 'God, it has been a while, hasn't it?'

As she worked on me with her mouth and tongue I suppressed any sounds. She was good but not good enough to make me come. Just at this moment I looked up and saw Officer Wang Zhou Cheng passing us. He stopped walking and looked in our direction. He widened his eyes in shock and gaped at the scenario he saw.

I was shocked too. Not because he saw us but because seeing him looking at me in shock had me come straight into the girl's throat. I let out the moan I was suppressing the whole time and that made the Officer shaking his head and walking away with hurried steps.

The girl raised from the ground and looked at me with glassy eyes. She licked her lips and wanted to take off her skirt, hoping to go to the next step but before she could do so I took out my pager and held it up.

"Damn it! Sorry, sweetie, I just got paged. Need to go and save another patient's life. See you." I said and walked away, taking the same direction the Officer took. In front of his room, I stopped and stepped inside without knocking.

to continue....

That's it again... 

What is going on between Haikuan and Zhou Cheng? Hmm.... 

And will Xiao Zhan be safe in the hospital? 

The next chapter is coming out on Sunday (04.07.2021). 

See you next time <3 <3

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