Zhao Yunlan reacted in the only way he knew, shouting orders and making up a plan. First of all he wrapped Shen Wei in his arms to keep him warm while at the same time shouting for Da Qing to call an ambulance immediately.

He ordered Zhu Hong to take the two prisoners to Sid and to call Wang Zheng to prepare two cells for them. "And tell Old Li that I want him to guard them personally and that he must not let them escape."

Hong nodded and called Sid, telling Lin Jin to come get her because she couldn't take a struggling prisoner and an unconscious one there by herself, then she relayed the message to Wang and to Old Li, who understood right away the gravity of the situation.

Zhao never ordered him anything. He had hired him to keep the place neat and clean, but they all knew that it was just an excuse to give him an honest job and also the chance to do something for Zhao so to repay his debt.

Since Zhao didn't think there was any debt to repay, he always treated Old Li with kindness and respect, asking him to do something whenever a chance presented itself, so that the man could feel like he was repaying him, which Zhao knew was important to him.

For Zhao to order him to do something, it was obvious that it was a matter of great importance, and it was also safe to say that the two prisoners had no chance in hell to escape alive.

Zhao tried his best to stop the blood with his jacket, while they all waited.
The ambulance arrived first. It only took four minutes and the ambulance stopped right next to Zhao and Shen. As soon as the gunshot was heard, someone had called without waiting to see what had happened, so they were already on their way when Da Qing called.

Zhao told his officers to wait there for Lin Jin while he went with Shen Wei. There was no way he would leave him, even for a second.

He quickly hopped in and had to stay quiet in a corner to let the paramedics assess Wei's condition and he held his breath hearing them call the hospital warning them to prepare for an emergency surgery.

They cut Wei's clothes in the front but they didn't vanish since they were still close to Wei's body and the device attached to it.

The medics were a man and a woman. She saw the device on Wei's chest and asked, "What is this?" and Yunlan had to make up a story of body modification as if having something that looked like a metal plate fused on one's skin was the latest fashion.

He warned them that Wei had another one on his back, right below his neck, so that they wouldn't waste time with that and concentrate on the real problem.

Luckily at the hospital they had already seen their share of the weirdest things people did to their bodies so they accepted the explanation for what it was, and checked the wound.

As soon as they arrived Wei was rushed into surgery. Zhao wasn't allowed to enter of course and he didn't protest. Again, he didn't want them to waste time with him when time was so precious to Wei now.

He waited feeling helpless as never before in his life. After an hour Zhao called Wang to ask if everything was alright. He was told that Hong and Da Qing had come back with the prisoners and Old Li had taken full charge of them allowing nobody to come near the cells.

Another hour went by. Zhao's phone started ringing but he ignored it. Whoever it was kept calling and calling, but being outside that door without knowing if Shen Wei was dead or alive had rendered Yunlan unable to do anything. The waiting was long and corroded his soul.

Half an hour later his father showed up at the hospital.

Seeing his son slumped on a chair looking lifeless brought back the memory of his own wife's death, when he himself had looked like that waiting to know if she would make it out alive.

He went to his son and put an arm around his shoulders. This seemed to bring Zhao back to attention, but seeing that it wasn't a doctor with news on Shen Wei his eyes became empty again.

"How is it son?" Xin Ci asked. He didn't even know who was the person under surgery right now. He had heard of gunshots, of Sid involvement, he had tried to call his son many times and had worried a lot not receiving any answer.

"It should be me," Yunlan said. "He saved my life, it should be me in that room."

Xin Ci didn't reply. He understood the sentiment but he was also glad that it wasn't his son.

"These things need time, you need to get out of here," he said. Yunlan didn't move. "I can't, what if..."

Xin Ci interrupted him. "I'll make sure they call us if anything happens, come with me, I'll buy you a drink."

They stopped to 'ask' a nurse at the reception desk to warn them immediately at the smallest news, leaving both their cards, then the old man lead his son to the nearest bar.

They sat down and Yunlan started drinking alcohol as if it was water. Xin Ci didn't drink, careful to stop Yunlan if he went too far.
"Tell me what happened."

Yunlan didn't even raise his eyes. "I was working, dad, but I didn't see the gun until she shot and he was between me and the bullet."

Xin Ci kept his eyes on his son.
"Who is he?"

Yunlan now looked at him, their relationship had never been easy and his father always had something to say about all his decisions; something stirred inside Yunlan and he bluntly said, "He's my lover, and because he cares about me he's over there dying while I'm here drinking with you."

Yunlan almost spat the last words then stood up and threw the glass in his hand against the wall. It broke loudly startling everyone in there.

Yunlan stormed out while his father left a generous amount of money on the table and hurried after him.

Xin Ci grabbed his arm and Yunlan spun around aggressively. His father didn't move and simply said, "Is he so important to you?"

"Yes," was everything he said, but that single word told so much more about his feelings to anyone who knew him.

Nothing of the sarcastic replies he was so fond of. Yunlan was always a man of many words, he used them to manipulate during interrogations, to win people over, and also to piss off his father.

There was none of that now.
Xin Ci stared at his son.
Yunlan stared back.

After a while the old man said, "I'm in his debt. Bring him home when he feels better."

Yunlan really hoped he could do that.
He felt calmer now, that little exchange with his father had allowed him to let his frustration out for a moment, and the fact that his dad had said 'when' and not 'if' was strangely calming, as if the world couldn't dare to prove his father wrong.

"When he feels better, sure," he said. Father and son looked at each other a couple of seconds more then Xin Ci left.
Yunlan went back in and the wait continued.