𝙍𝙚𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 [𝘼𝙐 𝙕𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙘𝙝𝙞 +18]

15: In stories of fading light

At seven o’clock in the evening, Zhongli had to leave the ICU reluctantly. Hu Tao offered to drive him to the hotel. In the end, they also agreed that she would not return to the hospital, as the doctors were not going to let her into the ICU. She would be with Zhongli, keeping him company. That was a much better option than spending the whole night alone with his thoughts and memories.

Zhongli might not be able to sleep, despite feeling physically and mentally exhausted. Hu Tao had boundless energy, so they could talk about anything or watch a series. Or at least that's what she'd proposed to do, but chances are he'd end up thinking of Childe and she'd have to encourage him again.

"What are you going to do with the FBI?" Hu Tao asked beside him, keeping her eyes on the road. Zhongli was silent, thinking about his response. He had been so immersed in what had happened with Childe that he had completely forgotten about it.

"I guess there's no point in avoiding them anymore," he said, tilting his head to look at his friend. “They want to kill Childe to silence him, but now… There's no reason to bother with that,” his voice nearly wavered on that last statement, but he held his ground. “He's probably in a coma, and even if he wakes up he won't be able to communicate properly either,” Zhongli opened his right hand, looking at Childe's earring in his palm.

"So… Are you coming back?" Hu Tao asked. Zhongli was silent for several seconds, closing his hand again.

"I will continue to investigate this case, yes," he replied, closing his eyes. “I can't let everything we've discovered go to waste, least of all when he's in this state now. I have to stop him from being sent back to prison as soon as he wakes up, so I'll find the killer by myself.”

"And if they don't give you permission to do that?" Hu Tao asked. Zhongli pursed his lips, smiling slightly and glancing sideways at the girl, who smiled back at him. He sighed, maintaining his slight smile.

"Since when do we care about FBI rules?" Zhongli questioned. Hu Tao laughed a little.

"That’s right…" She smiled, but her smile faded after a few seconds, her expression turning serious. Zhongli's also faded, he had no energy or desire to smile at the moment. “Changing the subject… Childe’s family doesn't know about this, right?”

Zhongli's eyes widened slightly, then he frowned and looked away. “No… “ He answered. “They don’t know.”

—

They entered the hotel, with hardly any people at the reception. Zhongli observed how the blood had already been cleaned, the atmosphere much calmer and have returned to normal.

Hu Tao looked around her, amazed at the luxurious setting. Zhongli pursed his lips, acknowledging a figure quite familiar to him, speaking to the hotel manager next to the reception desk. The young man noticed his presence, frowning and approaching him.

"I'll be right back," Zhongli said to Hu Tao, placing a hand on her shoulder and then walking away from her, leaving her in the middle of the grand entrance.

"Can you tell me what the hell happened this morning?" Xiao asked, crossing his arms. “You told me that you were involved in an investigation and that you didn't want us to keep your data in the base, that they didn't go into your room to clean... I accepted it because I owe you things, but this? What the fuck?”

Zhongli sighed. Of course, he had also forgotten that Xiao was going to complain about what had happened.

"It's a long story," Zhongli said, avoiding the yellow eyes that had fastened on him.

"Then I'll be happy to hear it," Xiao replied, shifting his weight to the other leg, his eyelids narrowing.

"This is not the time," he replied. “I just… I'm sorry I caused you trouble, okay? But right now I'm not in the best state to explain everything to you.2