Blades of Secrets: The Endless Night

CHAPTER 49

Wen Zhang sat beside Yulong's bed at the hospital. Cheng Xing peered in, wearing, oddly enough, a mask and a black cap. Li Ming and Wen Zhang immediately looked up.

Li Ming, Wen Zhang, and Cheng Xing are all sitting in the room.

"You really shouldn't have come to the hospital you could get caught." Li Ming pauses, thinks, and says, "You can take off your disguise now."

Cheng Xing took off his mask and kept his hat on.

"What exactly happened? Fen Yuhang told me Yulong was in danger," Wen Zhang questioned, his voice surprisingly steady. "You went to save Yulong, but how did you know he was in danger?"

Li Ming looks at Cheng Xing. Wen Zhang stared Cheng Xing down. Cheng Xing just looked at the table unable to look up at them.

"What aren't you telling us?"

Cheng Xing slowly looks up at Li Ming. "I can't say."

Wen Zhang twitched. ".... Cheng Xing." Cheng Xing looked at him cautiously. "I've tried to respect your privacy but, this whole... thing, has involved my family. I have the right to know." His voice brimmed with suppressed emotion.

The whole room was quiet. Wen Zhang closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. He gives Cheng Xing a glance before he storms out the room. Cheng Xing looks apologetic, but he can't bring himself to care.

"You can't blame him. I would have mixed emotions too," Li Ming tried to comfort him.

Cheng Xing puts on his mask and cap. "I'll be back."

Li Ming grabs his wrist and drags him to the bathroom and gently pushes him into a stall and locks it. Li Ming touches Cheng Xing's waist scans his body up and down. Cheng Xing takes off his mask and cap

"Does your injuries still hurt?"

Li Ming lifts Cheng Xing's shirt.

"Not so much anymore."

Li Ming leans into Cheng Xing's lips. He looks at Cheng Xing's closed eyes.

"I don't know what else you're hiding but you know you can trust us. I at least, thought you could trust me."

Li Ming pulls away, unlocks the stall, and walks out. Cheng Xing bites his lip.

He trusts Li Ming; he just doesn't trust others.

Cheng Xing walks in and sees Wen Zhang sitting beside Yulong. He went and stood behind him

"I-"

"It's not your fault, I know you were trying to save him. I'm sorry for snapping before. That was unbecoming of me." Wen Zhang smiled, tight and strained. An unfamiliar expression. Wen Zhang looks back at Yulong and his forced smile drops. He finally turned to Cheng Xing. Wen Zhang sighs. "Do you know who did this?" He asked, voice hoarse.

Cheng Xing's heart starts racing. He nodded.

"His name is Ping Heng. He's in the assassin's academy. When you went missing, we think it was Ping Heng's doing."

His friend's eyes sparked with cold fury. "Ping Heng, eh?"

Wen Zhang looks behind Cheng Xing

"Where's Li Ming?"

Cheng Xing looked behind himself. "I don't know."

"I'm going to look for Li Ming." Wen Zhang sighed.

Cheng Xing gets up and walks out the door. Cheng Xing slams into someone. He looks up about to apologise when he locks eyes with them. Da Qiang. Da Qiang grabs Cheng Xing's arm and pulls him to the bathroom. Li Ming walks back as he watches the man drag Cheng Xing to the bathroom.

Cheng Xing grips Da Qiang's shirt. Cheng Xing grits his teeth and pushes Da Qiang to the wall. Da Qiang brushes his shirt

"What are you doing here?"

"Came to talk, heard you were injured."

"Worried about me?"

"I don't care if you live or die."

Cheng Xing honestly didn't know what to say to that.

"But Fen Yuhang cares."

Cheng Xing smirks. "Still care about him?"

"We were closer friends than you think."

Cheng Xing's smile slowly fades and sighs.

"Looking for Li Ming?" Da Qiang asked.

Cheng Xing looks up at him immediately. "Have you seen him?"

"Downstairs, the vending machine. I would be careful, you never know."

Da Qiang heads for the door. Da Qiang turns his head. "Cheng Xing, be careful. I don't know what the academy is planning."

Da Qiang opens the door slightly. "And be careful of the security cameras. But I think you got that pretty well covered."

Da Qiang indicates to his cap and mask covering his face.

"What did you come to talk to me about?"

"I'll tell you later," Da Qiang said, before leaving.

Cheng Xing walks down the corridor carefully and turns to see a camera in the hallway. He calmly walked down the hallway, avoiding eye contact with cameras. Passing a door with a small window that had wheelchairs folded together. Cheng Xing calmly walks down the stairs to the 1st floor to sees Li Ming at the vending machine. Cheng Xing runs towards Li Ming

"Li Ming!"

Li Ming turns with a taro drink in his hands.

"This is for you."

Cheng Xing looks down at the drink. "Li Ming, I'm worried about you. Don't go randomly wondering off."

"Are you treating me like a child now?"

"Wha- No."

"-cause that's what it sounds like."

"I-"

"We're in a hospital with cameras everywhere. I'll be fine. I should be more worried about you. Anything to tell me?" Li Ming asked, raising a brow. Cheng Xing shook his head.

Li Ming walked past Cheng Xing. Cheng Xing turns around and follows Li Ming.