Holding On [Nine Percent/ Idol Producer]

Chapter Ten.

Justin sees Jiayi staring at her slippers when he arrives at the hospital. He stands next to her, with his back against the wall and head tilted upwards. He hears her sniff before she clears her throat.

"He's going to be alright."

"Yes," Justin says, closing his eyes, "he's going to make it."

A minute passes, or ten, with them just standing there, hoping for the doctor to come out just and announce that Wang Ziyi is, indeed, fine and alive.

"His vitals were getting better," she says after some time, "they said he was getting better. He was still unconscious, but better."

Justin places his hand over Jiayi's when her voice breaks towards the end of her sentence, holding it in a reassuring way.

Yanjun shows up in another few minutes, seeing whom Jiayi walks to meet him halfway down the hallway, wrapping her arms around his torso as she breaks down, with Yanjun having one of his arms around her shoulders and the other on the back of her head, lightly patting.

Justin is joined by them after some time, Jiayi's face a little red while Yanjun has gotten even more pale. "When is his family arriving?"

"They'll be here in an hour."

"You should have informed them earlier. It has been three days since he's been hospitalised and unconscious."

"I couldn't bring myself to tell them."

Yanjun looks at her, his forehead slightly wrinkling, "did you tell them that he was attacked?"

Jiayi doesn't say anything.

"Jiayi," his voice gets low, "what did you tell them?"

Justin's eyes get involuntarily narrowed as he looks at Jiayi, who has her gaze on her slippers.

"I told them he was attacked. Today." She looks up at Yanjun for a moment before taking a deep breath and squaring her shoulders, "I told them that he was attacked today, and that, he's unconscious."

"What if something happens to him?" Justin asks, making Jiayi look at him and snap. "Absolutely nothing is going to happen to him."

"What if it does? What if something happens?" Justin probes, "what are you going to tell his family? He's in danger right now because his body suddenly decided to work up. What if he doesn't recover from today's emergency? His family will find out the moment they're here that he's been unconscious for the last three days-"

"Shut up," Jiayi says, "he's going to be fine."

--

Leaving Jiayi with Ziyi's family when they arrive at five in the morning, Justin decides to take a break, and walks towards the stairway, Yanjun following him shortly. When they are out of the hospital building, Yanjun places his hand on Justin's shoulder, as a gesture for him to wait.

"I want you to stay away from Jiayi."

Justin's forehead creases as he waits for Yanjun to continue.

"Don't share any information with her, regarding anything, not even the Cai Xukun case," Yanjun stops and shakes his head slightly, "especially the Cai Xukun case."

Justin looks at him for a moment, pulling at the hem of his jacket before turning and walking away from him.

--

When the lunch break starts on the Monday, Justin immediately walks towards the editorial department, wishing for Nessa to be present, and alive. For some reason, the anxious feeling never left since Friday, since he couldn't get to her on Saturday and Sunday either.