Illusion - SCI Mystery 谜案集 Fanfiction

Chapter 22

Then he sped away on the highway towards the hospital.

Impatiently, Bai Yutong paced back and forth in front of the room Zhan Yao was getting treatment in - unsettling the poor nurses and doctors who had to pass the corridor which the worried beast guarded. In a desperate attempt to comfort and calm himself, he ran his hand through his hair and finally sat down on one of the uncomfortable chairs against the wall. He searched his pockets for something to distract himself with and pulled out his phone.

He sighed at the black screen but, ultimately, turned it on.

76 missed calls, 58 unread messages

He groaned.

Great. Just great.

Most of them were from his brother, a few from Bai Chi or the other SCI members.

He didn't bother to read them but just called Bai Jintang instead.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

Bai Yutong noticed his mistake to hold the phone to his hear when his brother's voice nearly made his eardrum burst. He quickly ripped the phone away from his ear to avoid further damage. Because he didn't trust his hearing on that ear anymore, he took the phone in the other hand and held it to his other ear - of course with an adequate safety distance.

"B-Brother, listen-"

"'LISTEN'? 'LISTEN'?! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA-"

Bai Jintang continued to scream and Yutong had to hold his phone away even further.

"I found Zhan Yao."

He pressed out quickly and already feared his brother wouldn't have heard over his own yelling but Jintang stopped mid-sentence and the line went quiet for a couple seconds.

"Where, I mean, how is he?"

Obvious concern could be heard from his voice. Bai Jintang was not a man to show his feelings easily. He was also not a man who held many people dear to himself. But the people he did care for were extremely important to him and he would do anything for them.

Bai Yutong sighed, trying to choose his words carefully. He knew his behaviour towards his brother was far from fair and that Jintang cared a great deal for Zhan Yao as well. And of course for Bai Yutong too. It was more than understandable he would be angry. He tended to become angry whenever he worried.

"He's more or less fine, I think. He has a cold. I'm at the hospital right now to get him checked. I'll know more once the doctor comes out."

Despite his worry for Zhan Yao, Bai Yutong tried to stay as calm as possible in order to not make his brother worry even more about them.

"I'll be right there."

Before Bai Yutong could even protest, the call was ended on the other side. Not that he would have argued with his brother - he knew he wouldn't be able to stop him once he set his mind on something.

He sat down on the hard chair again and bumped his head against the wall behind him with a strained groan. Just for a moment, he closed his eyes. The last few months had thoroughly exhausted him and the past couple of days were especially draining.

The door next to him opened and Bai Yutong turned his head tiredly in the direction to see the doctor walk out of the room. He stood up and caught the doctor's attention who turned to him.

"Officer Bai Yutong, I assume."

Verified the man in the white doctor's coat and Bai Yutong just nodded. He was simply too tired. All the adrenaline which helped him pull through the last hours left his system and the exhaustion of the past months hit him all at once.