He Juan was disoriented for a few seconds when he opened his eyes to an unfamiliar cream color ceiling.

Numbness permeated through his entire body from head to toe and he could not quite catch his breath as if there was a huge boulder pressing down on his chest. What happened...?

He titled his head with much difficulty and finally saw an IV stand that was connected to his arm. So he was in a hospital? Why?

As soon as the question crossed his mind, He Juan’s eyes abruptly widened. Memories flooded his mind like a tidal wave. He recalled their impromptu ambush in Queen of Spades, the corpses who died mysteriously and—

The bomb!

He Juan forced himself to sit up only to gasp when a sharp pain seared through his middle. He clutched his chest with a groan, feeling the thick bandages wrapped around his torso. He could feel cold sweat beading on his forehead when the numbness receded only to be replaced with pain, pain, pain. But this was not the time to care about himself! Old Liu and Ma Ping... where are they? How was their condition now?!

He raised his head and saw that he was in a familiar room that looked luxurious with its elegant design. Just as he was going to rip off the IV needle from his arm, the door slammed open and someone hollered, "Stop!"

The doctor in white coat marched in with a furious look on his face. "What are you trying to do? Are you even aware of your own state?!"

Following behind him was Chen Youzhi, who looked visibly relieved as soon as he saw He Juan. "Boss... thank God you’re awake. Don’t worry, we transferred you out from the public hospital before anyone could catch wind of the news. I have also been keeping an eye on the other organizations. So far, there hasn’t been any movement yet."

As much as He Juan was grateful for the update, there was something more important he had to know. "Old Liu and Ma Ping, how are they? What about Old Huang and Mo’er?!" The more He Juan spoke, the more breathless he was until the end he was already wheezing on his words.

"Calm down," the crimson haired doctor said with a frown. "You’ve just had a nasty fall and—"

"Tell me!" He Juan growled, his eyes bloodshot in agitation. His heart abruptly sank when he caught sight of the dark gloom on Chen Youzhi’s face. Numbly, he turned to the doctor, not even realizing how his voice cracked in the end. "Doctor Jia...?"

It can’t be... all of them...?

Jia Molei heaved an exasperated sigh. "Huang Ziyan and Mo Feng are fine. They still need a few days of bed rest but thankfully, there are no major injuries that will affect their everyday lives. As for Ma Ping and Liu Zhong, they are..."

***

Ten minutes later, He Juan was standing outside the observation room with Chen Youzhi’s help, his gaze transfixed on the man inside.

Ma Ping could not even lay on his back because the explosion had scraped off the flesh on his back and injured his spine severely. He was wrapped in bandages from head to toe with burn marks peeking out through the exposed skin. Numerous tubes were connected to his body and a thick aura of sickness cloaked around him.

This was the man who had just shyly told him that he intended to settle down. Such a pure and hopeful dream... and he was merely one step away from achieving it. But look at him now.

In a blink of an eye, he was on the verge of dying and his chance of survival was very slim. Jia Molei could not even say for certain whether he would live to see tomorrow.

...All because he was protecting He Juan with his own body.

Ma Ping took the majority of the brunt for him, leaving him with only mild burns on his skin and a few broken bones due to the fall.

As for Old Liu, he had been closest to the source of the explosion and his body had been directly blasted into bits. What remained of him was only pieces of charred bones.

Just like that, He Juan lost two of his closest subordinates – no, for him, they were not only subordinates. They were his friends, his companions, his brothers who had gone through countless life and death situations together...

"Boss!" Chen Youzhi exclaimed in shock when He Juan’s body was wrecked with cough, his already pale face became even whiter. "Let’s go back to your room. You’re not supposed to walk around yet." Not giving He Juan any chance to react, Chen Youzhi physically dragged him down the hallway back to the room where he had woken up. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Jia Molei had already been waiting for him inside, and he did not look pleased at all. "How is it?" He asked after He Juan settled on the bed with Chen Youzhi’s help. "Satisfied? Do you feel like dying yet? I told you not to get down from the bed, but you just can’t listen to me!"

He Juan had already gotten used to the crimson-haired doctor’s foul mouth, so he was not bothered by it at all. Moreover, he was too tired to raise a complaint. "Is there really no way to save Ma Ping?" He closed his eyes and asked hoarsely. "How about sending him to a renowned hospital overseas?"

Jia Molei’s grumpy look softened by a fraction and a sigh escaped his lips. "If we can save him by doing that, I would have already sent him overseas firsthand. But—"

"Okay," He Juan cut him off without waiting for the doctor to finish his sentence. He was aware of Jia Molei’s capability and if the man was not positive about the results, then... it was better for He Juan not to raise his hope up. He swallowed past the lump on his throat and choked out, "Okay, I understand."

Such was the cruel reality of people in their line of business. Sure, dancing with danger was their style of doing things, yet it did not make it any easier to acknowledge how simple it was for death to descend upon them. The person who was still talking and laughing with you a few hours ago could perish at any moment, and all you were left with was only memory and this feeling of hollowness...

That’s why people grew more and more callous, backstabbing each other and thinking only for their own benefit. Because emotions and sentiment were a form of weakness, and they would only do you worse.

He Juan knew that very well. But in spite of that, he just couldn’t stop himself from feeling attached. He could almost hear the Manipulator’s voice mocking him, "This is why I am the right-hand man and not you, XIU."

"Boss..." Chen Youzhi said hesitantly, bringing He Juan out of his self-deprecating thoughts. "It’s okay if you are unwilling to talk, but... I’m confused. Exactly what has happened there? How could there be a bomb?"