A moment passed in silence before Mu Chen heaved a sigh and combed back his hair. Irk flitted by his eyes but quickly dissipated before it could be noticed. "It's those bullies again, isn't it?"
"You knew?"
"How can I not when there are many reports and complaints coming every other week? I'm in the middle of dealing with it, but this kind of thing takes time."
"I think they hurt him badly. He can't even stand."
"I'll take him to the hospital." Mu Chen tapped on his communicator and contacted his chauffeur. Once he received a reply, he raised his eyes back to Shen Yuan. "Sorry, you can go home ahead. I promise I'll make it up to you."
"…Mn." Shen Yuan nodded and turned back to Zhou Yi. He softly whispered in appeasement. "Be good and focus on your health, okay? I'll come visit tomorrow."
Zhou Yi burned Shen Yuan's reflection within his pupils, thoughts and emotions swirled into an unfathomable vortex. His grasp on Shen Yuan tightened for a short second before it slowly loosened, and he completely let him go.
He gave a small nod.
Shen Yuan got up to his feet to get his bag and approach Mu Chen. "Let's exchange contact. Please update me on his condition and tell me where the hospital is later."
Mu Chen didn't refuse and raised his communicator to level it with Shen Yuan's. Once a beep ensued and they confirmed they had each other's contact, he lowered his arm. "Shen Yuan, remember what I said."
"I do. I'm not dismissing it," Shen Yuan replied in a small voice. "Let me do it at my own pace. Seeing him like this, I can't just…"
"I understand." Mu Chen didn't force it. "Be careful on your way home."
"Yeah. You too."
Shen Yuan took one last glance at Zhou Yi before walking out the door. As he descended the stairs, the concern on his face faded into thoughtfulness.
His suspicion was right. Mu Chen couldn't kill Zhou Yi for whatever reason. For someone with his resources, getting caught shouldn't even be a concern.
Maybe Zhou Yi couldn't die at all. Since this was his neural space, it wouldn't be strange that he was immune to death here. Could there be another reason as to why Mu Chen persistently harassed him aside from his natural instinct as a vulture?
Evidently, Zhou Yi's condition in reality was positively deteriorating. That meant whatever the vulture was doing was working.
…No. It was never about physical harassment.
The vulture didn't want Zhou Yi to die. It wanted to take over him. What it needed to break was his mind, but considering his original species, he must not be an expert on the human mind. The only way he knew how to do it was to physically torture his target.
***
The next day, as soon as school finished, Shen Yuan packed his bag and got ready to leave for the hospital. Just as he reached the second floor, a familiar voice called out to him, and he turned to see Mu Chen jogging towards him, attracting curious attention from the admirers he left behind.
"Leaving already?" Mu Chen asked.
"Yeah. Or else I would miss visiting hours. How was he?"
"It's nothing critical, but one of his legs got broken pretty badly. He'll need to stay there for a week or two."
"You really should do something about those delinquents. If you can't, I doubt the next student president can. This can already be considered a crime."
"I know. They're already suspended for now. It's only a matter of time."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to pressure you…" Shen Yuan scratched his neck.
Mu Chen raised his eyebrows. "Is this the same person who shamelessly begged to stay—mmp."
Shen Yuan blocked Mu Chen's lips before he could finish his words and smiled without reaching his eyes. "President Mu, didn't we talk about this?"
He could hear the muffled chuckle behind his palm and retrieved his hand with slight annoyance. This guy was messing with him.
But before he could completely take back his hand, Mu Chen caught it with laughter in his eyes. "I didn't say I hate it. If you truly mean it, I'd gladly count this favor as a debt."
"Well, in reality, it is." Shen Yuan didn't deny it. "Though compared to you, don't expect me to be able to do much."
"It's not much, but there's something only you can do."
"Is there something like that?"
"There is." Mu Chen nodded without a doubt. "This weekend. Accompany me somewhere."
"Will I need a form of self-protection for these 'places'?"
Mu Chen laughed and let Shen Yuan's hand go. "The only thing you need to prepare is time."
"I don't have much to do in the first place anyway." Shen Yuan was curious about what Mu Chen planned to do but decided to hold off his questions. "Then, I'm leaving first. Good luck with your work."
"Hearing that, I feel like I won't encounter any problems today."
Shen Yuan scoffed from those words though he couldn't hide the amusement in his smile. He threw a short wave and continued his way down the floors.
Mu Chen brushed his thumb over the lingering warmth around his arching lips and his tongue swept a taste.
Sweet.
Walking out of the school building, Shen Yuan thought of ordering a taxi when a man in a black suit and sunglasses appeared and bowed at him. "Good afternoon, Young Master Shen. I am ordered by Young Master Mu to drive you to the hospital."
With that, Shen Yuan followed the man to Mu Chen's car. He opened the door to the backseat for him, and after he took his seat, they soon drove away.
The hospital was closer to the Mu resident than the school. It took them almost 30 minutes to arrive. A bodyguard under Mu Chen greeted him by the entrance driveway and escorted him inside while the chauffeur parked the car.
He was brought to the VIP floor where the private wards were, almost every door had one or two men standing guard. They stopped at ward 1707, and the bodyguard opened the door for him.
Inside, he found Zhou Yi asleep in bed, his casted left leg bulging his quilt. His breath was even, and his nerves were relaxed, a state never seen before.
It was impossible for a person to be able to sleep so soundly in an enemy's territory. Especially for someone like Zhou Yi. Did Mu Chen order the doctors to drug him? To be drugged in his own neural space… How did that even work?
Although he hadn't collapsed, he truly had lost control. Only hanging by a sliver of thread.
Shen Yuan sat by the bedside and pulled open the quilt. He lifted Zhou Yi's shirt and found his whole torso wrapped in layers of gauze. A peek under his sleeves also revealed the same view.
How ruthless. He didn't expect less.
He fixed the quilt back and stared at Zhou Yi, his finger tapping the soft fabric in thought. Slowly, he lowered his back and leaned his head to Zhou Yi's ear.
"Fight it, Zhou Yi. I know you can hear me." He caressed Zhou Yi's cheek. "Wake up. You're stronger than this."
Zhou Yi's eyelids faintly trembled.
"Your body, your fate, everything in this world are yours to control. Don't let anyone or anything else steal them from you."
A finger twitched.
"Take what is yours. Those who get in your way deserve to burn in hell."
Shen Yuan backed away and studied Zhou Yi's face for a while but his eyes remained shut. He inwardly sighed and got up to leave when a hand held him back.
With a tug, he tumbled back to the bed and fell on top of Zhou Yi, the young man's gaze burning brighter than the evening sun. "What things are you inducing in people's sleep?"
"You tell me." Shen Yuan laughed without guilt. "Did I wake you up from a nice dream?"
"Far from it." Zhou Yi rubbed his throbbing head. "I couldn't wake up however I tried until I heard your voice."
"What did you dream about?"
"…A blur. An endless fog." Zhou Yi's eyebrows drew tight. "And there was something there watching me. Like it was waiting for something."
Shen Yuan guessed it was the vulture, but this Zhou Yi wouldn't know anything about it. He straightened up. "How are you feeling?"
Zhou Yi moved his arms and touched his body through the quilt in wonder before propping himself up to sit. He rolled up his sleeves and unwrapped the gauze around his arm, revealing his skin underneath.
Instead of an injured arm, what greeted them was a flawless arm, as if his skin shed overnight, peeling away all bruises, scars, and wounds along with it.
He unwrapped all his gauze to find all parts of his body had healed, even the lasting scars that he bore from years ago were gone. His body never felt lighter, and energy flowed within his veins. It was like he was born anew.
He looked at Shen Yuan pensively. "What did you do?"
"I didn't do anything." Shen Yuan spread his arm with a mysterious smile. "I told you, didn't I? Your body is yours to control."
Zhou Yi held Shen Yuan's eyes for a long moment but couldn't find any answer within them. He studied his body for a while longer before returning his attention to Shen Yuan. "Mu Chen lets you visit?"
"Why wouldn't he?"
"Senior."
"You said he's a monster, but he brought you here to be treated. He also took care of the delinquents for you. They should be gone by the time you return to school. It's because you're like this that Mu Chen has to avoid you."
The air inside the room slowly descended as Zhou Yi's expression cooled down. "What are you talking about?"