S.C.I. (Volume I) - Case 5: Chapter 26

The Doppelganger Killer 26 - Warmth

Dozing off in a hazy sleep, Zhan Zhao was jolted awake by a wave of commotion. When he blinked his eyes open once more, he found the room bustling with moving figures.

"Cat, you're awake? Get up and drink some porridge!" Standing by the bedside with a bowl of congee, Bai Yutang saw that Zhan Zhao had opened his eyes and immediately ladled another portion out of a thermal flask. Zhan Zhao's sensitive nose instantly picked up the scent of his absolute favorite seafood congee, and his stomach let out an uncooperative growl on cue.

Propping himself up on his elbows, he realized that aside from a lingering lack of strength, he didn't feel any discomfort. Someone slid a pillow behind his back to support him, and looking down, he saw Yangyang looking up at him with eyes full of concern.

Before Zhan Zhao could even reach out to stroke Yangyang's head, two figures lunged forward and grabbed him in a tight embrace. "Darling, you scared to death your mamas."

"Ahem..." Slurping his congee nearby, Bai Yutang nearly choked on a mouthful. He reached out to tug at the sleeve of one of the mothers. "Mom, you're calling the wrong person."

Mama Bai shoved Bai Yutang aside, telling him not to get in the way, before resuming the head-rubbing and snuggling session with Mama Zhan.

Raising his gaze, Zhan Zhao spotted his own father, Bao Zheng, and Bai Jingtang standing nearby. Meanwhile, he was trapped between the two mothers, his face getting peppered with affectionate kisses and drool. He honestly wished a crack would open up in the floor so he could crawl right into it.

"Hold him gently, you're going to suffocate the Cat." Bai Yutang grumbled with a look of feigned disgust as he drank his porridge. That morning, he had taken the full brunt of a blistering verbal lashing from the old man for failing to keep proper watch over Zhan Zhao. When he tried to protest that he had gotten injured himself, the old man had shot back that scars were a man's medals and demanded to know what a little scratch on his thick-skinned hide amounted to. It was enough to make him die of exasperation!

Bai Jingtang glanced at Bai Yutang and suddenly remarked in a volume that was far from quiet, "Yutang, I heard you cried your eyes out?"

"Ahem..." Bai Yutang burst into a violent fit of coughing. Raising his eyes, he found Zhan Zhao staring at him in sheer astonishment. Their gazes locked, and both men froze in place.

"Uh... I'm going to wash the dishes!" Snatching up a plate, Bai Yutang bolted out like a puff of smoke. Seeing him flush a rare, deep crimson that stretched all the way to the tips of his ears, Zhan Zhao couldn't help but be amused.

Fleeing like a refugee from the hospital room, Bai Yutang thought to himself that this time the Cat had caught him dead to rights; from now on, he'd probably be wrapped entirely around the other man's finger. Big Brother was truly the death of him. Mumbling under his breath as he walked down the corridor, he rounded a corner and abruptly noticed that Yangyang had slipped out of Zhan Zhao's room at some point. The boy was sitting all alone on a bench in the hallway, head bowed and looking thoroughly dejected. Bai Yutang knew that ever since Zhan Zhao was rescued, Yangyang had been eating himself up with guilt. Just as he wanted to walk over and offer a few words of comfort, he saw Lu Wen emerge from the opposite direction and sit down beside Yangyang.

Feeling a bit awkward, Bai Yutang figured that since it was a rare moment of father-son reunion, he shouldn't go meddling in their affairs. But lacking the face to return to the room just yet, he stood frozen in place, clutching his plate.

The sound of Lu Wen's voice drifted cleanly past the corner.

"Why so glum?" Lu Wen sat down beside Yangyang and gently ruffled his hair. "Uncle Zhan is completely fine now. Shouldn't you be happy?"

Raising his head to look at Lu Wen, Yangyang inched closer to him and let out a sigh. "Uncle Zhan almost died, and Uncle Bai got hurt too... It's all my fault for being disobedient when they told me not to run around."

Lu Wen smiled faintly. "Are you afraid they won't like you anymore?"

Yangyang looked up at Lu Wen again and nodded honestly.

"They would never." Lu Wen scooped Yangyang up, settling the boy onto his lap with a smile. "If you were Zhan Zhao, and Zhan Zhao were Yangyang, would you blame him?"

Yangyang blinked, pondered for a moment, and shook his head. "No."

"Then do you think Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang are better people than you are?" Lu Wen continued to prompt him.

"Mm," Yangyang nodded.

"Since they're better than you," Lu Wen pinched Yangyang's cheek playfully, "and even you wouldn't blame them, naturally they won't blame you either. This is what we call putting yourself in someone else's shoes."

As if the realization finally clicked, Yangyang nodded and broke into a relieved smile. Shortly after, the two of them began chatting and laughing together with great affection.

Standing around the corner, Bai Yutang wore a soft smile. He ultimately decided against walking over to disturb the father-son duo and bit the bullet, deciding to head back to Zhan Zhao's room instead.

…………

Awakening and opening his door to retrieve the morning newspaper, Zhao Zhen saw Bai Chi sitting right outside on the edge of the flower bed near his front door.

"Chi-chi? Why aren't you coming inside?" Zhao Zhen walked down, sat down beside him, and reached out to touch his hand. Finding it rather cold, he frowned. "How long have you been waiting out here? Did you forget your keys? Why didn't you knock?"

Bai Chi still didn't say anything, finally raising his head after a long moment to look at Zhao Zhen with a slightly hoarse voice. "Thank you... for what happened this time."

Zhao Zhen paused, stared at Bai Chi for a beat, and let out a somewhat helpless, self-deprecating smile. Reaching out to pinch the young man's cheek, he chided, "What's got into you? Instead of staying at the hospital keeping watch over your two older brothers, you ran all the way over here to say these out-of-character things."

Dropping his head, Bai Chi rested his chin in his hands and muttered blankly, "Yesterday I couldn't help with anything at all. All I knew how to do was cry."

"Heh..." Amused by the display, Zhao Zhen asked, "Then what kind of help did you want to provide? Charge straight into the burning factory to pull people out?"

Bai Chi bit his lower lip. "I know I'm useless."

Zhao Zhen sighed, reached out to lift Bai Chi's chin so the boy had no choice but to look him in the eyes, and asked in a low tone, "Do you know why I happened to show up at the police station yesterday?"

Bai Chi shook his head and asked foolishly, "Weren't you supposed to be performing abroad?"

"I just got back yesterday," Zhao Zhen said, helpless. "I bought you some gifts, so I dropped by the station to find you."

"Oh..." Bai Chi nodded, waiting for Zhao Zhen to continue.

"If I hadn't gone looking for you yesterday, I wouldn't have stumbled into that mess," Zhao Zhen pointed out. "In other words, use that mathematical brain of yours to think: if it weren't for you, what do you think the odds of Zhan Zhao being rescued would have been?"

Bai Chi stared blankly at Zhao Zhen, completely unsure of how to react.

"Those two brothers of yours are both sharp cookies." Zhao Zhen smiled, leaned forward, and planted a light kiss on Bai Chi's forehead. "Aside from being grateful that I showed up in the nick of time, they're probably thanking their lucky stars even more that they have a younger brother like you."

Bai Chi was completely rooted to the spot, his face turning slowly red. When it finally registered that Zhao Zhen had just kissed him, his face flushed an even deeper shade of crimson.

Unable to contain his laughter, Zhao Zhen burst out loud, then put on a roguish smirk and asked, "Well? You came here to thank me, but you didn't bring any token of appreciation?"

"What... what kind of thank-you gift do you want?" Bai Chi asked earnestly. "Whatever you want, I'll buy it for you! You were a huge help this time!" He quickly added a qualifying sentence, "As long as it's something I can afford—I don't have a lot of money."

Zhao Zhen arched an eyebrow, leaning in closer. "If I want whatever I ask for, will you give it to me?"

"Mm!" Bai Chi nodded.

"Then..." Zhao Zhen murmured softly right beside his ear, "move in and live with me."

Bai Chi blinked. "Move in together? Do you want me to be your housekeeper? But I don't have that much spare time."

"No, you don't need to do a thing," Zhao Zhen said with a gentle smile. "You just need to move in so I can see you every single day. I can pick you up when you get off work and drop you off when you start... That's all."

"Just that?" Bai Chi looked perplexed.

"Just that!" Zhao Zhen nodded.

...After a brief internal debate, Bai Chi nodded. "Okay."

"Wait here for a second!" Zhao Zhen spun on his heel, dashed back inside, and emerged less than a minute later brandishing his car keys.

"What are you doing?" Bai Chi asked in bewilderment as Zhao Zhen hauled him toward the car.

"Moving house!" Zhao Zhen started the engine, declaring the matter settled. "Right now!"

"Right now? Isn't this a bit too rushed?"

"If we aren't urgent, what if you change your mind? Then I'd be the one losing out!" Zhao Zhen chuckled. "Oh, right, make sure you cancel the lease on your old place!" With that, he slammed his foot down on the gas pedal and sped toward Bai Chi's apartment building.

………………

By early evening, Bao Zheng and Zhan Zhao's family members had all taken their leave, leaving just Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao alone in the room once more. The atmosphere carried a hint of awkward, bashful tension.

Once the congee was finished, Bai Yutang wiped Zhan Zhao's mouth for him and took the thermal flask away to wash it. Zhan Zhao couldn't help smiling to himself; hearing earlier from Bai Jingtang that Bai Yutang had actually cried out of panic was a once-in-a-millennium spectacle. Pondering it closely, he honestly wished he had been awake to witness what Bai Yutang looked like when he cried—it was a bit wicked, but he genuinely regretted missing the show.

No sooner had Bai Yutang stepped out than someone knocked on the door and walked in.

Glancing up, Zhan Zhao saw that it was Ma Xin.

"How are you feeling?" Ma Xin walked over to inspect Zhan Zhao's medical chart. "Thankfully, the dose of succinylcholine wasn't too heavy. You'll be right as rain after two or three days of rest."

Zhan Zhao smiled, sensing that Ma Xin seemed to have something on her mind, and prompted, "What is it? Something you want to say?"

Ma Xin glanced toward the doorway, stepped closer, and lowered her voice. "Could you do me a favor?"

"What kind of favor?" Zhan Zhao asked, intrigued.

"It's Captain Bai!" Ma Xin said with a troubled expression. "He refuses to take his painkillers!"

Zhan Zhao paused, but understanding dawned on him almost instantly. Bai Yutang possessed an ironclad level of self-control; his neatness and aversion to mess were manifestations of mild obsessive-compulsive traits, which were essentially occupational hazards bred from years of high-pressure police work. For someone like Bai Yutang, nothing felt more intolerable than a loss of personal control, which explained why he stubbornly rejected painkillers—medication for severe burns usually carried a heavy sedative load that clouded the mind.

"He didn't sleep a wink last night!" Ma Xin continued. "Even though skipping painkillers won't affect the physical healing process, the pain is going to keep him awake. Lack of sleep is going to wreck his recovery and his overall health!"

"I understand!" Zhan Zhao nodded. "What do you want me to do?"

"Trick him into taking the medicine!" Ma Xin pulled a small paper packet from her pocket and handed it to Zhan Zhao. "There are four pills in here, enough for two days of continuous dosing!"

"Leave it to me!" Zhan Zhao tucked the packet away, and Ma Xin scurried off looking thoroughly pleased.

Sitting up in bed, Zhan Zhao stared at the two pain relief tablets, deep in thought. How on earth was he supposed to get Bai Yutang to swallow them willingly? Mulling it over, his gaze drifted toward the fruit basket on the cabinet. A glint of mischief danced in his eyes as a plan hatched in his head.

Just as Bai Yutang returned with the washed thermal flask, he found Zhan Zhao sitting up in bed peeling grapes. Setting the lunchbox down, he was just wondering how to break the ice when Zhan Zhao beckoned to him with a wave of his hand. "Come here!"

Sitting down on the edge of the mattress, Bai Yutang fished for a topic. "Cat, eating grapes?"

Zhan Zhao peeled a grape, lifted his hand, and popped it straight into Bai Yutang's mouth.

Bai Yutang blinked in surprise. Before he could even determine whether the grape tasted sweet or sour, Zhan Zhao leaned forward and captured his lips in a kiss.

His eyes widening in shock, Bai Yutang was momentarily too stunned to react. Why was this Cat so brazen today? While his mind raced, Zhan Zhao's tongue slipped past his lips. Startled, Bai Yutang swallowed the entire grape whole.

Choking slightly on the fruit, Bai Yutang shot a puzzled look at Zhan Zhao, who was currently wearing a sly, cunning smile while flicking his pink tongue across his lips.

Since Zhan Zhao was being this proactive, Bai Yutang naturally saw no reason to stand on ceremony. Pressing the man back against the mattress, he leaned down and kissed him fiercely.

Left dizzy and breathless from the onslaught, Zhan Zhao thought resignedly to himself: Oh well, for the sake of the idiot's health, I'll take a little loss today.

………………

Night gradually deepened, and through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the private ward, the shimmering nightscape of the Special Investigation team's headquarters could be seen in the distance.

Yangyang and Lu Wen had already fallen asleep in the adjoining room, guarded by a dedicated police officer stationed at the door, while Ma Han and the others took turns pulling night watch for Zhan Zhao and Bai Yutang. Having turned off the overhead lights, Bai Yutang and Zhan Zhao sat together out on the balcony, letting the cool breeze wash over them as they admired the nocturnal view.

"Does your arm hurt?" Zhan Zhao asked the man beside him.

"Hm?" Bai Yutang sounded slightly hazy. Calculating the timeline in his head, Zhan Zhao figured the painkillers must have kicked in fully by now. Combined with the sheer exhaustion of yesterday's panic and a sleepless night, Bai Yutang was likely being completely subdued by the medication at last.

"Bai?" Zhan Zhao gently reached out to poke Bai Yutang's cheek.

"Cat~" Bai Yutang hummed softly, shifting closer to wrap his arms around Zhan Zhao's waist. He rested his head against Zhan Zhao's chest, rubbing against it affectionately.

Zhan Zhao couldn't help chuckling; when had he ever seen such an adorable side to Bai Yutang? Softly combing his fingers through the other man's hair, he murmured, "Bai, does your arm hurt?"

Bai Yutang shook his head. "No. It suddenly stopped hurting."

"How are you feeling?" Seeing Bai Yutang's eyelids drooping heavily, Zhan Zhao shifted into a more comfortable posture against the glass door frame, allowing Bai Yutang to lean more comfortably in his embrace.

"I feel... great..." Bai Yutang smiled softly, murmuring another syllables, "Caaat~~"

After a moment of thought, Zhan Zhao fished his phone out of his pocket, hit the recording button, and whispered, "Bai, did you really cry?"

Completely devoid of defenses in his medicated state, Bai Yutang heard the question and tightened his arms around Zhan Zhao's waist, answering, "Mmm..."

"Why did you cry?" Zhan Zhao pressed on.

"...I was scared..." Bai Yutang mumbled intermittently. "I've never been so terrified in my life..."

"What were you scared of?" Setting his phone down on his lap, Zhan Zhao wrapped both arms around the back of Bai Yutang's head, gently stroking his ear.

"Scared I'd lose you..." Bai Yutang murmured dreamily. "Good thing you're okay."

"So... does that mean from now on, whatever I want to do, you'll just go along with it?" Zhan Zhao leaned in close to his ear. "Will you bring me along on field operations no matter how dangerous they are, and cook whatever I want whenever I ask?"

"Mm!" Bai Yutang nodded. "I regretted it to death. From now on, I'm taking you with me wherever I go, I'll cook whatever you want, and if you ask for the stars I won't give you the moon..."

Amused by the rambling, Zhan Zhao chuckled and pushed further. "What if I want to eat something spicy!"

Bai Yutang nodded, let out a couple of soft hums, and suddenly muttered, "Spicy food is bad for you!" Following that, he adjusted his posture, rubbed his face against Zhan Zhao's chest a couple more times, and drifted soundly into deep sleep.

"You stubborn dead rat, such a smooth talker even when drugged!" Snapping his phone shut, Zhan Zhao hit play on the recording; Bai Yutang's sleep-drunken mutterings played back clearly.

Putting the phone away with a profound sense of satisfaction, Zhan Zhao looked down at Bai Yutang's peaceful sleeping face. He knew that at the time, Bai Yutang must have felt utterly exhausted, his body weighed down as if he were slowly sinking into the pitch-black depths of an ocean. It was only those repeated calls of "Cat" echoing in his ears that had given him the strength to fight his way back to the surface... Out of all the things in the world, this was the one person he could never bear to leave behind.