To My Pretender [BL]

[5] - Flashing Lights

"Hey, are you good?" Shen Xiaoyun asked as he grabbed Wu Jie's arm.

Wu Jie flung his head up and blinked excessively, trying to breathe through his nose. He hadn't even noticed Shen Xiaoyun had stepped so close to him, but that wasn't what he was worried about.

His hands stung, and he realised he'd been washing his hands so harshly that the rash on his palm started stinging, almost bleeding a little.

"I... I'm fine. I'm fine. I'm sorry."

Wu Jie closed the tap, bowed in apology, and prepared to walk off. His footsteps were unstable, and he would wave from side to side, steadying himself by holding onto the wall. He couldn't breathe.

Just then, Shen Xiaoyun grasped his wrist and pulled him back around.

"You're drunk as hell. You should go home," he said, looking straight into Wu Jie who was blinking rapidly.

In the dim-lit bathroom, Wu Jie started trembling and a sort of unsettledness took over his mind. The noises overwhelmed him, especially with the alcohol amplifying every single sound around him.

"Wu Jie, how could you be sick? Please. Please don't do this to me, Wu Jie. You're just overexaggerating, aren't you? Please tell the doctor the truth. You're not... sick. You can't... you can't end up like your brother."

"Someone from third year jumped down the building. I heard he was bullied by his classmates, so he just killed himself. Honestly, if I was him, I would kill myself too. Wouldn't you as well, Wu Jie?"

"Wu Jie! What are you doing? Step off from the balcony now!"

"Mum... I was just watering the plants... I... I didn't mean to... I'm sorry..."

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

If I'm not happier, then what would become of everything I had endured for?

Wu Jie fell back, but luckily Shen Xiaoyun had his arm around to stable him back up. However, his knees dropped onto the floor, and Shen Xiaoyun bent down to the floor with him.

When Wu Jie looked at the man, he could barely see his face clearly, that he started doubting whether the person in front of him was Shen Xiaoyun or not.

The feeling of his firm arm around his waist was strange because he could feel the subtle tremors of his arm. Why was Shen Xiaoyun acting differently from what he remembered? He wasn't sure why Shen Xiaoyun was shaking, but he could see his mouth moving, though the words failed to make it to his ears.

Everything in front of Wu Jie was taking the form of something horrid.

"...Make it... stop," Wu Jie uttered, closing his eyes to stop the light from piercing his eyes.

Shen Xiaoyun furrowed his brows. "Hey."

Wu Jie's breathing laboured, and he could no longer see what was in front of him.

"Chief Wu! You can't perform open-heart surgery on the governor's daughter. Didn't you hear what the Director said? You can't betray him now. He told all of us to not operate on her. If you do, it's going to harm others! You know it clearly yourself, chief! If you perform the surgery, the Director will probably... he will... he won't let you off. He's going to torture you in ways that you cannot even think of! He's going to torture all of us..."

....

"See! Did you see what happened in the OR? Look at the mess you got yourself into. Do you think this is a playground for you to run around with your little legs? You're not the one that gets in trouble, it's us! We need to clean up the mess you make because the fucking Director loves you so much! What even is special about you anyway besides your face? That's the only reason you're safe from him anyway."