Chapter 53 - Tell him the truth.

Jihai woke up with a light cough. The room was too cold and humid. He opened his eyes to the bright lights that illuminated the room giving him a lightheaded feeling.

He struggled to stand up but immediately gave up the idea when he felt his muscles throb. He then tried to survey his environment, his eyes widening at the sight he discovered.

The room was lavishly furnished with a low key but high quality decoration. The room was also painted in his favorite colours, grey and black making him appreciate the view.

Soon he heard footsteps approach the room so he laid down, pretending to be asleep. Two men entered the room, discussing on low voices. One of them who wore a white coat and stethoscope said "I am doing my best to control the aftereffects but my hands will be tied if your boss doesn't take his medicine."

Ryōsei rubbed his eyes wearily. "I will do my best. And what about him? How is he?"

The doctor sighed. "Well luckily, he is okay. We did the additional tests and it came out well too."

"Thank you, doctor. Yua will see you out." Ryōsei shook his hands, opening the door.

When he was finally alone, he took off his jacket and sat on a chair opposite the bed, studying the still figure on the bed. After a while, he went to the table and poured a glass of water, holding it in his hand.

He walked to the bed and sat down beside the figure, finally saying "Do you want a glass of water?"

A cold metal rested on his neck before he could turn. Jihai pressed one of his hands to the bed, sitting upright as he warned. "Don't move."

His captive didn't seem threatened but instead relaxed, holding the glass in the air. "Oh, so that's where the fruit knife went....."

"Where am I?" Jihai questioned. "Were you people the ones who attacked the hospital?"

"No. We saved you. I am sure your friend, Menxiang told you about us." Ryōsei smiled brightly, trying to give a friendly aura that was crushed by the icy air that came from Jihai's eyes.

"Are you Mr. Wang?" The knife in his hand relaxed an inch which Ryōsei noticed.

"Nope."

"Then you must be Fei Hong."

"Nope." Ryōsei shook his head, making his front bangs sway from side to side revealing the tattoo that wrapped around his neck like a necklace.

Jihai frowned, strengthening his hold on the knife pressed to his neck. "Then who are you?"

Ryōsei secretly looked up at the little security camera hidden in the room, waiting for approval. After hearing instructions from the earpiece on his ear, he said "To your little friend, my name is Fei Hong but my real name is Ryōsei."

"How do I get out of here?" Jihai was not stupid not to know that the place must be fortified, which means he couldn't leave here without directions.

"Won't you not ask why you are here?" Ryōsei put the glass on the bedside drawer carefully, still conscious of the knife on his neck.

"I am not interested."

Ryōsei chuckled at the similarities between his master and the young man on the bed. "We are not your enemies."

"But you are not my friends either." Jihai concluded. "Give me your phone."

He gave him the phone, his hand going to the back of his shirt without his notice revealing a syringe full of unknown liquid. Immediately Jihai took the phone, his other hand relaxed giving him an opening as he hit his wrist with enough force to make him drop the knife.

Grabbing the outstretched hand, he dragged him forward and delivered an injection to his neck accurately, making him go limp.

Ryōsei was covering him with a blanket when a girl rushed into the room. He stood up, narrowing his eyes on her face. "What happened to you?"

She avoided his hands from reaching her face which was swollen, taking a step back to lean on the wall. "Master got sick again."

Ryōsei was faced with two conflicting emotions, his hands falling to his side in dejection. "Is he okay?"

"Yes, he is. He has received treatment." She turned to look at the bed. "Still sleeping?"

Yes, he fell unconscious." He raised his hand in the air at her disapproving glare. "I had no choice, he had my phone."

"Master wants to meet him. Now."

Ryōsei turned his head sharply. "Why now?"

"How am I supposed to know?" She glared at him, picking an apple from the table and bringing it to her lips when she heard him say " Well, everyone knows how much you care about Master...."

Ryōsei hardly completed his sentence when he dodged an incoming knife being thrown at him. He was stunned when he felt a familiar sting on his face. "What the hell, Hisako?!"

"That cut won't be the only thing on your body if you don't shut up." She growled.

He recalled something then looked at the camera, gulping softly. "I-I was only joking, never mind. I will wake him up now." He ran to meet Jihai on the bed.

Jihai eventually woke up, a smiling face coming in his view. The smiling face beamed further as it said. "Awake now?"

He stood up abruptly landing on the other side of the bed, a new burst of energy surging through him this time. He scanned the room and noticed a woman dressed in a red suit with a black sleek ponytail had entered the room.

"Let me go. I won't be able to fetch you a ransom." He was expecting this would happen, his connections with rich and affluent people will one day turn him into a walking target for kidnapping or casualty in fractional wars.

The woman merely answered with a straight face. "Good evening, Mr Bai. I am Hisako, your guide for the evening. Please follow me."

He did not take a step forward but instead shifted his stern gaze to the woman. "I want to leave."

"And you will, if you follow me. There is no time to delay, my master wants to meet you."

"Just follow her. She won't harm you." Ryōsei advised when he saw Jihai thinking silently about his options.

"Fine." Jihai left the room with the woman on his trail, shutting the door

Ryōsei's smile fell immediately they left the room. He looked at the bandage he got when they were talking and sighed, throwing it into the trash can.

Jihai followed Hisako until he noticed she had stopped in front of a room.

The door was open but it seemed that she dared not enter inside. They could hear a man's voice inside the room but from the volume, he seemed to be in a bad mood and the people around him seemed tensed.

"WHAT IS THIS? CHANGE THAT TIE AND WRISTWATCH NOW!" He shouted at the group.

"Bring back that tie right this instant. Asahi, what do you think? Do you think he will like my appearance? WHY IS YOUR VOICE SO LOW, SPEAK UP!" He suddenly laughed. "I like this one. Okay, just to be sure, make sure you keep them here. If anything goes wrong, kill them!"

Hisako didn't know whether to cry or laugh when she saw that it was still the same set that he was angry about that he wore in the end. She knocked softly, attracting his attention.

"Come in." He ordered. "Where is he?" His eyes searched around her, looking for Jihai until he found him, making his eyes sparkle.

"Welcome, Jihai." He stretched his hand wide, jumping like a small child. "Do you remember me? I was the one that saved you in the hospital, Mr. Wang."

Jihai gazed at the man before he respectfully bowed his head. "Thank you to saving my life."

The man tapped his shoulder. "No need to be so polite. I was worried that you would not be safe so I moved you here. Hope you are not offended."

Jihai seemed to realize something so he was more cordial with the man. "No, I am not. But I want to leave now."

The man frowned. "Why? I even threw a party in your honour, you can't leave. What will I tell my friend? No way!" He steered him towards another room.

The man sat down on a chair near the woman and offered him the chair opposite them. Jihai turned to the man. "What is going on?"

The man seemed surprised but still answered the question, lifting her head. "You don't recognize her? Look closely."

Jihai felt fury and pain at the sight, suddenly standing up when he was instantly suppressed by the nearby guards. "Mother! Let go of my mother!"

The woman lifted her head in surprise. "J-Jihai? Get out of here, run!"

The man slapped her, turning her head to the side. "Quiet, you wrench!"

The man became cheery again, smiling brightly. "Let me now formally introduce myself. I am Sakai Sumiyoshi and your mother and I go way back. We were more than friends, I can ȧssure you...."

Jihai froze, looking at his mother in confusion. "What do you mean? Mother, who is he?"

The woman gulped in fear, stuttering and sweating. "He is....he is..."

"TALK!"

She jumped in fright at the man's order, a stench of urine filling the air. Jihai continued to look at her, an ominous feeling coming all over him. "Mom, is he my father?"

"He is not your father........" She started to talk slowly.

The man lifted an eyebrow.

"Then who is he? Why are we here? What is happening?" Jihai's irrational temper made him snap at his mother causing her to jump in fright again.

He struggled when he saw the man grab her by the hair making her kneel upright and yelp in pain. The man smiled eerily as he said "Tell him, Bai Lianzhen. Tell him the truth.. You can take your time."