Chapter 193 The Not-Great Escape

"Er… hello?" Jingwei croaked out, trying his best to translate what he wanted to say in English. He could understand the language, but speaking it when his brain was already scrambled was harder than expected. "Where…Where am I?"

The nurse gave him a motherly smile, her blue eyes twinkling. Jingwei could see that her blonde hair was tied into a neat bun.

A blonde, blue-eyed nurse that spoke English? Clearly he wasn't in Shanghai - he wasn't in China at all!

"You're in UCLA Medical Centre," the nurse said warmly.

Jingwei blinked. From the word 'medical', she must have been talking about the name of the hospital, but that told him nothing!

"Where?" Jingwei repeated weakly. 'Please let this be a bad dream.' Jingwei thought to himself. 'Maybe this is just some far-flung part of China that had European-looking nurses. Or maybe she was an immigrant. Yeah. That's it.'

"UCLA, in Los Angeles. You're in the United States, sweetie."

"What?" Jingwei would have yelled, but he could only let out a strangled cry before choking at the sudden exertion. The nurse immediately hurried over to pat his back as Jingwei bowled over in surprise. "How? Why?"

"I'll get you some water to drink first, and then get the doctor to examine you. You've been out for a week," she said kindly, which didn't answer Jingwei's questions at all. But the nurse left with a cheerful smile before he could stop her, leaving him alone with his overactive imagination.

Oh my god. Jingwei's hands clutched weakly at his hair. His English wasn't perfect, but he understood enough.

He was stuck in the United States. He had been asleep for a few weeks! No wonder he had an IV drip stuck to his hand! And no wonder his legs felt like jelly - his muscles hadn't been used for so long.

Did his family send him here for treatment?

Doubtful - if they had, they would - should have at least sent a Chinese-speaking nurse to tend to him! Or at least someone he knew!

They didn't even leave a Get Well card on the table!

Worst of all, Jingwei didn't even have his phone with him - he literally only had the clothes on his back, which were just a set of hospital pyjamas, along a roll of bandages around his head.

Then…was this all a ploy by Shang Jing to lure him into a false sense of security?

Maybe Shang Jing kidnapped him and dumped him in the States when he managed to escape the authorities in China. Then he could fuck with Jingwei's mind, making him believe that he was safe and well, and then stab him when he least expected it!

Come to think of it, was this even a real hospital? What if this entire place was fake too?

Jingwei's breathing quickened with increasing panic. He needed to get out of here before the nurse returned. Assuming she was even a nurse, and not some woman Shang Jing hired to lie to him.

Ignoring the slight numbness in his legs, he hurriedly got up. His vision blurred for a brief moment at the sudden rise and he wasted precious seconds simply standing still, waiting for his surroundings to return to normal.

Then he began his slow, but definite journey out of the door, dragging the IV drip stand alongside him like it was a walking stick. If anyone tried to stop him, he'd tear out the IV and fling the entire stand at them.

He successfully opened the door, and had to do a double-take at the whirlwind of noise.

"Motorcycle gang of 20 sustained injuries in a traffic accident, book all surgical rooms -"

"Vehicle pile-up on the highway -

"The patient in Room 201 got a dildo stuck up his ass, keep him hydrated - "

This was just like a real hospital! He stared blankly at the doctors and nurses rushing around the corridor. If this was a hospital simulation, it was frighteningly realistic, especially when he peered down from his floor and saw paramedics wheeling in more people on stretchers below.

"You shouldn't be up and about," a voice scolded, and Jingwei was about to turn around and give that person a piece of his mind, before he realised that that person was actually speaking Chinese! He immediately whirled around and held the IV stand in front of him protectively.

The man was tall and muscular, with a stern face. He looked like he could football tackle Jingwei and still walk away unharmed while Jingwei got admitted for more injuries.

"Who are you?" Jingwei asked cautiously, even as his eyes darted around him to look for an escape route, his hand slowly inching to his IV drip. He could make a run for the stairwell… or the elevator. His feet slowly began inching back.

"I'm Captain Mu, I've been sent by your father to keep you safe. I didn't expect you to wake up so soon."

"Bastard!" Jingwei retorted disbelievingly. "Get lost!"

That settled it, this man was clearly out to get him! He ripped out his IV, wincing as he felt the sharp pain lace through his hand. But he didn't hesitate, he threw his entire weight against the IV stand, flinging it straight at the supposed bodyguard, causing saline fluid to splash everywhere.

"What the fu -"

Before he could register the incredulous look on Captain Mu's face, Jingwei turned and fled for the elevator, only to realise that running was a lot harder than walking, and he couldn't even do that well enough without his pseudo-walking stick.

"Out of the way!" Jingwei yelled, and nurses ducked away, letting out little surprised shrieks at the strange patient yelling in Chinese. Clearly this patient needed a psych evaluation!

Jingwei made it as far as the turn in the corridor before his legs collapsed. Jingwei cursed. He was so close to escape!

Meanwhile Captain Mu could only shake his head and wipe away the saline solution from his face. This was disgusting, if he wasn't paid a handsome five digit sum a day for babysitting this teen, he would have left him at the tender mercy of whatever contract killer that came around knocking.

But he was paid handsomely, so he gave chase and caught up to him easily, pulling him up from the pathetic crumpled heap on the floor.

"Are you done fooling around?" Captain Mu demanded, dragging him by his hospital collar as though he was an unruly dog that needed to be scruffed. "Why are you so troublesome?"

"Let go of me!" Jingwei demanded, half-panicking as he still tried to get away. "Help! Help!" Jingwei yelled in English, hoping that someone could see that he was getting kidnapped in plain sight, but everyone only gave him a cursory glance before paying attention to their daily lives.

Jingwei despaired.

"Oh for fucks sake." Captain Mu grumbled to himself, ignoring Jingwei's protestations to drag him back into his room, even helpfully picking up the fallen IV stand for him. And just in time too, for the nurse hurried over with the doctor.

"Can you just calm down and let the doctor examine you?"

Jingwei still looked at him with wary eyes, but Captain Mu unceremoniously dumped him back on his hospital bed and asked the doctor.

"Doctor, are you sure he doesn't have brain damage?"

The doctor smiled warmly and began his examination, even as the nurse fussed over his unplugged IV and hastily got him a replacement. After Jingwei had been poked and prodded, had flashlights shone in his eyes and his reflexes tested, the doctor smiled and gave him a clean bill of health.

"You'll make a full recovery. For now, I'll advise you to take part in our physiotherapy sessions to regain strength in your limbs. If you experience any dizziness, vomiting or blurred vision, please let us know immediately."

"Got it doctor." Captain Mu said before Jingwei could reply.

They left, and Captain Mu turned and tossed him on object. Jingwei caught it before he knew what it was, and screamed at himself for the stupidity. It could have been a grenade, and he could have died!

But thankfully, it was nothing that destructive. It was just his phone.

His phone! Jingwei had never been so glad to see it in his life! He immediately opened it to see hordes of unread texts and missed calls.

"Now do you believe me?" Captain Mu asked, rolling his eyes at the dramatics of his teenage charge.

"No," Jingwei said petulantly. He could have his phone stolen.

"Too bad, you're stuck with me anyway." Captain Mu said. "I'll inform your family members that you're alive and well. You can speak to them with my phone."

,m "Why can't I use my own?" Jingwei asked, and got his phone snatched away for good measure.

"Because it's a security risk," Captain Mu replied, his eyebrows furrowing. "We believe your phone might be compromised. We cannot risk the Wu family sending hitmen to find you."

Jingwei paused. "Is that why I'm here? In the United States? For my safety? What on earth happened when I was out?"