216 How are you doing?

Fei Huangjin felt a raging headache on his temples, like there was drill on both sides attempting to split his skull open. Not only that, all of his muscles hurt, too -- especially his chest. Breathing seemed like an exhausting chore to him, prompting him to groan and squint carefully as he mustered up the strength to open his eyes.

Cream-colored walls and a beeping sound that annoyed him. Those were the first things he noticed.

He was about to lift up his right hand to rub at his temple when he realized that there was some weight on it. He gently and carefully turned his head sideways, until a view of Ying Yue eased into his eyes.

She was sitting on a chair, but the front of her body -- including her head -- was slumped against the side of his bed, with one of her hands clamped over his, as if she was too scared to let him go. She looked exhausted, her lips pale and brows drawn together, and there was a shadow under her eyes that made her look somewhat like a panda. Or rather, a very tired panda.

His hands and feet were a bit cold, but the sight of her there so close to him somewhat warmed him up inside. In fact, if he weren't feeling like he'd been beaten up, he would've leaned over to kiss her.

However, even if he did miss the feel of this woman in his arms so much, it also hurt him to see her this way. He suddenly felt guilty for making her sleep like that. She deserved to sleep somewhere that was comfortable.

Ka-chak.

The door to the room slid open and a man in a white coat appeared, looking surprised that Fei Huangjin was already conscious. And behind him was Guan Ting, whose normally emotionless face betrayed a hint of relief.

The doctor was about to open his mouth to say something, but Fei Huangjin cut him off by raising his left hand.

Leave, he silently commanded. He didn't want to wake Ying Yue up when she still seemed so worn out.

This doctor seemed to understand and simply nodded before he left. He was used to that kind of treatment from VIP patients. He'd just come back after an hour. Guan Ting, however, didn't follow suit, and instead drifted silently closer despite Fei Huangjin's warning look.

He bent one knee to bring himself at level with Fei Huangjin, and he spoked in a hush tone. "The elder master already knows. He'll come by soon."

Fei Huangjin sighed. He could feel another headache start to pound on his skull.

"And her brother…" Guan Ting's eyes shifted to Ying Yue for a second. "He still hasn't been found."

"Mmm." Fei Huangjin's lips pursed. He had to applaud Wang Longwei for the effort he put into concocting this scheme. Bu because he did that, the Dragon Club had channeled all its efforts to annihilating the Jade Circle not just in S city but in all parts of the country; yet somehow, Fei Huangjin felt like it still wasn't enough. Wang Longwei should have lived in suffering.

"How are you doing?"

The question surprised Fei Huangjin, and it took him a few seconds to recover before he could give his right hand man an answer. His lips curved up very slightly. "Breathing is hard." His voice came out a bit hoarse, and so he cleared his throat as gently as he could without waking his wife up.

Guan Ting nodded, and then gestured to the paper bags sitting on the nearby couch. "I brought you and the madam a change of clothes." He stood up to leave. "I'll stand guard outside."

"Huangjin? Guan Ting?"

Both men froze. It was a woman's voice, and Guan Ting turned back to see Ying Yue blinking repeatedly as she flitted her eyes from Fei Huangjin to Guan Ting, and back.

"You guys should've woken me up!" She frowned, focusing her gaze on Huangjin. "Huangjin…"

Guan Ting silently padded out of the room. He didn't want to witness two people start making out in front of him. No, thank you.

"I'm sorry." She gripped his hand tightly and kissed his knuckles. "I almost got you killed. I'm so sorry. I'm so, so--"

"Don't be." He declared, shutting her up effectively. "I'd do it again even if it did kill me. I can't let the woman I love die in front of me."