A Trip to Hong Kong

The man in the pictures looked like a beat-up version of his photos on the media.

His face was puffed up like a puffer fish with purple bruise markings on his eyelids leading down to his swollen lips. It looked like someone had used him as a punching bag. A large gash had made itself home on his left temple which was touching the cold, hard concrete stairs. From the normal person's sight, the gash may look like it had been caused by the head hitting the concrete, but Xiajun knew better. This was clearly an assailant's piece of work.

His hands were folded in the most unnatural position around him as he lay unconscious with many people surrounding him taking pictures. He wore jeans and a casual jacket which meant not many people must've known at the time that this was the CEO's son. Xiajun frowned as he noticed a piece of white paper sticking out of Yanlin's back pocket.

"What's with the paper in his rear pocket?" Xiajun asked without looking up. When the CEO didn't answer he glanced at him, raising his eyebrows. "Well?"

"Erm..." CEO Wu hesitated. "I haven't a single clue how it made it's way there and if it's related to the fact that Yanlin was hurt. Since his clothes were collected at the hospital he was taken to, I don't have the paper here with me. If you'd like to check it, you would have to go to Běijíxīng Hospital in Hong Kong and check with them if they haven't thrown it out yet."

With a grunt, Xiajun slid the file back to its owner. "Let's talk about payment," he said without even blinking.

"I'll be happy to give you any sum you ask for if it means whoever hurt my son gets what they deserve." CEO Wu's tone was robotic and hurried which made Xiajun smirk a little. It seemed that he was worried that Xiajun would ask him for a lot of money which was exactly what he was thinking. Xiajun wasn't a top detective for nothing.

"500,000 yuan."

CEO Wu gulped when he heard the amount. Xiajun knew that what he was putting forth was a very large sum, but then again you can't put a price on your kids' safety, can you?

"Alright," CEO Wu said with a sigh. "I'll transfer the amount to you when I hear that the assailant has been caught."

"You might as well do it now, CEO Wu," -Xiajun smirked- "because catching the attacker is a piece of cake for me. You'll hear the news by 2 weeks, max." He started getting up. "And ask your man to drink my share of coffee himself. I'll have to hurry if I have to retrieve the paper before they decide to discard it. Good day, CEO."

Although CEO Wu tried to keep him from leaving, Xiajun was quick and in no time, he had traced his way back to the front desk where he picked his umbrella up from the hook and walked outside.

It was raining, still, but it had let up a little.

Xiajun hurried to his car and got in before he could get wet. Once in, he sighed and wondered if it would've been better if he had drunk the coffee after all. He felt a bit drowsy now.

Anyways, Xiajun peeled away and headed for his home so he could pack his things for a quick trip to Hong Kong.

****

100+ kilometres later, Xiajun stood outside Běijíxīng Hospital with his hands in his pockets.

"Alright, let's get this over with," Xiajun muttered as he eyed over the tall white building with a large red sign overhead that announced the hospital name.

Xiajun ascended the couple stairs to the large glass doors and had to wait while an old woman tried to push back the doors and enter. Rolling his eyes, he passed by the old woman and opened the door for her, holding it as she hobbled by.

"Thank you, young man," the woman said as she nodded in Xiajun's direction and smiled a gummy smile.

Xiajun nodded back as he smiled himself, his eyes in crescents. "No problem."

As the woman walked past him, he let the door swing shut and walked in over the glistening white tiles. Xiajun walked right past the waiting area and approached the front desk.

"Is Wu Yanlin admitted here?" Xiajun addressed the man who stood across from him behind the large glass barrier.

The man didn't even bother looking up from the computer. "That is confidential information, Sir."

Xiajun sighed and stood up straighter and handed the man his card through the little gap in the glass. "I'm Detective Jun. I'm sure Mr. Wu Donghai, the patient's father, called you before-hand and informed you of my arrival."

The man read the information on Xiajun's card and looked up for the first time. He was like the average middle-aged chinese man, Xiajun noticed. Somewhat paunchy and slightly red-faced.

"Let me check in the register, Sir," said the man as he pulled out a large, purple register from under his desk and started flipping pages. Xiajun pursed his lips as the man took his time pinching every page slowly before folding it over. "Let's see... Ah, yes, here we go. Mr. Li Xiajun?"

Xiajun tapped his feet impatiently. "Yes."

The man nodded and traced with his finger something written on the register.

"Alright, yes. I'll ask someone to escort you to patient#9059's room. Give me a second."

With that, the man disappeared from his spot at the front desk and came back later with a strange man in tow to him who seemed to be a part of the hospital staff, seeing as he was wearing the familiar light blue uniform.

The man who worked the front desk pointed in Xiajun's direction and whispered something to the blue-uniformed guy. Xiajun furrowed his eyebrows as he had no idea what they were talking about but a moment later, the blue-uniformed man nodded and said, "Come on, Sir" before walking out of the cubicle.

Hurriedly, Xiajun followed him as he struggled to match his pace with his. They passed by a lot of doors and wards before stopping at a single white door with the number VIP embossed on a brass plate at the front.

"Patient#9059 is inside, Sir," said the blue-uniformed man once before leaving Xiajun's side and walking away.

Xiajun exhaled slowly as he turned the knob on the door and entered.

The whole smell of the room was different. Xiajun screwed up his nose as the pungent odour of flowers and perfume invaded his personal space. There, on a lone hospital bed with its headboard against the middle of the main wall was a man.

So this was Wu Yanlin.

With soft steps, Xiajun approached the man, sweeping his eyes over all the tubes that went in through his arms or nose. His swelling had gotten better and the injuries on him had been treated and bandaged. He looked much like a mummy, with his arms wrapped up in casts, his one leg in a stretcher that hung from the ceiling and his forehead bandaged. He was wearing an oxygen mask which fogged up from inside with every breath. The beeping of the hospital machinery beeped in sync to Xiajun's feet as he tapped them on the floor, wondering what to do now.

Xiajun looked around the hospital room, not surprised that it was more luxurious than a normal room. It was equipped with an LED TV attached to the wall opposite the hospital bed, below which was a long table piled with flowers and gifts. Beside the hospital bed was an off-white couch usually when family comes to visit, but Xiajun strolled over and sat himself down, waiting for a nurse to come in so he could ask about the patient's clothes.

It was so peaceful inside the hospital room and the beeping served as a calm background noise, that Xiajun almost dozed off. He didn't know how long it was before the door to the room clicked open and a nurse came in to check the patient's stats.

She was a young, petite woman in her early twenties who stopped at the sight of the handsome gentleman in the suit sat half-asleep on the couch. When she had checked Wu Yanlin's stats, she approached the couch and with a voice softer then an angel's, whispered, "Sir?"

Xiajun stirred awake with a jolt and sat straighter. He looked around in a daze, for a moment have forgotten where he was. Then he noticed the hospital bed and realized what he had come here for.

"Nurse," he said to the nurse, "do you know anything about the clothes the patient was wearing before he was admitted in?"

The Nurse stood back, surprised by the sudden question.

"I-I'm sorry, I haven't a single clue..." she stammered as she avoided the gaze of the handsome man. "Though I can ask the staff for you, if you'd like."

Xiajun nodded and flashed his charming smile, the one women died for. The nurse swooned and took her sweet time to walk across the room and out the door, the whole while she stared at Xiajun who didn't really care.

Soon, the nurse returned with two men in the familiar blue uniforms who shook hands with Xiajun one by one and talked in hushed tones so as not to disturb the patient.

"You were asking about the patient's clothes, Sir?" one said.

"May we ask why?" the other one said as he studied Xiajun gravely.

Xiajun nodded and told them about how he was a detective and how something in the victim's clothes may be essential to the case he was working on, commissioned specially by the patient's father. The whole while, he was bursting with impatience at the seams. Why did foolish humans have to ask so many questions?

"Sure, Sir," said the first man again after he had heard Xiajun's reason. "I'll check with the staff and see what I can do. Will you please wait here a moment?"

Xiajun nodded. "Of course. Though I would suggest you to make haste."

The nurse along with the two men disappeared outside again and this time, they took much longer than expected to return. Xiajun was wondering where they were when the Wu Yanlin suddenly started making a gurgling noise.

"Doctor? We need a doctor over here!" Xiajun yelled loudly as he yanked open the room's door. "The patient's making odd noises. Come quick!"

Soon the room was crowded with doctors and nurses as they checked what was going on with the CEO of Y Corp's son. Some were only there to spectate.

Xiajun was annoyed that the peace of the room had been ruined. He waited by the door and watched on as the doctors talked amongst themselves and tweaked this and that with the hospital machines. Soon, Yanlin had stopped gargling and he lay peacefully on the bed.

"It's alright, Sir," the head doctor said as he slipped down his mask, revealing a bushy, grey moustache. "The patient is in stable condition now. Call us if his condition fluctuates."

And just like that, everyone rushed out of the room, taking away with them the distinct chatter till only the patient and Xiajun remained in the room. He closed the door and took his position on the couch, waiting for the nurse to come back with the clothes while Xiajun studied Yanlin who lay in a calm state on the bed.

Finally, after what seemed like hours, the nurse returned with a white draw-string bag in her arms.