Know Your Place

Leaning against the stone wall, Alexander panted heavily as he reached his room. When he had entered, a huge slap flew across his face, leaving five red fingerprints on his originally clear skin.

"Imbecile. Did I save you many years ago for nothing? How dare you help them escape?" The old man angrily growled at him. His room had been flipped upside down. With clothes dangling everywhere, including from the fan on the ceiling; it was clear the old man had gone on a rampage.

"Insolent! Is this how you treat me? Huh?" His nasty breath had a mixture of garlic, blood and pepper. Even Alexander had to hold his breath as he listened to the skinny bone man in front of him rant.

Parting his lips, he said, "Yes. You saved me many years ago, but I've returned it all to you. If these years of performing secret missions for you doesn't count, then here." He took out a blade from the drawer and handed it to the old man. With the sharp blade pointed towards his chest, he gripped it strongly.

"Aim right here. End my torture, and we will call it a day." His unwavering eyes maintained on the old man's weakening ones. The strong grip he had on that handle indicated how serious he was with slaying him with the sharp weapon.

"Hah. Did you think this was enough for what you owe me? Did you think I wouldn't have killed you because we are blood related? You better not have any sneakier moves. I'm warning you. Even though you changed your name to Alexander, don't forget your roots. Your real name is Shi Ku Rou. You're a Shi."

"Even if you don't want to admit it, there's nothing you could change about it. Treat me like an enemy or your debt collector, whichever you prefer. I'm not stopping my plans, and you won't make a difference for my choices. You hear me? So, don't do any funny businesses. Those rats won't be so lucky next time."

The old man had said what he wanted and left without turning back. Alexander dropped the blade and ridiculed himself for his weakness. Combing his hair with his fingers, he lowered his head and staggered backwards to the floor. Chuckling lowlily, his neck arched where his head hid between his slightly parted knees.

"Argghh!!!!!" His paralyzing scream shook all insects and humans. After a while, Qian Ling knocked on his door and knelt down, "Let me take a look at your wounds. It'll be bad if your wound reopens."

He yanked his arm away from her touch as tears streamed down his face; dripping from his chin to the floor. His teeth gnashed together and bit his lip to hold in his cries. It was painful. It was burning him alive. It was killing him every day.

His muscles tensed up as fingers formed rock hard fists. "You should understand this already. No matter what you do, he won't change. He can't change. And nothing you do would affect him. So, why hurt yourself at all? Leave while you can. Listen to me."

"Then what about you? And all the others? I won't leave without everyone released. I won't leave unless you do." He grabbed her arm while she patted his head in her embrace. She wasn't good at comforting others, so this was all she could do for him.

"You know it's already impossible for me to leave. Let it all out. Don't keep it in. You're safe in my arms. He's in the shadows, while we are in the light. Nobody knows who he is, but the fact of him being a Shi." She whispered as her eyes concentrated at the door. Seconds later, the door slammed shut loudly.

After he had calmed down, he took off his shirt to show his newly bandaged wounds. With one look, she already knew those were not the same ones she bandaged earlier.

"Who did this for you? This is not my doing." Feeling relieved that he found better treatment, she checked for signs of bleeding.

"A friend brought me to the hospital and did it for me. I was unconscious at that time and woke up to the way I am now."

"I saw the girl you liked while you were gone. Ariana was her name, right?" Covering the blanket on his wounds, she started picking up the scattered clothes on the floor.

"You saw her?!" He almost got up impulsively again, but was forced back down by her hands.

"Yes. She's a good girl. I was the one who helped her escape from here. If not, did you think she could outsmart those guards?" She folded the clothes on her lap and placed them neatly by the empty side of his bed.

"Thanks. My taste is not bad, huh?" He chuckled and coughed a few times.

"Yes, but she is married. She also has a child in her tummy. Did you know that?" She continued picking up clothes and fixing up his torn apart room.

"She's pregnant? I didn't know that!"

"Well, now you know. She is one heck of a brave girl. She said she was looking for me and would come back to save me from here. Do you think it is possible?" With a tiny hope in her eyes, Alexander smiled.

"Of course. It's definitely possible because she's Ariana. She could make the impossible thing a miracle." He praised her ability to melt the normal stone-faced Qian Ling into a warmer person.

"If you say so. I hope so as well. Anyways, are you planning to keep offending that old man? You know he won't ever tell you the whole truth, right?" All jokes aside, she looked at him with a solemn face.

"Heh. Even if I die, I will risk my all to dig up this whole thing. Why would he kidnap you and force you to perform experiments? Why is he keeping all those people here? I don't get it. Is it really for money? It's no longer clear." His laughter was filled with mockery.

"I'm done cleaning your room. You should avoid water getting on your back. Let me know if you need my help wiping your body." She said as she exited with her medical kit.

"Hold on. Thank you for saving me many years ago. I'm really glad you did. Even though I don't like where and how my life ended up, I never once thought that you saving me was a waste. So, thank you." He chanted to her back view.

"Good." She replied as she walked out and closed the door from behind.

Meanwhile, Ariana's finger typed nonstop on the laptop keyboard to dig up important news dating from when Shi Corporation was first created and the founder of it. Waiting for the codes in front of her to complete, she sipped the warm milk from a straw as Chen Nan held the cup next to her.