Wei Ying closes his eyes as Wen Qing takes his blood.
Lan Zhan is right by his side, holding his hand.
"How did you find that out, anyway?" Wei Ying asks her, by way of distracting himself from what she's doing. "The fact that his venom seems to be helping me?"
"Well, you know I said the samples were contaminated?"
Wei Ying nods, trying to ignore the pinching in his arm, and the sound of tiny glass vials clinking as Wen Qing fills one after another, almost gleefully.
"A-Ning was testing them when...when he was interrupted." Her tone became sharper.
"Why? What happened?" Wei Ying wishes he could turn around.
"Wen Chao. The little shit has taken to bullying him. Whenever he's around, he makes a point of coming here, just to rile him up. A-Ning never says anything..." She sighs. "And I know...they're doing that to send a message...to me."
Wei Ying gasps and turns around, jerking the needle, and then wishing he hadn't.
"Stay still!" Wen Qing warns him.
"Is that why you have to stay here?" Wei Ying asks her, putting two and two together.
In the past, when Wen Qing was tired, she used to often complain about people taking liberties...but Wei Ying had assumed she was talking about the hospital job.
Not this...not this second job that he had no idea about until today.
And while he didn't want to think this...he was now worried about her, and for her.
Whose side was she really on?
And worst case scenario...if it came down to it...if it ever came down to a choice between himself and her blood brother...who would she pick? How much could Wei Ying trust her?
"I thought it was my venom helping him not to bleed. It seems to have obliterated everything inside my body." Lan Zhan says.
"Well, technically, you're not wrong. Your venom is helping his white blood cells become even stronger. That's all we've discovered so far. I would really like to explore all possibilities in both of you, separately and together, really from a scientific point of view." Wen Qing says, glancing at him.
"But what about his dizzy spells?" Lan Zhan's tone becomes a little harder. "That was the original point of giving you his blood."
"Yes. I apologise. That was our intention, and then accidentally we found out so much more about him. And you." She sounds excited. "I promise, we'll make it a priority now."
"You knew about the venom...?" At the last second, Wei Ying lifts his voice, making his statement sound like a question.
Not so accusatory. But he feels like he has to know.
Wen Qing doesn't say anything at first.
The steady clinks of bottles being filled is the only sound in the room, and Wei Ying thinks she's not going to answer.
Just as she opens her mouth to say something, both her and Lan Zhan whip their heads up at the sound of the external door opening.
Wen Qing swears under her breath.
Oh no...that can't be good, Wei Ying thinks.
Suddenly, she's a whirlwind of action.
She tapes a cotton wool piece to the puncture wound on his arm and says urgently, "when I tell you to, walk out and head straight for the exit. Do Not Make Eye Contact with him." She orders.
She's definitely scared.
Of what? Or...of whom?
Wei Ying nods, still in a bit of a daze, and he wonders if this time, she took too much blood.
Lan Zhan is incredibly tense beside him, and Wei Ying stands up, willing his legs to support him. He's feeling lightheaded.
The door opens, and out of all the people it could be in the world, it's the one they do not want to meet yet, especially not here in his home territory.
It is Wen Rouhan.
He's a tall, foreboding character.
His skin is weathered and brown, like old leather, sharp black eyes that are too deeply set in his face. He has a bulbous nose, and on anyone else, it would be funny. But on him? Wei Ying finds it creepy.
Wen Rouhan is smartly dressed in a dark grey suit. He's not slim by any means, and yet there's something incredibly strong looking about him.
And, he's not alone.
His son, Wen Xu is following right behind him.
"Your diligence is commendable." Wen Rouhan says to Wen Qing, but his gaze narrows when it falls upon Wei Ying and Lan Zhan.
She bows to him. "Uncle."
Lan Zhan is refusing to look up, his shoulders lowered in a deference.
"I told you, those samples are urgent. Why are you still standing there? They must be refrigerated in Laboratory One. Take them immediately." Wen Qing snaps at them angrily.
Lan Zhan starts walking as soon as she speaks, hoping Wei Ying will follow, and he does.
Except, he's feeling terrible, and his feet betray him. He stumbles, and Lan Zhan catches him, just in time.
Wen Xu laughs and kicks him, but Lan Zhan manages to pull him out of the way exceptionally fast, and Wen Xu ends up kicking the table leg, hurting himself instead.
"Every second you delay, you are risking unnecessary contamination." Wen Qing says, through her teeth.
They bow and are nearly at the door, when Wen Qing says in a really loud voice, "Uncle, I'm glad I was able to see you today. Lab five was able to get the results you asked for."
Lan Zhan isn't taking any more chances now; he walks briskly towards the exit like Wen Qing had told him to, his hand clutching Wei Ying's arm in a tight grip.
He can smell Wei Ying's fear and he knows there's something else, that Wei Ying isn't feeling too good. But this is no place to pass out and have them be investigated.
That would bring a mountain of trouble down upon not only them, but on Wen Qing, too. Lan Zhan takes responsibility now, and begins to trust his instincts on getting them out of there.
Wen Qing is safe, she can make her way out by herself.
They do not have that luxury.
They bypass all the same security checks that they went through to come in; apparently, going in is more risky than coming out, because no one bats an eyelid. Thank goodness for small mercies, Lan Zhan thinks.
But the more they walk at this brisk pace, the more Wei Ying is unsteady.
"Lan Zhan..." Wei Ying's gaze flickers upwards.
They're at a turning point. The cameras are pointing towards the direction they just came from, and it stands to reason that the next camera is around the corner. Right next to them, there's a door.
Lan Zhan tries it and it's locked, but Wei Ying has a brainwave. He swipes his lanyard over the sensor and the red light turns green with a beep.
Lan Zhan pushes the door open without hesitation.
It turns out to be a storeroom, where extra medication is kept. Luckily, there's a chair, and Lan Zhan makes Wei Ying sit down first. He crouches in a squat so he can look into Wei Ying's eyes.
Already, they look a little clearer.
"Just give me five minutes, my love." Wei Ying whispers.
Lan Zhan simply nods. He checks Wei Ying's temperature using the back of his hand; Wei Ying leans into his touch. Lan Zhan makes him feel safe.
"How do you know which way to go?" Wei Ying asks him.
"I can smell the way." Lan Zhan replies looking around, and he's relieved that in here, there aren't any cameras.
Which is strange...because there must be thousands of dollars worth of medicine in here.
However, when he stands up to open the glass door, he finds it locked. There's nothing to swipe anywhere, because this cabinet is secured with a lock that needs a real key.
That's why there aren't any cameras.
Whoever is in charge of stock must be confident enough that no theft can take place here.
Wei Ying has been watching him, evidently feeling better after resting.
"What kind of medication is there, anyway?" He asks.
"I don't recognise the names." Lan Zhan takes out his phone and snaps a few pictures.
"We can ask A-Qing ...actually...it might be better if we don't ask Wen Qing." Wei Ying says, in a resigned voice.
Lan Zhan immediately understands, but he'd rather not discuss anything sensitive here. Not while they're behind enemy lines...as it were.
There is someone else they can ask: F4keSt0ries.
In this small cramped room, there's not much room to move about, and Lan Zhan accidentally kicks over something...it turns out to be a rubbish bin. An empty bottle of medication falls out, the label reads the same as the ones they cannot touch: SUP10, and in a moment of inspiration, Lan Zhan grabs a clear plastic bag on the side, and pops it inside. Then he pockets it.
Who knows? It might be useful later.
For now, his priority is getting Wei Ying out of here.
"I think we should find a way to get back to Wen Qing's car." Wei Ying says.
"How do you feel right now? Strong enough to walk there?" Lan Zhan can't help being worried about him. Wei Ying looks too pale. And there's a fine sheen of sweat on his forehead.
But he nods anyway, and stands up.
"Once we go outside, the cameras will be on us. Wei Ying must be sure." Lan Zhan warns him.
"Yeah...I think I'll be okay." Wei Ying says, mustering up courage from somewhere.
"Alright." Lan Zhan wraps his arms around Wei Ying's body. "I may not be able to touch you out there...but I'm right next to you." He promises.
It makes Wei Ying feel infinitely better.
Just for a few minutes, he takes as much strength as he can from Lan Zhan.
This feels so nice; to be able to rely on someone.
Tears prickle at the back of Wei Ying's throat as he recognises that for most of his life, he has been alone up till now. But he doesn't have to be.
Not anymore.
"I am here." Lan Zhan says once more, waiting for Wei Ying to nod, before he lets go.
Together, they walk out of that tiny little supply closet as if they were meant to be there in the first place; heads held high, shoulders back.
Lan Zhan tries to keep a level speed, surreptitiously making sure Wei Ying was walking alongside him.
They make it all the way to the doors that lead to the outside and freedom, when there's a shout behind them.