A/N: !!Warning!! Contents in the chapter might be disturbing to some readers as it depicts someone drowning. Proceed at your own risk. The 'ticks' referred to in the chapter means the same thing as 'seconds' (time counter).
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Cradling the small motionless body in his arms, Feiyi climbs out of the pool. His lips were pale blue and his skin became almost translucent from soaking in the cool waters of early winter. The most painful substance that helped you come into this world, is also an excruciating way to die. Water, something that once was the comfort you found when you were in your mother's womb, can also act as a gentle killer. With its soothing hands, it grasps around your neck and lulls you to an eternal slumber.
After the struggle on the surface of the water, an average person can only hold their breath for thirty to sixty seconds. Shinyi was no exception to this rule. With the declining amount of oxygen in his blood and the amount of carbon dioxide surpassing that of the norm, his brain sends out a signal and triggers the involuntary action of inhaling whether he was above or below the surface of the water. Once the water enters his throat, his larynx will close as a reflex to stop the water from assaulting his lungs.
As a result of the futile attempt to intake air, it only leads to more oxygen deprivation. Of course, he is still conscious at this point of his struggle. He can feel his throat burn from the force of the water entering, as he sees the unreachable release just an arm's length away.
At this point, his body will go into involuntary apnea and the cruel and vicious cycle begins. Reaching for the surface only to consume oxygen in his muscles and tissue. Then, taking in a breath of the cool waters for a thirst of air. After failing to obtain the necessity in order to survive, his consciousness slips away slowly, and then we return back to trying to reach for the surface only to sink deeper.
As his consciousness completely fades, the protection over his lungs loosens and the rush of water surpasses an unbelievable speed and invades his lungs from his trachea. The insides of his throat, lungs, stomach all continue to sear with an indescribable burning heat, as the waters bites into his soft inner flesh.
His alveoli will collapse, stopping any oxygen from being diffused into his tissues. As that happens, his breathing will gradually wane. Even though he essentially stops breathing, his heart will continue to beat at a rapid pace to try and save him. All of this takes merely a minute or two to happen, and death comes not long after.
Feiyi knows that he has only a half a heartbeat before the person before he fails to ever wake up ever again. Images of the little boy's face passes through his mind. His laughter, his smiles, his pouts, his tears, and his voice... All of them were a heartbeat away from disappearing for an eternity.
Every minute that passes by, Shinyi's chance of survival slims down by seven percent. Mentally ticking from the time he brought him out of the water, his count was already at sixty-nine. If he gets over the number two-hundred and forty ticks and Shinyi hasn't regained his consciousness, there will be a small chance of brain damage. Beyond that point, the chances of brain damage increases. At three-hundred and sixty ticks, there's a high chance of brain damage and at six-hundred ticks, it is more than likely than not that he sustained brain damages. It would be a miracle if someone was to ever be at six-hundred ticks and still manage to come out with no brain damage whatsoever.
He places his fingers by Shinyi's carotid on his neck and checks for a pulse. Ten seconds pass by, his lips press into a thin line with his jaws clenched; there is no pulse.
This would only be for two reasons: one, he has already ceased to live, or two, his heart was experiencing ventricular fibrillation where his heart is trying to beat as a means to circulate blood but fails and is only able to quiver.
Feiyi's eyes holds determination. Even though there is only a sheer eight percent chance that Shinyi will survive even after being resuscitated; he wouldn't hesitate to do it.
Getting into position, he interlocks his fingers and places it over his chest. Pressing down, Feiyi starts to perform chest compressions on Shinyi. Simultaneously ticking two numbers in his mind, he keeps track of the number of times he's pressed down and how much time has passed. Once he hits one-hundred ten, he stops and lets Shinyi's small chest rise back up. Then, he waits for a minute before he starts again the procedure again.
During this time, Yunsheng arrives. Looking at the scene, Yunsheng recalls what happened just a while ago.
He was feeding Shunyu and Qiuyue when his best friend's arrival caused a big commotion. The Ouyang Family is famous within the upper class. Many would want to be on their good side and often curry favor with them, as it would mean that they would gain access to a multitude of connections and unconditionally receive respect just with a connection no matter how small, for fear of insulting the Ouyang Family.
The reason to why they were so revered was because of their strength. Even if they look non threatening, one swipe and accidentally touching their reverse scale only equates to death. They were one of the few families whose origin traces straight back to ancient China. Their bloodline might not be as pure as it had been centuries ago, but their influence burgeoned as the time dwindled by. The reason why they had thrived for so long was because they knew how and when to choose their battles. Their insight and judgment saved them from peril, unlike many other families that fell due to a wrong choice.
As the economy developed and influences from the outer world dug their hands into their country. The Ouyang Family would carefully pick the best route. Soon, they had their hands in many industries and their network became as vast as the night sky. By the time everyone realized it, the Ouyang Family had become one of the top families in the nation with an unshakeable foundation.
So this big boss' appearance today was like a meat pie falling from the sky¹.
Predictably, the attention shifted from Xiu Tianyu and Qiu Hua to Feiyi and his family. Yunsheng's lip twitches at their oh-so-fancy entrance. All of them were dressed in custom made outfits that were one of a kind and their dazzling features made them look like models. It was like there were stage lights directed towards their location, saying 'Hey, I'm a big shot. Come kiss the back of my hand'.
Staring at Feiyi who was making his way over to him, he felt quite puzzled as this person hated gatherings like this and would usually steer clear from these kinds of events. Yunsheng had an inkling that Shinyi has something to do with his best friend coming here.
With a smirk on his face, Feiyi greets him, "This servant greets Empress Dowager."
Yunsheng's lip twitches in annoyance, "What brings you here, Ah- Ouyang Feiyi?"
He restrains the innate reaction from interacting as he normally would, as it would only bring both sides more trouble if he did so. Yunsheng's hands itch as he really wanted to take Feiyi's cell phone and throwing it out of the nearby open door.
Raising an eyebrow at the way Yunsheng called him, Feiyi felt a little saddened despite his unchanged expression. He sighed inwardly. A connection with the Ouyang Family is like a golden double edge sword, but most would only see one side of it.
Being friends for so long, he naturally understood his thoughts. Yunsheng was acting distant because he didn't want to take advantage of their connection, nor did he want to be his achilles' heel.
Being at the top not only meant that there would only be ass kissing people but contenders as well. Unlike being at the bottom where you knew your enemies from your allies, it was hard to discern who was what. Standing at the pinnacle of the world, attacks would only be stealthily launched at them from the shadows.
He did what he thinks is best for Feiyi because he understands the other already has enough on his plate and things will be piled up higher for him. Even if the other was annoying, Yunsheng still considered him like a brother, so he wouldn't be able to stand it if he only became a burden to Feiyi. That's why he never mentioned what happened at these events, nor did he involve him in anything that pertained to that side of the family. Most of the time, the lad found out things from his own accord.
Even though he knows what Yunsheng was trying to do, he didn't care. Hearts of people would always be as it is, just because they showed a smile did not mean that they didn't have a knife hiding behind their back. Feiyi didn't care if they targeted him, just because showed his tail did not mean that they would be able to catch it. Tapping his chin, Feiyi acts as if it was a troubling matter to answer his question and slowly meets his eyes. He, then whispers with complete seriousness, "I miss my little bunny."
Almost spurting out blood, Yunsheng instead chokes on the air and coughs. Feiyi pats his back as he feigns concern, "Ah, be more careful when you breathe. We can't have you dying on us, we can't afford such a grand funeral for you, Empress Dowager."
The blue vein on Yunsheng's forehead pulsates as he takes in a deep breath. He grips tightly onto Feiyi's hand as if he was trying to shatter his bones. "Thank you for your concern, but I still have a long way before I enter my grave."
Raising his eyebrows slightly, a faint smile could be seen on Feiyi's lips. He shrugs and steps back. Looking around, he finds two missing figures and turns to his best friend. He asks in an insouciant manner, "Where's little bunny Yi'er?"
Yunsheng blinks at his best friend in silence, "..."
His expression blackens and could almost be mistaken as being siblings with a burnt pot. The visible change in his expression was like a magic trick. Feiyi claps with slight enthusiasm as his face holds a languid smirk, "You should host a trope of your own and do Bian Lian², I think you'll be a great hit without even having to wear any mask."
Unable to hold back any longer, he snatches Feiyi's phone from his pocket. He walks over to the door and tosses it along with his anger. Yunsheng watches it fly away with happiness. He then turns around and takes another one of his phone and chucks it. As to why he knows where it is? It's because this happens too often that the places where Feiyi puts the phones is all known.
Seeing that his friend was back to normal, Feiyi didn't know whether he should laugh or cry.
Of course, the two's interaction caused a commotion.
Many speculated that the Ouyang Family came to congratulate the Xiu Family's daughter, while others assumed that the Xiu Family had somehow established a connection with the Ouyang Family. Both speculations were incorrect, they certainly weren't here to congratulate a brat and they certainly did not come as to give face to the Xiu Family. The Xiu Family was at most a third-rate family, while they were a first-rate family. So what face did they need to give to a lower rate family? Hah. Must be dreaming too much for that too happen. They only came because they wanted to protect their family's lazy persian cat from hungry wolves at events like this.
Yunsheng sighs, "Are you not worried?"
Feiyi grabs a dessert from his (XYS's) plate and eats it, "Don't care."
Understanding that since the cat was already out of the bag, there was nothing else to be done but to take precautions. Yunsheng turns to his siblings and starts to warn them about what to say to other people if they ask. Finally finishing with his lesson, he asks Qiuyue and Shunyu, "What do you say if someone asks you to ask something of Feiyi ge?"
Qiuyue, "I can't— Wait! Why do I need to even answer them? Hmph, I'm not that easy to be pushed around. No one can take advantage of my family!"
Shunyu, "Dage says no."
Yunsheng looks up to the ceiling and lets out a long deep breath. He has much to explain to his siblings... He stills has a long way to go.
It was then that Yijun came rushing in and told them that Shinyi was missing. Yunsheng immediately instructs Yijun to take Qiuyue and Shunyu to find Ying Zhuqing and tell him what was going on, while they search for him.
Heading outside to the spot where Shinyi was last seen, Feiyi took to the west side while Yunsheng took the east side. Not even three minutes into their search, a loud unpleasant cry echoed. Yunsheng could identify the owner of that voice and turned the chase in that direction.
He looks at the drenched and pallid Shinyi with his heart clenched. When Yijun had informed him that Shinyi went missing, he had an inkling that a misfortune will occur. Nothing good ever happens when Qiu Hua or her offspring are involved. He just didn't think that it would be this bad.
At this moment, the two hosts of the banquet finally step out from inside of the building. Pushing past the crowd, Qiu Hua espies her daughter and calls out for her, "LiLi!"
Hearing her saving grace, she runs over and crashes into her mother's arms, "Mommy!"
Patting her back, Qiu Hua cautiously asks, "Are you alright, LiLi? What happened?"
Liling sobs, "I didn't do anything. He fell into the pool by himself!"
Comforting her daughter, she rubs their back in a circular motion, "I know. I know that it's not your fault."
Looking at Xiu Tianyu, she sees that he has a complicated look on his face. Knowing what he was thinking, Qiu Hua understands that there will be trouble once they're alone.
Seeing their mini interchange, Yunsheng clenches his fist. He understands their character enough to guess what they were going to do next. He doesn't blame Yijun for failing to watch over Shinyi, he was probably dragged off or most likely, he wandered off by himself. Instead, he places the blame on himself. A stream of guilt shot through his heart; he was far too weak to do anything. Even if he wanted to seek justice, many mouths can speak lies. They were also the host of this celebration, many would still protect them in hopes of creating a connection and when many mouths speak the same tale; the truth becomes shrouded.
Picking her daughter, Qiu Hua intends to leave the place. But before she's able to take a step, a stern voice stops her, "You dare to take away the criminal who attempted to kill my xiao waisun?!"
Everyone's attention drew to the old man who stood with his back ramrod straight. His eagle-like eyes locked onto Liling who was holding Qiu Hua's neck tightly. His eyes seemingly wanted to peel off their skin as he gazes at them. If it was possible to, there would be no skin left on their bodies.
Seeing them silent, Ying Zhuqing sneers, "Planning to run away and not take responsibility?"
Earlier when he was still reminiscing with his friend, Yijun along with Qiuyue and Shunyu came over and informed him of Shinyi's disappearance. He gathered his staff and started to sweep the area while he checked the monitors. That was when he saw the tragedy happen. Ying Zhuqing could not believe what he saw. The joints on his fingers cracked as he clenched his hands tightly. Breaking out his stupor, he took out his phone dialed 120. As soon as he heard the call go through, he did not even wait for the other side to speak and informed them of the situation with haste.
Only after delivering all the information that was needed did he finally make his way out. And, it was at that moment that he saw this shameless woman try and leave with that twice as shameless daughter of hers.
Stating in a voice that gave no room for arguments, he declares for all to hear, "No one is leave until this matter is settled."
Shunyu's eyes start to water and he takes shaky steps towards his twin. Wasn't he just laughing and eating with them a while ago? How come he ended up like this? Weren't they supposed to stargaze tonight?
He silently calls out with a cracked voice, "Yi'er..."
Shunyu knows that the other isn't able to respond, but he couldn't help but do so. Having neurological optimism was inevitable, you can't help but cling onto because reality was too harsh to accept. The delusion that if you call out to them and they would reply back to you no matter what would always be appealing.
The fear of losing his other half eclipses over his heart and he begins to cry. He wipes his eyes, muttering, "You can't leave me."
"You just finally came home."
"Wake up."
"Who will sleep by my side, if you're gone?"
"Aren't we supposed to go to high school together? Weren't we... Weren't we supposed to celebrate our birthday together?"
It was only a month away before their 11th birthday. The two of them had stayed up night up all talking about plans for that day, even drawing dreadful sketches of how they wanted their celebration to look like.
Qiuyue embraces him with tears falling down her face. She struggles to keep her strong front as she watches the taraxacum officinale³, in which she put in effort to cultivate have their white puffs get blown away by the cruel wind. Qiuyue is unable to speak words of comfort, her mind was already a sinking ship. Two strong arm wraps around the two of them, providing the comfort they needed. Bringing the two of them into his bosom, Yijun's eyes turn cold. His frigid glare penetrates into Liling's pores as if he was the arctic wind and she, the unfortunate lost traveler. He rubs their backs and assures them, "Nothing will happen to Yi'er. Feiyi ge is here after all. He'll save him."
Both Yijun and Yunsheng glance at each briefly before turning away. They could only hope for the best in a situation like this.
Time trickles by, but Shinyi has yet to show any signs. Frustrated, Feiyi's heart speeds up. He tilts Shinyi's head back and lifts his chin. Taking in a breath of air, he pinches Shinyi's nose shut and he covers his mouth with his (OFY's) lips. Blowing his breath into the other person in two short one second intervals, he glances at his slowly falling chest.
It was already two-hundred and ten ticks. Feiyi grits his teeth and perseveres. Repeating the steps, he solely focuses his attention before him. Pressing down, he counts the number up to thirty before he stops and blows in air. He's aware that he has probably broken some of Shinyi's ribs and damaged his lungs, perhaps even cause some internal bleeding to occur; but it wouldn't matter as long as he woke up.
Hearing a cough, Feiyi tilts Shinyi's head to the side as he vomits. Finally, he lets out a sigh and takes off his coat to cover the blue-lipped-vomiting-machine Shinyi.
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A/N: While researching, it was quite a shock to me as I learned the facts about CPR and drowning. My face as I research: Σ(○□○)
Anyways... Finally the 'Lunar Crown Hotel' will be completed after the next chapter~ ( ﾟ▽ﾟ)/
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¹Meat pie falling from the sky: An idiom meaning, to have something fall into your lap.
²Bian Lian: Is the ancient Chinese dramatic art in Sichuan opera. They wear vividly colored masks and change the masks instantaneously with a movement.
³Taraxacum officinale: Scientific name for dandelion.