Unspoken Battles

Chapter 3: Unspoken Battles

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08:30 AM | Hospital Room 507

The sun had barely risen, but the hospital was already awake—nurses rushing through the halls, pagers beeping, and the distant hum of conversations blending into white noise.

Inside Room 507, Wang Yibo lay still, eyes fixed on the ceiling, his body stiff under the crisp white sheets. His mind, however, was anything but still.

His unit had been here earlier—Cheng Ling barking orders at the nurses, Gu Xiang smirking as she teased him, and Zhou Zishu watching quietly, as always. But now, it was just him and the doctor.

Xiao Zhan stood by his bedside, flipping through a patient chart with a practiced ease. His expression was unreadable, professional, but his eyes lingered on Yibo for a second too long.

“You didn’t sleep much.” His voice broke the silence.

Yibo scoffed. “Didn’t know you were tracking my sleep schedule.”

Xiao Zhan raised an eyebrow. “I don’t have to. You look like hell.”

Yibo let out a humorless chuckle. “I’ve had worse.”

“Right,” Xiao Zhan said, scribbling something onto his clipboard. “Because being shot is just another day at work for you, isn’t it?”

Yibo turned his head slightly, meeting Xiao Zhan’s gaze for the first time that morning. His sharp eyes held something unreadable—a challenge, maybe.

“You wouldn’t understand,” he muttered.

Xiao Zhan sighed, setting the clipboard down with a soft thud. “You keep saying that like it’s some universal truth.”

“It is.”

Xiao Zhan exhaled slowly, pressing his fingers against his temple. He wasn’t in the mood for this. “Listen, I get it. You’re used to pushing through pain, to ignoring it. But you’re in a hospital now, which means you don’t get to act like a damn hero while your body is barely holding itself together.”

Yibo’s jaw clenched. He hated this. Hated being weak. Hated being stuck. Hated that Xiao Zhan saw through him so easily.

“You done?” he asked flatly.

“No.” Xiao Zhan crossed his arms. “You need to rest. You need to take your medication. And most importantly, you need to stop acting like you’re invincible.”

Yibo huffed, looking away. “Doctors and their rules.”

Xiao Zhan smirked. “Soldiers and their egos.”

A silence settled between them. The tension wasn’t just annoyance anymore—it was something else.

Xiao Zhan moved closer, checking Yibo’s IV line, his fingers brushing against his wrist. It was barely a touch, just skin against skin, but it sent an unfamiliar shiver up Yibo’s spine.

He tensed. Xiao Zhan didn’t miss it.

“Pain level?” The doctor’s voice was softer now.

Yibo swallowed. “…Tolerable.”

Xiao Zhan studied him for a long moment before speaking. “If it gets worse, you tell me.”

Yibo didn’t respond, but he didn’t look away this time. That, in itself, was an answer.

Xiao Zhan glanced at the clock—08:42 AM. He had other patients to see, but for some reason, he didn’t move.

For a soldier who had survived gunfire and explosions, Yibo sure as hell felt like he was losing a different kind of battle.

And Xiao Zhan was starting to realize… maybe he was too.

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08:45 AM | Hospital Room 507

The knock on the door was sharp, and Dr. Wen Qing stepped inside with her usual confidence, clipboard tucked under one arm. Her gaze flickered between Xiao Zhan and Wang Yibo, her brows raising slightly at the tension hanging in the air.

Xiao Zhan barely had time to speak before she cut in.

“Dr. Xiao,” she said, her tone professional but familiar. “The CEO wants to see you. Urgently.”

Xiao Zhan frowned. “What for?”

“No idea. He just said it’s important.” Wen Qing crossed her arms. “But considering how busy he usually is, I’d say it’s serious.”

Xiao Zhan exhaled, rubbing the bridge of his nose. “Great. Another crisis.”

As he moved to leave, Wen Qing turned to Wang Yibo, her sharp eyes narrowing. “And you, soldier, don’t scare off any more interns. The poor kid yesterday looked like he saw a ghost.”

Yibo smirked lazily, arms crossed over his chest. “Not my fault if they’re weak.”

Wen Qing scoffed. “You’re worse than Xiao Zhan. At least he pretends to be nice.”

Xiao Zhan rolled his eyes. “Remind me why we’re friends again?”

“Because no one else puts up with you.” She gave him a teasing smile, but something in her expression softened when she looked at him.

Xiao Zhan didn’t notice. But Wang Yibo did.

Xiao Zhan turned to his patient. “I’ll be back soon. Try not to start a war while I’m gone.”

“No promises,” Yibo said smoothly.

With one last glance at the two men, Wen Qing watched as Xiao Zhan walked away, completely unaware of the way her gaze lingered on him.

And for some reason, Wang Yibo found himself watching her watching him.

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